WEBSRFR

This is not really a defect but it seems the 60-0 stopping distance for the W211 is around 125-130 feet. In the W212 the stopping distance is almost identical so Mercedes has not really done anything to improve it. On some reviews I noticed that a whole bunch of other European manufacturers offer stopping diustances of around 110 feet or slightly less. Does anyone know why Mercedes has not really done anything to improve the stopping distances? I'd think in a panic breaking situation that extra 15 feet could meen the difference between an accident and a close call.

KEY08

It's a heavy car.

220S

The new BMW F10 5 series does 60-0 in 110 feet and it weighs the same.

The Jaguar XF has a 60-0 distance of 108 feet and weighs 200 pounds more than the Mercedes.

The Audi A6 is 114 feet. It weighs 4,200 lbs.

At 120 feet the Mercedes is pretty bad.

You know, I think Mercedes relies a lot on mythology about the marque. But the numbers usually tell a different story.

DubVBenz

Mercedes typically don't do a single thing exceptionally well, but do most things pretty good. Lets remember that they also pioneer many innovations that are usually found in regular cars twenty years later. The 1999 W220 S class had radar controlled cruise control (slows and accelerates based off of the object in front of you). The 1985 S class (126) had both side and passenger airbags, and antilock brakes as an option on the very first 126s. 4 speed transmissions were common when 3 speeds were still being used decades later. Independent rear suspension, fuel injection, the list goes on and on. In many of these cases, MB didn't invent it, but they properly implemented it on a mass produced, obtainable car.

As a small example, think of the power seat buttons. They've since been copied by just about every carmaker in the world. Ever tried to adjust a 1990's lincoln or an original G35's seats with toggle switches? It makes no sense!

2slowcdi

In North Amercia cars have different tyres than the EU.
The EU has more of a performance tyre and the US has fuel saving tyres.

220S

DubVbenz:
Yeah, I definitely agree that they are innovators. Other brands do adopt what MB pioneers. And often they make them more affordable and with better reliability. Acura is just one case in point; lots of identical goodies but with much better reliability.

The camera industry was the same way. Nikon copied the early German Zeiss and Leica rangefinders cameras back in the late 1950s and made them less expensive and more robust. Even though the German camera and optical industry was (and still is) the best out there, the Japanese successfully copied them and now offer equal if not arguably better products (and by far less expensive.)

DubVBenz

I honestly didn't know that. I would have assumed the EU would have tires more geared towards fuel savings given the average engine output/size and fuel prices over there.

2slowcdi

We have cars that for the most part limited to 130 mph ( Non AMG ) and the very same car I have here a 06 CDI will do 152 mph in the EU.

DubVBenz

It sort of helps that after WW2, the US was so intent on having a strong ally in the east, that we literally let the Japanese copy our industry and sent some of our best engineers there to ensure a strong pro western economy in the future. It worked, but it worked too well. I really like some of the modern Japanese cars, but it's hard to respect them when things like the LS400 were basically a copy of the 126, and it continues to this day.

It's funny to see the Japanese get upset about the Koreans and Chinese copying them in modern times. Intellectual property, as a concept, simply does not exist in Asia.

WEBSRFR

I don't buy that. We are comparing same class of car with similar weight and tires.

The other European cars are in the exact same market segment and weigh about the same or even more. What puzzles me is that with several other manufacturers being able to deliver better stopping distances, why is Mercedes almost in the last place for stopping distance for mid-size luxury sedans?

Thankfully I have never had to do a panic stop in my car at high speed but if I've had to do one, it's a bit disconcerting to know I have to rely on breaking performance that ranks near the bottom as far as performance is concerned.

It seems technology is available for them to shave off a good 15-20 feet of that stopping distance like other European manufacturers have done but even with the W212, the breaking performance is almost identical. As if it is an area they didn't bother to improve in any way.

I kind of think we deserve better

WEBSRFR

All of that is fine and is partly why I drive one. All the reasons you gave beg the question even more, why are the brakes not better and why they didn't bother to make the brakes perform at least on par with other vehicles in the market segment when they redesigned the W212.

As it is you have Jaguar, BMW, and Audi all around 110 feet and we have our car doing 120-130, depending on which test you consider. On a highway that could be the difference between an accident and a close call.

So what's up with the breaking distance? Seems virtually every other European manufacturer and I think even Cadillac has figured out how to stop the car sooner during a panic stop. Gizmos aside, this is a pretty important safety issue, especially at highway speeds.

I don't give much weight to the silly tests that car reviewers do like 65mph slalom tests -- seriously, who does that with their car? But I think the 60-0 test is even more important from a safety perspective than the obligatory 0-60 test.

WEBSRFR

I always enjoy reading your well researched comments that rely on facts You are like a walking car encyclopedia