When the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-class debuted last year, it broke with tradition by its inclusion of a new-to-Mercedes suite of semi-autonomous hardware and capabilities. This was strange because, for decades, every new technology to spring from Benz’s imagination?from stability control to adaptive cruise control to night vision?has first made its debut on the flagship S-class. Now equilibrium returns, because the 2018 S-class sedan is adopting the E-class?s Drive Pilot driver-assistance features and expanding on them. We had the opportunity to sample the tech during a ridealong in a prototype in Germany before the car is unveiled later this year.
For those unfamiliar with the E-class’s semi-autonomous driver-assist technologies, they include adaptive cruise control, a lane-keeping setup that can handle some steering duties and autonomous lane changes, and a 360-degree array of radar and ultrasonic sensors for keeping track of lane markings, other cars, and road signs. In Mercedes parlance, this cocktail is referred to as the company’s Generation 4 driver-assistance tech. The current S-class makes do with Generation 3 gear, which means it also has adaptive cruise control that can bring the car to a stop, albeit mixed with lower-bandwidth lane-keeping assist and fewer sensors. That changes with the 2018 S-class, which leapfrogs the E-class with Generation 4.5 equipment and software. According to Mercedes, the hardware installed on the revised S-class ...