Mercedes-Benz S350d L is pragmatic splendour
It saves you money on fuel while going about your royal envoy duties, writes Phuti Mpyane
For 51 years, Mercedes-Benz has been churning out its impressive S-Class, and for decades it’s been the imperious leader of the class.
Ultra luxury car makers are on a new mission of discreet ostentation. The new MercedesBenz S-Class embodies this new direction with less showy chrome and cleaner surfaces.
It’s even more cautious in regular trim, but our test unit’s AMG body pack styling, a free option, and R28,000 worth of black 20-inch AMG M alloy wheels create a more villainous look. Approach the S-Class with its key fob nearby, and its flush door handle surrounds light up. It takes a fleeting touch across the capacitive surfaces to pop out, then you pull to open.
It doesn’t have the option of electrically-operated doors as found in its Mercedes-EQS electric cousin, and perennial foe BMW 7 Series, which is a pity. These would serve as an apt precursor to the R112,700 worth of Machiatto, which is a cream leather upholstery with a diamond pattern also applied to the leather-clad steering wheel optioned in our car. The seats are super comfy, heated and electrically-operated with neck pillows, and small masseuses live inside them.
On longer drives the driver’s seat adjusts in small degrees to give a much-needed flex of the body posture. This forms part of the passenger wellness pursuits of the brand. The rear seats also recline, and they are separated by a tunnel that integrates a digital pad and wireless charger. Active ambient lighting transforms the cabin into Dubai after sunset.
Most of the innovative features are hidden inside digital menus. The most visible advancements are sensors that quickly notice intersections and beam video images of all directions onto the main screen, and navigation with an augmented reality view — all of this for R65,000.
Quality and reliability are paramount in the S-Class, and it was a pleasure to come across capacitive buttons that work, all the time. You can also use voiceactivated commands to summon your S-Class’ artificial intelligence butler. As customers shift into the world of SUV ownership and electrification, one wonders where this leaves the three-box luxury colossus, especially the diesel-powered S350d L?
The limo commands respect from observers, and the silence and silkiness of the 2.9l sixcylinder diesel motor with 210kW on tap is exemplary. A smooth-operating nine-speed transmission, and the availability of all its 600Nm at the 3,200rpm mark, makes it hugely tractable. It’s all about luxury progression and the brute force of the motor makes it rapid. It’s not hard to believe Mercedes’ claims of a 0-100km/h sprint in 6.5 seconds and a 250km/h top speed.
The S350d L is a driver’s car, too, and I indulged in this unexpected performance envelope. It’s nimble enough, and the airsprung suspension squats low for keener cornering . There’ sa small hint of a body roll inside corners, and there’s not much that can be done to mask its heft, but work has been done to make it handle as well as smaller Benzes.
The list of safety systems is too long to fit in here, but ground-breaking highlights include inflatable seat belt straps, optional rear-passenger airbags and standard Pre-Safe which primes the vehicle for impact by closing any open windows and tightens the seats belts. This latest model now adds the ability for the suspension to imminently lift itself 7.2cm to protect passengers in a side-impact crash.
In SA the S-Class is available in long wheelbase only. Other markets can opt for a short wheelbase. The former makes sense for when you want to selfdrive, or to enjoy been chauffeured. Both applications are catered for.
It’s not a wide segment of offerings, but there are compelling alternatives. The S350d L starts at R2.435m but our vehicle with its selected luxuries costs R2,842,893. The equivalent BMW is the 740d xDrive and for similar prices you can also consider the Porsche Panamera 4 Ehybrid Executive or the Maserati Quattroporte GT.
I’d happily live with the S350d L. It’s just as classy and presidential as the petrol range and the 7.5l/100km fuel consumption it returned during the test period means less frequent and nagging visits to the filling stations. It’s my star pick.