Advanced driver training with Mercedes-Benz

Many people learn to drive through family members in older cars, missing out on skills and knowledge available today.

Most of us grew up learning the basics behind the wheel from Mum or Dad, most likely in a beaten-up old vehicle.

We learnt how to reverse park, check mirrors, keep our hands steady on the wheel - the basics.

Butit is possible to take those basic skills to a whole new level.

Imagine rolling up to a track, designed for the pros, where a line-up of Mercedes-Benz’s finest awaits.

For many, this is a chance to drive vehicles you might see on the showroom floor or while scrolling through social media.

From the moment you arrive, you’re immersed in a program designed to test your performance and enhance your skills.

Mercedes-Benz instructors guide you through the basics, from mastering high-speed to cornering and braking.

But this is not just a thrill ride, it’s about learning the art of staying in control and understanding the capabilities of these beautifully engineered masterpieces.

Mercedes-Benz Driving Event program has been specially designed to assist drivers to become safer, smarter and more skilled on the road. Picture: Supplied

Of course, there will be nerves, the thought of racing around a track, in a vehicle that we may not be familiar with, but you can feel reassured knowing Mercedes spends more than €1 million a day on safety research and development - safe to say we are in good hands.

With every lap, the thrill becomes more addictive and you’re itching to jump in the next vehicle for another lap.

Now every lap is not just about how fast you can go, it’s about technique and precision.

After a couple of hours on the track, instructors will throw real life experiences at you, testing your ability with emergency braking and handling.

One experience saw us driving at 100 km/h towards traffic cones, with the instructor yelling out “left” or “right” at the very last minute indicating which way to swerve and brake.

Feeling these machines handle themselves, in situations that you have hope you’d never be in, is truly incredible.

Drivers will learn how to evade obstacles, practice emergency braking and vehicle control in various demanding driving conditions, including learning advanced car control. Picture: Supplied

The ability of features like Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) technologies, which by the way Mercedes-Benz pioneered and shared with the automotive world, are engineering marvels.

For a first-timer, the feeling was both exhilarating and surprisingly I felt incredibly safe.

Even pushing the vehicles to their limits, I felt a sense of control with every brake, corner and acceleration.

I gained valuable lessons from each instructor including entry and exit of corners, braking and acceleration techniques, how to react in emergency situations and the power of the safety technology in action.

Open to Mercedes-Benz and non Mercedes-Benz owners, this drive day will raise your awareness of typical dangerous situations and help you to develop a new understanding of the vehicle and your skills, to keep you safer on the road. Picture: Supplied

The best part is the fact that you don’t need to be a Mercedes-Benz owner to join these events.

All you need is a drivers licence, a willingness to take your skills up a notch, and $590 for a half-day course.

This is a great experience if you’re looking for something to do with your wife, husband, son or daughter or like me, I’ll be taking my bridal party next time.

What better way to figure out who should be my maid of honour than putting them to the test?

Originally published as Advanced driver training with Mercedes-Benz