- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
4.3i, 8 cyl.
- Engine Power
205kW, 400Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 12.3L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Smart as a house, and just as costly
PIGEONHOLE: Show us your . . . wealth.
PHILOSOPHY: Maximum technology in a plutocrat's carriage.
WHO'S BUYING IT: Old money, Chinese money, stockmarket-boom money.
WHY YOU'D BUY IT: It's the best of the XXXL flagships partly because the latest technology gives it an edge but mostly because Benz pride was on the line during its development. Superior resale values likely, given Mercedes' track record.
WHY YOU WOULDN'T: A bit more plasticky. Some of the old over-engineering is absent. The new series is about 30 per cent cheaper to make, partly through manufacturing efficiency, but some cost cutting is evident. No previous S class would have left the factory with plastic covers on the door sills instead of polished chrome. Techno overload in the cockpit means drivers now need computer skills to get the most out of the car.
STANDARD EQUIPMENT: Everything is not as it seems. The TV screen doesn't work here (are they waiting for cable?) and satellite navigation won't be available until September. Ditto the much-publicised radar cruise control, voice-activated telephone and smart-card key system. Otherwise, there's the usual array of luxury kit with options that include stuff you didn't know you needed. Ventilated and heated front seats ($2,562) and ultrasonic parking beepers ($2,353). Standard fittings include smog-sniffing sensors to shut out pollution and automatically heated windscreen wipers.
SAFETY: The absolute last word. Lots of airbags hide the real improvements in structural engineering and a major effort to increase side-impact protection. Electronic aids protect stupid drivers from overstepping the limits.
CABIN: A pleasant place to be, but shoulder width is skinnier than in the old model and the array of controls requires serious study. Most early sales have been the stretched L versions which provide loads more rear seat accommodation. The glovebox is big but useless because the owner's manual and a textbook on the how to use the COMMAND cockpit system completely fill it.
SEATING: The seats in this car gently massage the back while a discreet ventilator (how to phrase this delicately?) fan-dries the posterior. And the buckets are temperature controlled, too, with the ability to set themselves up in almost the ideal driving position for your height once you press the "E" for ergonomic button. After nearly 500km in a single stint there are no complaints. The rear pew is sumptuous and optionally heated.
ENGINE: New-generation, three valves per cylinder V8 displaces 4.3 litres and produces a silken surge. Maximum thrust of 400 Nm is available from 3000 revs all the way through to 4400, so a gentle squeeze produces good response. Claimed rest to 100km/h acceleration is under eight seconds which is not hanging about for a big limo like this.
TRANSMISSION: Five-speed automatic with two driving modes and manual shift selection. There is none better for refinement or fail-safe function.
STEERING: For a big car, remarkably precise and agile.
HANDLING: Light and lithe when pushed hard. New air suspension and a major redesign underneath have produced an automotive oxymoron: the crisp-handling limousine. It's actually fun to drive.
FUEL: Low-emission technology assuages some of the guilt of chewing 14-16 litres of fuel every 100km in city going. The average city highway claim is 12.3 litres. This is 2.6 litres less than the old model, a welcome improvement.
BRAKES: Not enough space to convey the technology story. They work brilliantly and actually think for themselves in an emergency. Few drivers can extract maximum performance from brakes in a panic stop. On this car electronics do it for you.
BUILD: Something indefinable has been lost but this is a superbly manufactured piece.
ANTI-THEFT: Best available technology.
AUDIO SYSTEM: You need a pilot's licence to fly it but the quality is good.
COST: The same as a nice three-bedroom house in the burbs, a mere $218,000 plus on-road costs. This is actually a sharp ticket versus the competition. Take consolation in the fact that those who drive them have contributed $50,200 in sales tax and a slightly smaller amount of import duty. Peter Costello makes more dough out of these cars than Mercedes-Benz.
VERDICT: A smarter piece of ostentation. As usual with any new S class it pioneers a bunch of new technology that will eventually find its way into more humble models.
No longer "nothing but the best and hang the expense" it's still very impressive. It's a pity most of the gee-whiz gadgets that stole the launch headlines haven't yet made it to local showrooms.