Mercedes S-Class Saloon (2006 To Date)
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
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| Styling | |
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The fifth generation car was maybe a maybe but its tough to call. One things for sure. If youre in the market for a nearly new luxury car, its tough to go wrong with the seventh generation S Class.
The styling takes a little getting used to, observers like me having grown accustomed to the sleek coupe-like lines of the MK6 W220 generation S-Class. The MK7 car smoothes the flanks with the absence of side rubbing strips but adds sharply defined wheel arches that some commentators claim are reminiscent of the Mazda RX-8, along with a swage line that runs from the front wheel arch back to the tail light clusters. Bigger in every dimension to its forebear, this S-Class also features a boot lid 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.
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 rival 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.
Youll need to square away £45,500 for the first of the 2006 55 plate S350 saloons with the S350L long wheelbase variant adding around £1,700. Naturally these prices take into account a typical spend on options. The S320 CDI has proven rightly popular and these kick off at £47,000 in regular and £48,750 in long wheelbase. Many still see the S500 as the definitive S-Class and one of these will require £55,500 of you in standard length.
Whilst some would rightly claim that the S-Class is no longer as massively over-engineered as previous models, its still impressively screwed together. There are no known mechanical issues that affect the latest generation car although it may well pay dividends to check that all of the electronics are working as designed. One glimpse at the brick-sized manual will suggest that this is not the work of five minutes but when youre forking out this much money, the seller has every right to indulge you. Some of the pale leather interiors can quickly become grubby and youll need to opt for the right combination of colours and trims.
The S320CDI is especially popular given its miserly fuel economy and increasing popularity of executive diesels. Make sure initial servicing has been carried out and dont shy away from higher mileage cars. If any car can carry it off, its the S-Class.
(Based on a 2007 S500) Consumables for the S-Class are reasonably priced with an air filter weighing in at £24, a fuel filter the best part of £60 and an oil filter a mere £6. Spark plugs are around £5 each, although tyres are expensive at around £175 per corner.
The array of powerplants available has filled out in promising fashion. The range opens with the S280 with its 231bhp V6, 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 the punchy S600L and the S320CDI featuring the 235bhp 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel. A 6.3-litre V8 engine with 525bhp is offered in the S63 and AMG also did an S65 with a 612bhp version of the V12.
All models have one thing in common they handle like a smaller car.
Although the likes of Maybach, Rolls-Royce and Bentley have now taken the super-luxury saloon beyond the scope of the Mercedes S-Class, it retains its title as the best car in the world, or the real world at least. Whats more, it doesnt lose that title when the name on the V5 document changes. Whats quite remarkable is that for the price of a decently specified Volkswagen Phaeton or Volvo S80, you could instead start thinking about a Mercedes S Class thats only just been run in. Thats not going to take too much thinking about is it?
