Mercedes Benz Top Of The Line In Performance

Mercedes Benz Top Of The Line In Performance

The rich heritage and colorful background of Mercedes-Benz may be traced to two males, Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz. Daimler was born March 17, 1834 although Carl Benz was born November 25, 1844. The common thread running through them was a deep fascination for machines, even from a young age. The very first Mercedes-Benz automobiles zoomed into the marketplace in 1926, adopting the merger of the firm of Karl Benz with that of Gottlieb Daimler's. Still, the milestones started as early as the 1880s. During this moment, separate achievements marked the career of each men. Karl Benz came out while using the 200-pound Benz Patent Motor Car or truck. Months later, Gottlieb Daimler presented a four-wheeled auto. Sometime in 1900, right after Gottlieb Daimler passed away, Daimler's chief engineer, Wilhelm Mayback (with Gottlieb's son Paul) made a new, powerful car specifically for that fortunate residents of France. Daimler's automobiles were employed for racing. In 1931, the Mercedes-Benz 170 with four-wheel independent suspension rolled off the assembly line. The 1950s developed the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, a quick car or truck with dramatic styling, and recognized as the world's primary supercar. From the contemporary era, the stunning, uncommon automobile is frequently featured in international car shows. Style and safety functions of Mercedes-Benz automobiles had been improved inside the succeeding many years. The 1970s saw the emergence from the remarkable S-Class range of sedans and coupes fitted with powerful engines and a huge list of high-class functions. In recent years, bolder styling and improved capabilities on the new Mercedes Benz S-Class, the flagship luxurious sedans with highly effective engines, the E-Class midsize sedans (now with a sharpened driving appeal), and various versions are actually unveiled.

The body is also 16 millimetres wider and 29 millimetres higher than before. These new dimensions create the conditions for an interior concept which provides every single passenger with first-class comfort. Interior parameters such as shoulder-room and elbow-room have increased by up to 39 millimetres, while headroom has again improved by up to five millimetres. Luxurious fine wood and chrome trim, attractively contoured controls of aluminium and carefully coordinated colours characterise the atmosphere in the interior, producing an immediate feeling of wellbeing. The dashboard with its sophisticated, sweeping lines is yet another masterpiece by Mercedes designers, for whom form and function are ideals which share equal status. Accordingly the cockpit not only conveys a feeling of safety, but is also extraordinarily well laid-out and practical - from the very first moment, man and vehicle enter into a harmonious relationship in the new S-Class. That is also assured by the newly developed and thoroughly tested control concept.

This is based on findings from extensive ergonomic and perceptive psychology studies, and also takes into account the results of acceptance tests with Mercedes customers around the world. The major characteristic of the intelligent operating concept in the new S-Class is rapid access to functions which are used particularly frequently. The steering wheel and instrument cluster are the primary areas in the new operating concept. These integrate all the important information and functions required by the driver. The centrepiece is a colour screen with the latest display technology for a bright, crystal-clear image. The lower edge of the cockpit display has a plain-text array with which up to seven main menus for individual settings, display modes and operating functions can be controlled, depending on the level of equipment. For rapid selection of these functions Mercedes-Benz has developed the controls on the standard multifunction steering wheel further, using circular, illuminated five-way buttons which the driver operates by light thumb pressure.

Another new feature which improves operating convenience and allows a thoroughly up-to-date cockpit design is DIRECT SELECT - electronic control of the standard 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission by nudging an attractively styled lever on the right of the steering column. Thanks to this technology, Mercedes engineers were able to dispense with the usual selector lever in the centre console and redesign the tunnel covering. The innovative "Cockpit Management and Data System" - COMAND for short - has likewise been redesigned and now offers even more features. In addition to the familiar telematic and audio units, various vehicle functions which previously required individual switches have now been integrated into the system. The central operating unit is the new COMAND controller on the transmission tunnel. It is used to select the main and sub-menus with which the required functions are activated. If a car phone is fitted ex factory, the padded handrest behind the controller can be flipped up to reveal the telephone keypad.

The large COMAND colour display is positioned at the same height as the instrument cluster, and therefore even more favourably within the field of vision of the driver and front passenger. A new operating concept, up-to-date colours and clear, photo-quality graphics also make the menu selection procedure a gratifying visual experience. The COMAND system in the new S-Class includes a radio, CD/DVD player and a port for computer memory cards (PCMCIA cards) as standard. On request Mercedes-Benz will equip COMAND with a Europe-wide navigation system whose data are now stored on a hard disc. This allows even faster route calculation than before. Mercedes customers are able to adapt the newly developed seats in the new S-Class to suit their personal comfort requirements. Electrically adjustable, 16-way front seats with lumbar supports are standard equipment. The dynamic multicontour seat is also equipped with separate air chambers in the backrest which are successively inflated and deflated at the touch of a button, massaging the back muscles for the wellbeing of its occupant.