Collision Prevention Assist issues visual and audible warnings when detecting obstacles to drivers who may be distracted and prepares to apply the brakes as precisely as possible. This brake application is then triggered as soon as the driver exerts pressure on the brake pedal.
   2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class. Click image to enlarge |
Brakes are also used in Crosswind Assist to mitigate the effect of strong crosswinds momentarily blowing the vehicle off course. In a strong cross wind, the Adaptive Brake system applies brake pressure to the wheels on the upwind side of the vehicle.
Attention Assist is a drowsiness detection system. If the system detects a pattern of behaviour indicating drowsiness, a warning will sound and a small coffee cup icon lights up on the information screen suggesting a break.
Comprehensive though it is, these standard safety features are only a part of the active safety features available for the GL. Optional safety features include Distronic Plus (radar-based distance and cruise control system); passive and active Blind Spot Assist (“passive” displays a light in the side mirror indicating it is unsafe to pass, “active” prevents the vehicle from changing lanes when there is a risk of collision); passive and active Lane Keeping Assist (provides warnings when the vehicle moves out of its lane; the active version will gently nudge the vehicle back into its lane); and Night View Assist (uses the Comand screen to display a night-vision enhanced black and white image and can spot hazards before you see them).
While risks to passengers are greatest from high-speed incidents, the risk to the vehicle itself is greatest when moving in tight quarters—particularly when parking and reversing. To assist drivers with these tasks, the 2013 GL receives, as standard equipment, Mercedes-Benz Parktronic with active parking assist and four cameras that display a 360-degree view around the GL. The parking system also includes Active Parking Assist, which can identify a parking spot on either side of the road and will automatically steer the car into the spot, the driver needing only to accelerate or brake.
It is not difficult to see why the Mercedes-Benz GL was the most popular large luxury SUV in Canada in 2011. It is a vehicle that provides the flexibility to carry seven passengers or a truckload of stuff and the ability to venture off-road as well as on, all the while enclosing its passengers in a serene space that in most every respect is as comfortable and luxurious as Mercedes-Benz’ flagship sedan, the S-Class. With the addition of more standard luxury features, more standard active safety features and all the most advanced automotive technology available, the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL will likely remain at the top of the class.
The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is built in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
