Mercedes C-Class BLUETEC Hybrid is Safest Car in its Class
The C-Class Estate of Mercedes-Benz has come through an exhaustive program of testing, during which it demonstrated its typical Mercedes-like levels of safety in over 100 crash tests in all. The occupant protection concept is underpinned by an intelligently designed bodyshell, 70 percent of which consists of high-strength and ultra-high-strength grades of steel. The front-end structure comprises four impact levels which act independently of one another and enable forces to be distributed over a wide area while bypassing the passenger cell. The occupants are protected by a total of seven airbags as standard. The driver, front passenger and the passengers on the outer rear seats also benefit from belt tensioners and belt force limiters. The NECK-PRO head restraints in the front have a crash-responsive design, meaning that they move to cushion the heads of the driver and front passenger at an early stage in a rear-end collision to guard against the risk of whiplash.
The integrated child seats, which fold out of the rear bench seat have undergone further development and are now also fitted with a wraparound head restraint. Standard features such as the flashing brake lights, Brake Assist and Electronic Stability Program make vital contributions to accident prevention. The ESP system now incorporates additional functions: not only does it monitor the tire pressure it also helps to enhance safety when towing a trailer with an automatic trailer stabilization function.
The anticipatory occupant protection system PRE-SAFE gives the new Estate the edge over other models in this segment. This optional system makes use of the time before an imminent accident to prepare the vehicle and its occupants for a collision. The result is a considerable reduction in the loads exerted on the passengers upon impact. The Intelligent Light System is another technical innovation borrowed from the luxury models in the Mercedes range and is the only system of its kind in this market segment at the current time. The system’s five different lighting functions are each suited to various typical driving and weather conditions.
Source: Mercedes Benz