After models other than spearheads showed new Mercedes technology in the past few years, now it’s back to the traditional S-Class. The model for 2021 shows what will diffuse into other series over the next few years. The headliner of the technology was “autonomous driving according to SAE level 3”. This optional technology is currently being approved in Germany and will therefore not be available until autumn 2021. Other markets will follow accordingly later. Daimler therefore presented the system on the company’s own test site near Immendingen.

Next Level As we already wrote to introduce the technology, the S-Class only drives up to 60 km / h and only by itself in heavy traffic. The driver may do other things, but must do so within 10 seconds can take over. So he is not allowed to sleep or leave the driver’s seat. The interior camera monitors these conditions. You can read the detailed conditions of the system here in the presentation. At this point we want to concentrate on the practical impressions. The press was allowed to watch the system from the passenger seat, not to play around with it.

Traffic jam pilot level 3 (11 Pictures) The new traffic jam pilot should be without a driver Drive responsibly through all traffic jams.

(Image: Daimler) The dashboard shows a route approved for level 3 in a corresponding traffic jam situation. The driver can then press transfer buttons in the upper half of the steering wheel. From then on the automatic drives through the traffic jam. The driver can look at the smartphone or use the screen on the center console, for example to watch videos.

Six levels of autonomous driving are defined.

(Image: VDA)

Safety over comfort The test vehicle follows the simulated traffic jam, but does so a little more sharply than one is used to from the S-Class, which on “comfort” controls the previous traffic jam pilot and the distance cruise control very softly with foresight. Mercedes is still working on these edges. They exist because security comes before comfort. The car strictly adheres to the defined safety areas, which occasionally leads to harder braking than is likely in series production.

Automated Valet Parking (6 images) With “Automated Valet Parking”, the customer hands over his vehicle to the car park control, which parks and picks it up for him.

(Image: Daimler) Particularly nice: the car automatically and reliably forms an emergency lane at low speeds. It also recognizes approaching emergency vehicles. In such a situation, the logic passes on to the driver so that he can communicate with the emergency vehicle personnel to do things beyond creating an emergency lane, such as maneuvering or driving closer to the boundaries. The Drive Pilot mastered other disturbances in traffic jams such as sudden lane changes by others or driving around a broken-down car in the artificial test environment.

Parking on the next level In addition to the automatic traffic jam assistant, there is something new in terms of automated parking. Bosch has revised the “Automated Valet Parking”. In order to reduce costs, cameras are now used instead of lidar sensors that scan the driving envelope. Furthermore, the parking garage controls the car remotely. Liability is transferred to the parking garage operator. The vehicle’s assistance systems are active, but do not intervene to avoid conflicts.

After the pilot project in the Mercedes Museum Stuttgart, the current camera system is now being tested in a parking garage of Stuttgart Airport. The parking pilot will initially be part of the parking package at no additional cost. Mercedes wants to create incentives for parking garage operators: without remote-controlled cars, there is no business model.

Everything assists Another innovation can already be used by everyone: the parking space scan system detects both parallel and parallel parking spaces and parks there at the push of a button without the need for any further driver intervention. With perpendicular parking spaces, the user can even choose whether the vehicle should be parked forwards or backwards. This helps with parking lots with corresponding specifications or simply to get out more comfortably. The parking assistant can also park in a selectable direction of travel. Of course, sensors constantly monitor the parking lot. In the demo, for example, a dummy child on a bobby car grabbed the parking lot. Then the parking assistant stops and hands over to the driver.

Parking assistant (8 images) The “Intelligent Park Pilot” scans free parallel and perpendicular parking spaces.

(Image: Daimler) The extended 360 ° camera also makes life easier for those who park themselves. A safety frame around the car crumples on the display if its distances are undercut and active