New Generation Mercedes E-Class In Depth

Press Release

Page 1 – In Short
Page 2 – At a glance
Page 3 – Range
Page 4 – Safety
Page 5 – ILS
Page 6 – Engines
Page 7 – Direct Control
Page 8 – Adaptive brakes
Page 9 – Tradition

Safety: The benchmark in the premium segment

• Most comprehensive safety features of all premium-class cars

• PRE-SAFE???????????????????? anticipatory occupant protection as standard

• NECK-PRO head restraints help prevent whiplash injuries

• Hallmark Mercedes innovative details provide outstanding safety

• Sophisticated safety features to meet the latest, most stringent crash tests

Thanks to adaptive front airbags and belt force limiters that can adjust to the accident??????????????????????????????????????s severity, rollover sensor, standard-fit windowbags and an intelligently designed body structure, which also provides occupants with excellent protection in the event of a serious collision, the E-Class was already setting the pace for passenger car safety in the premium-class segment at its world premiere in spring 2002. Top marks in ratings tests confirmed the benchmark position of the Mercedes model series.

The Mercedes engineers have raised the bar even further, equipping the new generation E-Class with safety systems that no other vehicle in its class can match. The E-Class is simply the safest car in this market segment.

Implementing the holistic Mercedes safety concept was central to this focussed approach, a safety concept based on accident research covering all phases of passenger car safety. A key component in these measures is the combination of active and passive safety elements, in other words networking accident prevention systems with occupant protection.

PRE-SAFE???????????????????? is the key concept behind this new era in vehicle safety. It encompasses an innovative protection concept based on the principle of prevention: PRE-SAFE???????????????????? is networked with state-of-the-art safety systems such as ESP???????????????????? and Brake Assist and, thanks to its sensors, can recognise a potentially dangerous driving manoeuvre in its early stages. If the vehicle is likely to be involved in an accident as a result of heavy understeer or oversteer or the driver has to brake hard in an emergency, PRE-SAFE???????????????????? activates a series of preventive measures to improve protection for the vehicle??????????????????????????????????????s occupants.

In other words: unlike in the past, the passive passenger car safety does not wait for the impact but kicks in before the impending collision thanks to PRE-SAFE????????????????????. The Mercedes invention makes use of the time between identifying a potentially dangerous situation and an imminent crash for occupant protection.

The system draws on the insights gleaned from accident research, according to which two thirds of all serious accidents are preceded by critical driving situations such as skidding, emergency braking or sudden evasive action, situations that allow conclusions to be drawn from an early stage about an imminent accident. Previously these precious few seconds were not used for passive occupant protection. Thanks to PRE-SAFE???????????????????? the car provides a reflex response to possible danger and activates anticipatory occupant protection measures.

This pioneering safety system celebrated its world premiere in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in 2002, adding a raft of international awards to the collection. From mid 2006 PRE-SAFE???????????????????? will be part of the standard-fit safety equipment for the new generation E-Class Saloon and Estate.

The PRE-SAFE???????????????????? functions aim to prepare occupants and car for a potential accident - as a precaution. If the anticipated collision does not occur at the last moment, the E-Class can simply drive away immediately: all PRE-SAFE???????????????????? measures are reversible and can be restored to their original positions. The system is then ready to go into action again if necessary.

Standard-fit PRE-SAFE???????????????????? protection for emergency braking and skidding

The Mercedes engineers distinguished between critical driving manoeuvres involving high lateral or extreme longitudinal dynamics when designing the anticipatory occupant protection. Depending on the situation, precisely differentiated preventive measures are activated -- always aimed at ensuring the tried-and-trusted safety systems such as seatbelt or airbag can offer maximum protection in the event of a collision:

• In the event of emergency or panic braking using Brake Assist, PRE-SAFE???????????????????? pretensions the driver??????????????????????????????????????s and front passenger??????????????????????????????????????s seat belts as a precaution to press them firmly into their seats, increase the distance to the dashboard and reduce the forwards movement of front seat occupants in the event of an accident. To provide this important PRE-SAFE???????????????????? function the front belt tensioners on the E-Class are fitted with powerful electric motors that respond within milliseconds to take up the belt slack.

  In the event of emergency or panic braking, PRE-SAFE???????????????????? also starts moving the front passenger seat into a better position as a precaution if the current settings are not ideal -- provided an electrically adjustable front passenger seat with memory function is fitted. The system adjusts the angle of the front passenger seat cushion and backrest as well as the seat??????????????????????????????????????s longitudinal setting. The system moves the front passenger into a position that enables the airbag to deploy more effectively and provides firm restraint via the shoulder strap. The risk is also reduced of sliding forward under the seat belt and being injured in the event of an accident.

• In the event of skidding caused by heavy understeer or oversteer, PRE SAFE???????????????????? activates additional safety functions: the sunroof and side windows start to close as a precaution if the car starts to skid. Closed side windows provide better support for the windowbags that inflate in the event of a side impact or rollover. This preventive measure also reduces the risk of occupants being thrown from the vehicle or objects flying into the car from outside.

  The sunroof is networked with PRE-SAFE???????????????????? because accident researchers frequently find that occupants are thrown out of the vehicle through the open roof when the vehicle rolls over. Closing the sunroof as a precaution also reduces the risk of objects flying into the car from outside.

Analysis of data from crash tests carried out by Mercedes engineers shows just how important and effective anticipatory occupant protection is. Take belt tensioning for example: because the driver and front passenger are optimally secured in their seats thanks to this precautionary measure and do not move as far forward on impact, the loads on the head and neck are reduced. The loads on the head were around 30 percent less during these tests while the experts in Sindelfingen found the loads on the neck reduced by around 20 percent.

Crash-responsive head restraints provide effective protection in the event of a rear-end collision

Another new safety feature on the new generation E-Class has been christened NECK-PRO. Mercedes-Benz developed this innovative head restraint, along with PRE-SAFE???????????????????? and other Mercedes innovations, by analysing real-world accidents: NECK-PRO is an effective means of reducing the risk of upper spinal column injury in the event of a rear-end collision.

Whiplash injuries, caused by the sudden forwards and backwards movement of the head and the bending of the upper spinal column, are one of the most common accident injuries in Europe costing around 8 billion euros annually according to estimates from the EU Commission.

NECK-PRO is a sensor-controlled, crash-responsive head restraint that can be activated during a rear-end collision. Once the sensors detect a rear-end collision with a defined impact severity, they release pre-tensioned springs inside the head restraints, which move the padded surface of the head restraints

• forward by approx. 40 millimetres and

• upwards by 30 millimetres

within fractions of a second. This means the heads of the front occupants are supported at any early stage, preventing the upper spinal column from bending during the accident.

After NECK-PRO has been activated, the head restraints can be pushed back to their original position by hand, after which they are once more immediately ready for use.

The standard specification of the new generation E-Class includes NECK-PRO head restraints for the driver and front passenger.

The standard-fit occupant restraint system at a glance:

???????????????????????????????? = Standard

Unique details provide hallmark Mercedes all-round safety

A raft of other technical innovations also contributes to the exemplary safety of the E-Class. They are only mentioned on those rare occasions and are literally hidden under the bodywork, but are no less important in terms of occupant protection than innovations like NECK-PRO, PRE-SAFE????????????????????, belt tensioners or airbags. Many of these patented developments set the E-Class apart from other cars, underlining its role as the safety trendsetter in the premium-class segment. The well-thought-out, effective details that make the Mercedes what it is include:

• Wheel support in the event of an offset frontal impact
  The forward extension of the side skirts supports the wheel in the event of an offset frontal crash, preventing it from coming through into the footwell. This set-up also enables more energy to be absorbed through the wheels.

• Foam padding in the footwell on the driver??????????????????????????????????????s side
  The E-Class has energy-absorbing foam inserts behind the foot rest, in the carpet as well as underneath the accelerator pedal. They dampen footwell movement in the event of an impact, in turn reducing the loads on feet and legs.

• Footwell panel for the front passenger
  The foot rest in the footwell on the front passenger??????????????????????????????????????s side comprises a metal panel covered with energy-absorbing foam, which cushions the impact as the feet strike the foot rest. The metal panel is also designed to deform specifically and so absorb the impact energy. The lower fixing points for the footwell panel can be released under high load, reducing the loads even further.

• Impact-absorbing elements in the pillar trim
  In the event of a side collision, the sturdy body structure and special impact-absorbing elements in the interior pillar trim and in the seats form a kind of rollover cage. The cage also provides the necessary space so the sidebags can deploy to reduce the loads on occupants.

• Two-part EASY-PACK cargo rails
  The EASY-PACK system in the Estate ensures the cargo is stowed securely. The aluminium rails in the load compartment are split into two and designed so they slide past each other in the event of a rear-end collision. This ensures the load-securing rails do not come through into the passenger compartment.

• Central side member for the Estate
  If the E-Class Estate is fitted with a third row of seats in the rear, an additional central side member increases the safety of passengers in the rearmost row. The sturdy support member significantly reduces deformation in the event of a rear-end collision.

• Wood trim with metal-based splinter protection
  The wood trim in the interior of the E-Class is made up of multiple layers. Metallic strips mounted on the back prevent the wood from splintering in the event of a collision.

• Fuel system with automatic ???????????????????????????????????emergency fuel cut-off????????????????????????????????
  To reduce the risk of fire, the engine and fuel pump are switched off in accidents above a certain severity. The injection valves are also opened automatically to reduce the pressure in the fuel lines. Certain portions of the fuel lines are steel clad (???????????????????????????????????armoured hoses????????????????????????????????).

Sophisticated development of safety systems with around 330 crash tests to date

As part of its development and ongoing further development, the E-Class has completed around 330 crash tests at the Mercedes-Benz Technology Center to date. In the past few months alone, dozens of impact tests have been conducted allowing the engineers in Sindelfingen to prepare the Saloon and Estate for the latest legal and ratings standards, including ...

• the U.S. rear impact test FMVSS 301, still only a few months old, which involves an 80 km/h collision with a 70-percent overlap of the rear section.

• the new side impact crash test (50 km/h) from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The test involves an impact barrier weighing 1500 kilograms with 379-millimetre ground clearance colliding with the side structure of a passenger car. This test aims to simulate a side collision with a heavy off-road vehicle. To pass this extremely rigorous impact test, the B pillars on the E-Class were reinforced in specific areas and the criteria used to deploy the sidebags redefined. The sturdy design of the doors, door locks and door hinges withstood the rigours of this impact test; the design provides a sturdy coupling that disperses the impact forces to the A and B-pillars.

The E-Class has successfully completed over two dozen crash tests to comply with internationally applicable safety and ratings standards. Another nine Mercedes crash tests have also been completed, some of which go way beyond the legal requirements.