Monday 30th June 2014

Merc's 'Magic' Body Control

A bit more tech detail on the 'Curve Tilting' function on the S-Class Coupe we've just driven

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It is well over a decade since F400 Carving concept and 15 years since Mercedes introduced Airmatic air suspension in the W220 S-Class. So when it comes to this kind of thing, Stuttgart has form.

Curve Tilting allows up to 68mm of lean

The Curve Tilting function is an extension of the existing Magic Body Control system. Cars fitted with Active Body Control suspension have hydraulic cylinders or 'plungers' fitted to the suspension struts in order to adjust the forces in each strut individually. Depending on the type of corner being dealt with, the base point of each strut is moved allowing the vehicle to incline into the curve, adjusting automatically and continuously depending on the information from the sensors.

Stereo cameras in the screen read the road ahead and prime the suspension to react to surface undulations. With the curve tilting function, the cameras also read upcoming corners and, in conjunction with an additional lateral acceleration sensor providing information about speed and steering angle, allow the car to lean by up to 68mm into the bend like a skier or motorcyclist.

The focus, according to the engineering team, is on enhancing passenger comfort. They were keen to stress that the system does not increase corner speed and in fact dials back the effect when you drive more aggressively and switches out altogether at speed of over 180kph (112mph).

It does feel a little odd at first from the driving seat, the motion not quite what you expect. From the passenger seat it is more remarkable - not only does the car feel to be stable through the turns but there is little sensation of being pushed outwards by the lateral G. Instead you sit down firmly in the seat. The upshot is that you aren't thrown about by cornering. A strange sensation but an effective system.

[Dave G fsi]

Sounds like a lot to go wrong, and expensive when it does!

[KillerHERTZ]

Great now, but in 10 years time it will be so expensive to repair that these S-Class Coupes will only be a couple of grand

[anonymous-user]

KillerHERTZ said:

Great now, but in 10 years time it will be so expensive to repair that these S-Class Coupes will only be a couple of grand

Exactly why old CL500s are cheap these days! The ABC suspension they have fitted puts most people off.

[anonymous-user]

Why oh why do Mercedes always come up with such st or infantile names for what is often deeply impressive technology. "Magic" body control, "magic" sky control. Jesus fking christ do they have a lot of 7 year old girls come up with these names or do they think people will be put off by grown up names? I'd feel like an idiot telling someone that my new £125k car had "magic" anything.

[zcacogp]

Hydrolastic suspension anyone? Must be time for a come-back about now ...


Oli.

[kambites]

The Crack Fox said:

Didn't MB have "COMAND" [sic] sat nav or something? I'm sure it will impress a newly rich sweatshop owner in the 3rd world, as that's where the money is, nowadays.

It's not quite as cringe-worthy as "iDrive". i-anything is horrifically cringe-worthy.

[Escort Si-130]

LOL, anytime I hear magic body control. I keep thinking of these ads now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi08c_siQys

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Vi08c_siQys" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Impasse]

"Like it's on rails."

[daytona111r]

another Mercedes gimmick

[Konrod]

Sounds like the Citroen Xantia solution from the 90s - can't just remember what it was called (so the marketing budget was well spent ) but it detected roll and used the hydraulic suspension to counter it - didn't go as far as leaning in like Mercedes, but at the time it got great reviews.

I don't think they sold many though........

Editted to add: http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyI...

Edited by Konrod on Monday 30th June 15:02

[Impasse]

Article about Lotus in 1983.

[Sampaio]

dme123 said:

Why oh why do Mercedes always come up with such st or infantile names for what is often deeply impressive technology. "Magic" body control, "magic" sky control. Jesus fking christ do they have a lot of 7 year old girls come up with these names or do they think people will be put off by grown up names? I'd feel like an idiot telling someone that my new £125k car had "magic" anything.

True, but you have to think as a Mercedes CL buyer - old, rich guy who knows jack about cars and goes to the mercedes dealership to buy the biggest one he sees. I bet those people would love to tell others that they have a "magic" tech thingy on their car.

[ORD]

Another example of pointlessly expensive technology that will just go wrong.

Why not spend the money making better suspension components? I am sure that the cost of the cameras etc divided by 4 would give you a fair few € per corner to make it handle flat without fancy crap.

[kambites]

ORD said:

Another example of pointlessly expensive technology that will just go wrong.

Why not spend the money making better suspension components? I am sure that the cost of the cameras etc divided by 4 would give you a fair few € per corner to make it handle flat without fancy crap.

It's not designed to make it "handle flat" - completely the opposite in fact.

[northwest monkey]

Konrod said:

Sounds like the Citroen Xantia solution from the 90s - can't just remember what it was called

It was called "Active" I think

[JimmyTheHand]

northwest monkey said:

Konrod said:

Sounds like the Citroen Xantia solution from the 90s - can't just remember what it was called

It was called "Active" I think

It was Activa and was fastest though the moose test

[ORD]

kambites said:

ORD said:

Another example of pointlessly expensive technology that will just go wrong.

Why not spend the money making better suspension components? I am sure that the cost of the cameras etc divided by 4 would give you a fair few € per corner to make it handle flat without fancy crap.

It's not designed to make it "handle flat" - completely the opposite in fact.

True. But that just makes it even clearer how pointless it is. It won't increase cornering speed, we are told, so it cannot be increasing grip. And the best way, in terms of feel, for a car to corner is flat. Utterly pointless.

[Catatafish]

ORD said:

Another example of pointlessly expensive technology that will just go wrong.

Why not spend the money making better suspension components? I am sure that the cost of the cameras etc divided by 4 would give you a fair few € per corner to make it handle flat without fancy crap.

car makers have to sell this stuff or they would implode taking most of society with them

[rogerhudson]

Suspension is the most important technology in a car, what good is raw power if you end up in the hedge all the time. Handling is a function of suspension.
Companies like Citroen, Lotus, Bose, Porsche and MB have all done some development but we still await the definitive system ( not forgetting Moulton).
The move has been from reactive( Porsche /Bosch) to active (Citroen ) and now we are moving to proactive, a pity it's so computer dependent.
A ride in a 2CV, VdP Princess 1300/1750 or an Activa shows how we should all travel, without Rolls Royce prices.

[mikEsprit]

Talk about trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist.