With the
new E-Class just released it was only a matter of time before Mercedes-Benz announced updates to its flagship luxury S-Class saloon. Four years is a long time in car years and since then the S-Class's cutting edge technology has been overtaken - its new E-Class relative debuting even more ground-breaking equipment. Unsurprisingly then the new S-Class gets all the trick equipment that's been shown in the E-Class, meaning your chauffeur now gets the nod from the car rather than the back seat passenger as to when they need a break thanks to standard Attention Assist.
Along with the driver monitoring equipment, the S-Class gains the latest driver aids that scan the road ahead. Included in the S-Class's technical arsenal are Adaptive Highbeam Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, automatic crosswind stabilisation and Night View Assist. Indeed, the S-Class is so clever it won't be long until you'll be able to fire your driver and let it drive you on its own.
If you're more inclined to sit in the front passenger seat than in the back the Comand system now offers a new Splitview function that allows the front seat passenger to watch DVDs while the driver uses the satnav. The infotainment system has been heavily revised, with more connection options for phones and iPods thanks to USB and Bluetooth connections.
Visually the S-Class has been subtly enhanced to mark out the 2010 model year improvements. The front and rear lights are revised with LED running lights, indicators and marker lights. There's a new, more pronounced front grille and slightly revised front and rear bumpers - the rear item featuring integrated exhaust pipes.
Naturally the changes include some enhancements to the environmental credibility of the new saloon; BlueEfficiency changes like a smoother underfloor and on-demand auxiliaries under the bonnet to help the S-Class deliver improvements of up to 10% on economy over the
outgoing model.
Unveiled at the
New York Motor Show the new S-Class will go on sale in the UK in the Autumn.
Kyle Fortune - 8 Apr 2009
