Mercedes 300SE
THE FABLED ‘FINNY’
favoured by commercial operators. It was in one of these — reputedly a car that had been rolled, written off, and then rebuilt — that Princess Diana was killed in a Paris tunnel in 1995.
This car’s bi-turbo six-litre (actually 5980cc) delivers a silky-smooth 390kw and 830Nm. That gives 0–100kph in 4.6 seconds. Peak torque is available between a low 1900 and 4000rpm, meaning you can get up to speed easily. Roll-on overtaking is a breeze. Given the weight of these cars thirst is an issue even for the smaller engines which have to work hard but that’s not something most buyers had to worry about.
Drive comes via a four-speed automatic gearbox to the rear wheels, which is programmed to take off in second for added smoothness.
So what’s it like to ride in? The road-crushing weight is obvious and that adds to a smooth ride but it retains a German connection to the road. I am aware of the road’s lumps and bumps more than I expect from a car that is supposed to be close to the ultimate but that knowledge arrives more like information than a disturbance of equilibrium.
Hartley says it is a superb openroad cruiser as you’d expect. The cabin is impressively quiet to the point that you have to acknowledge the double glazing. Behind the wheel the controls are light so it is not intimidating to pilot about. If you don’t think about how much it costs to fill the tank a sturdy press on the accelerator increases the volume but the intrinsically balanced V12 offers much more of whoosh than a vroom. The nose lifts a bit and the scenery starts to morph.
There’s no doubt that a steady cruise at any speed would offer a serene ride on a smooth road although hustling that two-tonne weight around a series of bends would call for compromise. The suspension of that
There is no reason to think this car, particularly with its crisp and timeless looks, won’t follow its forebears up the value ladder
era while advanced is unlikely to defy the physics involved. In the real world the active suspension system delivers a proper luxury ride and sitting in any corner of the car is supremely comfortable. You can imagine passing through a hurricane with perfect equanimity, while enjoying the comfort of the firmly padded but correctly shaped seats and the considerable space.
TARDIS TRICK
It’s interesting — while the car is undoubtedly big on the outside too the proportions are so nicely judged it doesn’t look, when parked alone, massively bigger than the small C-class. The space is much more apparent on the inside where you have almost Covid-compliant levels of separation from the other occupants. The quality of fittings is impressive but it’s interesting to note the switches are not special. They are of a standard durable plastic common to the range unlike the chromed metal in Bentleys — although those cars cost spectacularly more.
While the lesser versions would do much the same job for a lot less money the S600 is the one sultans would naturally go for. The creamy yet forceful engine plus the sheer amount of tech make it an obvious choice.
The unique appeal of the Mercedesbenz S-class line is evident in this car. It has to do with the Mercedesbenz legacy of Teutonic thoroughness taken to its logical conclusion plus the undeniable substance and solidity; the reputation for engineering excellence; as well as, especially in the S-class, that reputation for market-leading innovation. And certainly in some markets the brand, the three-pointed star, enjoys unequalled prestige.
Perhaps the qualities of the rest of the W140 range are now more important than the pinnacle properties that put the S600 and S600L at the top of the super-rich wish list but I’m now finding it surprising that so much car — especially one that doesn’t have a reputation for fragility — is available so cheaply. You could leave a fair sum that you’d have to spend on a newer car in the bank for future maintenance issues or even address them pre-emptively. And there’s a great deal to enjoy in the meantime.