trev0006

http://www.************/car-videos-13...DY-CONTROL.htm

2014 Mercedes SClass MAGIC BODY CONTROL, the system scans the road and adjusts the suspension to the upcoming bumps on the road.

Amnaggar

Compare this with the G's suspension hehe

schuk

Is MBC something that you have to turn on or is it always on?

Wolfman

It should be always on when the car is set to Comfort mode. It will disable in Sport mode...

schuk

I just learned Magic Body Control won't work at night or when cameras view is obstructed i.e. snow.

K-A

MBC really sounds like a gimmick at these early stages, via all the tests that have been done and "won't work if....'s". It seems to work great for its intent, but its intent is limited to basically man-made bumps like speed bumps and such, while providing nothing for what you really do need it for i.e road imperfections, potholes, etc. (which testers noted will still get to the chassis even with MBC if big enough). If it doesn't work at night then there's another ridiculous factor. On the flipside, you get ABC with it if I'm not mistaken, which is actually the most important aspect of it whilst the "Magic" portion seems more superfluous at this stage.

BadMojo

This is going to be obvious speculation on my part so take it with a large grain of your favorite mineral.

When I first read about MBC and its purpose, my initial thought was that Mercedes was doing the data gathering via LIDAR. When they later revealed that this was done via stereo cameras, I was a bit surprised. To create algorithms that can visually inspect and determine imperfections based on a picture is pretty hard, especially when you take visibility into account. I thought to myself "Wow, if Mercedes has really developed a system that can accurately determine road imperfections from gravel to giant potholes, they're onto some serious IP here."

The road tests, however, show some limits to this feature. Granted, there's a chance that the inability to smooth out things like potholes could be due to a lack of algorithms to deal with more varied surface areas. Or it could be that the amount of processing power needed is just too much for the system to handle so it has to pick and choose. But based on the comments about fog and visibility, I think it's much more likely that it's a matter of *data inputs*, e.g. the car does not and cannot recognize all the significant surface imperfections and thus can't account for it.

I'm really curious how the system would react if the inputs were upgraded to be Lidar-based, considering the accuracy of terrain mapping would be down to centimeters (possibly more). I guess there's always 'Magic Body Control with Light Detection and Ranging Assist" in the V223...

Tjdehya

Even though Mercedes decided to use the word "Magic" in MBC, please let’s not forget that this system is not actually "MAGIC"

I think you guys are expecting too much. All the system does is prep the suspension for whatever it sees. So if you are driving into a crater then the system will prep the suspension for that crater. It’s still a car, it’s still a pothole and it’s still the same suspension, the suspension is just prepped to REDUCE what you fell in the cabin.

MBC doesn’t wave its wand and make the pothole disappear or turn your wheels into white puffy cloud so that the car will float over the pothole.

hyperion667

not something I hope to have, I can still actually see the road in front of me

Wolfman

Agree completely. And by the way, while some may call it gimmicky, it happens to be the best suspension system of any car, any brand, any price class for some time to come.

Plus what everybody forgets, it's dirt cheap! I just paid over $4k for standard ABC on our SL and Magic Body Control is just $400 more...

Having had two 2013 SL's, one without and one with ABC, I can say from direct comparison that it is a MUST HAVE unless 4matic is needed for winter driving.

K-A

ABC is the "the best suspension" part though. The "Magic" portion of it seems like it adds nothing more than smoother coasting over speed bumps and such as most reviewers noted no real help over potholes and such. I agree that MB is probably onto some revolutionary stuff here, but in its current form it's clearly mostly a market gimmick with some slight tangible real world benefits as it's in its infantile beta stage.

-NeObLaZtEr-

True, all of these types of technologies were fully developed over various models of the S, Pre-safe, ABC, Distronic, etc. As MBC is used in the real world, all its cons and needed improvements will become apparent and its capabilities will grow. It has to start somewhere...and this is a brilliant first step...

Wolfman

The reason I can't agree with you many times because you often speak in absolute terms without any actual experience or take over some third-party opinions.

The reviews I see here seem to come from Canada were the car was introduced internationally. A bunch of guys driving the car for half a day at slow speeds (or a quick speed-test as nobody likes to loose their license) and in city traffic. Not really reviews that put the car through its paces; that will come in time.

Everybody is whining about potholes, yet I don't remember Mercedes ever promising that MBC eliminates potholes (or bent rims for that matter).
They do promise to anticipate the unevenness in the pavement ahead and adapt the suspension to minimize that the bumps reach the inside of the car.

In my daily driving, potholes are not my concern. I am driving over highways that have been patched up again and again over the last 10 years as the state decided to repair rather than renew.

If MBC can smooth out our ****ty highways here, I'll buy a RWD rather than 4Matic. At least the cost of MBC is a no-brainer

jeremyshaw

My 1989 Nissan Maxima had this feature. It was called, "Sonar Suspension."

It's exactly what the name implies. A sonar sensor aimed at the road tells the active suspension what to do.
The way the bumps are read may be different, however, the technology and the theory are not.

Germancar1

I agree.

M

K-A

Wow, that's incredibly impressive that Nissan developed that in the 80's.

hyperion667

if 'everybody' complains about pot holes.........WATCH OUT FOR THEM.....
pay attention....
put the phone down....
stop texting......
leave the hamburger for the restaurant....

Germancar1

You're kidding right? That "feature" was a joke at best. It didn't do anything to the suspension or the ride of the car.

The real innovation at Nissan at the time was on the 1990 Infiniti Q45a, it had a truly active suspension. It was in theory and nearly in operation the same as the ABC suspension introduced on the 2000 Mercedes CL500. The Nissan system on the Maxima was a joke at best. It was the slowest thing ever and complete flop and thus dropped. Cadillac had a much better system a few years later and then Mercedes.


M

Khan28

I understand the S Class is supposed to be the car showcasing Mercedes Benz's latest and greatest technological advancements but the Magic Body Control sounds gimmicky at best and that applies to both the name and the system itself.

Now the ABC component of the airmatic suspension that started in the W220 is amazing, no body roll in a 2+ton luxury sedan is amazing to experience and watch.

K-A

Agreed on all counts (especially the name ).

Going over speed bumps and man-made surfaces without a hitch is very impressive, and unnecessary to most people (i.e "gimmicky"). Every reviewer states that it doesn't help one bit on pothole like surfaces, etc. However, fact remains that ABC alone is probably worth the price of the system (though I'm assuming the gimmicky "Magic" part of it makes it more expensive than previous?) as long as you don't own your car one day out of warranty.

Like I've said, I had a gen-one ABC in my W220 and it was marvelous. However a nightmare at the age and mileage the car was at. Like it or not, an M-B with all these crazy complex systems is practically designed to become either trashed or worthless at the end of their warrantees. Can you imagine owning the MBC out of warranty? Not only do you have to worry about the ABC aspect going sour, but you have to worry about the camera sensors and such from the "Magic" portion going bad as well. If that happens, I'm sure you especially won't care about going over speed bumps without a hitch once seeing that repair bill.

If they offered an S Class with a well balanced steel suspension (no active or air stuff) and offered a discount on it I'd be all over that. To this day the best riding and handling (overall balanced) cars I've experienced have been on passive and mechanical suspensions, and the limited headaches and upkeep from them is a huge bonus as well.

Germancar1

I don't know why you all are constantly reaching to try to belittle this advancement. Here in the north Dallas area there are plenty of intersections where the road you're crossing over is crowned and there numerous humps where MBC will prove its worth if it can smooth out these road/surface grooves/transitions. If it works as advertised it will become a major selling point to people who live in cities with lots of humps in the roadway, like Dallas. Limo companies will definitely love in cities like NYC where the road is less than smooth. Just because it can't smother a pothole doesn't make it worthless. A S-Class doesn't have problems with potholes anyway.

Seems to be a lot confusion here also about Airmatic. ABC and MBC are NOT related to Airmatic. ABC/MBC is all hydraulic based.

By the time the next S-Class comes around in 2020/2021 this system will be more worth of its "magic" name I'm sure.

M

K-A

An S on larger wheels will "thud" on a pothole like any other car, albeit less so. A video review stated that the only surfaces that still did send any shock into the W222 cabin were potholes or roughly jagged surfaces, and I don't even think he was driving an AMG Package car with larger wheels and less absorbing tires. Lots of posts on the W221 boards with AMG Sport Package cars relate to owners stating tire blowouts and potholes sending shock into the cabin (when I was doing research on possibly getting one). M-B has been very bad about absorbing pothole and rough surface shock into the cabins of cars with Sports Packages on numerous models (the E being one of the worst offenders). The W222 I'm sure will be the best of this within their line, naturally.

Yes, it's a great advancement and certainly can't hurt (MBC), I just think the marketing has been overhyped and very deceiving. Most people thought it would smother all surfaces until the reviews started stating one by one that it only could detect very obvious and very manmade ones. In some cities I'm sure that will be a huge benefit anyway. Where I live the roads are full of junky surfaces and I cant remember the last time I drove over a speed bump.

If M-B are gonna actually CALL it "Magic" then it isn't asking too much for actual "Magic", i.e this being finally the fix many of us in areas with sh*t roads have been dreaming of, one that actually absorbs said rough surfaces.

I'm not sure if anyone is mixing up Airmatic with ABC (?). ABC is a much superior product and of course even more expensive/complex to maintain out of warranty.

Germancar1

There isn't a car on the market with 19, 20 or 21 inch wheels that doesn't thud when a pothole is hit, with Mercedes being no worse than anyone. Having big wheels mean they will get bent unless you're driving a car with big wheels and a big sidewall like a Phantom.

There is nothing deceiving about MBC, it seemingly does exactly what they said it does, it for smoothing out uneven road surfaces and certain types of bumps, nothing more at least for now.

No one has even driven the car yet to know if it works for your particular drive/route with a lumpy or bumpy road.

Instead of applauding Mercedes for taking the first steps to revolutionize the luxury car ride, its being knocked before the first members have tested it out.

The speed bumps are there for demonstration, not to say that a speed bump is the only type of pavement irregularity it can handle.

M

K-A

The people who have reviewed it are the ones who said they found those to be the only times they can actually feel MBC at work (Mercedes doesn't specify naturally).

Regardless as to how well the cameras work in terms of what kinds of roads it will actually pick up on, the ABC ride will surely be good enough for most who splurge the cost of the option.

That said, yes it's impressive for Mercedes to "introduce" this, however they're charging a lot for it, and literally telling you it's "Magic", so one must expect it to work where it's needed, i.e through potholes and non-man-made surfaces, otherwise it starts to reek of a marketing gimmick more so than a functional tool. It's no different than when BMW introduces their "Dynamic Handling Package" as the $$sportiest suspension choice, which more-so allows the car more options to soften the suspension (as opposed to make it actually sportier) and feels far less sporty than the mechanical M suspension that only put on a select amount of cars (and don't like to advertise as they don't make extra revenue from it).

MBC is no doubt a great system and it's certainly not being falsely advertised. I just think it's a marketing tool more so than anything *if* the reviews are anything to go by. Good thing is you get ABC with it so you're paying for a lot more than the camera sensors.

Khan28

This!!! It'll never happen but if Mercedes rolled out a modern day version of a base W126 I'd be all over it. Those cars had a great ride quality and represented everything Mercedes Benz ever stood for in terms of quality, solidity and timeless styling.