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MB had this tech installed as a standard option since 2013...

https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes...

But putting that aside... the Model X is similar in size to a Ford Explorer. A loaded Explorer Platinum is about $50k, or half the cost of a Model X. Both vehicles have similar levels of features, performance, safety, etc.

In what universe is a Ford Explorer in the same league as a Model X? Performance, fuel economy, features, safety, handling, etc are all wins for the Model X. Just about the only thing the Ford wins on is price and range. The Ford is a good enough product but they are very different cars that sell to very different markets. If you want to compare with a gas car you need to look at something like a Mercedes G-Glass.

The Chevy Volt is made for drivers like you. Plug in where you can, burn gas if necessary.

Oh, yeah. I forgot that they supplanted their joke-of-a-range with the ability to run on gasoline.

Guess it was the only way to make a "product" out of it.

So, with the use-cases:

1. Long commutes (Read: Everyone in California) - Gasoline

2. Vacations - Gasoline

3. Any running-about-town > approx. 40 miles - Gasoline

That's a lot of exceptions to the "ideal" use-case.

Now, get that range to the 150-250 mile-mark, and we're talkin' !!!

That's why I like the idea of TRUE fuel-cell vehicles, like the one Mercedes is working on. Hydrogen and (I think) Salt-Water in. Power and Water Vapor Out. And according to Wikipedia, they already have a range of 250 miles, and are closing in on 450 (with a 10,000 psi H2 Tank!!!)

Now THAT's the way to build an alternative-fuel vehicle!

The "Tesla outsold Mercedes S-Class" claim again? That was true for 2013, during the end of the S-class model generation, which had unusually low volume (13k units). Definitely not true for 2014, when the S-class sold 25k units in the US. My 15k unit number for Tesla in the US is actually a high-end estimate, more likely to be 13-14k. So, Tesla's 2014 US sales are going to be a bit more than half those of the S-class. I don't have data on the 7-series handy. As for the ELR, that performance has more to do with Cadillac (which hasn't been successful thus far going after the German lux lines across the board) than Tesla.

Don't get me wrong, the Tesla is a great car, but let's not get carried away.

http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/...

Damn! So if I get a Mercedes-Benz S-class, it will run just fine for 45-60 years? Maybe I -should- go with that for my next car, then.

Exactly. The highest-mileage car on record is a Volvo, but I think the second-highest is a Mercedes. Mercedes even has a standard award for a million miles. That's what those badges on the grills mean.

I code, so I have a nice computer. I live on it. I use it constantly. I want a nice, reliable one. It's expensive.

However, the vast majority of folks I know want cheap crap.

Guess who they call to help them fix their cheap crap?

Guess who has learned to say "No. Get a decent computer, then call me back."

"An E class starts for about 60% of what a Tesla starts at"

Are you buying 2ndhand Benz? The base Model S (60 kWh) is $70,000 before Fed & State rebates.
When I go to http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/..., the E-class base price is $51,400.

Five star safety rating across the board. Excellent! Now if only it didn't come with a five star price tag

And are you of the opinion that improvements in safety haven't always come in on the high end first and then trickle down?

Airbags. ABS. That 3rd eye brake-light. Tire pressure sensors. Probably even more -- all of these things appeared first in higher-end cars and then made their way down to the rest of the models.

Interestingly, many of those safety innovations were developed by Mercedes:

• 1951 The crumple zone
• 1963 Dual-circuit braking system
• 1971 A patent for the air bag
• 1978 Antilock Braking System (ABS)
• 1984 Seat-belt Emergency Tensioning Devices (ETDs)
• 1985 Electronic traction control
• 1989 Convertible with pop-up roll bar
• 1995 Electronic Stability Program (ESP®)
• 1995 Seat-belt force limiters
• 1996 Emergency-sensing Brake Assist
• 1997 Automatic child-seat recognition
• 1998 Side curtain air bags
• 2002 PRE-SAFE®
• 2005 Night View Assist
• 2006 DISTRONIC PLUS with PRE-SAFE Brake
• 2009 Adaptive Highbeam Assist
• 2009 ATTENTION ASSIST
• 2010 Active Blind Spot Assist
• 2010 Active Lane Keeping Assist

The In-Vehicle-Infotainment (IVI) System is the most complex electronic system in the car. It collects data from all of the carâ(TM)s sensors and integrates functions as diverse as navigation, climate control, media playback, cellphone connectivity and more.

I'm scared when an a vehicle's infotainment system is more complex, thus requiring more R&D and maintenance resources, than high tech safety features, like these: http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/benz/safety

You are wrong about the subcontractors. Space X makes relatively little use of subcontractors compared to other aerospace companies.

In order to control quality and costs, SpaceX designs, tests and fabricates the majority of its components in-house, including the Merlin, Kestrel, and Draco rocket engines used on the Falcon launch vehicles and the Dragon spacecraft.

Besides, would you tell me that no-one could build a car for 1/3 the amount of a Mercedes Benz? The cheapest car they make is $35,350!

They don't exist anymore. Mercedes' quality went to shit a few years ago. Just look at their warranty - 4 years or 50K miles - garbage compared to just about everyone else.

AND according to Consumer Reports, Ford has an overall brand quality that's higher than Mercedes. FORD! of all car makers. GM and Chrysler are the pits.

BMW is a little better. Audi is pretty good but that's because it's mostly a Volkswagen. After all of their problems, Toyota is still tops - which says something about the auto industry.

The life of today's cars are roughly between 150,000 and 200,000 miles - YMMV. If you live in a place the salts the roads for snow, the body will be rotted before the car wears out, for example.

With more and more plastic being used and the way components are made (many things require replacing entire units instead of a single part); cars are becoming a disposable piece of machinery. I have a 17 year old Chevy, running strong (little oil burning), but many times plastic parts break and the no one - even the dealer - doesn't carry a replacement or it's very expensive. That's when I have to get creative with JB Weld.

You can't buy a NEW diesel car in California.

Yes you can. VW, BMW and Mercedes all make and sell diesels that pass California emissions requirements.

For example:
VW Jetta TDI: http://www.vw.com/jetta/en/us/
BMW 335d: http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/Vehicles/2011/3/335dSedan/Default.aspx
Mercedes R350 Bluetec: http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/vehicles/explore/overview/class-R/model-R350BTC

can we just start calling them 'M' Class ?

Nah. That's just going to cause confusion and would get people fighting over gas mileage.

Get a Mercedes Benz SLR Mclaren:

http://www.mbusa.com/models/main.do?modelCode=SLR

It's grandma's supercar, a supercar that you can take to the grocery store.

Only $497,750.

As far as I can tell, diesel passenger cars are still sold in the US. A co-worker just mentioned something to me today about her diesel Mercedes Benz, and I knew she drove a late model car... so I Googled and found this.

This is a great idea. Now if only they made toys for adults like that...

Why do no manufacturers offer nice cars with even near the above mpg rates?

Mercedes Benz E320 CDI. Fully loaded luxury sedan. 0 to 60 in 6.6 seconds, 200 hp, 360 lb/ft torque, 37 mpg/gallon highway.

About $52,000. It's the only diesel luxury vehicle sold in the US right now, but there are other diesels made by European luxury makers that are luxurious and have good performance, and get over 40MPG. No others are being sold in the US (other than the VW Passat, which I believe has a diesel engine option. In the US, the Europeans sell fewer vehicles and are loathe to add the complexities and cost of selling, marketing and maintaining more engines that may not sell as well as they do in Europe (especially since these engines cannot be sold in a bunch of states, including NY, MA and CA--large consumers of luxury vehicles. So they choose to stick with only gasoline engines.)

I believe that Lexus will be bringing out some hybrid sedans with over 40+MPG.

And the worse is that they don't make station-wagons anymore

Well, there's the Malibu Maxx, but they call that a "5-Door Extended Sedan", and I don't know whether it'd qualify as a station wagon or not.

There's also the Dodge Magnum, but if by "they" you're referring to US companies, that doesn't really count. (If you're not referring to US companies, the same corporation that makes the Dodge Magnum also makes other wagons. Here's another wagon from a non-US company, but those aren't sold in North America, except perhaps through the gray market.)

Since the dawn of the Automobile Revolution, automobile marques have been proactive in their approach to appeal to certain segments of society. By targeting these groups, automakers would find a much higher loyalty rate in an increasingly unloyal industry. Even today this tradition continues, with companies such as Toyota appealing to the youth market with its Scion brand, BMW and Mercedes appealing to the affluent market, Buick appealing to the understated senior market, and Subaru and Volvo appealing to the aging hippy market. One demographic spoken for by a large multinational automaker that often raises a bit of controversy, however, is the gay and lesbian market. It is within these confines that Honda finds its must staunch loyalists.

The connection stems much further than their not-so-subtle "H" logo. Since the inception of Honda by founder Kilimanjaro Honda in Tokyo, Japan in 1948, Honda has had a long line of successful industry firsts. Honda's first products imported to the United States were motorcycles capable of producing almost twice as much horsepower as their American brethren. Sold out of a small shop in San Francisco, their demographic was clear. From day one, Honda coined the term "Crotch Rocket" to target the gay and lesbian community. It wasn't long before Honda had made its first inroads in gaining market share in the vital west coast community.

While commercially successful, Honda didn't wish to fight a one-front war against Christians. In 1962, Honda started producing the HX100, their first entry into the area of gas powered lawn mowers. This allowed residents to show off their sexual preference to neighbors when not commuting. The new market, however, was something Honda was not experienced in, and proved to be initially unsuccessful. Honda faced several lawsuits alleging their lawnmowers oxidized almost instantly when mowing over damp grass.

It wasn't before long that founder Honda realized that the next battle would have to be fought in the ever-expanding industry of automobiles. In 1972, Honda began offering the United States its first car, the Honda Civic. While industry brass wanted to call it the "Civic Lesson," for the lesson it was trying to teach regarding the homosexual agenda, "Lesson" was eventually dropped from the title before release. Honda's experience in the lawn equipment market proved beneficial in their foray into automobiles, as the first generation of Civic Lessons were powered by their 49cc lawnmower engines producing a then-respectable 20 horsepower.

The response from the homosexual community was very positive, and sales of Civic Lessons matched other popular rivals in the west coast market from Toyota and AMC. Initial figures had pinned sales at achieving a 53% homosexual rate of buyers of Civic Lessons, a figure that has yet to be beat. The Civic Lesson proved to be a remarkable car for the homosexual market, as these families did not have any children and thus did not need room for a back seat. Honda foresaw new potential, however, with gay and lesbian

Volkswagen, literally "people's car," has been producing vehicles in Germany since its original founder, Adolf Hitler, brainstormed their first concept. Their niche was once to build a car that the everyday Aryan could afford, and to bring strength by empowering their people to commute cheaply and effectively where they needed to go. Today, Volkswagen is much more, representing an entry-level German nameplate for automobile owners to get the trademarks set by every German automobile: great styling, great handling, and prohibitively expensive repairs.

Their product repertoire includes several historical namesakes from previous generations, as well as modern day contenders in the 21st century automobile market. The New Beetle and the Jetta are Volkswagen's entry level vehicles for German beginners. Moving up the chain brings you the Passat and the Golf, for European luxury in midsize prices. At the top of the chain brings the near-luxury Touareg (German for "SUV") and Phaeton (German for "German Luxury"). What Volkswagen wants you to forget, however, is their rich lineage which spawned today's vehicles.

Founded in 1932 by the famed Nazi leader, his first project was to design a vehicle which would aid in building the strength of the fascist state. The car would be built to mimic the symbolic ideals of the cult-like ruling Nazi party. The Beetle, it was to be called, would be Volkswagen's first foray into enabling the Nazi leaders to commute to battle meetings to coordinate the death of the Allies. Throughout the War of Europe and subsequently World War II, Volkswagen earned the Nazi regime heavy profits due to its rapid expansion and slave labor. This, in turn, allowed Volkswagen to expand plants to newly-acquired German territory in Russia, as well as Czechoslovakia.

After the crumbling of the Nazi party, and effectively the entire German social structure in 1945, Volkswagen was left without its founder and entire management structure. Influenced by the opportunity of quick expansion, wealthy British entrepreneur Richard Branson, Sr. invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the plants to retool them for postwar production throughout Europe. Volkswagen was then reborn to make models that would carry its rich heritage to nations left unaffected by its founder.

Throughout the 1950's, 60's and 70's, the world went through major changes as a global economy started trickling into every nation.

Yes, those mfrs have built essentially identical models from common platforms. They were built for both end products from the start. It's not the same as taking a Neon and modifying it to be Phaeton. Your analogy does not apply.

You mean like the Crossfire http://www.chrysler.com/crossfire/ and the SLK350 http://www.mbusa.com/brand/selector/innerframe.jsp ?model=SLK350&section=null#?

First regular ground cars will still be here for quite some time. If we lived back in the 1890's then these air cars would be the technological equivalent of steam powered vehicles. But before any of this gets off the ground it'll need to be:

1) cheap, needs to be mass produced by a manufacturer who sees that he can make money, and for this to occur the following below also has to be true.
2) safe, (first we need to get technology to the level where cars on the ground can travel without the driver having to take the wheel. First get it working in "2d" space then "3d" later. Use *Failsafe* systems, would you want to drop from 100ft+ in the air because some bird ran into your turbine?
3) fuel efficient, only 2 hours airtime? no chance of being mass produced yet. Using gasoline for this sort of vehicle is like using steam to power the first automobiles.
5) did i mention *safe*? people in the US are still scared to fly, think if they had to do it by themselves.
6) lots of new traffic laws and traffic technology
7) taller buildings with air "parking garages". Everything seems to be going up in places like japan because things are getting crowded below

..well you've seen most of this sort of thing in scifi films and cartoons like the jetsons. Also in the Jetsons they had an impteus for developing flying vehicles and that was that the smog near the ground made it inhabitable so that everything went up (houses, offices, stores, and so did travel). What other social needs at the time lead to the development of the automobile? getting horse poop on your shoes all the time?

She will get the typical "screw the company up, get fired for horrible job performance, but still get the trillion dollar severance package."

What a job!

Carley certainly isn't the loser here. Let's not shed a tear as she gets the foot in her ass out the HP door. Wall Street realizes what a drag she was for the company and now HP's stock is soaring.

Feel sorry for the poor slob HP worker who finds his/her benefits slashed because Carley needed a different SL65 for each day of the week, and HP footed the bill. Carley needs to stay out of business and back to baking cookies and taking care of her home.

> Now someone is probably going to point out that they'll be
> laughing when the fancy Mercedes key runs out of batteries
> and leaves its owner stranded, but this isn't the case.

No, they'll be laughing when the said Mercedes' security system malfunctions and the car doors continuously unlock despite the fact that the owner locked them less than two minutes before. Then the alarm goes off repeatedly. And the Tele Aid system calls the Mercedes call center who then calls the owner to ask if anything's wrong.

It's hilarious when it happens for hours even after you waste your morning to drop the thing off at the dealer so they can figure out what's wrong. And you get real-time updates on how the repair is progressing, because you're still getting calls from the Mercedes call center because the alarm is still going off.

This happened to me years ago when I bought my first (and last) Mercedes, a brand new 2001 SLK320 (one of the cheaper models, but still a lot of money). The damn things are so overengineered, but they have the worst quality. So when something goes wrong, it manifests itself in a bizarre fashion and the dealer can't figure out how to fix it.

I was riding with a buddy in his (2004) Mercedes CLK 55 AMG with the hands-free cell/speakerphone option.

Surprise! The speakerphone can recogonize basic commands like "disc forward" and "mute" and of course: "call Rupert." I think it may control the A/C + heater as well.

How did it work? Fair - the louder the music, the more times he had to repeat himself. With a Bluetoooth headset, I bet it is a bit more accurate.

I dunno who makes it (probably Alpine), but based on the other posts, I do guess other /. ers haven't ridden in Mercedes recently....

http://www.mbusa.com/brand/container.jsp?/models/f eatures/accessories/index.jsp&accClassCode=CLK&mod elCode=clk_class_main&class=04_CLK&menu=3_1
(Makes OnStar look like a couple of paper cups connected by string.)

I don't know if I would call them car-savvy. Completely off-topic here, but I think DaimlerChrysler just makes a bunch of overpriced plastic boxes with shiny baubles inside that somehow fool people to pay $40,000 for something not worth half that. Now, I think cars are overpriced in general, and I would never, ever buy a new car, much less a Mercedes. The G-Class is deliciously obscene, but at $80,000 (base) I can't argue for something whose price would allow me to buy an older Land Rover Defender and leave me $40,000 in change. As far as the car-savvy I would probably point towards the people driving fifteen year old cars (Hondas, Toyotas, Volvos, BMWs) that run better than your average car from five years ago. People that change their own oil (or at least know when its time to get it changed). That's what makes me think of a Firefox user.

The IE user is like the child driving a hopelessly trinketed Honda Civic DX plastered with advertisements. Sure, it might seem cool to them, but they don't get the irony. Oh, and they also get STDs frequently... from their car.

Actually the Mercedes SL and some E Classes use brake by wire.

Tons of auto manufacturers have been doing throttle-by-wire for years now - my 2000 VW Jetta is just one of the dozens of examples. As far as brake-by-wire goes... I've read about other high end/luxury automobiles implementing it or planning to but Mercedes-Benz was the first. Their overview of the safety features of the E-class mention this but the brakes also come on the S, SL, CLK, and the Mayback models.

However the 2004 recall that was due to a braking system defect rate of 1 in 500 cars will likely make the industry think things through quite a bit more before rushing these advances to market.

Personally I like the direct mechanical link between my foot on the brake pedal and the actuators at the discs. You can feel the road as you're braking and there is no chance for a computer failure. A mechanical failure, yes - but a mechanical failure can also occur in the electro-hydraulic brakes. The computer control just adds another possible point of failure.

But I guess in a few years, I likely won't have a choice. *sigh*

Tons of auto manufacturers have been doing throttle-by-wire for years now - my 2000 VW Jetta is just one of the dozens of examples. As far as brake-by-wire goes... I've read about other high end/luxury automobiles implementing it or planning to but Mercedes-Benz was the first. Their overview of the safety features of the E-class mention this but the brakes also come on the S, SL, CLK, and the Mayback models.

However the 2004 recall that was due to a braking system defect rate of 1 in 500 cars will likely make the industry think things through quite a bit more before rushing these advances to market.

Personally I like the direct mechanical link between my foot on the brake pedal and the actuators at the discs. You can feel the road as you're braking and there is no chance for a computer failure. A mechanical failure, yes - but a mechanical failure can also occur in the electro-hydraulic brakes. The computer control just adds another possible point of failure.

But I guess in a few years, I likely won't have a choice. *sigh*

I think humvee refers to the military version of the vehicle (I'd guess that it is the pronunciation of an abreviation). The (AMC?) company that produces civillian versions of the vehicle is branded Hummer, and the vehicles were known as H1 (really close to the military version) and H2 (a bit smaller--still a monstrosity) the H2 is far more popular as it costs about half as much and most folk do not seem to know or care that there is a difference. I think humvee would be more accurate in reference to a military version or H1 civillian vehicle and hummer includes H1 and H2s.
That said if I were gonna blow six figures on a car that measured efficency in gallons per mile, I'd get one of these. Getting two tons of metal from 0 to 60 in under 5 seconds pretty impressive. And you could probably drive the thing to an environmentalist rally. Odd considering it's only 1 mpg better than the hummer, I guess we are visual creatures.

Modern diesel engines are very competitive with gasoline engines when it comes to performance, and always outperform "gassers" in fuel economy. As an example, the Mercedes E320 CDI outdoes the gasoline E320 in many ways:

• 0-60mph acceleration (CDI 6.6 seconds, gas 7.1 sec);
• torque (CDI 369 lb-ft, gas 232 lb-ft);
• fuel economy (CDI 27 mpg city and 37 highway, gas 19 and 27).

Given that the current land speed record for a pickup truck is held by a diesel, diesels can go very fast. In the case of the land speed record, the truck from Banks Power is street legal in California. It hauled its own team trailer to the Salt Flats, and then immediately made qualifying runs of 172 and 192 mph. After some "tuning," it set an official record of 217.314 mph. A peak speed on another run was 222 mph.

Slightly more mundane, but still impressive, is the speed records set by a production Honda Accord diesel. As the article states: Honda's new Accord 2.2 i-CTDi Sport has this week set no fewer than 19 world speed records and achieved 3.07 litres / 100 km (92 mpg) fuel economy to boot. (Note: Imperial gallon is 25% larger than U.S. gallon.)

So, you can pass all the gas cars on the Autobahn, in your diesel, and leave them really far behind because you don't have to stop to refill your tank!

Modern diesel engines are very competitive with gasoline engines when it comes to performance, and always outperform "gassers" in fuel economy. As an example, the Mercedes E320 CDI outdoes the gasoline E320 in many ways:

• 0-60mph acceleration (CDI 6.6 seconds, gas 7.1 sec);
• torque (CDI 369 lb-ft, gas 232 lb-ft);
• fuel economy (CDI 27 mpg city and 37 highway, gas 19 and 27).

Given that the current land speed record for a pickup truck is held by a diesel, diesels can go very fast. In the case of the land speed record, the truck from Banks Power is street legal in California. It hauled its own team trailer to the Salt Flats, and then immediately made qualifying runs of 172 and 192 mph. After some "tuning," it set an official record of 217.314 mph. A peak speed on another run was 222 mph.

Slightly more mundane, but still impressive, is the speed records set by a production Honda Accord diesel. As the article states: Honda's new Accord 2.2 i-CTDi Sport has this week set no fewer than 19 world speed records and achieved 3.07 litres / 100 km (92 mpg) fuel economy to boot. (Note: Imperial gallon is 25% larger than U.S. gallon.)

So, you can pass all the gas cars on the Autobahn, in your diesel, and leave them really far behind because you don't have to stop to refill your tank!

Are there any cars out there better than this?

• Ferrari Enzo Ferrari
• Porsche Carrera GT
• Mercedes McLaren SLR
• Lamborghini Murcielago
• Saleen S7
• Koenigsegg CCR
• Pagani Zonda

BMW offers European Delivery, also Volvo, Saab, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, and maybe a few more I'm too lazy to look up, offer similar programs.

A better version of this, called Distronic, was invented by Mercedes before.
It keeps a fixed distance to the cars ahead when cruise control is on.
When it's not, it still warns you about cars that are too near in front of you.
Now combine this with Pre-Safe and you have a better version of the Honda system.

The Mercedes system a few people were talking about would only be active if the cruise control was turned on. The Honda system (I presume) would be active at all times. All new MBs have Brake Assist that if it detects driver panic on the brake it will automatically boost the power...apparantly some study showed that a large percentage of accidents were due to the driver not stepping on the brake hard enough. I also saw on MBs website that they have a new safety system that seems as if it'll function similar to the Honda but there weren't any actual specifications as to what it does - http://www.mbusa.com/brand/container.jsp?/models/g lance.jsp&modelCode=glance&model=S500V&pf=0&menu=3 _0 and click on Safety. Right now it's only on the S-Class but they should add it to the lower end cars in years to come. One other thing you must understand is that a Honda is A LOT less money than a Mercedes. MANY people drive Hondas...with the introduction of this (if it works), there should be some sort of reduction in accidents.

twitter,

The device that djupedal referred to, Tele-Aid, contacts the Mercedes-Benz emergency center after a collision has occurred. It can also be utilized to establish a conversation with a representative of the company, summon roadside assistance, or obtain directions and reservations in a manner similar to General Motors' On-Star. With the exception of certain C-Class vehicles, Tele-Aid is provided with every Mercedes-Benz assembled as a standard feature. More information is available here.

djupedal, out of curiousity, were you referencing the G-Class or M-Class? :)

Regards,

Scoria

There is a simple solution.

Don't purchase any software that has a 'typical EULA.' Why people think they have no choice but to agree to let the vendor off the hook is beyond me. If the product doesn't work the vendor should be liable. If you buy a blender and it doesn't work after X amount of days of proper use or at all you take it back or write a nasty letter to the manufacturer. The manufacturer will then typically work to replace the defective product.

Why is software differant? Software is ending up in more and more critical locations. The new Mercedes S500 contains a ton of software controls and sensors. You think that the first time these fail and cause a fatal crash that Mercedes won't recieve a huge lawsuit? Why is software differant? Software failures and security flaws cost businesses thousands of dollars, and yet they never attempt to hold the manufacturer accountable. It amazes me.

I'd have to say that it would be impossible for someone to actually spend $1 billion, assuming some limitations were set:

1.) No military vessels (i.e aircraft carriers).

2.) No buying up small nations.

3.) No space stations on the Moon.

Given those limitations, I don't see how one person could possibly spend $1 billion at a rate faster than it would accrue interest (assuming only three percent or so for argument's sake).
Let's see, you'd have to have a house. Maybe something like this? I've heard that it would probably cost $75 million to reproduce it. That would drop you a little, but in the time it would take to build it, your interest would likely make up for the entire construction cost.

Okay, now that you've got a house, how about a car? You could buy ten of each of the Bentley Azure, the Lamborghini Diablo, the Mercedes CL600 Coupe, and throw in a few million dollar 'collector cars' from here, and still not spend more than you'd make back in interest in the time it took for you to drive each one 1,000 miles.

How about some toys? Maybe a nice Gulfstream, since every billionaire must have one? How about two, since they only cost $40 million each? Maybe a yacht? This one is a mere $68 million for a 244 footer! Remember, once you've made your yearlong cruise of the world you've almost made up for the cost!

I can't personally think of much else, since the cost of a 'fine companion' to share this with could be any cost...;-). The point is, however, that unless you sought the goal of actually spending $1 billion and being left with nothing, you would probably be shocked as to how easily that pesky money would re-create itself as you were trying to spend it.

The newest full-size Mercedes S600 sedan does just this with Doppler radar. It can adjust its speed within any bounds to the car in front of it and can control both brakes and accelerator.

Of course, it also has a V12 and costs $115K, but hey, at least the technology is there.

Mercedes USA S600 website

A click on the Features > Feature Spotlight > Distronic will give you a video overview of the functionality.

Internet TLDs mean nothing, they contribute no extra information. Slashdot.org is the same as Slashdot.com.

Not always...one example that comes to mind is that mbusa.net is the website of a filtered ISP while mbusa.com is the American website of a certain German automaker. I doubt that's the only example where the TLD disambiguates.

However you would not catch a break from a Highway Patrol officer if he thought you were distracted by it, whether it's a TV, Playstation or laptop.

I really want to tell Scott Kirsner (the author of the article) that the car is not called a Mercedes "Kompressor" - the Kompressor badge on the back simply denotes (in German) that the car is equipped with a supercharger. I suspect the vehicle is a Mercedes-Benz SLK230.

Asikaa

Yep, that's a Mercedes. Right down to the nifty pop-out key. Here's a link.