Before entering the parking lot, the Mercedes built a special bump. In some places, speed bumps are arranged like this: a flat mound, ten to twelve centimeters high and four meters long. The first time, they say, go through it in the normal suspension mode, then turn around, turn on the "comfort" - and one more time. Come on, keep 30–40 km/h!

Damn it works! Really, the second time I just did not notice this unevenness. I did not believe it and went for another round. I still didn’t believe it and went to see how it looks from the outside.

The car slightly lifts its nose, as if it is standing on tiptoe, and in this position it runs into a bump. The front wheels jump into the arches (it feels like without resistance, exactly to the height of the bump), but the body does not move. Then the rear ones repeat the trick, then again the turn of the front ones comes, but already at the exit from the bump. Great! The name "magic body control" - in the case. Really magic, magic. Although, if you look, nothing supernatural, just accurate and fast work of a stereo camera that tracks the profile of the road, and air suspension. How has this not been thought of before!

Probably old Benz in 1886 also heard such a phrase ...

In a short video, the S-Class briskly copes with a whole series of bumps at a much higher speed - but I didn’t happen to drive like that myself. On a normal course and a normal road, this is, in general, an ordinary car. The magic begins precisely on obvious bumps and ends if you go too far with speed (so that the "speed bumps" will fulfill their function). I hope in the near future to be on a date between the Mercedes and our "sunbeds", short and rounded.

HANDS ON THE RUDDER!

Have you ever noticed how cool real freeways are? One slight movement of the steering wheel, and the car fits perfectly into the turn, without any correction. Here, too, I wanted to praise the highway, when I suddenly discovered that the steering wheel ... spins itself! After 10 seconds, the smart car turned on red lights on the display, the steering wheel shook and I was offered to take it. And yet, a full-fledged autopilot is already very close.

Half an hour earlier, after leaving town, I turned on the Distronic. This advanced next-generation cruise control maintains a constant speed or distance (that is, it slows down in front of cars until you change lanes to get ahead of them), monitors the markings and helps write turns, and is also ready to apply emergency braking if it “notices” a pedestrian. This was shown to us later at the training ground, with a mannequin; when the star on the hood froze 10 centimeters away, the blockhead did not even flinch, but then fell down from a gust of wind; “He’s dead,” stated a colleague.

Theoretically, the driver can move to the back seat, since now, the developers explained, it is just as pleasant and good there as driving. This, by the way, is a curtsey in our direction: in Europe and America, the owner usually sits behind the wheel of the S-class, while in Russia and around, he prefers to fall apart (sorry, sit down and work with documents) behind. For the safety of the main person, among other things, inflatable belts and a pillow under the seat are responsible. The latter is relevant precisely in the reclining position, when in a collision there is a danger of diving under the belt.

The car, thanks to a stereoscopic video camera and a set of radars, is able to “look” around at 360º, and therefore is ready to protect you in case of a rear impact. Recognizing the approaching danger, he will turn on the emergency alarm, and if the driver behind gapes, tighten the belts and block the wheels. This will reduce the risk of whiplash injuries to the neck as well as secondary collisions.

RECORD GREED

"3.7 l / 100 km" - was inscribed on the top of the board at the start of the test drive of the diesel hybrid "S 300 Bluetek Hybrid". It seems to me that one of the important features of people who buy themselves an "S-class" should be thrift. Therefore, the efficiency test proposed by the organizers seemed quite appropriate. For greater stimulation, the achievements of previous participants were reported here - 4.8 l, 4.0 l and those same incredible 3.7 l / 100 km. It's decided - I'm going for a record!

The four-cylinder diesel did not respond to the turn of the ignition key, allowing the 20-kilowatt electric motor to take me a hundred meters to the first hill. Yes, you will have to remember the tactics of colleagues in our economy test ( ZR, 2013, No. 7 ). I drive in a whisper, all the time watching the monitor, which reflects the mode of operation of the hybrid. After sixty, the diesel wakes up, the batteries run down quickly to this speed ... At the first opportunity, I release the gas pedal, but the slides are already ending (how many there are on any road!). I try not to use the brakes: I pump kinetic energy into the batteries, and not into the atmosphere. Phew! But it's fascinating.

In the middle of the 25-kilometer route, 3.8 l / 100 km was displayed on the screen; Apparently, this was the lowest point of the route. No matter how hard I tried, I brought 4.4 liters per hundred to the finish line. Very very bad! A weak excuse is the 35-degree heat, because of which I did not dare to turn off the air conditioner. However, colleagues who passed this test in the usual way, without saving beyond measure, brought 8 liters.

Still, there is something unnatural in these hybrids. With a six-cylinder diesel S 350 (3 l, 258 hp) without any electric machines in the chassis, we got 7.7 l / 100 km. And, in general, they did not deny themselves anything. Some result of the test is the Russian range of "Mercedes": we will not see a diesel hybrid. Gasoline "eights" - yes.

TO RUSSIAN NEWS

Today, the S-class has four power units and two base options. The program of Russian deliveries so far includes two long-wheelbase rear-wheel drive models: the hybrid S 400 (from 4.2 million rubles) and the petrol S 500 (from 4.99 million rubles). Sales of the all-wheel drive "500" and the most powerful S 63 AMG with the "eight" developing 585 hp are also planned. By the end of the year, a 333-horsepower version of the S 400 will also arrive, which will have the honor of opening the price list (from 3.99 million rubles). But the "six hundredth" is missing; however, let's wait for the debut of the longest version of the "S-class". Next year, perhaps, they will begin to offer a diesel "S 350 Bluetek".

Having played the configurator on the Russian website of the brand, I quite easily, using options such as folding tables for 124 thousand, brought the cost of the “five hundredth” to 6.7 million. You still need to learn how to save...

SERIES 222 IN NUMBERS

0.24 - this is the drag coefficient Cx, the best in the class. And the diesel hybrid, which will enter the market (alas, not ours) in 2014, has a hundred less.

4.4 l / 100 km - the declared minimum fuel consumption. With the advent of a plug-in hybrid (the “plug-in” function), the consumption indicator, experts promise, will begin with the number 3.

6 - all engines of the new "S-class" comply with the Euro-6 standard.

500 LEDs provide light on board the S-class, of which about three hundred are used in the cabin, including lighting in different colors. There are no incandescent lamps here at all.

An advertisement for Mercedes-Bens featuring chickens as the main characters. Everyone who has come across chickens in one way or another has probably paid attention to their interesting ability to stabilize their head in one place relative to their body, which moves within small limits. Scientists are still not 100 percent sure why chickens, and other birds, use this ability to stabilize the image, but they do it like, for example, a person moving his eyes, and not his head.

Mercedes-Benz used this unique ability of chickens in their car advertisements, where they advertised the latest suspension control system (Intelligent Drive Magic Body Control). Apparently advertisers were trying to show how their new system is high-tech and allows you to feel complete comfort when driving on roads with poor coverage.

In our opinion, Mercedes-Benz their marketing ploy was a success. In a rather simple and clear way, they managed to demonstrate their technology and show that with any oscillation of the car's wheels on bumps, passengers will not feel them at all.

According to Motor Authority: We can 100 percent guarantee that the magical suspension control system works flawlessly by testing it on the latest 2014 Mercedes-Benz S550.

The active suspension stabilization system (Intelligent Drive Magic Body Control) used in Mercedes-Benz vehicles is able to analyze the quality of the roadway and adapt the suspension characteristics in accordance with them, in fact, in a split second before the car's wheels come into contact with the slightest bumps in the road. In emergency cases, this system is able to automatically increase the ground clearance by 40 mm, which you will agree is a lot for such a car.

And finally, I would like to say that this advertisement Mercedes-Bens was created by the advertising agency Jung von Matt/Neckar Stuttgatt. As you can see, there are no computer-generated Hollywood effects or famous actors in the ads - in them, ordinary chickens act as the main characters. like this in a simple way advertisers and automakers have succeeded in drawing our attention to a new product, which they rightfully succeeded in doing.

Well, on our own behalf, we add that Mercedes-Benz cars are widely known all over the world and their impeccable quality is unlikely to cause anyone to complain, therefore, those who are able to pay that kind of money for these cars will probably buy them without this advertising, but interesting to watch...

Then came a series of other "Shark" attacks on the jaguar:

A new victim of an advertising attack was a longtime competitor - Audi:
It all started with a BMW print: the auto giant 'cutely' congratulated Audi on winning the 2006 Car of the Year award in South Africa by signing "Winner of the 2006 Car of the World.

Such audacity of Audi could not be left unanswered:

Perhaps everything would have been limited to this, but other manufacturers, Subaru, decided to intervene in this war:

But the most solid answer was given by the same British:

Since then, the war has calmed down a bit, until in 2007 Audi introduced Russian market modern innovation - Russified GPS-navigator:

Of course, advertisers from BMW could not go unanswered. Asking for help from a local advertising agency Juggernaut Advertising, BMW is doing that "Knight's Move" by placing its BMW M3 billboard with the slogan "Checkmate" (Checkmate) right in front of the Audi billboard on the opposite side of the street.

One could only guess what Audi would be able to come up with, but no one doubted that the answer would follow. Although the Bavarian manufacturers have long gone personal, to imagine that the opponent's counterattack would be so "daring", hardly anyone could have imagined. Moreover, it is addressed more to marketers than consumers.

On the video front, things are fun too.
First, BMW presented a creative video, not shy about openly showing the logo of a competitor.
You can't jump in an Audi like you can in a BMW!

It may seem to the average consumer that the warring brands are ready to tear each other's throats, but in reality this confrontation is devoid of any malice. On the contrary, there is lightness, enthusiasm and subtle humor. As a result, the victorious struggle for the attention of the buyer gives rise to creatives that are much stronger in terms of impact than ordinary advertising. There are no losers here - everyone will grab their share of fame and attention. "Comradely game of promotional chess", I think it can be called that.