What makes the Mercedes-Benz S-Class dance?

Mercedes-Benz's head of corporate communications, Tobias Just, has posted a video online showing a dancing Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan, which grabbed many eyeballs. The footage looks funky, but it is actually because of a useful technology called the E-Active Body Control suspension system. which allows the car to bounce up and down to get unstuck from the deep ruts and sand. This actually shows that engineering can be quite fun.

Interestingly, Mercedes-Benz's E-Active Body Control suspension system went viral four years ago thanks to the ‘Free Driving Assist’ mode on the GLE that allowed the SUV to bounce up and down to help get it unstuck from deep ruts and sand stuck underbody. The GLE doesn't have this tricky suspension system, but it is still available in select GLS and S-Class models.

Speaking about the unique technology, the Mercedes-Benz E-Active Body Control suspension system onboard the S-Class is not the same as the one that was introduced to the GLE and GLS. The S-Class featured in the video can be seen bouncing up and down as the suspension pushes up the luxury sedan's front, rear and sides. As it appears, Mercedes-Benz engineers played around with the technology of this particular S-Class to enable this functionality.

A suspension system similar to this Mercedes-Benz S-Class is not a necessary element for sure, but the German luxury car brand uses E-Active Body Control along with the Pre-Safe Impulse Side system that raises the vehicle's body slightly when the safety sensors detect an impending side impact. This technology claims to help in improving the overall safety of the vehicle by shifting the force of the impact to the stronger structure in the lower part of the vehicle.