Nice read with a cool movie. They are driven a mountain pass with 48 hairpin bends at night without headlights on:

http://www.motortrend.com/features/c...est/index.html

Wow that is unreal. Outstanding option.

Pretty cool.

Great link; that is pretty cool !

the night view certainly is an important feature, thats one of the main reasons I chose the E class over the ML.

Pretty cool, indeed!

Certainly a good safety feature.

It would be if the display were projected on the windshield...a heads-up-display (HUD).

As it is (except in this video where there were no outside visual cues by design), you need a passenger to monitor the night-view screen because no sane driver is going to take his eyes off the road long enough in low-visibility conditions to really focus on the screen.

The owner's manual, which tries to make this device as litigation proof as the lawyers believe possible, has so many usage disclaimers as to make it virtually impossible to use the night-vision assist's true capabilities when you need them most (and as designed).

There are no shortcomings in the device itself, only in the implementation...the data projection. And moving technologically forward to a heads-up-display would solve that problem and truly make this a world-class safety feature. Mercedes' low-light technology trumps rival BMW's but without a HUD, which BMW already has, the Mercedes technology can't realize it's full potential.

Note: I know a thing or two about using HUDs...I'm a USAF F-16 pilot and we are able to do the job of two pilots in many other fighters in part because of a HUD which allows us to keep our eyes out of the cockpit while still having instant access to the most critical information.

Good point. I wonder if projecting an image on HUD would distract a layman from driving, unlike fighter pilots who receive professional training and HUD is second nature.

i thought the night assit would appear in the dash like the S-class... this might be a bit distracting..

Thats the same mountain pass in BBC's Top Gear episode, 'in search of driving heaven'.