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The prestigious US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has
named the Mercedes-Benz M-Class its Top Safety Pick 2007 – the best buy when it
comes to safety. The popular off-roader performed outstandingly in all areas in
the luxury SUV category.
Every year, as a purchasing guide, the experts at IIHS rate new car models
according to strict safety criteria. This year, for the first time, they
included SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles). In the course of their assessment the
second-generation Mercedes-Benz M-Class was subjected to frontal and side-on
crashes. The US safety specialists also assessed the level of protection offered
against neck injuries in a rear-end shunt. The Mercedes off-roader scored top
marks in all three areas. For the first time, one of the criteria for
classification as this year’s Top Safety Pick included the availability of an
Electronic Stability Program, which can reduce the risk of skidding when
cornering and keep the car on track in extreme conditions such as black ice or
wet road surfaces. As a safety pioneer, Mercedes-Benz developed the Electronic
Stability Program (ESP®) in collaboration with Bosch and was the first car
manufacturer to introduce it in its series-produced vehicles back in 1995. This
system has featured as standard equipment in all Mercedes-Benz passenger cars
since 1999.
In naming the M-Class Top Safety Pick 2007 the IIHS has confirmed the
outstanding results the M-Class achieved in the crash tests carried out by the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the US version of the NCAP (New
Car Assessment Program) tests. The premium off-roader from Mercedes-Benz was one
of the first SUVs to be awarded the top rating of five stars in both the frontal
and side-on crash sections of the US NCAP test.
The results of the US safety tests clearly show that the second-generation
Mercedes-Benz M-Class sets standards when it comes to passive safety, too. The
basis for its outstanding occupant protection is its self-supporting chassis
with high-strength passenger cell and large deformation zones at the front and
rear. Adaptive, two-stage front airbags for driver and front passenger,
sidebags, windowbags, belt tensioners and belt force limiters are standard
features on board.
An outstanding feature in the M-Class is the anticipatory occupant protection
system PRE-SAFE®. The system, a first for the SUV world, is fitted as standard
equipment in the M-Class. It is automatically activated in critical handling
situations which could result in an accident and prepares the occupants and the
vehicle for an impending collision. As a precaution, PRE-SAFE® tightens the
driver and front passenger seat belts, moves the electrically adjustable front
passenger seat (in conjunction with the memory package, available as an optional
extra on ML 280 CDI, ML 350 and ML 320 CDI) to a more advantageous position and
can, depending on the driving situation, also close the side windows and the
sliding sunroof.
Mercedes-Benz manufactures the off-roader at its US plant in Tuscaloosa,
Alabama. Between 2001 and 2005 over US $600 million were invested in the plant,
both to create capacity for manufacturing the R-Class and the GL-Class and to
cater for the tremendous market success of the M-Class – because the
second-generation M-Class is experiencing record sales. In Western Europe and in
the German market the premium off-roader from Mercedes-Benz is the most
sought-after vehicle in its class and has been the benchmark for luxury SUV’s in
the Australian marketplace since its launch in 1998.
The Mercedes-Benz M-Class is available from $77,900 RRP (excluding on-road
costs).
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