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Mercedes' Car-To-X Feature Adds Pothole Warnings

Writer's picture: TurbochargedTurbocharged

Mercedes' Car-To-X communication system that transmits road hazard warnings from one Mercedes vehicle to another has been an unmatched tech feature since 2016, and is currently offered on the C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, and new EQS. Now, the luxury automaker has just updated the system with a new feature that detects when the vehicle hits a pothole and warns other nearby Mercedes drivers.

Unlike older Car-To-X warnings, the new feature doesn't simply show up as a notification on the MBUX navigation system. Instead, the signal is audible and says, "Look out, pothole!" The technology detects potholes by sensing the levels of compression in the suspension from both the front and rear wheels. If the compression is immediate enough, the warning will be set. The warning will then travel through the Mercedes-Benz cloud and drop the signal to local Mercedes cars that have the Car-To-X feature turned on. The pothole warning will also be present in older models like the previous-generation C- and S-Class, but it will be labeled as an unnamed traffic situation with alert sounds on the MBUX display, rather than specifying the pothole like in newer models.

The pothole feature will also address speed bumps through the same compression sensors, and will be labeled as a speed bump on the newer Mercedes vehicles. Also, both warnings are only activated if one or more Mercedes cars hit the bump. The fact that this feature relies on the suspension means that you may receive a warning for a speed bump or pothole when it is really something else. Additionally, the Car-To-X system is only available to those with a Mercedes Me account, and requires a subscription to be activated after three years of free use. Mercedes' Car-To-X system also gives alerts for crosswinds, nearby collisions, construction zones, slippery conditions, and several other weather-related situations.


Images: Mercedes







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