Also, see here a gallery with images of the new Mercedes A-Class 2021
New: Mercedes updates the GLA to fight with X1 and Q3
Let's not fool ourselves.
Tesla can be worth a potosí on the stock market and its cars, be a reference for many for its electrical technology, connection to the cloud and autonomous functionalities.
But if something has measured the evolutionary degree of the car for a few decades, it is the all-out war waged by the three great German premium brands: Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
And put them in the order you like.
Or not at this time, if we pay attention to what the new Mercedes S-Class incorporates.
Seventh installment in the history of this saloon considered the flagship of the brand, it is not excessive to say that it is the most advanced car in the world.
Then will come the renewals of the Series 7 and the A8 and each of them will assume a temporary leadership.
So over and over again, fueled an intimate enmity that benefits all.
At first,
only the lucky ones who can afford the 120,000 euros that the 'basic' version will cost
when it goes on sale at the end of the year.
But over the years, many of the innovations it brings will flow into more accessible segments and models.
As a sample, a button: today, even the most modest passenger car has a driver's airbag, among other things because it is mandatory.
But the first one to mount one of these airbags (with adequate safety standards) was ... the Mercedes S-Class in 1981.
And it didn't even come standard: it cost about 400,000 pesetas (2,400 euros).
But now it is the turn of the new 2021 S-Class, a car that is a show.
So, as they say, come and see.
Screens for everyone and for everything
Up to five large screens (two front and three rear) allow you to navigate the world of functionalities, comfort, safety or entertainment that the car offers.
Thanks to it, the physical buttons and controls distributed throughout the cabin are reduced to a minimum.
The central console stands out and is now almost square (previously horizontal), up to 12.8 inches, with OLED technology and haptic drive (each icon on the screen vibrates when you put your fingertip on it).
Each user identifies himself in his own, either by voice, fingerprint, facial recognition or by entering a PIN.
From there, it loads your preferences such as seat adjustment or preferred multimedia content.
All the screens are networked, so it is possible to share elements between them
and the information is in the cloud, so that in the future, each user will be able to take that profile with them from one Mercedes to another.
As if we carried a 77-inch TV
The head up display, a system that the car has inherited from fighter jets and that projects information onto the windshield, is one step ahead of the known.
Not so much for the data it presents but for how it does it.
The driver views this information
as if he were viewing a 77-inch screen at 10 meters and the system has augmented reality,
which allows the introduction of dynamic elements that are superimposed on the environment.
For example,
if we have to turn left, large moving arrows will mark us where we have to turn and in the right place
on the road where to do it exactly.
Lights that not only illuminate
To say that it has a matrix lighting of LEDs, capable of lighting at the same time a part of the road with the long ones and another with the short ones so as not to dazzle the car from the front is not something new.
Yes, the Digital Light system, which thanks to 1.3 million micromirrors projects a beam of light that is up to 100 times more precise.
In addition, with this option, the headlights are capable of
'drawing' figures as if they were painted on the road and that warn us so that we are alert.
For example, a sign that we are entering a construction zone or that we are approaching a Stop.
Able to read minds?
Mercedes has long incorporated a digital assistant into its cars.
He calls it MBUX and, through artificial intelligence, it learns from the user's tastes.
Or he suggests a relaxing treatment (based on music and massage on the seats) if he detects that we may be tired.
In the new
S-Class 2021 comes a more advanced version,
capable of distinguishing which passenger is the one who is asking for something and of anticipating their wishes and performing more autonomous functions.
How?
Thanks to a system of cameras installed on the ceiling and that control our gestures.
Thus, if we engage reverse gear and turn our heads, pick up the rear curtain if it is raised, so that we do not lose vision.
It also opens the panoramic sunroof when we reach out to operate the control.
Or illuminate the passenger area if it detects that we are looking for something and it is night.
One last example: the car has a security system that, if we open the door and another car or bike comes, warns us of the danger of doing so.
Well, with MBUX, that warning comes to us just by reaching out to the shooter to open it.
Driver, you are released.
In 2021,
the new Mercedes S-Class can be ordered with level 3 autonomous driving.
What does that mean?
Well, the car will be able to carry out all the driving tasks, controlling its environment and making the corresponding decisions.
We can think, for example, that it would be able to
make a route set in the navigator completely autonomously, changing lanes on its own, taking the corresponding exits, even operating in urban traffic.
In principle, the driver should not put his hands on the wheel, but he should be alert in case the system asks him to regain control in a situation that he is not able to manage himself.
Getting carried away in these circumstances requires an act of faith.
Although
the legislation has to allow it first,
like the invention that allows you to park the car remotely, with us outside and guiding it with the key.
This is not the case in Spain, yet.
What else can this car do on its own?
Well, as it is able to read the road ahead, it continuously adapts the suspension before we hit a bump or bump.
It also slightly tilts the body when cornering, to make driving more dynamic and comfortable.
Or it raises it completely several centimeters when it detects that another vehicle is going to hit us from the side.
And by the way, in the event of an accident, to the already known airbags, the new S-Class adds one that is still not so popular, the case of which is activated between the two front seats so that the driver and passenger do not hit each other.
And innovate with another that unfolds in the back of these seats to protect the occupants of the rear area.
And prevent them from launching against those in the front area.
And after all, a great car
No less innovative, we must stop saying that we are talking about a large car, with a body of
5.18 meters in the 'short' version and 5.29 in the long
wheelbase designed to go with a driver.
In both cases, with a generous 550-liter boot.
Mercedes has left nothing to chance and has designed it with very aerodynamic shapes, with
a CX coefficient of just 0.22 which is one of the lowest in the industry.
In addition, it has incorporated a
directional rear axle so that the rear wheels can turn up to 10 degrees in the opposite direction to the front
(like modern buses).
this makes it turn between curbs in just 11 meters, like a much smaller vehicle.
This results in the efficiency of the engines, starting with two gasoline and as many diesel with
powers of between 286 and 367 horsepower,
always with a nine-speed automatic gearbox and rear or four-wheel drive.
The gasoline variants are mild hybrid, thanks to a 48-volt electrical architecture that reinforces some episodes of driving, reducing consumption.
Although, at this point,
the big news will be the 'plug-in' hybrid variant that will arrive in 2021 and promises 100 kilometers of autonomy with zero emissions.
Of course, the cabin is made with the highest quality materials and its passengers are treated like royalty, with seats with all kinds of regulations and massages, apart from being air-conditioned and heated.
Or that they can enjoy acoustics worthy of a concert hall thanks to the sound system with up to 31 speakers,
some of them integrated into the seats.
Finally, to the already common connectivity (Wi-Fi points, Apple Car Play or Android Auto) we must add, following a path that Tesla opened, the possibility of
updating numerous car functionalities (such as the MBUX system) remotely through Internet.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
Know more
Motor
Mercedes updates the GLA to beat the BMW X1 and Audi Q3
The AMG versions of the new generation of the Mercedes GLA arrive
Classic Rolls-Royces are now zero emissions
See links of interest
Last News
English translator
TV programming
Work calendar
Daily horoscope
Santander League Standings
League schedule
Movies TV
Topics
Stage 7: Millau - Lavaur, live