Safety first for stylish new S-Class The new version of the much-admired S-Class continues to be the benchmark for luxury driving. Mercedes-Benz models are renowned for their awesome array of safety features; engineers are constantly thinking up innovations, and adding refinements, to protect drivers and passengers and enhance the overall travel experience. The new S-Class from Mercedes-Benz raises the already-high safety features bar a notch higher. It is a model that is crammed with every conceivable contemporary safety device, engineering that is designed to make the Mercedes-Benz driving experience enjoyably smooth and worry free. Incorporating well-thought-out safety features into exquisite styling is a long-standing tradition at Mercedes-Benz: they pioneer and other manufacturers follow. As far back as a half-century ago, Mercedes-Benz models had passenger cell crumple zones. World first Thirty years ago, the motoring world was astounded when the automatic braking system of the S-Class was unveiled, followed by the world's first car with airbelt and belt tensioners. The new S-Class, now available from Zung Fu, takes that innovation still further, with a whole host of novel features, all introduced after long years of extensive research at Mercedes-Benz research and test centers. They are incorporated into a system known as Pro-Safe an integrated safety philosophy with four successive stages -- Perform-Safe, Pre-Safe, Passive-Safe and Post-Safe. It is quite an added-value collection, covering every aspect and stage of the motoring experience. Perform-Safe gives a helping hand with all the many elements that can assist good driving, such as detecting and warning of upcoming situations so the driver can react quickly and effectively. Pre-Safe is a series of measures that puts the occupants and vehicle on standby for possible impact if an accident seems likely. Passive-Safe provides optimized protection if a crash cannot be avoided. Post-Safe ensures that people in the car are protected until help arrives. The majority of drivers will, thankfully, never have a serious accident, but it is hugely comforting to know that your vehicle of choice is fully equipped for the eventuality, and is capable of protecting you and your family as effectively as is possible. Smooth ride In fact, knowing that those safety features are in place allows the S-Class drivers and passengers to sink into the seats and concentrate on enjoying the smooth ride, marveling at the car'sability to ease smoothly over bumpy ground and, when necessary, zip quickly away from the traffic lights. This impressive performance is also accompanied by reduced emissions and fuel consumption. The S-Class boasts a beefy new V8 engine that can generate over 25 per cent more power, thanks to smart thinking by the Mercedes-Benz engineers who managed to optimize the air flow of the engine. Also helping performance is the standard 7G-Tronic automatic transmission system: it is so smooth that gear changes, from first to seventh, are barely discernible. Drivers can choose between three modes: Comfort, Sport and Manual. Whatever the mode, a gloriously comfortable ride is assured through the streets and highways of Hong Kong, or China, thanks to the Airmatic air suspension, or with the optional ABC active suspension system. Total comfort It almost goes without saying that the interior of Mercedes-Benz is a home-like oasis of total comfort. The mood of luxury is enhanced by top quality leather upholstery and elegant trimming, with the option of choosing dynamic multi-contour seats that fit to individual body needs. For people who need to work while en route, the long S-Class model has more legroom and the option of having manually adjusted tables and a rear-seat entertainment system. All models in the S-Class range have the automatic climate control system, so vital during the hot and humid summers of southern China. Individual passengers even have the option of selecting their own micro-climate: ventilation to each of the four seats can be personalized. This is made possible by a total of 21 air outlets, controlled by seven sensors that continuously monitor the air and make adjustments as necessary. Driving the S-class is also a marvelously smooth experience. Many of the important S-Class functions can be accessed without letting go of the steering wheel, using the instrument cluster which, in turn, is activated by the easily-used COMAND menu on the wheel itself. More examples of user-friendly technology in action can be found throughout the S-Class. Do you ever have problems with parking in Hong Kong's notoriously small and tight parking spaces? Try the optional reversing camera, automatically activated when reverse gear is selected, allowing a view of the area immediately behind the boot and displaying guidelines to facilitate a perfectly executed parking manoeuvre. Stunning sound Music lovers will want to sign up for the enhanced S-Class music system that brings the concert hall to the automobile interior. The stunning sound, capable of making it seem as if famous pop singers are along for the ride, is made possible by the harmon/kardon LOGIC 7 system that boasts a powerful amplifier and a total of 14 strategically placed speakers. There are many more options available, allowing the S-Class models to be customized for individual owners. Light alloy wheels, available in different sizes, are a popular option; AMG bodystyling gives an extra touch of sporting individuality; the Designo range includes 13 different exclusive metallic paint finishes and a choice of interior fabrics and colors. The range of extras allows owners to add an even more stylish element to a vehicle that is already super stylish, a spectacular performer and reassuringly safe. click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge