Mercedes-Benz World

By Ben Whitworth

First Official Pictures

26 October 2006 11:40

The lowdown

The name says it all - Mercedes-Benz World. Situated next to the historic Brooklands race circuit and museum in Weybridge, Surrey, this multi-million pound group of designer buildings is Mercedes’ shiny new experience centre. Sitting in 60acres of parklands, it’s the ultimate one-stop Mercedes shop, with everything from a conference centre to an off-roading circuit. It joins eight other similar centres across the world, from Stuttgart to Singapore to Durban, but it’s easily the biggest and the only facility to have its own test track. With nine million potential customers living within an hour’s drive of Brooklands, Mercedes expects 300,000 visitors a year. It’s open seven days a week and entry is free. To save you the trek, we jumped the queue and had a look at the highlights…

One of the key attractions will be the centre’s bespoke test tracks and off-road facilities. The test tracks were designed by MIRA, the Motor Industry Research Centre, and there are just under two miles of dynamic handling courses, including a wet skidpan and a 10-acre off-road circuit. There are 32 instructors on hand, all skilled drivers and many with motor racing experience, and the facilities have been designed to handle a dozen cars at any one time. It’s the ultimate test drive facility, with every model in the Mercedes range available to customers. And the handling circuits are not exclusive to those buying a car – there are a number of driving packages on sale, with prices starting at £25 for a ten-minute test session. Not cheap then…

By Ben Whitworth