GERMANY TAKES ON JAPAN IN A BATTLE OF LARGE LUXURY
EQUIPMENT AND VALUE
Priced from $240,700, even the entry-level S-Class is a technological showcase with the main exhibit being the latest MBUX infotainment and 12.8-inch portrait-orientated central OLED touchscreen. Eye-tracking technology can recognise the driver and passenger and adjust their preferred settings regardless of where they sit – it also helps create 3D effects on the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Another useful feature is augmented reality that works with sat-nav to virtually point at your next turn on the central monitor. New safety features include 10 airbags, a display showing surrounding vehicles with distances and stopping times for each, and adaptive cruise control with route-based speed adaption that uses real-time traffic data to prepare it for tackling congestion on the road ahead. Warranty is strong at five years/unlimited kilometres. 22/25 At $200,955, the most luxurious LS 500 is almost $40K cheaper than the Merc. Extensive standard features include two reclining rear seats with massage functions. But the LS 500 is encumbered by a dated infotainment system with drab graphics and a fiddly trackpad, though the 12.3-inch monitor is now a convenient touchscreen. Also dated is the Lexus’s voice control system, which I gave up on when trying to dictate a navigation destination. It has 10 airbags and is the first Lexus model to feature Intersection Turning Assist, which warns if you’re about to turn across the path of an oncoming vehicle. Adaptive cruise control with speed-sign recognition is also standard, as is lane-keeping assist that slows the vehicle to safely negotiate bends when necessary. The warranty period is weaker than that of M-B: just four years/100,000km. 21/25