2002 Mercedes-Benz Vision GST

Vision GST -- Mercedes-Benz presents design study for a six-seater tourer of the future

• 'Grand Sports Tourer' vision for a new market segment

• Innovative concept for exciting and enjoyable motoring

• Spacious interior with four rear seats

• Dynamic body lines with sporty styling touches

• SBC, 4-ETS, AIRMATIC and the new safety system PRE-SAFE

• 265 kW/360 hp V8 AMG engine

At the North American Auto Show in Detroit, Mercedes-Benz is once again showing its class as a leading innovator and trend-setter among premium-class automotive brands. With Vision GST, the marque with the longest tradition of any automotive brand in the world is presenting a radically new vehicle concept closely focused on the needs and wishes of people of today.
The letters GST stand for 'Grand Sports Tourer', a new and tantalising class of vehicle which combines features of a number of established vehicle concepts into a new and distinctive format: Vision GST is a touring saloon, estate, people carrier and sport utility vehicle (SÚV) rolled into one. Above all, it is a vehicle which lends unprecedented excitement and new meaning to the concept of long-distance driving pleasure. This Mercedes study oozes luxury from the moment the occupants step on board, allowing them to savour and enjoy every minute of the journey.

Sporty, elegant design with sports car styling touches
The design study unveiled by Mercedes-Benz in Detroit offers an intriguing window onto the future of the automobile. It answers frequently aired desires for a vehicle for all occasions which is consummately styled, exciting to drive and highly engineered - a car which offers lots of room for family and leisure outings, for touring and for professional use but at the same time combines this with sharp handling and effortless performance. All of this is achieved with the aid of high-quality Mercedes-Benz design and ground-breaking technical innovations, plus a high-performance engine with beefy torque.

Of various dynamic styling features, the striking arc-shaped roof line which runs in a gentle sweep from the A-pillar to the C-pillar deserves particular mention. It emphasises the long, sleek silhouette and hints strongly at the powerful, sporty power plant lurking beneath the capacious exterior. This impression is further reinforced by the large, 22-inch wheels and the wedge-shaped side view.

Hand-crafted interior materials

Sumptuous, hand-crafted materials like wood, leather and aluminium underpin the exclusive interior ambience in the Vision GST. The ingenious lighting with new-design luminous panels in the roof lining, in the door trim and on the transmission tunnel accentuates the cosy atmosphere. The driver, the front passenger and the occupants of the rear seats can feel completely at their ease in the comfortable, power-adjustable single seats with integrated belt system. With a third seat row for two additional passengers in the rear, the Vision GST offers comfortable accommodation for six people. The large side window areas and the panoramic glass roof allow them to enjoy the journey to the full.

In the area of the instrument panel, the eye is drawn to the centre console which almost appears detached from the rest of the dashboard. The centre console, with its two aluminium panels and tinted glass, houses the colour monitor, the CD player, the car radio and many of the controls. The monitor, which is part of the navigation system, incorporates new software which gives the arrows, road maps and other graphic display features a spatialised, '3D' effect. This advanced display technology is also used for the shimmering blue cockpit instruments. An entertainment system comprising DVD player and video games keeps passengers in the rear occupied during long journeys.

High-tech specification incorporating trailblazing Mercedes innovations

The occupant protection features are rounded off by the new PRE-SAFE safety system which can detect an impending collision in advance and activates the belt-tensioners before the impact actually occurs.

The Vision GST measures 5.15 metres in length - the same as a long-wheelbase S-Class. The wheelbase measures 3.22 metres.

Source - Mercedes-Benz

First-class comfort makes light of long distances

• Ideas for a future premium-class tourer

• Spacious interior and top-class comfort for up to six occupants

• Butterfly doors opening to 90 degrees

• Hand-crafted interior materials

• 4-ETS four-wheel drive traction support system combined with AIRMATIC air suspension

• Predictive PRE-SAFE occupant protection system

• Zero to 100 km/h in seven seconds with 360 hp power plant

'Individuality through diversity' is the guiding theme of the Mercedes-Benz passenger car range. With eleven model series, we meet the expectations of discerning customers and offers vehicles to suit almost any application and lifestyle.
No other premium automotive brand has responded so sweepingly and so uncompromisingly in recent years to changing customer preferences and future social requirements as Mercedes-Benz. With its saloons, estates, compact models, cabriolets, coupés, off-road models and roadsters, Mercedes-Benz is now, some nine years after the launch of its strategic product offensive, the most successful manufacturer of stylistically prestigious and technically pioneering automobiles in a wide spread of market segments.

But times continue to change. New lifestyles, new social trends and new values make a steady stream of new demands on the car. Vehicle concepts which are successful today may already be on the wane tomorrow. That's why Mercedes-Benz keeps its finger on the pulse by monitoring trends and analysing customer requirements, sifting this information and channelling it into the development of new design ideas.

Vision GST is one product of this kind of brainstorming. Its basic premise is that a car of today frequently has to juggle a wide variety of demands. It must be spacious, practical and adaptable, it must look good, have its own distinctive and unmistakable personality, must incorporate cutting-edge engineering and, last but by no means least, must be enjoyable to drive in all situations.

In other words the car of today must be an all-rounder, combining the features of a number of established vehicle concepts into a new and distinctive format. Vision GST presents the Mercedes-Benz view of such a model.

First-class comfort takes the strain out of long journeys

The initials GST stand for 'Grand Sports Tourer', a new and attractive class of vehicle geared to a new and potentially important market segment of the future. It is a 'touring car' in the literal meaning of the term, a car made for covering long distances in comfort with the whole family.

The spacious interior, with its lavish materials and innovative engineering, can accommodate up to six passengers in first-class comfort. In fact it's comfort all the way - even before getting into the vehicle. A brief touch of the sensor button causes the door handles to glide out for easier opening. This is followed up a moment later by the next pleasant surprise: the large doors open to 90 degrees to present a breathtaking vista of the spacious interior.

Since there is no B-pillar, the exclusive interior is immediately exposed in all its glorious spaciousness on opening the door. It is quickly apparent that there is much more to this interior design than just attractive colours and styling. The Mercedes designers have produced a haven of comfort, a 'living space' and private world in which everything is geared to relaxation and enjoyment.

The 'floating' appearance of the seats, of the centre console, of the armrests between the seats and of the transmission tunnel creates an exceptional sense of lightness and elegance, while lavish, hand-crafted materials such as wood, leather and aluminium are easy on the eye and to the touch. An ingenious lighting concept with new-design luminous panels in the ceiling, the door trim and the lower areas of the transmission tunnel adds to this sense of cosiness, providing discreet illumination of the interior while on the move. At night-time, the luminous panels maintain the same agreeable sense of spaciousness, so that the occupants of the Vision GST feel just as comfortable and at ease as during the daytime.

Centre console with CD player and high-tech colour monitor
In a deliberate counterpoint, the snug ambience of the interior is interspersed with ultra-modern, high-tech design features, the main one undoubtedly being the centre console which appears detached from the rest of the dashboard. This comprises two aluminium panels and tinted glass in which the colour monitor, CD player, car radio and many of the controls are housed. The controls take the form of slightly raised symbols on the aluminium panels; the driver or front passenger touches these symbols briefly to activate or deactivate the desired function. LEDs indicate what switch position has been selected. The aluminium panels in the centre console also incorporate ventilation outlets on both sides (top) and loudspeakers (bottom).

The colour monitor in the centre console, which is part of the navigation system of the Vision GST, incorporates new software which gives the arrows, road maps and other graphic display features a spatialised, '3D' effect. This advanced display technology is also used for the shimmering blue cockpit instruments.

The intriguingly designed automatic selector lever between the front seats adds a further high-tech styling touch. The driver operates the roller-shaped knob with just a flick of the wrist. The controls for the convenient one-touch shift gearshift, used for rapid manual shifting between the different gear ranges of the automatic transmission, are inspired by racing car cockpit design, with special rocker switches handily positioned behind the twin spokes of the steering wheel. The powerful V8 engine meanwhile springs to life at a press of the starter button.

An interior for all occasions


The anchorage of the seats and transmission tunnel to the body is concealed, giving them a 'floating' appearance which deftly accentuates the pleasant spacious feel in the 'Grand Sports Tourer'.

The amenities for the rear passengers also include first-class recreational facilities. A state-of-the-art entertainment system helps to while away the hours on a long journey: flat screens mounted in the backrests of the front seats provide a varied entertainment programme which can be individually selected by the passengers using the separate DVD player or the video game console.

True to its multi-functional character, the Vision GST also offers extensive interior adaptability for more sporty-minded travellers. Bicycles, skis, snowboards or other leisure equipment can be transported by simply folding down the single seats in the rear in a few easy operations or lifting them out completely. Thus nothing stands in the way of a sports-packed weekend. A large tailgate provides easy access to the luggage compartment, which has enough room to accommodate all passengers' hand luggage even when the third seat row is in place.

Design leitmotifs - dynamism and transparency


With an exterior length of 5.15 metres and a wheelbase of just under 3.22 metres, the Vision GST is hardly likely to be overlooked on the road. Nevertheless, the Mercedes designers came up with a body design which combines these generous proportions with a strongly sporty and elegant component. These state-of-the-art, high-tech elements quiver with agility, energy and emotion.

The striking, arc-shaped roof line which flows in a vigorous sweep from the A-pillar to the C-pillar is a typical coupé feature. It emphasises the long, sleek silhouette and hints strongly at the powerful, sporty power plant lurking beneath the capacious exterior. This impression is further reinforced by the powerful, muscular shoulders running along the side of the vehicle and creating a lithe, wedge-shaped effect. The large 22-inch wheels (front: 275/45 R 22; rear: 295/40 R 22) with dynamic two-spoke design complete the impression.

To the rear the roof falls away sharply and merges into a gently rounded tail end which is framed by the coupé-like C-pillars. Again, the effect is to produce a distinctive synthesis between uncompromising spaciousness on the one hand and sporty elegance on the other.

Glass is a further important design theme in the Vision GST: at roof level, a large area of electrochromic glass runs from the front windscreen to the rear of the vehicle. At the press of a button, the occupants can vary the level of tinting depending on the intensity of the sunlight. The panoramic roof 'spills' over the edge at the sides, giving a three-dimensional effect and adding to the light and agile appearance of the Vision GST.

New face for a new class of vehicle


The frontal view of the Vision GST is powerful and adrenaline-charged. The radiator grille with the centrally positioned Mercedes star, a typical icon of the sportier models from Mercedes-Benz, looks just as good on the 'Grand Sports Tourer'. The elongated horizontal ribs give the front section a broad and powerful stance which is accentuated by the discreet arrow form of the grille. Two additional air intakes flanking the radiator grille on either side funnel additional air to the V8 engine.

The front end too makes use of stylistic counterpoint to give added dynamic edge, while at the same time marking out the Vision GST as a typical Mercedes design product. Powerful, sharply executed lines form the transition from the large, steeply raked bonnet to the slimline A-pillars. This is underscored by a clearly defined accent line which adds to the subtlety of the light and shade patterns.

The wing-shaped front spoiler introduces another key styling ingredient - aerodynamics. The airflow around the body is 'visualised' by thoughtful detailing which lends added agility. The outer air intakes in the front spoiler are echoed in fairings which spill over to the sides of the vehicle and through to the rear where they flank the rear spoiler in a tail-end treatment which mirrors the design of the front.

Lighting effects

Ingenious styling and functionality is on parade at the rear as well. The three-chamber lights feature elegant, chrome-plated fins and an 'active' brake light function which automatically causes all rear light functions to show red when the driver steps on the brake pedal. This provides a conspicuous warning for following traffic. The direction indicator LEDs also double up as highly effective daytime running lights.

Top innovations from the Mercedes range

The Vision GST profits from many pioneering technical innovations used in the current Mercedes-Benz model range, in particular high-tech systems from the S-Class and M-Class and from Mercedes-AMG.

The 5.5 litre AMG eight-cylinder engine provides effortless power. Peak output is an impressive 265 kW/360 hp, with peak torque of 530 Newton metres available from 3000 rpm. All this gives sports car-style acceleration, propelling the 'Grand Sports Tourer' from zero to 100 km/h in less than seven seconds.

Another area where Mercedes-Benz sports car technology has been inherited is the Sensotronic Brake Control system (SBC), which made its world debut in the SL. When the driver steps on the brake pedal, an electric signal is sent to the SBC microprocessor. Thereupon the microprocessor, which has already obtained extensive information about the vehicle's current 'dynamics' from a complex sensor system, calculates the right amount of braking pressure to apply to each wheel. The result is significantly enhanced braking safety when cornering.

The large brake discs (380 mm diameter at the front, 350 mm diameter at the rear) are made of a high-tech carbon fibre-reinforced ceramic material which can withstand extreme temperatures of up to 1600 degrees centigrade and is around a third lighter than grey cast iron.

Four-wheel drive and air suspension

The four-wheel drive electronic traction support system 4-ETS and the Electronic Stability Program ESP® deliver maximum active safety, keeping the Vision GST on track both on and off surfaced roads.

The AIRMATIC air suspension system is one of various technologies which the design study has borrowed from the S-Class and which provide impeccable comfort on long journeys. AIRMATIC combines air suspension with an adaptive damping system which automatically adapts the shock absorber rates at the front and rear axle to vehicle load, road surface conditions and driving style. The gas pressure front and rear shock absorbers can store four different damper characteristics which the system selects automatically as required. The combination of AIRMATIC and 4-ETS gives the Vision GST the comfort of a long-distance luxury saloon and the handling safety of a 4x4.

PRE-SAFE predictive occupant protection system

With the new Mercedes-Benz PRE-SAFE occupant protection system, the Vision GST blazes a new trail in the field of safety. It can detect an impending collision in advance and activates special protection systems before the impact takes place. These systems include a new type of belt tensioner and an automatic seat adjuster which moves the front passenger seat into a position where the belt and airbag can provide best possible protection.

This advanced safety system is based on the results of Mercedes-Benz accident research which shows that in about two thirds of all road accidents there is enough time between the moment the impending collision is detected and the moment the collision actually occurs to activate selected protection systems.

Source - DaimlerChrysler