Mercedes-Benz vehicles can warn of potholes and bumps ahead

Article content

If you don’t have a back-seat driver telling you to look out for something ahead, now your car can do it for you. Mercedes-Benz has announced a new feature that will warn you if there’s a pothole or speed bump coming up.

Article content

However, it appears that other Benz vehicles need to have hit the pothole before you, and they’re the ones triggering your warning. But it’s all part of the company’s Car-to-X communication system, which is gradually adding more features, including this new one, to eventually create a robust network.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Mercedes-Benz vehicles can warn of potholes and bumps ahead Back to video

It’s that type of network — communication between cars, and between cars and infrastructure, such as “smart” traffic lights and parking garages — that will ultimately provide the framework for true self-driving cars, which will proactively make their way along the road by themselves, rather than the current systems that are mostly reactive, taking their cues from lane markings and the proximity of other vehicles.

Article content

New S-Class, electric EQS, and optionally-equipped C-Class models can “feel” bumps or potholes through their chassis control. If the driver has activated the car’s Mercedes Me connected account and its Car-to-X Communication service, that information, including the bump’s location, is sent to the Mercedes-Benz Cloud.

From there, other Mercedes vehicles in the area — which also need to have Mercedes Me activated — will be notified. About 10 seconds before the driver reaches the bump, a warning will show up on the navigation system, and some models will actually tell the driver, “Look out, pothole!” or “Attention, speed bump.”

Article content

Cars equipped with Crosswind Assist, which activates the stability control system in strong gusts of wind to keep the vehicle straight, will also send out warnings, so other drivers can be prepared.

The company said that three million of its cars, 2016 or newer, will be able to download the information from the cloud through wireless updates. Mercedes-Benz didn’t specify how many of these are in Canada.

The automaker developed the Car-to-X function in-house. It can also warn of such hazards as crash sites or disabled vehicles in the traffic lane; vehicles braking hard up ahead; or heavy rain, icy conditions, or fog.