[Jaggu]

Day 1 of the trip included a curated visit to the Mercedes-Benz Museum.

Day 2 was spent in Stuttgart, and as the title suggests, we were to experience all the generations of Mercedes S-Class that have been produced to date. Let us start with the latest and most innovative one. A detailed review of the car has already been done by Akshay1234. It captures all the features of the vehicle.

The latest W223 series cars were lined up for the drive in the morning.



The highlight of our drive would be experiencing the latest Drive Pilot feature, apart from driving the older generation cars, starting with the W116. I had a quick glance at the Drive Pilot brochure provided in the car.











Drive Pilot is the world's first system with SAE Level 3 certification and enables conditionally automated driving on suitable motorway sections in Germany. Since the 2025 model year, Drive Pilot can be used at speeds of up to 95 km/h in regular traffic flow on the right-hand lane of the autobahn. While Drive Pilot is active, drivers can focus on secondary activities such as reading, working or watching video content. It consists of a complex sensor system including cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors and LiDAR.

Drive Pilot uses high-resolution digital maps and a satellite-independent positioning system for precise environmental awareness. Mercedes-Benz is also testing turquoise-coloured exterior indicators to make the status of the automated driving function visible to other road users.

There are some catches:
1. It works, or rather, is enabled and certified only for German motorways (at least for now)
2. It works only at speeds of 95 km/h and on the right-hand lane (slow lane)
3. It will get disabled if there is road work or a tunnel detected (with ample warning given). Nevertheless, it is going to be a new experience for me, since I have not experienced any complete autonomous system apart from being a passenger in my friends’ Teslas while visiting the UAE.

Two of us from India would be sharing a car. A lady journalist and Mercedes rep from India decided to take one car, while us 2 Indian boys decided to take the second car. And boys being boys, we managed to swap the originally allocated car, which was a lower variant without Drive Pilot, with a gleaming black one that had Drive Pilot . The drive would be from the V8 hotel on the outskirts of Stuttgart to Immendingen, where Mercedes has a huge test centre / track facility for the cars to undergo extensive testing.

There are more than 30 different test circuits over a total surface area of 520 hectares. This means that a whole variety of different driving conditions can be simulated, such as long-distance journeys, off-road circuits, hilly terrain, braking tracks or urban circuits (see diagram). Numerous test drives can now be moved from the public streets to the Test Centre in Immendingen.

Statistics/data/facts for Immendingen:

• More than 200 million euro investment
• Around 300 new positions
• Total surface area of 520 hectares
• 68 km of tracks in total (streets and gravel tracks)

Yes, you read it correctly, it is 68 km of tracks, trails, climbs, skid area, climate test facility, and whatnot… strewn around a 520-hectare countryside. This was a total no-electronic-device zone, including phones, watches, and even smart glasses, more on that later. But, this was to be our destination, which was a journey of ~80 km for us.

I really liked the understated elegance of the latest generation cars. Clean lines and the choice of colour options provided make the car look modern yet classy.









Step into an S-Class and you realise why they call it the king of luxury in this segment. Starting off as a passenger in the front seat, it is rather surreal how the latest S-Class feels. Completely cocooned from the outside world, and with supremely comfortable seats and all those adjustments, one is ready to take on those long journeys. Mind you, my last long trip, a few days before this one, was a solo drive of about 700 km in a Ford Endeavour in India, and I was in awe of that vehicle. Now, this S-Class just put the Endeavour to shame! Of course, these roads were in German, but the way I was sitting, casually checking my phone and going through the Drive Pilot brochure without realising that my Indian friend driving was doing some crazy speeds even for a German Autobahn, meant that this car was from another league, and I was loving it.

Setting up the Drive Pilot is pretty easy and intuitive:

- Ensure cruise control is not deactivated
- Find a large target pilot vehicle in the right lane in front of you
- First click on the two buttons on the steering inner rim, and the system gets activated by displaying white LEDs lighting up along with the display on the mid /heads-up
- Click a second time and hold, and a message "checking for conditions" will pop up
- Once activated again, a message comes up on the MID, and the lights in the steering wheel switches turn turquoise. If not, it will display a "not activated" message

While there was a long brochure explaining things, it was not really needed. We found a pilot vehicle ahead, and our Indian friend successfully activated the system after a try or two (distance and speed between the vehicle ahead are the key to activation). He then went on to shoot some videos and reels explaining the system and with hands and feet totally off. We also got to experience how the system warns you in case of road work or a tunnel (plenty of them on this autobahn). Our Indian friend offered to pull over to let me take the wheel. We got into a parking space on the side. This spot was behind a patch of autobahn where road work is going on, and there were two narrow lanes, which were a breeze to exit from. Getting back in was a nightmare for me, though!

I jumped into the driver’s seat, all excited about the drive and experiencing the car on an Autobahn. I gently moved to the exit of the parking lot and waited to merge. There was a long queue of vehicles coming without a break in sight. Finally, I got a small slot and I carelessly flicked the right stalk (drive selector), which resulted in a slight lunge in reverse, scaring my passenger. Luckily, it was an empty parking area without any vehicles behind. I gathered myself, indicated using the right stalk and finally pulled onto the highway. I have driven in a few developed countries and at higher speeds, but the joy that one gets on seeing the end of speed limits (greyed out circular sign) is something else. The discipline of German drivers is another very reassuring factor. No speeding ticket worries in mind, and like my passenger termed “send it”. We were driving an S 450 D and it was just brilliant. The way the drive train seamlessly pulls you from any rpm, the overall refinement, the handling and the neutral feedback make you wonder if this vehicle does justice as a chauffeur-driven car (mostly) across the world. I enjoyed a few high-speed runs, but traffic, along with road works, was not ideal for long stretches of very high autobahn speeds.

I decided to pull into the right lane to spot a slow escort to experience the Drive Pilot, and lo and behold, even right-lane vehicles are well over the 95 km/h max limit of the system. After some patient hunting, I found a multi-axle truck that briefly had slowed down and managed to activate the system. Though it will take a minute or two for you to figure out the ideal conditions to activate the system, it is not very cumbersome. Just one or two attempts on the steering wheel, and you are set. The car starts piloting on its own. It's a bit unnerving at first, but once you see the way the car is driving on its own, you relax and let it be. It may not be the most advanced of self-drive systems currently, but it works brilliantly for what it has been certified for. This is surely going to be the future of long-haul travel. Maybe the future will have pilot cars ahead that are provided by authorities, and commuters just need to lock on and carry on with it, just like they would on any other public transport system. How cool would that be!

It was time to get off the autobahn and onto some very scenic country roads into Immendingen. Narrower winding roads, but decent speed limits, mean one can enjoy the drive in comfort and peace. We arrived at a massive parking lot (read empty) and were welcomed by a line-up of S-Class cars, from the first to the current. We were to experience driving all of them! I assumed this would be on the test track, but that was not to be. But no complaints, the route that was planned on the public streets was far more scenic, enjoyable, with minimal traffic, and real life. Gratitude!

Interesting facts & figures about the latest S-Class. Sometimes numbers say more than a thousand words:

- The turning circle is reduced by up to 2 metres with rear-axle steering compared to a model without it.

- The maximum steering angle is 10°.

- 27 languages are supported by "Hey Mercedes" with Natural Language Understanding (NLU).

- 31 loudspeakers and eight exciters are included in the Burmester 4D surround sound system.

- Comfort in the front passenger seat is assisted by up to 19 motors (8 for adjustments, 4 for massage and 5 for ventilation, one for the lumbar support and one to move the monitor on the reverse).

- 10 different massage programmes are available.

- The plug-in hybrid variant of the S-Class will have an electric range of up to 100 kilometres.

- The display area of the augmented reality head-up display corresponds to a monitor with a diagonal of 77 inches.

- The boot capacity is 550 litres an increase of 20 litres compared to the previous model.

- With a Cd figure of 0.22, the S-Class is one of the world's most aerodynamic cars. Its drag coefficient is lower than before, despite a larger frontal area of 200 sq. cm.

- Compared to the preceding model, elbow-room for the driver has increased by 38 millimetres and by up to 23 millimetres for rear passengers. Headroom in the rear has increased by up to 16 millimetres.

- The resolution of Digital Light per vehicle is over 2.6 million pixels.

- The computing power of MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) has increased by 50 percent compared to the system in the previous model. The memory bandwidth is 41,790 MB/s.

- When a side impact threatens, the vehicle body can be raised by up to 8 centimetres by the E-Active Body Control suspension (optional) within a few tenths of a second. This is a new function of Pre-Safe Impulse Side.

- 17 step motors control the temperature and air distribution in the Thermotronic system. The 4-zone climate control Thermotronic Rear has 20 step motors. These electric motors operate the air flaps.

- In the Active Ambient Lighting system, there is an LED in an optical fibre every 1.6 centimetres. There are around 250 in all.

- The new OLED central display measures 239.06 mm x 218.8 mm, and has an active screen diagonal of 12.8 inches. The screen area is 64 percent larger than in the preceding model. The driver display measures 291.6 mm x 109.4 mm and has a diagonal of 12.3 inches.

- The tubular structure of the innovative rear airbag is around 16 litres, while the total volume of the deployed bag is up to 70 litres.

- The control units of E-Active Body Control analyse the driving situation and adjust the suspension 1,000 times per second.

- The designation "S-Class" was officially introduced with the W116 series in 1972.

- More than 98 kg of components made from resource-conserving materials are used in the S-Class. The number of components containing recyclates is now 120 - more than twice as many as in the preceding model. Another 40 kg or so are made from renewable raw materials.

- W223 is the internal designation of the new model series.

- The new tool used to micro-perforate the seats operates with 16,000 needles.

- The loyalty rate for the S-Class is especially high. Some 80 percent of S-Class customers in Western Europe go on to choose another vehicle from Mercedes-Benz. In the US, more than 70 percent do so.

- More than one-third of all saloons of the last generation of the S-Class (W222) went to China.

- S-Class customers in China are the youngest, with an average age of 40 years.

- Around the world, the S-Class Saloon is predominantly sold in the long wheelbase version. Around 9 out of 10 customers opt for the long version of the S-Class Saloon. All in all, since the launch of the generation that is now in its runout phase, more than 5,00,000 S-Class Saloons have been sold..

That is the end of part 1 of this drive event in which we had a good hands-on experience with W223 S-Class.

[Jaggu]

The entire line-up of cars was made available for us to drive. Now there was a catch; somehow, I had a feeling that we would get to drive these on the Mercedes-Benz test track, but that would not be the case. We were to drive as a convoy on the roads around Immendigen, swap cars midway and return to the test facility.

Now that left us with very difficult choices to make, since it would be nearly impossible to cover all the cars in the next couple of hours, even with a few trips around that route and if time permitted. But, Team India was unanimous in their decision and interest We are going to focus on the older generations; we have had the S-Class in India for many years now and we all had driven the newer ones, either during reviews or those owned by friends. We ensured we grabbed keys of the W116, W126, and W140 for the first drive around the countryside. I would start with the W140.













While walking around the large parking area, I noticed a few other cars that were displayed, and the team had mentioned that these would be strictly for display only. This particular one with California plates caught my attention. On further prodding, I was told this car was owned by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the US for many years and was finally donated to the Mercedes-Benz collection. Those bling California wheels!

[Jaggu]

So, let us start chronologically by age, though my actual drive was not in that order.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class W116 series (1972 - 1980)

This was the first time the model name Mercedes-Benz S-Class would be used.



I had goosebumps just getting into and being seated in the driver’s seat and looking at the centre console.



Look at the odometer/ This is a car that has done 6 lakh, 48 thousand and 562 kms since 1977, was always with the company and used as a chauffeured car for the management folks. Still looked maybe 5 years old and cranked up at the first twist of the key. Yes, she idled a little gruff, but that is to be expected from a motor that has seen so many kms. The last person who took the car for a spin did not know how the parking brake was in the footwell and had not engaged it. I had to show my passenger how to activate it.



Engaged D, released the parking brake using the lever on the dash, and we were ready to go. The idle was misleading, and the car just leapt forward eagerly, throwing all of its 550 Nm of torque and the Bosch K Jetronic fuelling system. This car was even equipped with hydropneumatic suspension, but I was asked not to fiddle with it manually due to the age of the system. Keep in mind, this car is as old as I am, and comparing it to the latest S-Class is pointless. But this is where it all started. Mercedes-Benz started carving a niche luxury line of saloon cars for the affluent members of society in this fast-developing world.

The seats were plush, yet decently firm and held the occupants in place, though there was no bolstering of any kind available compared to a modern car. The steering was heavy, but not cumbersome, so were the pedals. Surprisingly, the brakes felt very modern and up to the task. It was the slowest of the day's line-up, but it kept a decent pace even at the back of the convoy. Yes, taking those winding roads at higher speeds required some skills to keep it in line, but for someone who is used to old Mahindra jeeps and modified Gypsies on stilts, this was just fine... actually, pretty impressive! Apart from the minor glitch of a rough idle (could smell it's running rich, maybe a fouled plug) and the A/C that needed some gas top-up, this 6-and-a-half-lakh kilometres young-old car still felt perfect. I was just getting to know it better and enjoy the drive when the message on the radio said that it was time to switch cars. We pulled over into a parking lot, and as I reversed in, I was reminded of the old-world charm of having a clean view to reverse rather than being dependent on reverse cameras and buzzers. Felt so refreshing and raw… skills over tech pack - perfect in this countryside setting.

In September 1972 it was for the first time that the name "Mercedes-Benz S-Class" was officially used. It replaced the model series 108/109 and at that time came in variants 280 S, 280 SE and 350 SE. Six months later, the S-Class saloon was made available with a larger displacement engine - the 4.5-litre V8 engine, parallel to the 450 SL and the 450 SLC. At the same time, 450 SEL was launched with a wheelbase extended by 100 mm. As with its predecessors, the rear passengers thus benefitted from the newly gained legroom. From November 1973, the extended version was also available as 350 SEL, and from April 1974, finally also as 280 SEL.

The W116 came with double-wishbone front suspension with zero steering offset and brake dive support. It improved the handling characteristics of the car considerably.

In terms of passive safety, the S-Class had a fuel tank that was not located above the rear axle and thus protected against collision. On the inside, it had a heavily padded dashboard, deformable or concealing switches and controls as well as a new four-spoke security wheel with impact absorber and broad impact cushion provided for better crash protection.

In May 1975, the 450 SEL was revealed as the legitimate successor to 300 SEL 6.3. It had a 6.9-liter V8-engine, developed from the 6.3-liter unit, developing 282 BHP. It had a hydropneumatic suspension with a level control system. Optional equipment included a central locking system, air-conditioning and a headlamp washer system. 7,380 cars were built within its production time of four years and six months.

From autumn 1978, the W116 series S-Class models came with the antilock system (ALS), which had been developed together with the Robert Bosch GmbH.

In September 1979, models series 126 was presented at the Frankfurt International Motor Show IAA, succeeding the first S-Class type range. The production of model series W116, however, was not finished yet. It ceased only between April and September 1980. The last car of a total of 473,035 built units of this range that passed the final-assembly inspection at the plant in Sindelfingen was a 300 SD.

Some parting shots:

[Jaggu]

Mercedes-Benz S-Class W126 series (1979 to 1992)

The first upgrade to the S-Class platform.



When I saw the car lined up next to the W116, it felt smaller. Later during the brief, I realised it were the design changes which made it look smaller. Lines were becoming more modern and squared up, chrome was getting reduced, and plastic was being introduced. The car we drove, and you see, is one of the last from the production line. Guess how many kilometres it has clocked?





4,879 km! This car, again, has been with the company from day one and was one of the last out of the production line in 1991 and has been a part of the classic car collection. Hence, such a low odometer reading. It is one of the most successful saloons in the Mercedes-Benz line-up. Time was running out by the time I got to the car, so I had to make do with a couple of spins around the parking lot and did some fast loops around the place. One could notice that the handling was an improvement over the W116, with a much more refined engine and gearbox, but the solid feel of that German engineering was intact. I'm super lucky to have experienced such a low-mileage car from that era!

The W126 series was launched in 1979. In 1981, it became the first series-production model to offer a pyrotechnic airbag, with seatbelt
tensioners for the front passenger. The front passenger airbag followed in 1988. In the same year, customers were also able to order ASR – the first fully electric starting-traction control system.

It had lower emissions thanks to its Cd value of 0.36. A catalytic converter fitted as standard from 1986. The W126 featured deformable plastic bumpers that could withstand a parking bump without damage.

With 8,18,036 vehicles produced over a period of 12 years, the W126 is, to this day, the most successful Mercedes-Benz saloon in the luxury segment.

[Jaggu]

Mercedes-Benz S-Class W140 series (1991 to 1998)

The OG (Original Gangsta) car for me!



If you notice, the chrome elements were going out and the dimensions were increasing with this S-Class. It had double glazed glass for better sound insulation. And have you seen the grandfather of the Parktronic system?



Flick it and it will show the driver where the tip of the car is!



So, this is the car I had the chance to start the drive in on that day. It was kind of a dream come true. I have always admired these cars in Bangalore, but have never had the chance to drive one. Somehow, I always felt that this is the Benz for me (if I were to keep one in my garage). That understated styling, yet very gangsta stance, with some darker side glasses would make the car so yummy! It had 14,328 km on the odometer and was an absolute joy to drive. I love the arrangement on the central console. For me, this would be the pinnacle of central consoles .





Yes, the dimensions are large, so you feel you have to be careful on these narrow country roads. The ride in this car was supremely comfortable, with that classic German feel to the steering and pedals, especially coming from the latest series vehicle, which felt rather tamed in character. It handled well enough for its size and was reassuring as hell compared to the W116 and W126.

The car came with new four-valve engines with adjustable intake camshafts that were available with an electronically controlled five-speed automatic transmission. It had a parameter steering with speed-dependent steering torque.

The 600 SE and SEL models were the first Mercedes-Benz production cars with a twelve-cylinder engine. From 1995, ESP was included as standard. Other assistance systems such as Brake Assist, Parktronic electronic parking assistant, APS Auto Pilot System and the Linguatronic voice assistant were available for the first time.

This model was designed for recyclability. All plastic parts received a type designation and the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) stopped completely. The Cd value again improved significantly from 0.36 to 0.31.

[Jaggu]

Mercedes-Benz S-Class W220 series (1998 to 2005)

The era of electronics started here.



The start of the modern era, I guess, and I would be jumping into a W220 when we stopped for the first driver swap after the W140. From a look and feel perspective, it is a huge jump. More premium materials and design, but alas, the classic shape of the W140 series, which we all loved, was gone. Modernity has made all things rounded, rather than geometrically straight. Yes, plenty of innovation and technology aids had come in, as was very evident in the first drive. The way the car drove and behaved (handled) was much more modern compared to the W140; from that perspective, I think the W140 and W220 were the biggest leaps.



It was a quantum leap in refinement too. This car has done 40,051 km, and was yet another that looked and felt fresh out of the factory. The universal theme here is that age, somehow, had come to a standstill, which shows how much care and maintenance these collection cars are given and how good upkeep can keep these Germans going forever!

Speaking about upkeep, alas, along with all these developments and innovations, comes the complexity of air suspension and complex electronics, which makes these cars tricky to own in a country like India. You need a mechanic who has a good understanding of modern technology to maintain them compared to the older models. As they say, "you have to give some to get some".

The W220 had a Cd value of 0.27, engines with automatic cylinder deactivation and the electronically controlled 7G-Tronic automatic transmission. From the mid-life facelift, this model was also available with a 4Matic all-wheel drive system.

It also had a new Airmatic air suspension with electronically controlled adaptive damping system (ADS), COMAND control and display system and the Distronic adaptive cruise control. Active Body Control (ABC) active suspension was available from 1999. The S55 AMG was the first AMG model to be officially included in the S-Class price list. The top S600 variant made 500 PS in 2002, while the S65 AMG produced 1,000 Nm.

The W220 series was equipped with the Pre-Safe preventive occupant protection system. This system enabled the S-Class to automatically and proactively initiate measures such as tightening the seatbelts. It could also move seats into the optimum position and close the sunroof to enhance passenger protection in the event of an impending collision.

This is where the engineers first made the switch from reactive to proactive safety. It included window and side bags, belt tensioners, belt force limiters in the rear and laminated glass in the side windows.

[Jaggu]

Mercedes-Benz S-Class W221 series (2005 to 2013)



For lack of time, I did not get to drive this one. To be honest, after driving the 223, it was pretty much pointless to go back to it, so I preferred to give as much time as possible to the older generation of cars.

With the W221, Mercedes introduced semi-automated driving and hybrid technology.

The car came with Active Night View Assist and an advanced Distronic Plus distance control system. Brake Assist Plus was upgraded to Pre-Safe Brake with autonomous partial braking. New technologies, such as Blind Spot Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Adaptive Highbeam Assist and Speed Limit Assist, were introduced as well. Control features included a further developed COMAND system with an intuitive controller on the centre console, split-view COMAND screen and parking assistant.

The W221 had a Cd value of 0.26, and this car became the first one with an environmental certificate.

As the S400 Hybrid, it was also the first luxury vehicle with a hybrid drive and lithium-ion battery. By May 2013, almost 5,50,000 units saloons had left the Sindelfingen production line.[/quote]

[Jaggu]

Mercedes-Benz S-Class W222 series (2013 to 2020)



There was an interesting story that was shared during the brief, where Bertha Benz did a journey of 104 km. Back in 2013, the W222 series managed to do the same route with autonomous driving, and that too without an issue. Now, in 2025, we can see the timeframe of such a development in the next stage and getting the required legal go-ahead and certifications. It is not as easy a job as we think it to be.

The W222 series came with an ʻIntelligent Drive’ system, paving the way into the digital future for Mercedes-Benz. It also connected all innovative safety and driver assistance systems with the Intelligent Drive system. It included reducing the driver's workload and the option of partially automated driving. Other features included Distronic Plus with Steering Assist and Stop & Go Pilot and Attention Assist that actively warned of inattentiveness and fatigue. The car was able to detect bumps in advance with Road Surface Scan and deal with them using the Magic Body Control. The vehicle automatically adjusted its speed through bends and before junctions or roundabouts. The system took advantage of camera and radar systems, and also used map and navigation data to help calculate driving characteristics.

With LEDs on the inside and outside, the it was the first car in the world without any light bulbs. The seats came with an energizing massage function based on the hot-stone principle.

[Jaggu]

All images are from the Mercedes Benz website.

A quick peek into the Immendigen Testing facility

One of the reasons why the drive schedule became tight was due to the fact that few of us, including myself, wanted to see the secret test tracks around Immendigen. This is a super secure area without any kind of public access; the gates are operated based on GPS devices that have to be mandatorily fixed on a vehicle. At the entrance, one has to log in on the handheld unit, and then at each section, which is again guarded by boom barriers, access request and grant happen through the device to move ahead. I guess they have a central control office just like an air traffic control tower that manages the vehicular movement to ensure security and, more importantly, safety during these testing runs. Some of it can be very fast



Unfortunately, all electronic devices, including phones, smart watches, and these days glasses, were checked and had to be left behind. So, I have no pics or even voice notes for this part of the trip, and I will be sharing what I experienced in the short ride about 15-20 mts around the place and some images from their website.

Key facts about the test facility.

• More than 30 different test routes and tracks on an area of 520 hectares formerly used as a training ground by the German army
• The work in Immendingen also includes further development of alternative drives (such as hybrids and electric vehicles), testing of future assistance systems and automated driving functions and validation during endurance tests
• Total length of test routes 68 kilometres (asphalt and rough tracks)
• Opened on 19th of September 2018 after a construction time of three and a half years
• Investment of over 200 million euros, with around 300 new jobs planned
• Extensive nature conservation measures including construction of a corridor for wild animals
• Reduction in road traffic density thanks to relocation of endurance testing route to the test facility

For starters, one would never realise this is a test track apart from the high level of security access that is required and the safety barriers. This is pristine German countryside filled with small mountains and climbs spread across this 520-hectare land. A huge amount of care is taken to ensure wildlife is protected, with measures like having a special breed of sheep that eat the bad grass, while retaining the good grass that is required for pollination. Bee hives are used to control the bee population. Wildlife crossings are provided so that animals are in no way at risk inside the track. We were in the W223 series car and were driven by one of the engineers who tests cars in real life. The lady who accompanied us opted to sit in front, and I chose the best seat in the car - the rear passenger side.



After the series of gates, we got onto the track, with rather winding roads just like any countryside road, and went up some inclination testing track. Here, the hill hold and anti-roll back functions were demonstrated. Unlike some cars, the system in the S-Class is very seamless and does not have any time limit for hill hold. Till the driver gives throttle input, the car will not roll back. Even when moving out, there are no sudden surge or jerk. This is proper luxury, even while pointed towards the sky. Next, we were driven around various kinds of roads; the track has road surfaces to replicate various regions of the world. This includes road surfaces, manhole covers, lane markings, signage, banking, and whatnot. So in this short ride, I got to experience European, Japanese, American, South Korean, and Chinese roads as a passenger. If I remember correctly, South Korea has very colourful road markings with blue and purple shades.



Now we came to a hill climb section and our friend at the wheel politely asked us if it is ok to increase the pace a bit. Now, this is an official Mercedes-Benz test engineer, who does this for a living. One is on a secured facility, where safety is given priority. I did not even blink and replied "send it!", much to the angst of the two ladies in the car. Man, did he drive like a pro racer up those hills! There were properly tight hairpin bends and serious turns. For reference, people who know Nandi Hills here in Bangalore, this section was very similar with a slightly wider road. The lady passenger in front was enjoying as well as screaming a bit, but to be honest, at the rear in those supremely comfortable seats and belted up, I hardly felt the thrill. The German lady who was beside me mentioned she is sensitive to motion in the beginning, but was sitting comfortably and chatting away with me. What more do you need to attest to the driving dynamics and body control of this latest generation S-Class? It is just brilliant and beyond words.



Next would be a quick spin around the oval and after a normal run of just about 100 km/h, we went back for another run at higher speeds. The engineer even showed how the car tracks absolutely fine without any steering input, banked all the way up on the oval Again apart from the slight strain on the seatbelts, as a rear passenger, I barely felt any discomfort. We were short of time for the next workshop transfer, so we went back the way we came into the parking lot. On the way I noticed a few vehicles being tested on the track. All the models are camouflaged or covered up; even the ones in the parking inside the test facility. Some of the current models could be seen with partial covers.

Fun fact: The facility has skid pads and climate-based test facilities inside. For the latter, you have these huge freezers like containers placed around the track. The test vehicle can be placed inside these huge freezers to cool it down to sub-zero temperature without the need to go, say, to the Alps or Himalayas all the time. The drive down the hill, the amazing audio system with Dolby was demoed, and trust me when I say this, passengers won’t even realise it is a winding mountain road with all those acoustic symphonies blaring through the sound system. I jokingly Said to the engineer, if he blasts some nice rock songs and then does these hill climbs during working hours, how much fun that would it be! Soon we exited and logged off the GPS device. We were back to the base parking location.



Some official documentation about the track shared on request to me by Mercedes-Benz to compensate for the lack of pictures, videos, or even voice notes.

Consolidation of worldwide vehicle testing in one location Stuttgart/Immendingen.

Immendingen has a key role in the development of the mobility of the future: this is where Mercedes-Benz Cars is consolidating its worldwide vehicle testing, including the further development of alternative drives such as hybrids and electric vehicles under the product and technology brand EQ. Future assistance systems and automated driving functions are also tested here. The Test and Technology Center Immendingen was officially opened in September 2018 after a construction time of around three and a half years. Immendingen is located in Baden-Württemberg, 130 kilometres to the south of Stuttgart and 40 kilometres to the north of Radolfzell on Lake Constance.

Mercedes-Benz is currently creating around 300 new jobs in Immendingen. Already now, around 250 employees are working on more than 30 different test stretches on which different driving conditions can be simulated. A particular focus is placed on the four strategic areas for the future, Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric. Daimler has grouped these under the acronym CASE.

"High-tech vehicles require high-tech testing. Our Test and Technology Center in Immendingen has numerous facilities for testing and perfecting new technologies, including alternative drives and driving assistance systems. At the same time we can relieve traffic congestion, for example by relocating our endurance testing to our test site," says Markus Schäfer, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.

"Steep, narrow pass roads as in the Alps, wide, multi-lane highways as in North America, tedious stop-and-go traffic as in a southern European city: many traffic situations can be realistically simulated on the test site. A great deal can be calculated by computer, but in the end test drives on proper roads are indispensable. In the process we repeatedly find that reality always has surprises in store which the computer has not considered," says Reiner Imdahl, Head of the TTC. "The municipality of Immendingen was a real stroke of luck for us. We and the Test and Technology Center were made welcome from the start, and we were received with open arms." The TTC was constructed on a former exercise ground owned by the German army. When developing the route layout, intensive use was made of the impressive topography with its different levels and altitudes from 660 to 880 metres above sea level .

Two examples:
• What is known as the 'Bertha' area for evaluation and testing of highly automated vehicles provides the engineers with a 100,000 square metre test module designed for automated driving. The manoeuvres performed here are especially focussed on automated driving and safety functions for present and future driving assistance systems on the way to autonomous driving. Challenging and complex traffic situations can be reproduced highly precisely and as often as desired. For example, the Bertha area makes it possible to test safety-relevant situations at motorway speeds, or merging/lane-changing situations at entries, and to verify collision prevention functions in convoy and crossing traffic.

• The inner city module has 1.5 kilometres of city roads with various junctions for testing driving assistance systems, car-to-X communication and automated driving under realistic conditions. For example, it is possible to realistically simulate communication between highly automated and driverless vehicles as a contribution to traffic safety in inner city areas. An overview of all the test track modules can be found here.

Technological progress in harmony with nature.

In 2011, after an extensive selection process during which around 120 sites in Baden-Württemberg were assessed, Daimler AG decided to focus its plans for a new Test and Technology Center on the Immendingen location. Right from the start, the company enjoyed broad support from the municipality and the local population. The construction work began with a ground-breaking ceremony in early 2015, on one of three sites formerly used by the German army as part of the Franco-German Brigade from 1996 onwards. The first module, the 'rough track and soiling stretch', was opened in September 2015. This is where vehicle durability is tested under particularly tough road conditions. The aim was to take individual test modules into operation while the construction work was in progress, so as to ensure uninterrupted testing.

During the extensive construction activities the company worked together closely with nature conservation and environmental protection organisations, conducting a constructive and critical dialogue. The objective was to make technological progress possible in harmony with nature. For example, habitats for plants and animals with wooded and green areas were created on the Immendingen site. Furthermore, the entire site has a corridor allowing passage for wild animals. Flocks of sheep inhibit the growth of bushes on grassed areas. Three llamas protect the flocks from attack by foxes. All in all, Daimler implemented compensatory and replacement nature conservation measures covering an area of 625 hectares. In this way the TTC is a prime example of Daimler's sustainability strategy.

Some fun facts:

The layout of the TTC was created by Formula 1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke? Among others, this motorsport enthusiast and construction engineer designed the F1 circuits in Malaysia, Bahrain, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Austin, Sochi and Baku in recent years.

A Unimog U430 on the rough track and soiling stretch ensures that the measurement stretch is always in the same, poor condition? A bulldozer blade at the front with a spraying system helps to smooth the test track as required. At the rear, the 300 PS Unimog implement carrier has a scarifier to loosen up sections of track that have become too compressed.

Mercedes-Benz examined a total of 120 potential locations for the new Test Center? Twelve made it to the final shortlist. In 2011 the decision was made in favour of Immendingen, a garrison town since 1958. At peak times up to 2000 soldiers and civilian employees performed their service at the Schreiber Barracks in Immendingen as part of the Franco-German Brigade and German army service center.

South Korea borders on Switzerland? Such unusual geographical juxtapositions came about when the layout in Immendingen was designed. For example, to test how well the vehicle's cameras are able to cope with different road markings or versions of guard rails, these are in country-specific form in the individual sections.

The access roads to the test modules and other stretches on the test site have different asphalt surfaces on the left and right? Usually the surface is in good condition on one side, while on the other it has been prepared with potholes and many other defects typically encountered in many countries.

The Test and Technology Center Immendingen is an official annex of the world's largest Daimler research & development location in Sindelfingen? This was agreed between the works council and the company. It ensures that Immendingen will operate as a corporate Daimler location.

The 'Heath endurance test" has long since ceased to take place on the Lüneburg Heath? The 'Heath endurance test" at Mercedes-Benz has a history stretching back more than 60 years. It began in the 1950s, on particularly poor roads on the Lüneburg Heath. Later the same name was given to the rough stretches on test tracks in Untertürkheim and Sindelfingen. This is because they were scale replicas of the traditional torture route on the Heath. Test rigs were also controlled by data stored during such tests. In future this endurance test will also be conducted in Immendingen.

The banked curves of the oval circuit can be negotiated with hands off the wheel at 160 (south curve) and 135 km/h (north curve) in the upper, third lane? This is because there are no lateral forces acting on the tyres, and the vehicle follows the bend without any steering impulses. In the process the driver is forced into the seat by several times his/her bodyweight.

In future driverless Mercedes-Benz Arocs trucks will clear snow away at the TTC? The automated winter service is a platoon operation. The Arocs test vehicles are equipped with the Remote Truck Interface (RTI), an in-vehicle interface with which vehicle functions can be remotely controlled and data exchanged. Via the RTI, all the vehicles are fully networked by telematic systems, drive in automated mode and can either lead or follow the platoon.
 
Noise-emitting test stretches are located so that there are natural sound barriers to protect the residential areas of Immendingen? For example, the embankments of the banked curves in the oval handling circuit provide an acoustic barrier – residents in the area will not be disturbed by squealing tyres when powerful vehicles are being tested.

Up to 90 percent of worldwide vehicle endurance tests can take place at the TTC in future? Owing to the altitude (800 m above sea level ), enough ice and snow is expected for winter trials in Sweden/Finland to be reduced in scope.

A raindrop falling on the test site can end up both in the Atlantic and in the Black Sea? Water running out of the overflow basins of the TTC in heavy rainstorms flows into the Danube, which is visible from the site, and therefore to the Black Sea. However, on an average of 155 days of the year, the river's water subsides into sinkholes in the karstic substrate, and flows underground to the Aach basin twelve kilometres away. The river Aach is part of the tributary system of the Rhine, which flows into the North Sea.

With that, we come to the end of the day at Immendingen. We needed to grab a quick bite and rush to another location for a very exclusive and secret event, but that will have to wait for another day.

Disclaimer: Mercedes-Benz invited Team-BHP for this trip. They covered all the travel expenses.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Jeroen]

Wow, what an experience! Fantastic!

I love the W116 and the latest S class is actually quite nice to look at. Anything in between I find, visually, less attractive from the outside, of not plain ugly. But they are fantastic cars of course.

Nice to see those old dashboards. Till they went digital they all looked very similar. In fact across the model range they were very similar. My W123 looks similar.

Jeroen

[DicKy]

Great report and finished reading it end to end in one sitting.

Was excited to see this event when Sirish Chandran mentioned it in Instagram, didn't know TeamBHP was also part of it. Here is what I said in one of the threads (The Modern Mercedes S-Class | W221 vs W222 vs W223) discussing S classes

My tryst with S classes ended with the W126 and W140. All other interactions with modern S classes have been purely visual in nature, so take my reasoning with a pinch of salt.

W221 - The Lexus IS like headlights, body coloured inserts in the rear headlights, rear pontoon flares meant it was not exactly love at first sight, but then. When was the S class ever known to be good looking or beautiful? Nah. S classes should exude power and command respect, not just look pretty. The W126 was the in-between of the chrome bumpered Benz and plastic bumpered Benz. The glasshouse kinda looked too upright for the rest of the body. The W140 was also slab sided and also had a glasshouse that was too upright, and less said about the asymmetric dashboard design. But they exuded power, just like how the W221 looked IRL on the road. The sum of the parts always looked greater than how each individual part looked. From four cylinder taxi versions to V12 Pullman versions, this was peak S class that tried to straddle different segments without sacrificing daily driveability. Decent enough ground clearance, high profile tyres, spare wheel well, FNG friendly, not toooo much reliance on electronics , buttons here and there.

W222 - It got the cleaner design I preferred, but with the new Merc design language and more rounded shape, it lost the powerful aura. Yes, the size helped, the huge wheel sizes helped, the Maybach versions helped, but the russian doll approach was too obvious when you had to identify C,E,S by the headlight LED strips from a distance. Also you feel that Merc had aimed for the Bentley segment, which can be seen in the luxurious interiors. But for me who grew up seeing W126s with roof racks and the S class used as daily drivers, the ascent of the S class to untouchable luxury levels felt uneasy.

W223 - Feels like disposable luxury. Like a car made for the lease segment. Instead of pioneering like they always do, Merc ended up following Tesla when designing the interiors. Not sure if it is like that in real life, but seeing many international reviews pointing out that the interior quality is going down. (though kinda unbelievable) . Nothing really desirable about the W223. Feels weird saying this, but more excited seeing the Genesis G90 than The S Class.

But of late, am veering towards the W116 and it has started looking so desirable, style wise.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

.... and rush to another location for a very exclusive and secret event, but that will have to wait for another day.

More exciting than a day with all the generations of the sonderklasse? Waiting...

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

So, let us start chronologically by age, though my actual drive was not in that order.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class W116 series (1972 - 1980)

Goosebumps Moment

This is the first car I drove at the age of 9 in Hamburg. It was a green Mercedes 350SE which belonged to an acquaintance of my Uncle. I would not stop talking about the car so he went off into a field, sat me on his lap and told me to drive!

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Wow, what an experience! Fantastic!

Nice to see those old dashboards. Till they went digital they all looked very similar. In fact across the model range they were very similar. My W123 looks similar.

Thank you and I completely agree, to your observations about new cars.

Originally Posted by DicKy

Great report and finished reading it end to end in one sitting.
====
More exciting than a day with all the generations of the sonderklasse? Waiting...

Thanks you and haha wait for the next report, its more a peek into the future I would say

Originally Posted by ajmat

This is the first car I drove at the age of 9 in Hamburg. It was a green Mercedes 350SE which belonged to an acquaintance of my Uncle.

Oh wow, I never knew about this! That is a very interesting story.

[1.2GT3GT]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Mercedes-Benz S-Class W140 series (1991 to 1998)

Somehow, I always felt that this is the Benz for me (if I were to keep one in my garage).

Fantastic write-up!

From the point of view of availability and longevity in India, may I ask which engine you would prefer it with? I believe the petrols were naturally aspirated V12/V8/I6 and the diesels were turbocharged I6 if I’m not mistaken.

Another point I came across in a video review somewhere on YouTube mentioned that during the years 1991 to 1996, W140s had wiring harnesses whose insulation was made of some sort of biodegradeable material (due to some European regulations within that specific timeline) that would crumble after a certain number of years and lead to all sorts of wiring issues.

So it looks like the later year models around 1997 to 1998 would be the safer options.