Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its latest contender for the title of best car in the world in the form of the new S-class. As per usual the new S-class (the 6th generation of the marque's range topper) features a host of technological advancements and promises class leading dynamics thanks to improved ride and handling and some all-new engines. The uber-wagon also looks set to offer class-leading safety, accommodation and equipment levels.
Looks-wise the new S-class is very much an evolution of the outgoing model especially at the front and rear, unsurprising given that car's 485,000 sales. Mercedes has consciously shied away from controversially styling the car for fear of alienating the buyer as the
BMW 7-series initially did. However, as conservative as the front and rear ends are, the flanks are heavily sculpted with wheel arches similar to the Mazda RX-8's and even those found on the
Mitsubishi Shogun and, although avoiding the slab sided styling of previous cars, looks to be an acquired taste in the pictures. We'll reserve judgment until we see it in the flesh at this year's
Frankfurt Motor Show.
The interior is more spacious than the outgoing model thanks to increased dimensions in all directions. Measurements such as elbow and shoulder room have been increased by up to 39mm, headroom is also increased and the boot has grown by 60 litres. Interior trim and ergonomics are also claimed to be improved.
Interestingly Mercedes appears to have adopted an I-drive clone that they are calling "Command Centre". Ultimately Mercedes had to seek some way of simplifying controls as the levels of equipment and technology increased so did the number of buttons on the dash. The E-class we drove recently had buttons on every surface of the dash, and lots of them, Command Centre will simplify this no end and give one common interface for the majority of controls. No doubt Mercedes-Benz will have benchmarked the BMW system and added a few tweaks and improvements.
The new S-class introduces no less than a dozen technological advancements including:
a new advanced Brake Assist Plus system that uses radar to decide whether to apply more braking force than the driver already has
the new Command Centre control interface (see text above)
seats with extended massage functionality
adaptive brake light that flashes under emergency braking conditions
'Pre-safe' that monitors rates of deceleration and pre-tensions seat belts and inflates air pockets in the seats during a skid or prior to impact offering optimum occupant protection; side windows are also closed during activation of this system
'Distronic Plus' that maintains the correct spacing between you and the car in front
night view assist that uses infra red headlights to illuminate the road, without casting visible light, and shows the image of the road ahead on the instrument cluster
The driving experience has also evolved with the 7-speed automatic gearbox carried over, but now operated by steering wheel mounted buttons or a column mounted lever, freeing up space for the Command Centre control interface. The motive power is provided by a range of four engines, three petrol and one diesel, including an all-new 388bhp 5.5-litre V8. The other engines are the 3.5-litre V6, a twin-turbo V12 as found in the current car and a revised version of the 3-litre straight-six turbo diesel. All variants offer improved performance and emissions over their predecessors.
The new Mercedes-Benz S-class goes on sale in the Spring of next year. We hope to get our eager hands on a test car before Summer 2006, so keep an eye on the Mercedes-Benz section of the Road Tests page.
Dave Jenkins - 1 Jul 2005