Coming home from work today I got into a hairy situation at high speed and was very impressed with my new Benz. The little c-class really behaved well. I was undertalking some slow moving clogged traffic while in the right lane (I know, my fault for passing on the right) on our 65mph Dulles Greenway. I was doing 90 around a big sweeping bend an a little up hill hard on the gas and just as I passed a big DHL delivery truck he abruptly moved into my lane. I'm sure he had no idea I was there and there so quickly. I had to jump on the brakes hard and dive for the shoulder at speed. I don't know what I was expecting--4-piston vented discs, brake assist, anti-lock, 245/40 Primacys, and skid protection all to help out--but what surprised me was that they all worked so well IN UNISON. There was a brief but very loud howl from the tires (sounded like the rear which was odd) and that was about all the drama. Perfectly straight line, went right where I put it, no body gymnastics, no dive no roll. He finally spotted me and swerved hard back into his lane and I was able to get off the shoulder. I think the squealing tires help catch his attention. We exchanged smiles and went our separate way. I changed out of my "brown" pants as soon as I got home. Kudos to the little Benz!

 

haha great little story, i wish i had a 350

 

nice job!! I had a moment of panic once too. I know if i didn't have ESP on they would be mopping me up with a sponge........

 

I remember recently while driving to my class and having to slam on the brakes...was probably going like 20-25, thing stopped on a dime and surprised the hell outta me....makes me feel a lot safer though...

 

Thanks for reliving the incident for us. I would much rather read about the effectiveness of all the safety devices on our cars than test them personally. It helps to know they are actually there and work when needed.

 

If you guys ever get a chance to do the Mercedes-Benz Club of America's "Defensive Driving Course" you learn a whole lot about your little MB. You are put through similar traffic situations, luckily there are only cones, so if you loose control... no harm / no foul. However, everyone that has completed this course is extremely surprised as to how well MB has designed our C-Classes to handle in panic situations. We do several exercises with the instructor, and you actually learn how the car reacts to these situations. He points out what is normal when the ABS kicks in, how to handle high-speed swerves in a short slalom, and emergency full on braking ! All in all, well worth it. It makes your insurance premium go down, when you send in a copy of your certificate, and more importantly: it gives you that piece of mind that your car is designed to keep you safe !

Carlos

Saprissa@aol.com

 

After waiting a couple of weeks for my car to come in,
I flew down to San Diego, where the salesguy met me and drove me back to
Carlsbad to close the deal.
After paying, and driving out the dealer, I headed towards the coast,
Del Mar I think is the town.
So, I'm only 2-5 miles on the road, brand new car, and
some women runs a stop sign and nearly T bones me.
The only other brand new car I ever owned got T boned about 4 months after I bought it.
Yeh, brown pants like you said, but the car stopped on a a dime.
I felt the ABS kicking in. The woman in the other car exchanged glances, as though she was saying 'sorry'.

I spent 3 days driving up the Cali coast back to Norcal...
I barely made it out of the dealer. Whew! Close call.

I'll alway remember it since it was so close and I'd only just picked up my car.