|
Price |
|
-- |
Production |
|
-- |
|
Engine |
1.8
liter 4 cylinder |
Weight |
3748
lbs |
|
Aspiration |
turbocharging |
Torque |
295
lb-ft |
|
HP |
238
hp |
HP/Weight |
15.7
lbs per hp |
|
HP/Liter |
132.2 hp per liter |
1/4 mile |
-- |
|
0-62 mph |
7.5
seconds |
Top Speed |
124
mph (electronically limited) |
(from Daimler Press
Release) The new Mercedes-Benz research car: The
definition of relaxed refinement
In the words of
Professor Dr. Herbert Kohler, responsible for Group Research &
Advanced Engineering Vehicle and Powertrain at DaimlerChrysler AG,
With the F 700, Mercedes-Benz shows what the big touring sedan of
the future will look like. It offers environmentally compatible
mobility combined with utmost comfort and an effortlessly superior
drive.
With that, the F 700
meets the growing demands on luxury-class automobiles. The focus is
on conserving resources and protecting the environment: low
consumption, low CO2 emissions, low pollution levels. For in future
there will continue to be considerable demand for the comfortable
mobility provided by large sedans.
Making this kind of
mobility sustainable is a major responsibility which Mercedes-Benz
faces up to in an all-out way. The F 700 is an unmistakable sign of
this: as a research car it demonstrates with innovative approaches
and technologies not only how resources can be conserved and the
environment protected, but also how driver and passengers can be
relieved of stress and can travel completely at ease.
Sustainable mobility
only can be realized by intensive research and development.
Technological progress is decisive for creating suitable products
for an increasingly more critical world, says Professor Dr. Herbert
Kohler.
DIESOTTO provides a glimpse of the
future of the spark-ignition engine
The F 700 research car
shows new ways to achieve resource-conserving mobility. The heart of
the car is the novel drive system which combines the advantages of
the low-emission spark-ignition engine with the consumption
advantages of the diesel drive.
The diesel engines
crucial advances to its current combination of dynamic performance
and low fuel consumption were made possible by turbocharging and
common-rail direct injection both pioneering achievements of
Mercedes-Benz. The DIESOTTO drive takes this some decisive steps
further: consistent downsizing through reduction of displacement and
the number of cylinders makes for improved efficiency, and a hybrid
module assists the internal combustion engine mainly in stop-and-go
operation. Moreover, the diesel principle with controlled auto
ignition (CAI) makes its debut in the spark-ignition engine.
Forward-looking concept
economical, clean and simultaneously powerful
On starting and at full
load, the air-fuel mixture is not ignited by a sparkplug as in a
conventional gasoline engine. The controlled auto ignition
(homogeneous combustion) to which the DIESOTTO automatically reverts
within its working cycle occurs under partial load conditions, i.e.
at low and medium engine speeds.
As a result of
homogeneous combustion at reduced reaction temperatures, very low
emissions of nitrogen oxides are produced. The rest of the emission
control work in the DIESOTTO drive is handled by a standard
three-way catalytic converter. In addition, in order to combine the
individual subsystems into one drive concept, a highly efficient
engine management and control system has been implemented.
The drive unit of the F
700 is a compact four-cylinder with a displacement of 1.8 liters,
and yet it ensures that feeling of effortless, superior power
afforded by a luxury sedan: a two-stage turbocharger system ensures
good response and torquey pulling power. In addition, when the car
moves off the internal combustion engine is assisted by the electric
motor of the hybrid module. The maximum output is 175 kW (238 hp),
the electric motor pitches in another 15 kW (20 hp), and the
systems maximum torque is about 400 Newton meters. The 0 to 100
km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 7.5 seconds attests to the dynamics of
the F 700, whose top speed is limited to 200 km/h. Despite these
outstanding performance figures, the consumption of the F 700 in the
standard cycle is only about 5.3 liters, equivalent to CO2 emissions
of 127 grams per kilometer extremely low for an automobile of this
category.
Anticipatory intelligence packed
into the suspension
Similar advances are
made by the F 700 in the area of ride comfort. Mercedes-Benz has
always been a leader in the area of road roar/tire vibration
characteristics and suspension comfort: the Active Body Control
suspension system in the CL-Class, S- and SL-Class sets the standard
worldwide with its unrivaled combination of comfort, handling safety
and dynamics. This system is now surpassed by the new technology of
the F 700.
For here, once again,
the new research car takes an important step to the future: thanks
to its active PRE-SCAN suspension, the vehicle not only responds
with great sensitivity to roadway unevenness; more than that, it
acts with foresight.
PRE-SCAN uses two laser
sensors in the front headlamp units as eyes. They deliver a
precise image of the condition of the roadway. Based on the image
supplied by the laser sensors and the information on the vehicle
state, the control unit figures out a specific strategy which the
high-pressure hydraulics translate into precisely calculated fluid
flows and pressures for each single wheel.
Aqua Dynamic as new design idiom
The exceptional
efficiency of the overall concept of the F 700 is evident at first
sight: its design is distinguished by soft, flowing forms. Aqua
Dynamic is the name the designers have given to this design idiom
with which they translated the flow dynamics of a fish into the
design of an exceptional automobile. Besides, the design provides an
immediately indication that much room has been given to the
passengers. With an overall exterior length of 5.18 meters the F 700
is a little shorter than the current long-wheelbase version of the
S-Class, but with its generously sized wheelbase of 3.45 meters the
research car excels the production model by impressive 28.5
centimeters.
The side view of the F
700 is marked by the tense curves of the roof contour and shoulder
line. This sedan puts a new interpretation on a design theme of
Mercedes-Benz, for the current CLS also displays such tense lateral
lines. The distinctively shaped front wheel arches likewise are
inspired by a current model the S‑Class. After all, even a
research car is always a Mercedes-Benz and stands on the foundation
of the automobile brand with the richest tradition in the world.
The eyes of the F 700
The headlamps of the F
700 are a futuristic interpretation of the Mercedes-typical
twin-headlamp face. Two vertical rows of linear LED arrays with
superposed lens have the function of driving lights. A third
vertical row of single high-performance LEDs are the daytime driving
lights. Together with the continuous contour lights they give the F
700 an unmistakable appearance even by night. The eyes of the F
700 are integrated into the headlamps: these laser scanners gather
the roadway data for the active PRE-SCAN suspension. Unlike any
conventional automobile this sedan sees the surface profile of the
road ahead of it.
The drivers door also
observes its surroundings attentively. In the base of the mirror
of this PRE-SCAN door there is a very compact laser scanner which
examines the area in which the door swings open for any obstacles.
If collisions threaten, the door is arrested by a controllable
hydraulic cylinder.
Elegance and lightness: the
interior
The extremely spacious
and flexible interior concept is manifested outwardly not only by
the long wheelbase. Two large glazed areas in the roof also
emphasize the spacious design. Owing to the use of natural materials
like leather and cork and to a harmonious brown and beige color
scheme, the interior makes an elegant and light impression and
appears very up-scale.
The right rear door of
the F 700 is hinged at the rear. Reversing the direction in which
the door opens makes it easier to get into the REVERSE seat
another innovation in the new Mercedes-Benz research car. The
REVERSE seat is the heart of the new seating concept, a completely
new design thought out for the right rear seat. It breaks up the
firmly established seating arrangement of a sedan and instead
permits individual seat and rest positions, both facing the
direction of travel and in the opposite direction.
Relax position and cinema
atmosphere
This provides the
opportunity for very different kinds of use depending on the purpose
and duration of travel. Four persons sit in the conventional way
facing the direction of travel. If the front passenger seat is
unoccupied, at the push of a button the right rear seat can be moved
to a relax position. To do this one moves the front passenger seat
forward and folds the backrest towards the dashboard. Another use is
made possible by the special functionality of the REVERSE seat
(right rear seat). A new type of mechanism allows the passenger to
sit in reverse direction and look out the back. He can chat face to
face with his neighbor, work, rest, or enjoy the audiovisual
entertainment. A monitor with an overall diagonal display
measurement of 51 centimeters and a surround sound system create a
cinema atmosphere. More than anything else though, the monitor
delivers fascinatingly deep images with its 3D technology.
The innovative operating
concept conduces greatly to the clear, generous spatial impression:
the displays of the information and control system are visible at
the point farthest forward in the interior, but, optically, appear a
bit further away, because at the bottom edge of the windshield there
is a mirror; the display itself is horizontally retracted into the
cockpit. This technology not only makes for a very clear and tidily
arranged instrument panel. Owing to the bigger distance between the
drivers eyes and the display as compared with a conventional
cockpit, the need for the eyes to adapt their range for far and near
vision is appreciably smaller. This reduces eye fatigue and makes a
scientifically verified contribution to greater stress-relieving
safety.
Dialogue with your personal
assistant
The SERVO-HMI of the F
700 presents itself in an appreciably improved version complemented
by a special assistant. Operation of the navigation system, the
communication systems and the telephone as well as the audio and
entertainment systems is by means of the proven COMAND
rotary/pushbutton controller, to which a slide function has been
added. Preselections in the operating menu are made in three
positions. The air conditioning system is operated by an additional
touch-sensitive control.
For more complex input
operations, for innovative support there is an individual input
assistant in the form of a virtual person, called an avatar in
computerese. Such avatars are familiar from the internet world or
computer games as electronic images representing real persons.
In the F 700 the avatar takes the shape of a young woman. She enters
into verbal dialogue with the driver, asking for the desired
destination in the navigation menu, for example, and confirming the
voice input. It works the same way when you select someone to call
from the phonebook or a desired radio station.
This form of dialogue
simplifies voice control for the driver and improves the systems
voice recognition performance. Moreover, the scope of possible
dialogue assistance functions can be enlarged almost without limit.
For instance, the avatar as virtual assistant could access online
databases from the vehicle via internet link, add items to the
drivers appointments book, or read aloud important e-mails.
Operation by voice dialogue minimizes distraction after all,
driving safety is always the most important concern at
Mercedes-Benz.
Successful transfer from research
to production
Since the beginning of
the 1980s Mercedes-Benz has introduced twelve research cars. This
series of exciting and pioneering automobiles from Auto 2000 in
1981 to the current F 700 documents the resolution and foresight
with which the Mercedes-Benz engineers delve into central topics of
research and technology and develop innovative solutions for the
future.
Many systems in research
cars that were considered revolutionary years ago are in use in
Mercedes-Benz production cars today. They include, for example, the
DISTRONIC proximity control. It was implemented for the first time
in 1991 in the F 100 and premiered in series production in 1998 in
the S-Class. The Active Body Control suspension system employed
today in the CL-, S- and SL-Class is an example of successful
technology transfer from research to production car, as are the
windowbag and the active light function. The F 500 Mind provided the
inspiration for further hybrid development. It combined the V8
diesel engine of an S‑Class with an electric motor. At the time this
duo was the most powerful, torquiest hybrid drive for a rear-wheel
drive passenger car. The F 700 will continue down this path and show
the way to series production for significant innovations in drive
and comfort technology.
