Full five-star Euro NCAP safety rating
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Saloon has achieved a full five-star Euro NCAP rating, significantly exceeding the standards the independent safety test requires a vehicle to attain in order to be awarded five stars.
The E-Class's occupant safety, child safety, pedestrian protection and assistance systems have been awarded a five-star Euro NCAP rating. The model outperformed the standard required by Euro NCAP to attain the top score of five stars.
The E-Class Saloon also achieved two Euro NCAP "Advanced" awards for PRE-SAFE® and ATTENTION ASSIST – both awards go beyond the star rating and underline safety innovations.
The model was launched in New Zealand in July.
Innovative assistance systems
The E-Class Saloon owes these results primarily to the combination of its high-strength passenger safety cell with highly effective restraint systems and the large number of driver assistance systems on board.
The company says Active Brake Assist, for example, is a standard feature. Mercedes says it is able to warn the driver of impending collisions, provide support with emergency braking and, if necessary, apply the brakes autonomously. Likewise ATTENTION ASSIST with adjustable sensitivity, which can warn the driver of inattentiveness and drowsiness, and Crosswind Assist.
Also included as standard is DRIVE PILOT, which marks a further milestone on the road to automated driving, Active Lane Keeping Assist and Active Blind Spot Assist. Some of these systems, however, have not yet been taken into consideration in the Euro NCAP assessment.
Active and passive safety are intelligently combined with the PRE-SAFE® system, which is able to recognise critical situations on the road and, where there is the threat of an accident, trigger preventive measures to protect the occupants.
PRE-SAFE® Impulse Side is available for the E-Class for the first time. If it detects the immediate threat of a lateral collision, this new subsystem is able to move the driver or front passenger away from the danger zone as a preventive measure,
effectively creating a virtual crumple zone for the side of the vehicle.
Another new feature is the standard PRE-SAFE® Sound system. Immediately before a collision it can trigger a natural protective reflex in the ear, preparing the occupants for the noise of the accident in order to reduce potential damage to their hearing.
The E-Class also includes features such as Active Brake Assist that can recognise slow-moving, stopping or stationary vehicles as well as pedestrians crossing in the danger zone in front of the vehicle, and can brake autonomously to prevent a collision with a pedestrian.