Mercedes Benz S-class

                 MERCEDES- BENZ S-CLASS
Last updated - 20/02/2019                                                                    published by - Bonny Singh.

INTRODUCTION

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class, formerly known as Sonderklasse is a series of full sized luxury produced by the German automaker Mercedes Benz, a division of German company. The S-Class designation for top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz models was officially introduced in 1972 and has remained in use ever since.

The S-Class has debuted many of the company's latest innovations, including drivetrain technologies, interior features, and safety systems. The S-Class has ranked as the world's best-selling luxury sedan, and its latest generation, the W222 S-Class, premiered in 2013. As in previous, the W222 S-Class is sold in standard and long wheelbase versions; powertrains are offered. All models built sold in the USare available in long wheelbase only.

In automotive terms, Sonderklasse refers to "a specially outfitted car." Although used colloquially for decades, following its official application in 1972, six generations of officially named S-Klasse sedans have been produced. Previous two-door coupe models of the S-Class were known as SEC and later S-Coupe. In 1996 the S-Class coupe was spun off in a separate line as the, however, as of June 2014, it has been re-designated as the S Class coupe for the 2015 model year, doing away with the CL-Class. In 2016, the S-Class Cabriolet, internally named A217, was introduced with three variants: the S 550 Cabriolet, the Mercedes-AMG S 63 Cabriolet with 4Matic, and the Mercedes-AMG S 65 Cabriolet. The Mercedes-Maybach S 650 Cabriolet, based on the S 65 Cabriolet, was announced in 2016.

DRIVING

It will slow you down to a speed where you could take the roundabout, assuming it’s not following anything that might dictate its speed and if there are no cars to give way to. But if there are, you have to bring things to a stop yourself. It all worked pretty well when an engineer demoed the system on country roads around one of Merc’s places in Stuttgart, but when we tried it for ourselves in the UK it wasn’t quite as effective. It’s a bit ‘last of the late breakers’, which isn’t what you want in a luxury limo.

Nonetheless, on motorways it’s great. It maintains a gap to the car ahead – which varies by speed and setting, all the way down to a stop – and keeps the car in its lane. It’ll also adjust the speed you’ve set to whatever the speed limit is because it recognises road signs. Remember it’s long-journey driver support, not autonomous self-driving.

It goes without saying the S-Class is not an especially engaging drive when you take full control yourself. It’s all about astounding quietness and rides suppleness, and it delivers both of those in spades. Adaptive dampers tauten it where needed, but the steering has no feel – its hallmark is immense directional stability at high speeds.

The new diesel is a great engine and is perfectly capable of getting along smartly. It’s our choice for now, but our inner hooligan will always prefer the AMGs.

INTERIOR

The dash’s two huge instrument and display screens are all clarity and logic. They’ve been updated and now more closely resemble what you get in the new E-Class, which is fine by us.Mercedes is one of the few manufacturers that hasn’t gone doolally for touchscreens, and good as the A8’s twin-screen setup is, it’s still not as intuitive as having a dedicated, physical control. 

Said screens are set in beautifully worked leather, wood and metal, and most ergonomics are just-so. Those familiar with Merc will notice the new steering wheel, with its touchpads and cruise control, erm, controls (no more little stalk behind the wheel – a Merc fave). It’s a bit button-heavy, but you get used to it.

Also new for the facelift is something called ENERGIZING Comfort Control (yes, all caps. Live with it). It links the climate control, seats, lighting and stereo enabling “a specific wellness set-up tailored to the mood and need of the customer”.

The LWB version can be specced with rear seats that massage, heat, vent and recline halfway to horizontal, with aircraft-like leg-rests. Rear entertainment is very comprehensive and legroom just vast. The V8’s active suspension has an option that uses binocular vision to see bumps in the road and lift each wheel as they pass beneath. The result is near-miraculous.

SAFETY

Mercedes-Benz has traditionally introduced its safety innovations in the S-Class. For instance, the S-Class was the first car in Europe to incorporate airbags and three-point seatbelts. S-Class safety features included innovations in Active safety (accident avoidance), passive safety(collision protection), and holistic safety (integration of both active and passive safety features). Active safety features include ABS braking in 1978 (acts to reduce braking distances and improve stopping control; co-developed with Bosch); traction control and (ESP) in 1995 (improves driver control during difficult road conditions); and Brake Assist (provides full braking power during emergency stops).

 In 2005, a new infrared night vision feature was introduced (improves visibility during nighttime conditions). Despite the popular misconception, the S-Class was not the first car fitted with ABS braking technology, although some credit can be given for popularizing this now largely standard feature (ABS was initially an option on most models of the W126 S-Class).

Passive safety features include: crumple zones  (vehicle body structure absorbs the force of impact); collapsible steering column (prevents the steering column from protruding into the cabin during accidents), strengthened occupant cell enhanced occupant protection during severe impacts (rollovers); pre-accident seatbelt tensioning (tightens seatbelts prior to impact), and sandwich platforms (allows the engine to slide under the occupants in a head-on collision).

PRE-SAFE, Mercedes-Benz's holistic safety feature, was introduced on the S-Class in 2002. In the latest version of this pre-collision system, PRE-SAFE will prime the brake assist system, lock the doors to prevent accidental opening during the accident, adjust the seats, close the windows and sunroof, and tighten seatbelts during certain types of collisions. In the event an accident results in a rollover, the PRE-SAFE feature unlocks the doors and lowers the windows approximately one half-inch to allow you to exit or safety workers to gain access easily.

MERCEDES BENZ S-CLASS PRICE

Mercedes-Benz S-Class prices start at Rs. 1.40 crore for petrol and goes up to Rs. 2.73 crore. The prices of S-Class diesel variants start at Rs. 1.36 crore and the top-end diesel is priced at Rs. 1.36 crore. Mercedes-Benz S-Class is available in 5 variants and 7 colours.