Blown away by Mercedes-Benz S550
This car almost drives itself
LAKE ROUSSEAU, ONT. —
It is, without a doubt, the most complex piece of machinery ever to travel a paved road. There are no fewer than 60 computers on board, there are so many cameras that the diplomats who love it will probably have to register it as a covert device, and there is so much high-tech wizardry underneath its Maybach-like skin that it has to be labelled under an all-encompassing Intelligent Drive banner, lest we poor consumers — and even a few Mercedes engineers — get some of the terminology wrong.
The seats alone are a marvel of electric motors, fans, heaters, remote controls, computer controls, flatscreen displays, inflatable air jackets and even Internet connectivity: They are able to heat, cool, tilt like an aircraft recliner, and Hot-Stone-Massage you so convincingly that Virgin Atlantic’s First Class cabin will feel like baggage class in comparison.
It is the 2014 MercedesBenz S550, equal parts sensuous luxury sedan and technological tour de force, with just a tiny bit of frightening Big Brotherism thrown in to make it interesting.
For the record, every Mercedes-Benz S-Class in the past 30 years has been a technological sensation, resplendent in the very best technology that the world’s most advanced automaker’s very best engineers could offer. It has been a showcase for every engineering marvel Mercedes could conjure, the harbinger of safety advances to come and, not incidentally, the envy of every other luxury automaker in the world. Where the S-Class went, soon would the luxury segment (and, eventually, all cars) follow.
So we were expecting a testament to the cre- ative German mind when we strolled into the Four Seasons Toronto (yes, the worldwide launch of Mercedes’ most important car was held right here in Canada). But even the most jaded of auto scribes (me- thinks I am in the running here) was absolutely blown away — and perhaps just a little frightened — by the profligacy of the high-tech wizardry of the all-new 2014 S-Benz. Mercedes calls it a semi-autonomous (as in, it almost drives itself) automobile and one suspects the “semi” part of that equation has more to do with the lack of pertinent legislation than Mercedes’ technology not being ready.
The list of high-tech gadgetry we get is exhaustive. There’s a new Distronic Plus cruise control that not only maintains a set distance to the car ahead, but a new Steering Assist function ensures that the car stays in the middle of the lane while doing so. Take your hands off the wheel and, for 10 seconds, the S550 will follow the car ahead diligently, staying in the middle of its proscribed lane. There’s also a new Night View Assist Plus system whose grillemounted infrared camera can now spot both people and animals in the black of night. The automatic braking function recognizes humans and is able to brake the car to a complete stop.