Merc reveals "touring car of the future"

Mercedes-Benz used the Frankfurt Motor Show to reveal its vision of the "superior touring car of the future" -- a large sedan that's claimed to generate low CO2 emissions yet offer spacious interior.

Propulsion for the futuristic F 700 comes from Mercedes-Benz's new 'DIESOTTO' four-cylinder engine. It displaces just 1.8 litres, but the company claims this unit provides similar performance to a current S-Class with a 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V6 petrol engine.

"The engine combines the strong points of the low-emission petrol engine with the consumption benefits of the diesel drive," claims Mercedes.

"Our goal is to make the gasoline-powered car just as economical in consumption as the diesel. The new DIESOTTO concept is a major step in that direction, combining the best properties of the spark-ignition engine and the diesel engine," says Mercedes-Benz R&D boss Dr. Thomas Weber.

This claim is borne out by the fact that the F 700's CO2 emissions of 127 grams per kilometre correspond to fuel consumption of 5.3lt/100km, which is equivalent to a diesel-powered Volkswagen Golf.

Mercedes quotes a 0-100km/h sprint of 7.5sec, which is hardly on the tardy end of the scale either. The carmaker claims the F 700 also sets new standards in terms of ride comfort and low road and wind noise levels.

In what's billed as a world first, the Active PRE-SCAN suspension has two laser scanners that study the road in front of the car. The hydraulically controlled active suspension then proactively compensates for road surface imperfections, enabling a further improvement in ride comfort.

Equally innovative is the driver interface dubbed SERVO-HMI, which is said to be gentle on the eyes and simple to use. Merc claims the menu structure is "strikingly simple and self-explanatory" (can't be modelled on iDrive, then).

The driver can even "discuss" more complex inputs, such as a destination for navigation purposes, in dialogue with an avatar, a virtual operating assistant.

The F 700 also breaks the mould in terms of its seating arrangements as the 'REVERSE' seat enables occupants to face the direction of travel or turn their back to it. The aim was supposedly to create as much flexibility as possible.

Will the F 700 make it to production? It's possible, but a more likely scenario is that many of its design elements will filter through to future showroom offerings.

Fast Facts: Mercedes-Benz F 700
Length: 5180mm
Width: 1960mm
Height: 1438mm
Wheelbase: 3450mm
Weight: 1700kg
Tyres: 195/50 R21
Engine displacement: 1.8-litre
Power DIESOTTO: 175kW
Electric motor: 15kW
Torque: 400Nm
Acceleration 0–100km/h: 7.5 sec
Top speed, governed: 200km/h
Consumption: 5.3lt/100 km
CO2 emissions: 127g/km
Emission rating: EU6

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