M-Class Test Program

The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office is honored to be partners with Mercedes Benz U.S. International, an outstanding corporate citizen in our county, for a high mileage endurance test of the new Mercedes-Benz "M-Class" sport utility vehicle. It has long been the custom of Mercedes-Benz to test the durability of their cars and systems by high endurance mileage testing, in this case by the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office. This high mileage test will help to ensure quality, verify correct design and functions, and develop valuable technical information for use by Mercedes-Benz engineers and technicians. The test period will begin in the fall of 1997.

Tuscaloosa County is approximately 1,340 square miles with over 3,000 road miles comprised of varying types and surfaces which will allow the Sheriff's Office to drive the two "M-Class" vehicles, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for approximately 150,000 miles per vehicle during a one year period. Since Tuscaloosa County is the home to Mercedes, continuous evaluations and monitoring will be conducted by Mercedes-Benz team members at the Vance, Alabama manufacturing plant.

Due to the extreme conditions that law enforcement vehicles are submitted to endure, our testing will focus on several key areas including handling, durability, general wear and tear, acceleration, braking, instrumentation, safety restraint systems, long term driver comfort, spaciousness, and scheduled or needed maintenance in close coordination with the Mercedes Benz M-Class Testing Department.

The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office looks forward to working in a joint partnership with Mercedes-Benz and the citizens of Tuscaloosa County to combat criminal activities in our communities.

For further information on the results of this project see the October 1999 issue of Law Enforcement Technology Magazine.