2000 Mercedes-Benz S-Class...Continued

Safety Features: The S-Class is one of the safest cars available today with eight airbags, including a side head-protection curtain and two-stage front passenger airbags that deploy with partial force in a low-speed collision and full force at higher speeds. To help avoid that collision, the car employs an electronic stability program (ESP) which uses computers to sense the car's direction and applies the brakes to keep the car going where the driver wants. In addition, ABS and traction control are standard. So is Brake Assist, a system that applies the brakes harder and faster than a person can in a panic situation. To further protect occupants in an emergency, Mercedes has provided seat belt pretensioners for all seating positions. If it should be necessary to put a child in the front passenger seat, the highly-lauded BabySmart automatically deactivates the passenger's front airbag when a BabySmart-compatible child seat is properly installed.

Special Features: Mercedes has addressed the issue of security in true 21st-century fashion with a system called TeleAid. In an emergency, pressing an SOS button near the interior rearview mirror immediately establishes voice contact with Protection One, a service provider that will dispatch local police or emergency services to your vehicle using global positioning satellite (GPS) technology that is connected to the car's standard on-board navigation system. The TeleAid system is also activated automatically if the airbags deploy. For non-emergency situations, TeleAid offers two other buttons concealed in the center console. Pressing these places you in voice contact with a Mercedes representative, who can dispatch roadside assistance, or provide you with guidance to a location.

And there's even more mind-boggling next-century technology on the S-Class. The GPS satellite-based navigation system uses a full-color liquid crystal display that also functions as the control center for the outstanding 10-speaker Bose audio system and the optional cellular telephone. Mercedes calls this integrated system COMAND, short for Cockpit Management and Data. This new system uses fiber-optic technology for fast response and can be directed by voice commands, controls on the steering wheel or buttons near the display screen. Operation of the screen-based controls is handled by a small knob that functions much like a computer mouse. It's all very complex and takes a bit of study to fully understand. In fact, COMAND comes with its own manual that is nearly 150 pages of instructions and diagrams, although there is also a short-course booklet to get you started. Mercedes had set the destination system to direct us to the four stops on the ride-and-drive route during the Arizona press event. The screen mapped the route and a female voice came from somewhere in cyberspace to remind us of upcoming turns or landmarks. Spooky, but something even more eerie happened to my companion and me during our drive.

My ride-and-drive-mate, who was driving at the time, apparently unintentionally activated the TeleAid system shortly before the lunch stop, because out of the blue came a voice asking how they could help. During the ensuing conversation, we were told that our in-car chatter had been monitored for several minutes before the voice announced the help center's presence. We think the system was probably activated through the microphone button on the steering wheel, but my companion insisted he did not know he had pressed it. The Mercedes public relations people were shocked when we told them what had transpired and claimed it wasn't possible. But it happened. And we're here to warn all of the importance of fully understanding the COMAND system before engaging in a confidential conversation in the new S-Class!