Mercedes S-Class Range : CLASS ACT

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Is Mercedes S-Class the finest luxury saloon in the world? Andy Enright decides

Mercedes-Benz tend to get a little anxious when other car manufacturers attempt to poach their reputation for building the best car in the world. For as long as many of us can remember, this title has been awarded to the Mercedes S-Class, but with a slew of astonishingly good rivals from the likes of BMW, Audi and Jaguar, Mercedes needed to pull out all the stops with the current generation version to halt any dissent. Few would argue that theyve done so.

The previous generation S-Class was replaced in 2006 and has to be viewed as a resounding success, even though the luxury saloon sector really had moved on by the time it finally left us. Its successor, dubbed the W221 series, had a tough act to follow but even a short drive should convince you that its well up to the task. The styling takes a little getting used to, observers like me having grown accustomed to the sleek coupe-like lines of the old W220 generation S-Class. The current generation car smoothes the flanks with the absence of side rubbing strips but adds sharply defined wheelarches that some commentators claim are reminiscent of the Mazda RX-8, along with a swage line that runs from the front wheelarch back to the tail light clusters.

Bigger in every dimension to its forebear, this S-Class also features a bootlid thats raised. Mercedes claim this mirrors a styling cue from Maybach their super-luxury vehicle division but most of the car-buying public will more readily associate it with a BMW 7 Series, which isnt great news when trying to position the S-Class as a trend setter rather than follower.

"The current S-Class has dropped the gratuitous gadget count in favour of well-judged refinements"

That suspicion is reinforced in the cabin where a number of fascia buttons have been dispensed with, replaced instead by the COMAND (Cockpit Management and Navigation Display) controller, a rotary knob located between the front seats. Stop me if youve heard this one before, but doesnt that sound a great deal like BMWs almost universally hated iDrive or Audis rather more acceptable MMI interface? Even the smooth expanses of dashboard and hooded instrument binnacle seem distinctly redolent of the BMW. Perhaps this is a little harsh. If Mercedes have judged this layout and interface to work adequately, pragmatism should dictate that they adopt it, rather than wilfully and expensively pursuing a design dead end.

Most of the underpinnings are constructed of high-tensile steel, and the chassis is a good deal more rigid than the outgoing S-Class, a car which remains a surprisingly entertaining steer. In an effort to reduce all-up weight, the bonnet, bootlid, doors and wings are fabricated from aluminium. The wheel-at-each-corner stance improves cabin space and also helps with engine packaging. Although length of the standard wheelbase car has grown by 33mm to 5076mm, the wheelbase stretches by 70mm.

Opt for the long wheelbase car and the length stretches to 5206mm, so you may need to get a tape measure to your existing garage! Width goes up by 16mm to 1871mm and the S-Class also grows 29mm taller to 1473mm. This is a car with serious on road presence. Mercedes approach in past times with its flagship saloon was to throw a multitude of high-technology features at the design, then wait to see what would stick (a theme continued by BMWs current 7 Series). More recently with the post-99 version, Stuttgart dropped the gratuitous gadget count in favour of well-judged refinements and this continues here.

The problematic Sensotronic braking system of the E-Class has been ditched in favour of a refinement of the existing hydraulic set-up, dubbed Adaptive Brake. This system incorporates a number of safety features such as the pads lightly skimming the discs during wet conditions and a hill hold function. The foot-operated parking brake, never a hugely popular Benz staple, has also been quietly ditched in favour of an electronic handbrake. Brake Assist Plus can register vehicles ahead by radar and can calculate if the driver is applying too little braking pressure to avoid a collision, powering up the system to maximum retardation.

Pre-Safe is another safety system that recognises potential accident situations, tensioning the front seat belts, inflating air cushions in the multi-contour seat to support the occupant and automatically closing the side windows. The array of powerplants available has filled out in promising fashion. Prices start at around £55,000 for the S320CDI with its 235bhp V6 diesel, then theres the now-familiar 272bhp 3.5-litre V6 for the S350 and a 388bhp 5.

5-litre V8 for the S500. This replaced the old 5.0-litre 306bhp unit and was the first in the series of multi-valve V8s. Itll punch the big Benz to 60mph in around 5.

4 seconds and hit an electronically limited 155mph. Also available is a twin turbo 5.5-litre V12 with 517bhp for the S600. Plans for hybrid and all-wheel drive models have been discussed but Mercedes is coy about whether these will come to the UK.

A 6.3-litre V8 engine with 525bhp is offered in the S63 and AMG also do an S65 with a 612bhp version of the V12. A 4.6-litre V8 and a 4.

0-litre diesel are also pencilled in for the future. Although the jury remains out on whether this S-Class can ultimately prove as successful as its predecessor, theres little doubt that Mercedes have given it the raw materials to succeed. The best car in the world? Mercedes seem quietly confident.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Mercedes-Benz S-Class range
PRICES: £55,885-£149,055 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 18-20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 220-355g/km
PERFORMANCE: [S500] 0-60mph 5.4s / Max Speed 155mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [S320CDI] (urban) 24.4mpg / (extra urban) 44.1mpg / (combined) 34.0mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Adaptive braking, front, side and window airbags, ABS with BAS, ESP, ASR, Pre-Safe
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm [swb] 5076/1871/1473