Image: Thomas Wieleck.

It’s a crisp autumn morning at Sydney Motorsport Park and I’ve already skidded in an E 300 sedan, emergency-braked and swerved in a GLA 250 4MATIC, made mincemeat of a rugged off-road track in a GLS 400D, and taken corners at speeds I ordinarily wouldn’t reach on the straight in an AMG GT R. So far, so much fun …

We’re being put through our paces by a crack team of instructors at Mercedes-Benz Accelerate, a driving event designed to improve our skills and showcase the range and capabilities of the Mercedes-Benz stable of vehicles. It’s also an insight into the advances in automotive safety that lie at the heart of this venerable German brand.

By Sally Feldman