The new Mercedes S-Class Coupe knows how „to read” the road and glides elegantly through bends thanks the new functions of ABC suspension: Magic Body Control and Curve Tilting function.
Like the new S-Class saloon, Mercedes S-Class coupe is able to recognize the road undulations in advance with new Magic Body Control system.
The heart of the system is a stereo camera fitted behind the windscreen at the height of the rear-view mirror which scans the area up to 15 meters ahead and provides a precise image of the road surface. The control unit uses the camera images and the vehicle information to calculate the best suspension settings depending on the type of the road.
A stereo camera sees the road up to 15 meters ahead and chooses the best possible suspension settings
Once Road Surface Scan has detected undulations, Magic Body Control function of ABC suspension adjusts the damping of each individual wheel to a firmer or softer setting in advance and increases or reduces the load on the wheel with help of an active hydraulic system. The adaption of the suspension is done in fractions of a second.
The system provides the best possible level of ride comfort but it has also some limitations. Because the information came from a stereo camera, the system works on the daylight in conditions of good visibility and at a speed of up to 130 km/h.
This system is available as an option in the new V8 versions of S-Class saloon and in the new S-Class Coupe. For the S-Class Coupe a new innovation was added: Curve tilting function.
Active Body Control (ABC) from Mercedes has four spring struts equipped with hydraulic cylinders (plungers) which adjusts the force in each spring strut individually.
With the curve tilting function, the base points of the steel springs integrated into ABC suspension are raised by plunger cylinders on one side of the vehicle and lowered on the other side depending on the bend. In this way, the vehicle inclines automatically and continuously on bends depending of the road angle and speed.
Curve Tilting function gives a sensation like you drive a motorcycle
Like in case of Magic Body Control, the innovative system recognizes bends with the help of stereo camera which registers the curve up to 15 meters ahead and using ABC lateral acceleration sensor. The driver could select curve tilting function with the three position ABC switch which is active between 15 and 180 km/h in Curve mode. Alternatives are Comfort position (with Magic Body Control on) and Sport.
The system is very different and more efficient from the other type of systems (Citroen) and from the old ABC system which adapt the pressure in hydraulic cylinders to reduce the body roll. In this case, the car is tilting in bends, glides more elegantly through bends and reduce the centrifugal forces with the result that the tyres life are not affected. Thus not the tyres take over the loads and lateral forces but the hydraulic cylinders.
