REVIEWS AND ROAD TESTS

Making you more Intelligent

Without a doubt, the S-Class is a veritable technology glutton. In this vehicle, it seems that the famous carmaker has concentrated all of its expertise in a single model (the Stuttgart engineering team has applied for more than 300 patents for this car). And it costs less than the model it’s replacing. What more could buyers ask?You haven’t closed the door properly after you climbed aboard? Don’t bother, one of the S-Class’s electric systems takes care of the problem for you. And this isn’t the only system destined to make life easy for you. As soon as a passenger gets into the rear seat, a headrest pops out automatically from the seat back. You have to call your office? The computerized secretary (yes, ladies, it does have a female voice) will dial the number you dictate. Your attention has wandered away from the road during your telephone conversation? If you’ve engaged the cruise control mechanism it will automatically keep your vehicle at a safe and reasonable distance from the one in front of you and it will even brake if needed. Impressed? You’ve haven’t heard it all. The S- Class is replete with accessories of the same high-tech type.

Multi-function seats can keep you nice and warm or can ventilate your backside to keep it nice and cool - it all depends. You can adjust the seat length to accommodate your size and it even massages you as you drive along. Heaven!

So is this S-Class the work of angels? From a lot of standpoints, yes it is. But it does have a few flaws. The first: its heavily overloaded instrument panel. Ten fingers aren’t enough to count them on and as a result, you’ll have to spend a few hours reading the owner’s manual and experimenting to find out exactly how т everything works. Strangely enough, the second drawback is equipment. For example, despite this model’s asking price, Mercedes persists in billing the CD player separately. The third dubious point concerns the quality of certain materials, like the plastic used to mould the glove box. Definitely low-end! A fourth negative point is the rear room, a bit tight if you happen to be travelling with a party of five. And lastly, another gripe is the trunk. It’s well finished, but buyers have a right to expect more volume given the car’s overall dimensions.The old S-Class was a favourite target of environmentalists who objected to its size, its weight and its resulting high fuel consumption. The new model may well calm them down. Not only is it more compact and lighter (more extensive use of aluminium has led to a 300-kg drop in weight), it needs a whole lot less fuel to get you around. Once again, technology (read: electronics) came to the rescue. But before delving into the realm of microprocessors and other electronic features, let’s talk nuts and bolts.

Under its hood, the S-Class can choose from 4 engine: a 4.3 liter V8 (275 HP), a 5.0 liter V8 (302 HP), a 5.8 liter V12 (362 HP) or a 5.4 liter AMG V8 (349 HP). Each power trains is sublime and their efficiency, smoothness and speed is a perfect match for this magnificent sedan.

To drive the rear wheels, Mercedes uses a five-speed semi- automatic transmission which seemed less than perfect at times during our test driving sessions. In fact, on two occasions during strong acceleration in the automatic mode the transmission was unable to deliver enough power, creating the impression of driving in neutral. When informed of these incidents, a Mercedes engineer who happened to be on hand at the track was puzzled. Was it defective electrical management? Who knows, as the incident was never repeated.

Judging by its exterior dimensions, it’s easy to think that the S- Class isn’t entirely comfortable with winding roads or city driving. Wrong! Its rack-and-pinion steering (in the past this sedan featured a ball steering system) is extremely precise and assistance is well gauged, so the model has the agility that its predecessor never had and its turning radius is shorter. While this Mercedes is fairly good at cornering, it does give the driver the feeling of being at the wheel of a car that is relatively heavy after all.

The air suspension, as complex as everything else on the S-Class, lets you adjust shock absorption by simply pressing a button on the instrument panel and you can even lift the vehicle 35 mm higher if you want to negotiate a slightly high curb. Amazing.

And without the driver having to do a single thing, at speeds of over 140 km/h this same suspension will lower the vehicle by 15 mm to optimize road stability and the aerodynamic effect. Still, the car does tend to show some roll, though it is well controlled, and the suspension tends to hop slightly - just slightly, trust me - on poor road surfaces. What about braking? Well, it’s powerful and easy to gauge - in other words, ideal!

There can be no doubt that the S-Class redefines the criteria for luxury sedans. Lighter, more fun to drive and more comfortable, in return this Mercedes requires that you take a good long look at the owner’s manual to appreciate fully its quintessential qualities!

PROS
Technical sophistication
Comfort level of a flying carpet
Solid and lively mechanics

CONS
Transmission a little slow
Some normally standard accessories are now options
Dashboard overload

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