[DicKy]

The interior looks more like a Bentley competitor than one fitting it's class.
And why is the steering wheel remaining 2 spoke. Not a big deal and me stupid, but still an S class HAS a 4 spoke. not a 2 spoker.

[Rokztar]

Originally Posted by DicKy

The interior looks more like a Bentley competitor than one fitting it's class.
And why is the steering wheel remaining 2 spoke. Not a big deal and me stupid, but still an S class HAS a 4 spoke. not a 2 spoker.

Since Maybach is dead now the S-Class will spawn multiple models which are meant to take on the the likes of 7-Series,A8 all the way up-to Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

Hard to say at this point of time which Bentley and which Rolls Royce model is being targeted as the competitor but that's more or less the reason for this approach to the interiors.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by pikaxe123

There are nine safety features which have been significantly improved for the W222-series Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Lot of countries including India don't allow radar technology in passenger cars, so most of the real cool stuff in S is based on radar technology which will not be available for us. Too bad!

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by androdev

Lot of countries including India don't allow radar technology in passenger cars,

That's interesting. Could you elaborate?

Originally Posted by androdev

so most of the real cool stuff in S is based on radar technology which will not be available for us. Too bad!

Does that mean the fancy night-vision thing doesn't work here? Wait, that uses infrared technology. Is there a correlation?

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

That's interesting. Could you elaborate?

Does that mean the fancy night-vision thing doesn't work here? Wait, that uses infrared technology. Is there a correlation?

Androdev is referring to the Distronic system which monitors your speed and the distance of the car in front. The radar ensures you maintain a safe speed and distance at all times. So technically, you cannot drive into a truck since the system brakes well in time.

The Volvos over here use the same system but it works only at low speeds. I do not know how they got through the government regulations on that.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

That's interesting. Could you elaborate?

Details below.

Does that mean the fancy night-vision thing doesn't work here? Wait, that uses infrared technology. Is there a correlation?

Night-vision will work as it is based on infrared technology. You can't turn on night-vision without turning on headlights - so diminishes the 007-cool factor. The overall utility of this night-vision is very less given that it is displayed on the instrument cluster - can you imagine yourself driving by looking at the instrument cluster instead of the windshield? It does detect pedestrians and animals but being Indians we are so much better at this than any computer :-)

Originally Posted by pikaxe123

• Distronic Plus with Steering Assist: The S-Class is getting closer and closer to complete autonomous driving, however Mercedes-Benz’s philosophy remains that the driver must always be in control. Nonetheless, with the new steering assist system in Distronic Plus, the S-Class can not only follow the car in front at the same speed, it can now keep in its own lane in the highway and adjust the steering input to remain in the middle of the lane. The system works from 0-200km/h. There are limitations to this, of course. It cannot turn sharply, however we tested the system in a simulator and it worked flawlessly on open roads.

Radar based, so not available in India. You get a simple cruise control instead :(

• Brake Assist System with Cross-Traffic Assist: With brake assist already helping many Mercedes-Benz vehicles limit the severity of an accident or avoid one altogether, the new S-Class will take this system one step further. The cross-traffic assist component can now see cars and pedestrians crossing the street from either side, which is ideal for when another vehicle runs a stop sign or red light. The S-Class will now warn the driver, tighten up the seat belts and provide braking assistance to avoid or reduce the severity of the accident

Radar based, so not available in India.

Pre-Safe Plus: This system looks behind the car in the event of an imminent rear-ending. It flashes the rear hazard lights at a higher speed than normal to alert the incoming driver and, if an accident is imminent, applies full brake force to stop the S-Class from moving forward, while also activating all Pre-Safe occupant protection systems to minimise injury.

Suspect it to be radar based, so not available in India.

• Adaptive High-beam Assist Plus: Many high-end vehicles on the road now have high-beam assist – a system that turns off the high-beams when an incoming car is detected. With High-beam Assist Plus, Mercedes-Benz’s light engineers have found a way to keep the high-beams on but mask out the incoming vehicles so they are not blinded by the light. In a demonstration to showcase this technology, we were amazed as to how the headlights simply carved out the light accordingly, so the entire road would light up except the section where the oncoming car was approaching to avoid dazzling the driver.

Should be interesting to see this in India. The problem with the current breed of auto high-beam is that it will shut off high-beam if there is a vehicle coming in the opposite direction which is pretty much 99% of the time on Indian roads. Mercedes is trying to do more than just shut-off high beam so it would be interesting to see. Cornering lights are fairly mainstream these days.

By the end of this decade they will surely make the driver redundant.

Well.. maybe we can use our cell phone while driving :-)

Overall radar/laser,etc. is the key to autonomous driving and few countries don't allow the use of this technology. These points apply to other cars in this segment as well.

[goingout]

Understandable that radar is banned in India but how do the Volvo cars manage to keep their safety devices and sensors in here? I am sure they have pedestrian detection and adaptive cruise control.

[androdev]

Heard from a friend that the new S500 will be launched as CBU somewhere between Nov - Jan and the ex-showroom price will be above Rs 1.29Cr. Dates may change depending on allotment, but other info like S500, CBU and approx price range is fairly reliable.

[Sahil]

Exclusive, first ever undisguised pics of the W222 S-class

[cityvic]

2014 Mercedes Benz S Class W222
Courtesy:Chris Dan photography via fly wheel

[TheStig]

This is the part where A8, XJ and 7 run for cover.

[Scorcher]

Full set of detailed hi-res pics!

Source

[Achyuth Vaibhav]

Looks Yummy. This, along with the XJ will make the 7 and A8 run for their money. The W222 looks like two generations ahead of the 7,A8 and the W221 also. This will become very popular due to it's razor like looks.

Cheers,

Achyuth

[chevelle]

The GodFather of all cars is here. Looks awesome inside out. Can't wait to see it in person. The interior looks super and good easily rival a Bentley or Rolls Royce. As many as 5 seating arrangement options will be available for the rear seats of S-Class. Talk about being spoiled.

Since it will be the flagship, i expect top class technologies in this which won't disappoint. I already read that i will have damping based on road ahead and will have heated/cooled console, door trims. Super!!

The rear LED taillights looks great. This looks like AMG body package but if it comes standard, i won't be surprised.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by androdev

Lot of countries including India don't allow radar technology in passenger cars, so most of the real cool stuff in S is based on radar technology which will not be available for us. Too bad!

Why is that? I'm surprised the regulators even know such a technology exists!