E Sharp; 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-class picks up panache and gadgetry galore.(NEWS)

Byline: BOB GRITZINGER

UNTIL NOW, THE ONLY WAY TO experience the kind of technology featured in the Mercedes-Benz S-class was to buy a Mercedes-Benz S-class. Not anymore. Under the distinctive new sheetmetal of the 2010 E-class, Mercedes engineers have loaded nearly all of the technological wizardry found in the top-of-the-line luxury S-class sedan, and then some. With night vision with pedestrian-recognition ability, lane-departure warning, drowsy-driver detection, adaptive cruise control and intelligent lighting, the new E-class harbors a CIA warehouse's worth of special electronics designed to keep the car safe and on the straight and narrow.

"Beauty is nothing without brains, said Thomas Weber, Mercedes-Benz director, extolling the car's high-tech features at its un-veiling at the Geneva motor show in March.

Those "brains include this standard and optional equipment:

Distronic adaptive cruise control teamed with Mercedes' Pre-Safe braking system, with the addition of Attention Assist. The system monitors driver awareness, using steering sensors to determine whether a driver is beginning to doze. If drowsiness is detected, audible and visual warnings alert the driver.

The lane-departure-warning system uses cameras to detect lane markings and recognize unintentional drifts, prompting driver correction via a game-controller-like steering-wheel vibration that mimics rumble strips. The system does not activate when the driver uses a turn signal or when lane changes are clear and decisive.

Adaptive Highbeam Assist uses the same cameras to adjust the variable high-beam headlights when it detects oncoming vehicles or the taillights ...