Mercedes-Benz E350 News

Mercedes-Benz announces prices for the plug-in hybrid and junior-league AMG variants of the new E-Class sedan range ahead of February introduction.

There is a lot this new car can do by itself -- including changing lanes and steering -- just don't call it autonomous.

Here’s proof that autonomous car technology still has a long way to go. We nearly crash at 100km/h testing an automatic overtaking system.Less than a week after an autonomous Google car crashed into a municipal bus in California, we got a frightening reminder why cars that can drive themselves are a long way from replacing humans.I nearly put a brand-new $100,000 Mercedes E Class into a concrete barrier at 100km/h while testing the car's new automatic overtaking function in Europe this week, before it goes on sale in Australia later this year.It was a stark reminder about the difference between “autonomous driving” and what the car industry is now trying to back-pedal and rename “driver assistance technology”.The demonstration was supposed to be simple. Pull the cruise control stalk, indicate to change lanes, and then watch as the car magically steers itself gently into the next lane.But as we learned the hard way, it does not work in all conditions. The car’s onboard cameras must be able to see line markings and, ideally, there will not be a sharp curve.One of our first tests of the technology happened to be on a gentle curve on a crest. It should have worked. We were driving in perfect daylight and the road markings were clear.But it didn’t. Although the video shows the wheel moving slightly left and then slightly right, the steering was not moving quickly enough to avoid a crash into the barrier.Fortunately, I grabbed the steering wheel just in time, and disaster was avoided. Mercedes got its car back in one piece.For the record, we tested the technology several times before and afterwards and it worked perfectly.Afterwards, we showed the chief engineer of this technology the video of our near miss and he said it was not clear if the assistance function was active (our video camera view did not show the symbol which indicates whether it was on or off).I believe it was on, because the steering moved left and then slightly right before I grabbed the wheel. The engineer was not convinced.Either way, it’s a warning to us all that “driver assistance” technology is not a party trick. And that truly autonomous driving still has a very long way to go.In the US this week, Ford week filed a patent for an in-car movie screen to be used in an autonomous car of the future.How about we wait for the industry to get the autonomous car right first? Right now, I’m not convinced.The next time you read something about an autonomous car, just remember we are witnessing the gradual automation of the automobile.Driving from Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne and beyond while being able to read a newspaper or watch a movie is still decades away. If, indeed, it will ever happen.Can you imagine trusting a car to steer itself for you? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Top-end tech trickles through the ranks at ever-increasing speed.

With a super-stretched iPad serving as instrument cluster as well as centre display screen, Mercedes-Benz is about to take a giant step forward in digital dashboards.

Mercedes-Benz locking system engineer Santiago Pena Brossa touches his HTC smartphone gently against the door handle of the E-Class.The camouflage-covered sedan's indicators blink and its rear-view mirrors swing out. It's open, but not ready to drive.This car is still nine months or so from going into production. Which explains why this prototype's exterior is covered in an eye-baffling black-and-white pattern and its interior is hidden under rough-cut bits of what looks like black carpet.While the visuals will remain under wraps for some time yet, Mercedes-Benz is ready to talk about some of the new E-Class's innermost technical secrets.Mercedes-Benz will be the first to introduce the smartphone car key to marketIt's a glimpse into the not-so-distant future of driving, because where Mercedes-Benz goes, others inevitably will follow.The day the new E-Class goes on sale will be the beginning of the end for the conventional car key, it seems. In time it will go the way of the videotape, floppy disk and CD.Pena Barossa promises Mercedes-Benz will be the first to introduce the smartphone car key to market.The feature will be offered first as an option on the new E-Class, then spread to other models from the German carmaker.There are some obvious downsidesThe system relies on Near Field Communications, a radio technology built into newer smartphones and already in use in some countries by Visa and MasterCard for contactless payments. The ability to securely store encrypted data, either in the phone itself or its SIM card, is also required.According to Pena Brossa, the Mercedes Me website will offer a facility for customers to check whether their smartphone can be used as a key. At first it will be possible to install only four "keys" on a phone, but the next step will permit any number. Perfect for car rental companies, says Pena Brossa.There are some obvious downsides. A dead phone will mean not being able to get into your car. "You have a big problem," admits Pena Brossa, who points out that modern car keys are also useless when damaged.Then there's the affection many feel for the good, old-fashioned car key. "The traditional customers, they love it," says the engineer.

Although production of the big Benz does not begin until next year, its maker is already talking up its advanced abilities."From a technological standpoint, we're upgrading Business Class to First Class," says Michael Hafner, the company's director of driver assistance systems and active safety.Equipped with multiple cameras, radars and ultrasonic sensors, plus a powerful computer, the E-Class will be able to automatically follow the vehicle ahead at any speed from standstill to 200km/h.Unlike the last generation of Mercedes' Intelligent Drive technology, introduced in the S-Class limo only two years ago, the E-Class will be able to drive itself on roads without clear lane markings at up to 130km/h. But it will still only be a semi-autonomous car.Authorities around the world, including Germany's own VDA, still have rules requiring the driver to keep their hands on the wheel at all times. So law-abiding Mercedes-Benz uses a steering-wheel sensor to shut down its most advanced technology if the driver's hands leave the steering wheel for more than a few seconds.Motorway driving is an ideal scenario for the autonomous carBut Mercedes-Benz will be ready to move the moment such laws are amended to accommodate autonomous cars.This will make it possible, for example, for drivers to hand over control to the car for tedious motorway driving.Mercedes driver assistance systems engineer Alexander Schaab confirms that motorway driving is an ideal scenario for the autonomous car. With no oncoming traffic, it's a relatively simple environment for sensors and software to cope with, he points out.Thinking ahead, Mercedes is already working to develop protocols for the car to hand control back to the driver, he says. With today's hands-on laws, this is simple he says. But when the car has been in control for an extended period, the driver can obviously become deeply involved in other tasks. Making sure they're ready to resume driving, say at the end of the motorway, is something requiring absolutely foolproof technology.Schaab says Mercedes will be ready when laws change to permit autonomous driving."We will be coming very quickly with a solution," he promises.It will be able to park itself even with no-one in the car from the time of launchWhile the next E-Class must wait for lawmakers to catch up when it comes to motorway driving, it will be able to park itself even with no-one in the car from the time of launch.Using a smartphone app it will be possible for an E-Class owner to park their car while standing outside it.Once the manoeuvre is selected on the phone, the driver must continuously confirm they want the car to keep moving by making a gesture on its touchscreen that's like twirling the thumbwheel of an iPod.As well as being able to handle nose-in, reverse-in and parallel parking, Mercedes' new Remote Parking Pilot also features a mode called Explore, which allows the driver to remotely move the car forward or backwards up to 10 metres, into or out of a very narrow garage, for example.

Mercedes-Benz has quietly added a new nine-speed automatic to its E-Class range, and the option is likely to arrive in Australia next year. The transmission, labelled a 9G-TRONIC, is selectable on the configurator of the automaker’s German website and so far is only available with E350 BlueTEC trim, where it replaces a previous seven-speed 7G-TRONIC.“We currently don't take the E350 Bluetec but are looking at taking it,” Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy says. “Basically we tried to trim the E-Class range, but there is still some demand for the E350 so potentially we'll bring it here.“In terms of the nine-speed flowing through to the rest of the E-Class range, we expect it will happen next year, but the E350 Bluetec is the first application. We also expect the nine-speed to be offered on the new S-Class range, so in a nutshell we could see it here next year but don't have any more accurate timing at the moment.”McCarthy says the arrival of new technology on models that sit below the flagship S-Class -- traditionally the tech leader for Mercedes (and the rest of the industry) -- has been rare but not unknown.“Some of our safety technology was launched first on the B-Class,” he says. “Sure, in the past everything appeared first on the S-Class and then filtered down, but these days the technology is often being developed over more than one vehicle.  And the reality is that you are competing in every segment, so you are considering which other cars to put it in.”Land Rover was the first to announce a nine-speed automatic for one of its cars, a ZF unit designed for transverse applications. However, the Mercedes transmission is designed for longitudinal applications and has been developed in-house.The extra gears are said to yield significant improvements in fuel economy and CO2 emissions. Advantages over dual-clutch units include lighter weight, better reliability, less complexity and cheaper manufacturing and repair costs.In the E350 BlueTEC diesel sedan, which rates at 185 kilowatts, the nine-speed automatic helps the car achieve 0-100km/h acceleration in just 6.6 seconds and fuel economy of 7.7L/100km in the city cycle, up from 8.3L/100km with the previous seven-speeder. The highway figure remains unchanged at 5.6L/100km.The 9G-TRONIC will eventually feature on other Mercedes models, though its availability will be announced at a later date. Numerous other automakers are looking to additional gear ratios to eke out further savings in fuel consumption. The aforementioned ZF ‘box will soon be added to some Chrysler products and Ford and General Motors have announced plans to develop new nine- and ten-speed automatic transmissions together.www.motorauthority.com 

Since cars all deliver on the same basic promise of personal mobility, and many vehicles do it with incredible value and panache, good design can often make the difference between buying and losing.Ian Callum knows it and, after more than four decades of top-class design work on everything from HSV Holdens to Volvos, Aston Martins and now Jaguars, he is the right man to be talking. "This is a time of car design. It's not just styling any more. You really have to understand design, and the elements that make up a good design," Callum says. "We're also seeing a lot of change in the automotive world. The make-up of cars is changing. Designers are going to have an incredible influence."Callum has revolutionised Jaguar design over the past 10 years and just visited Australia to showcase his all-new XJ flagship, which steps right away from anything which has previously worn the brand's leaper mascot. "I didn't want to be a slave to heritage," he says simply.Callum believes good design is simple but incredibly difficult, elegant and timeless, but also challenging and filled with tiny little details. He is rare among designers because he backs his promises with commitment and talent, and is also happy to give an opinion.So, then, how does he judge the work from some of his rivals? Surprisingly, Callum is happy to go on the record with a simple tick-or-cross verdict on the latest designs in showrooms.Here are his ratings: Aston Martin Rapide - tickAudi A5 - tickBMW GT - two crossesBMW X6 - crossFerrari F458 Italia - tickHSV EII Commodore - tickLexus LFA - tickMercedes E-Class - crossMercedes SLS Gullwing - crossNissan GT-R - crossPorsche Panamera - crossRolls-Royce Ghost - tickToyota Prius - tickVolkswagen Golf - tick 

The four-door E-Class is already out and about, even as the hammer- time E63 AMG, and so too is the station wagon.  Now we have proof on the direction for the upcoming E-Class cabrio.The droptop, like the coupe, takes on a much bigger role in the new generation following Mercedes-Benz's decision to axe the CLK from its lineup. The CL is gone too, although there will still be an S-Class coupe.The upcoming droptop was caught by Carparazzi in Europe and the pictures point to a softtop folding roof, not a hard clamshell, that retracts completely into the tail.The new car should be roomier than the model it replaces, if only because the CLK was built from the basics of the smaller C-Class. It is also expected to be much more refined. The Cabrio should be in showrooms early in 2010, which means Australian deliveries from the middle of next year.