The 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class looks to be quite a special thing, and these photos show one particularly interesting aspect of the luxurious four-door. We’re, of course, talking about the four-wheel steering.
While the S-Class has long been in industry leader with its innovative technologies, this is the first time it has been sold with such a feature. This piece of tech goes back to the mid and late 1980s when Japanese automakers like Mazda and Honda pioneered the use of four-wheel steering. Nowadays, heaps of cars feature it, from supercars like the Lamborghini Aventador through to luxury cars like the BMW 7-Series.
Read Also: Is The 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Better Looking Than Its Predecessor?
Making the system used by the S-Class particularly interesting is the fact that its optional rear-axle steering system can turn the rear wheels up to 10 degrees in the opposite direction to the front wheels at low speeds. To put that into perspective, the 991-generation Porsche 911, which has pioneered rear-axle steering on modern performance cars, only turns its rear wheels up to 2.8 degrees in the opposite direction to the front wheels at low speeds.
The S-Class is exactly the type of vehicle that can benefit from enhanced maneuverability and when the optional rear-axle steering system is fitted, the turning circle of a long-wheelbase model with all-wheel drive is reduced by 6 feet to less than 36 feet.
Of course, there are many other features that make the new S-Class so much better than the outgoing model. For example, it comes equipped with Level 3 automated driving functions that uses the brand’s new Drive Pilot system to drive the car in specific road conditions, including in heavy traffic situations or suitable motorway sections in Germany by using a Lidar and a host of other sensors.
H/T to Jalopnik!
