When I was offered a 2018 Mercedes-Benz S560 to review, I jokingly asked if it came with a chauffeur. Turns out it did, in the form of the latest generation of semi-autonomous driving hardware.
The S-Class is Mercedes-Benz’s flagship model, the car that typically showcases the latest in technology — regardless of cost.
Advances in technology these days occur at a much faster rate than in the auto sector. To keep up with consumer expectations, manufacturers are now introducing major updates in software and hardware during a vehicle’s mid-cyle update instead.
For 2018, the S-Class is the recipient of one such update. Along with changes to the powerplant, the big Benz also freshened up its interior and exterior styling.
But by far the most significant addition was the enhancement of its semi-autonomous driving function.
Self-driving vehicles seem to be the Holy Grail for a number of companies, not just those in the traditional automotive industry. Google and Uber are among companies that have invested heavily to be the first to market with a viable system.
With Tesla touting their advances in the field, it was just a matter of time for Mercedes — a company renowned for its engineering prowess — to lay its cards on the table.
Mercedes offers semi-autonomous driving in an available Intelligent Drive Package on the S560.
When set on cruise control, the hardware not only maintains a set speed (or distance behind the car ahead), but will brake and steer, as well.
Adaptive cruise control has been around for a few years now. Sensors will detect a vehicle in front of your car and adjust speed (up and down) to match. In the S-Class, the system can bring the car to a complete stop and accelerate away (such as when vehicles stop for a traffic light on the Pat Bay Highway) and back up to speed without any driver input.
You still have to brake manually when coming up to a red light if there is no vehicle ahead of you.
The car, using GPS data, anticipates curves by slowing slightly. I was comfortable enough to allow it to follow curves (although I desperately wanted to grab the wheel) at highway speeds.
Put on the turn signal and the car will — after checking if the spot beside you is clear — change lanes.
While the car will happily play the role of chauffeur, the software is designed to seek reassurance in the form of a reminder every 10 seconds. Every 10 seconds, the driver needs to grip the steering wheel at the 9 and 3 o’clock positions. Failing to do so will result in the car slowing and eventually stopping by the side of the road with its emergency lights on (no, I did not try this function).
On the two occasions I used the self-driving function on the highway, I was as nervous as my very first time behind the wheel.
I want to make sure to emphasize that the semi-autonomous driving is a novelty at this time. It might be the way of the future — this was a glimpse of what could happen — but you will not see Mercedes-Benz owners reading their Times Colonist on their commute to work any time soon.
Semi-autonomous driving might be the most talked-about feature, but other changes are happening at the same time with Mercedes.
The company is evolving into three brands. There will be Mercedes-Benz, but there will now also be Mercedes-AMG (for performance) and Mercedes-Maybach (for uber-luxury), with different versions of the same car offered.
My tester was a Mercedes-Benz with a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V-8 producing 463 horsepower and 516 foot-pounds of torque (by comparison, the AMG version manages to eke out 603 hp and 664 lb.-ft. of torque from the same engine).
Mercedes claims a 4.6-second zero-to-100 km/h acceleration time for the Benz versio,n and 3.5 for the AMG cousin.
Power is transmitted to the ground via a nine-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.
The S-Class is available in either short- or long-wheelbase versions (I had the latter). One of the options offered in the long-wheelbase car is a premium rear seating package that turns the right rear seat into the best seat in the house. The lucky occupant gets their own climate control and can push the front passenger seat right up to the dash for the ultimate in legroom.
If you choose to drive, you will be treated to a pair of 12.3-inch screens in the place of the instrument panel and infotainment screen. The driver can customize the view to their liking, from traditional to avant garde. The content is controlled by a large knob, a touchpad, via small touch-sensitive pads on either side of the steering wheel or via voice commands.
My favourite feature was a massage function on the front seats. One could choose between six different massage functions, including some that combined heat and massage.
Missing on my tester was an option that would create an interior ambiance that included a choice of fragrances paired with the appropriate lighting and music.
Needless to say, luxury was at the forefront in visual style, touch and, now, smell.
It all started off as a joke, given the car’s $124,400 starting price. It ended up with a glimpse of what a non-human chauffeur could look like.
Personally, I would not check off the Intelligent Drive Package option box, save myself $2,300 and enjoy the S560 just the way it is. But to watch my wife’s eyes when I took my hands off the wheel at 100 km/h was priceless.
THE SPEC SHEET
Type: Luxury full-sized car, front engine, all-wheel-drive
Engine: Twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V-8, 463 hp at 5,250 to 5,500 r.p.m., 516 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,000 to 4,000 r.p.m.
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Dimensions (mm): Length, 5,250; width, 2,130; height, 1,490; wheelbase, 3,160
Curb weight (kg): 2,200
Price (base/as tested): $124,400/ $141,550 (includes $100 AC tax)
Options: AMG sport package $5,900, Intelligent Drive package $2,300, Premium package $6,100, heads-up display $1,500, AMG 20-inch wheels $1,250
Tires: 245/40 R20 front, 275/35 R20 rear (run-flat tires) on alloy wheels
Fuel type: Premium
Fuel economy (L/100km): 13.5 city/ 8.6 highway
Warranty: Four years/80,000 km new car
