2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class: A Technological Leg Up On The S-Class

Slated for release in spring of 2016, the 2017 E-Class may be below the S-Class in the Mercedes-Benz food chain, but it will be more technologically advanced. In fact, it will be jam-packed with the most recent active and passive safety systems and will set a new standard for autonomous driving.

Michael Hafner, Mercedes-Benz’s Director of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and Active Safety, compares the new E-Class to “upgrading from business class to first class.”

• Also: 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class: We’re Driving it This Week
• Also: A Little Playtime Coming with the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E 300

We live in an era when technology is advancing faster than vehicle production cycles, which is why the German manufacturer has decided to integrate its new technology into the E-Class instead of waiting for the S-Class’ next cycle.

Here’s an overview of the state-of-the-art systems found on board the 2017 E-Class.

Unlock it with your smart phone

With the Digital Car Key downloaded onto a smart phone, you can lock and unlock the 2017 E-Class simply by placing your telephone near the door handle. The app uses the Near Field Communication protocol to send a signal to the car. Once inside, just place the phone on the induction charging pad to activate the ignition.

Automatic parking

Drivers will also be able to park or exit a parking spot using a smart phone—all while standing within three metres of the car and using an application called Remote Parking Pilot installed on a Bluetooth telephone. Simply trace a circle on your phone’s screen, and the car parks itself or leaves its parking space, all on its own.

Automated driving

The 2017 E-Class will be more advanced than the S-Class in terms of autonomous driving, too. As with the S-Class, drivers will have to keep their hands on the wheel, but the car will be able to drive itself and follow the road autonomously for short periods of time.

The system will work on the highway and on secondary roads (even roads without white line lane demarcations) as long as the car’s speed remains under 100 kilometres per hour.

In fact, the E-Class will be able to follow the vehicle in front of it. To do so, it will detect guardrails and buildings lining the road. What’s more, the adaptive cruise control will be functional from 0 to 200 kilometres per hour, allowing you to program a cruising speed that the system will regulate depending on how far you are from the car in front of you. Furthermore, this regulator will “read” speed limit signs and adjust the car’s speed accordingly.

Automatic braking and collision avoidance

The 2017 E-Class’ automatic braking will help avoid collisions, or at least limit the consequences if a collision is inevitable. The system features new responses to different scenarios. At intersections, the system will intervene if another vehicle or pedestrian is about to cross into the E-Class’ lane. This system is also equipped with a feature called Evasive Steering Assist, which springs into action when the driver initiates an avoidance manoeuvre. The system will then increase the angle of the swerve as much as needed to avoid hitting the obstacle.

Mutual warnings

If you’re driving an 2017 E-Class and you come across an accident, obstacle, animal or ice on the road, you’ll be able to automatically warn nearby Mercedes-Benz drivers with models also equipped with this system.

If an accident is inevitable

When a collision is unavoidable, the 2017 E-Class will intervene in several ways. The Pre-Safe system will automatically order the seat belts to tighten, just like in the S-Class. If it’s a lateral collision, the driver’s side airbag will inflate to distance the driver away from the door before impact.

Using the audio system, the Pre-Safe Sound system will emit an interference signal, which will trigger an acoustic reflex in your ears, thus protecting your hearing from the sound of the imminent collision.

Let there be light

The lighting system developed by Mercedes-Benz for the 2017 E-Class is keenly sophisticated. Its headlights feature 84 individual, electronically controlled light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that help adapt the beam in real time according to the speed and the environment. Thus, the beam naturally follows the curves of the road. It is also continuously adjustable to avoid overwhelming drivers that cross paths with the 2017 E-Class.

This cutting-edge lighting system probably won’t be available in North America though, due to archaic laws that prohibit the use of modular beams. We’re still waiting for legislation to catch up with technology.

More information to come

That’s it for the advanced safety and connectivity systems on the 2017 version, though more information will become available in the months to come.