Mercedes-Benz is celebrating the award of 'very good' ratings for its active safety systems. While a 'very good' mark may sound a bit like faint praise, it's actually one of the highest accolades awarded to active driver assistance systems (ADAS) by the independent safety experts at Euro NCAP.
Assistance competence and safety backup
Both the Mercedes E 400 d 4Matic and the EQE SUV 500 4Matic were awarded 'very good' ratings by Euro NCAP. The E-Class scored an 85 per cent rating for its 'sub-areas of assistance competence and safety backup' while the EQE SUV scored an almost-perfect 99 per cent.
"We are very pleased with these extraordinary results. These awards prove that our assistance and safety concept, which is tailored to real accident scenarios, has also proven itself in standardised assessments. At the same time, the excellent performance of the E Class as a plug-in hybrid and the all-electric EQE SUV in Euro NCAP confirms that the quality of assisted driving at Mercedes Benz is not a question of the drive concept," said Markus Schäfer, Mercedes-Benz Group's Chief Technology Officer.
Driving assistance package plus
For its tests, Euro NCAP assesses the most expensively equipped versions, so both the E-Class and EQE SUV came with the optional Driving Assistance Package Plus, which includes such systems as Active Distance Assist Distronic cruise control, Active Speed Limit Assist, Active Traffic Jam Assist, Active Steering Assist, Active Lane Change Assist, Active Emergency Stop Assist, Active Brake Assist, Evasive Steering Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Attention Assist, junction start-off function and Parking Package with reversing camera as well as Pre-Safe Plus and Pre-Safe Impulse Side.
High level of safety
In a statement, another Mercedes spokesperson said: "In principle, Mercedes Benz does not differentiate between different drive systems when it comes to its high safety standards. The company recently demonstrated this with the world's first public crash test of two fully electric vehicles at the group's own Technology Centre for Vehicle Safety in Sindelfingen. Like all other Mercedes Benz vehicles, the EQE SUV has a rigid passenger cell, special deformation zones and modern restraint systems. In addition, Mercedes Benz has developed a multi-stage high-voltage safety concept. The protection concept offers a high level of safety while driving as well as during and after a crash."