Mercedes Benz India

Mercedes Benz India

During my first drive in the big, powerful, serene and stately Mercedes-Benz S550, I noticed a small symbol of a steaming coffee cup illuminated on the instrument panel, low beside the model's circular speedometer. I thought that maybe the posh luxury sedan was getting ready to brew me a cup. My first question to Donna, my wife, seated beside me, was, "what's the sticker price on this car?" Often, a manufacturer leaves a copy of the window sticker in the glove box of models sent for my assessment. OK, I thought, it probably does serve coffee. But it turned out that the neat little cup symbolized on the dash 鈥?shown on a saucer, of course 鈥?signified that an S550 feature named Attention Assist was busily monitoring my driving. If, say, my steering became erratic, if I clawed at controls awkwardly, if I failed to signal lane changes, the Attention Assist stood ready to sound a startling beep and flash a bright warning in the speedometer's center. I'd have to stop for coffee on my own. Yes, drivers can de-activate Attention Assist. You simply use what Mercedes calls the "instrument cluster control system." Explained in a 16-page section of the 530-page S-Class Operator's Manual, the instrument cluster control system employs multifunction buttons on the steering wheel to configure the instrument panel. It can, say, reset the trip odometer, monitor fuel usage, operate a cell phone, control the radio and other audio and even video devices. The system can show you where to turn when you're using the route guidance feature of the vehicle's navigation system. It can show you which lane to drive in before turning. It can set up the "Pre-safe" brake that helps models with automatic cruise control prevent a rear-end collision. It does more, but this paragraph is running long.

Optimum traction, the greatest driving stability and the best handling are assured at all times. The newly developed multiple-disc clutch in the central differential supports the system where the friction between the tires and the road surface is particularly low, for example on snow or ice. A basic partial locking force of 50 Newton meters between the front and rear axles produces a significant increase in traction, while maintaining the high level of driving stability. The 鈥淕鈥?button in the center console increases the Vision GLK FREESIDE鈥檚 aggression when required on rough terrain. Pressing the button activates a special transmission mode which varies the 7G-TRONIC鈥檚 shift points, adjusts to 鈥渟ofter鈥?accelerator characteristics and activates the ESP鈥檚 off-road function. A manual shift mode is also available - gears are changed using the shift paddles behind the steering wheel. A further switch activates the Downhill Speed Regulation (DSR), which automatically maintains a pre-selected speed on steep downhill inclines. In normal driving mode on moderately contoured roads or on slow off-road tours the system responds softly, enhancing both the comfort of the occupants and the off-road capability.

To ensure that this level of comfort is retained in the face of hard driving or abrupt evasion maneuvers, in these situations the dampers deliver a harder performance, ensuring optimum driving stability. The driver of the Vision GLK is supported by speed-sensitive power steering which ensures the optimum steering assistance for the given situation. Parking or maneuvering off-road are easy exercises because the greatest possible power assistance is on hand. At higher speeds the assistance is reduced in favor of greater driving stability. Since the launch of the legendary G-Class in 1979, Mercedes-Benz has been a leader in the field of off-road vehicles. With the first generation of the ML-Class, which appeared in 1997, Mercedes-Benz marked out the contemporary sports utility vehicle segment. Including the latest generation of this model, which made its debut in 2005, this model series is one of the most successful premium SUVs in the world, with around 900,000 vehicles sold. The GL-Class in turn has occupied the top spot in the overall SUV world since 2006, its occupants traveling first-class whatever the conditions, whether on or off the road. The Vision GLK FREESIDE now demonstrates how the expertise garnered in the course of creating this sequence of models can be translated into a compact format. The new compact character, in other words, is in the best of company - just like the production model, which is to be launched in Europe in fall 2008, followed by the U.S.

Daimler FleetBoard is the first supplier of telematics solutions to offer a fleet management and driving analysis app for the Apple iPhone and iPad. Operators can use it to control their fleet of buses or coaches at any time and from any location. The trip recorder also makes it possible to display the most recent journey made. The app enables operators to monitor how their vehicles are being used, their drivers' working hours, the fuel consumption of their buses and coaches and the drivers' driving style. It is even possible to show the status of doors and loading ramps. To use the FleetBoard app it is necessary to have a vehicle equipped with FleetBoard, with a FleetBoard service contract. The new FleetBoard app is available for a limited period free of charge from the App Store. The app has already been available for some time now for trucks and vans.

Until now, the telematics system for buses has been known as Omniplus BusFleet. The bus-specific telematics system for rural-service buses, touring coaches and urban buses from telematics provider Daimler FleetBoard GmbH has been available and undergoing further development for some weeks now. Trust is important but, as fleet operators know, transparency is even better - and an indispensable factor if a company is to operate economically and efficiently. The bus-specific FleetBoard fleet management system provides effective support here. Fleet operators are able to take advantage of the FleetBoard app for buses, even if they are out and about themselves. The FleetBoard system can be fitted ex factory in any fully equipped Mercedes-Benz and Setra bus or coach, or - as also in the case of buses and coaches made by other manufacturers - retrofitted. Several bus and coach companies are already working successfully with FleetBoard and making extensive use of the bus telematics system in their daily operations.