You’ll see plenty of concept cars and new production models announced at NAIAS 2016. You’ll see even more well-established models announced as even top-sellers need to evolve with the times to stay competitive. If they don’t, there are always rival brands more than willing to take the pack leader down.
The new E-Class announced here in Detroit this morning definitely falls in the latter group. A long and securely setup leader in the luxury sedan class, the E-Class needs to keep pace with aggressive plays by the likes of Lexus, BMW and Audi to stay ahead by its three-pointed be-star’d nose.
Announced as NAIAS 2016 opened, the new E-Class is reinventing itself by offering a new suite of driver assistants that appear to be leading the way aggressively toward autonomous driving.
Standard in the E-Class, Active Brake Assist will stop the car in emergencies — while Attention Assist warns the driver of careless or drowsy driving. The purpose of Crosswind Assist is obvious.
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Mercedes-Benz is quick to highlight its Drive Pilot system as a big step toward a self-driving car. The Distance Pilot will keep the car the “correct distance” behind vehicles in front automatically, while also following at a speed of up to 130 mph. When I heard Mercedes-Benz’s spokespeople describe the Distance Pilot here in Detroit with the words “correct distance” and “correct speed,” I immediately grumbled that the car shouldn’t decide that. Hearing a potential speed of 130 mph shut me up real fast.
The Steering Pilot aids in the turns and can intervene by watching for other cars or objects. If the word “intervene” makes you nervous, the functions are adjustable. The Speed Limit Pilot can automatically adjust to speed limits, zone to zone and highway to freeway. Finally, Active Lane-Change Assistant steers the vehicle at speed into the lane selected by the driver.
Evidently, there are those feeble people out there who need a lot of help driving. Since we’re not taking their licenses away, cars like this new E-Class look to make them a minimal threat.
All of this self-driving tech — combined with the high-end interior materials and improved, turbo-charged four cylinder engine — should keep this mainstay of the Mercedes-Benz line more than competitive in that upperclass luxury car race.
