At The End Of The Day

After an opening speech by Florian Muller, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, DaimlerChrysler Malaysia Sdn. Bhd, we were introduced to our trainers by the chief instructor, Matthias Kleinmichel. The trainers for ASE 2007 were Violetta Weykopf (Mrs.), Wim Daems and Jochen Hees. We started off with the emergency braking exercise. This was elementary and very comforting to those novice drivers since the starting attempts were done at 30kph! I reckoned the wet parking concrete enabled the ABS to work at such slow speed. We were all doing very well when we ‘graduated’ to 70-75kph at the end of this exercise. Personally though, my first encounter with the W221 S300 L here was that of a very solid limo with truly excellent brakes! The 'new' C230 2.5 V6 was one smooth, refined and delightful drive. Above it all, the take-home message here is: KICK THAT BRAKE PEDAL REALLY HARD in an emergency stop!

Next up was the slalom which was pretty boring because the cones were quite widely placed and it was a plain driving-up-and-back exercise. The aim of this was to impress upon us the importance of light, smooth and easy steering manoeuvres for our daily safe driving. My impression here again was that the extended wheelbase S300 L was surprisingly agile and easy to handle, despite its length and size! However, its weight when around those cones couldn’t contain itself since you still feel there is still substantial mass being flung about. Our morning session ended with an exercise to counter understeer (the front wheels not going the way you intended) on the track. I have go to admit my body’s adrenaline rush hasn’t begun yet at this point…well, okay, maybe just a little bit during the few bouts of the front tyres wailing. Last but not the least, the double-lane changing maneovre without braking was the most exhilarating of them all. Once again, the B170 was not cut out to easily execute sudden double lane changes manoeuvres due to lack of engine power and maybe, its light but less responsive EPS rack, I imagined to myself. We were too shy to confirm this fact with Jochen or Matthias. At the end of the day, we were impressed with the PRO-SAFE concepts, PRE-SAFE features, ABS, BAS and ESP fitted standard on all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars. A certificates handing-over ceremony was helmed by Elaine Hew, Senior Marketing Manager, DCM Sdn.

The Cabriolet features automatic rollover hoops. The Lane Tracking package adds a blind-spot warning system and a lane departure warning/keeping system. The driver Assistance package adds adaptive cruise control and additional advanced versions of the Lane Tracking items which will take evasive action ought to the driver fail to try to to thus. Rear aspect airbags are a stand-alone possibility. The 2012 Mercedes-Benz E-Class features a cabin done in a vogue that is meant to recall solid, dependable Mercedes from the past. Angles are sharp, the materials initial-rate and the design is decidedly austere, especially when adorned in monotone color schemes and dark wood trim -- very German, in different words. The general style is the same no matter body style, aside from the obtainable three-spoke sport steering wheel and electrical gear selector (column-mounted in the sedan and wagon; console-mounted in the coupe, convertible and AMG). All E-Class models come with the Mercedes COMAND electronics interface, which combines a large show screen, a control knob and dash-mounted buttons. There's a bit of a learning curve concerned, but it's generally neither better nor worse than similar systems from Audi or BMW. Every E-Category model is relatively comfy and spacious for their respective segments. The seats are firm, but provide spectacular comfort and support over the long haul. The two-door and AMG models feature sport seats that provide a nearer fit to help keep you in place through turns. The sedan's backseat is kind of spacious, matching the BMW five Series as the most welcoming rear quarters within the midsize luxury class. With the wagon, you get a generous 57 cubic feet of maximum cargo capability and a rear-facing third-row seat.

Honda is the most reliable used car manufacturer in the UK for the eighth consecutive year, according to research by What Car? The Japanese brand topped the survey of 38 manufacturers and 50,000 live Warranty Direct policies on three to eight-year old vehicles. Once again, Asian manufacturers dominated the study of the most reliable brands, with Suzuki and Hyundai second and third behind Honda. At the other end of the scale, luxury and prestige marques Bentley, Land Rover and Porsche are the most likely to break down - 86% of Bentleys suffer a problem each year, making it Britain’s least dependable car maker. Chas Hallett said: “Honda’s success in the reliability stakes is down to low failure rates, and when cars do go wrong they’re easy and cheap to fix. “Reliability is one of the key attributes that buyers look for when looking to make a used purchase, so manufacturers that can demonstrate that quality will always fare well. Warranty Direct managing director Duncan McClure Fisher said: “Household budgets are already strained, so the last thing you want is a vehicle that costs you yet more unwanted bills. Overall, the most reliable models are the Mitsubishi Lancer and Vauxhall Agila, both of which also star as the cheapest to repair. The least reliable model is the Audi RS6 but the iconic Porsche 911 is the most expensive to fix, with an eye-watering average repair bill of £1157.04. Electrical faults are the most common across all cars, with almost a quarter (23.5%) needing a visit to the garage in an average year. Axle and suspension faults are also common, affecting 22% of cars.