2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

• Overall
• Prices
• Performance
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety
• Reliability
• Photos & Videos

Safety - What the Auto Press Says

The federal government has not yet published crash test results for the 2010 E-Class, but has given the car five out of five possible stars for its ability to prevent a rollover. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has not yet tested the car. 

The automotive press, however, is simply floored by the safety equipment found in the redesigned E-Class. Mercedes-Benz engineers have developed safety systems for this car (most are also found on the 2010 S-Class) that have never been available before on any car at any price. 

The traditional safety equipment luxury buyers are accustomed to seeing is all present and accounted for. Nine airbags are standard, including a driver’s side knee airbag that inflates beneath the dashboard. Available torso-protecting rear-seat side-airbags can increase the total to 11. Mercedes engineers say the car’s safety cage is built from a new lightweight, high-strength steel.

But the conversation pieces are the electronic safety aids. Attention Assist, for instance, tracks the driver’s behavior for the first 20 minutes of any drive, making note of 70 variables in driver behavior. With that information stored as a baseline, it attempt to detect whether the driver might be falling asleep, noting when driver behavior begins to change. The system will sound a warning chime (and flash a coffee cup icon on the speedometer) if it detects that the driver’s attention may be waning.

Adaptive Highbeam Assist automatically lowers highbeam headlights when a car approaches in an oncoming lane, and adjust illuminating distance to avoid momentarily blinding oncoming drivers. Brake Assist Plus can begin braking the vehicle if it senses an impending collision (it won’t bring the car to a stop, but will cut speed to lessen the severity of a crash).    

• "The bodyshell uses high-strength steel to produce better crash results than ever without adding weight." -- Motor Trend
• “Mercedes apparently corralled a group of engineers, locked them in a basement and commanded, "Make safety gizmos!", and didn't release the boffins until they had improved or added a few more entries to the appendix of driver's aids." -- Autoblog
• “The full list of advanced safety features is staggering…All those features might sound as if they're designed to remove control from the driver, but unlike other automakers, Mercedes has employed them to enhance your range of perception and increase your control of the vehicle." -- Jalopnik