Thanks all for the input. MBDOC confirmed some of my suspicions but it is also good to hear from a regular user that the complaints may be a bit overblown .. at least in the car's early years. Again, my concern would be when the brake system hits 70/80/90k miles when the car is out of warranty and you have brake trouble codes going beserk.
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So, how is that different from SBC except for the name?
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Kent: The system is not your traditional brake system where the pedal force that you feel is the actual force being applied to the discs. The feel is simulated because the brakes are applied electronically. From another website ... here's a good explanation of SBC:
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When a driver presses the brake pedal, his foot moves a piston, which is connected to the brake booster and master cylinder.
This means: The firmer the push, the higher the pressure in the brake lines, and the higher the force exerted by the brake pads onto the brake disc. A simple principle. With Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC) there will still be a brake pedal and master cylinder, but there are quite a few differences as well.
Because the driver's brake commands are processed by a computer, which also continuously receives sensor signals from each individual wheel and the steering system. From these data the optimal brake pressure is calculated for each wheel individually. And this, promises Mercedes, is advantageous, when braking with full force, when braking in curves or on slippery surfaces.
The driver doesn't feel any of this. The push onto the brake pedal feels like it always did. But starting from the master cylinder it doesn't continue hydraulically, but electronically. Sensors obtain the pressure and the speed, with which it builds up. This information is passed electrically to the controller, which then calculates the brake force - as described above. If the electricity fails and SBC stops working, the good old hydraulic will be used instead, and the car decelerated via the front wheels.