Mercedes S-Class
The three-pointed star’s “best car in the world” just got a whole lot better
It’s not common for me to begin a review starting from the rear seat of a car but this is an exception and rightly so; allow me to tell you why. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is an exceptional car in its own right and has been so ever since its inception. Sonderklasse or special class in German, the luxury saloon has been the choice of many top-tier executives because as much a car, the S-Class has been more of a statement for nearly 50 years in the running. And it’s the rear seat that takes centre stage, being a position of power and control, the S-Class is and will continue being the saloon focused primarily as a chauffeur driven car.
Back to the rear seat, the left rear seat to be precise, the new S-Class brings luxury to its prospective owners in the form of a first-class equivalent reclining chair complete with an adjustable headrest all the way to the extended heel support. Massag
ing functions cocoon you into greater levels of comfort while a touch screen keeps you entertained for your journeys. Worried that you may not be able to reach the screen to operate it? Mercedes have thought things through to equip the rear seat with a dedicated tablet as an extension for all comfort and entertainment controls. The level of technology offered in the new S is so immense that it would’ve taken most part of our short-lived first drive experience to explore all of them in detail. Yet, in the S450 trim of our test car, there are omissions like the absent foldable tables and the way the rear seat belt is presented to you automatically on the international models. Here, you pull the belt yourself, not much of an asking but one function that the chauffeur may not help you with. There are no heated and cooled cup holders at the back but there is a dual zone climate control with central and
MERCEDES HAVE THOUGHT THINGS THROUGH TO EQUIP THE REAR SEAT WITH A DEDICATED TABLET AS AN EXTENSION FOR ALL COMFORT AND ENTERTAINMENT CONTROLS
THE NEW S-CLASS’ COCKPIT IS A DEPARTURE FROM ANY OF ITS PREDECESSORS AND AS WITH THE TIMES, SCREENS TAKE UP MORE SPACE THAN EVER
1.Mercedes has completely redesigned the interior of the S-Class, hinting at the way forward for the brand. The dashboard seamlessly
flows into the door pads giving the impression of a single, continuous space. Four rectangular vents at the top and twin side vents
are different from the circular ones from before and that’s to make space for the
massive centre touchscreen. 2. Touch controls on physical buttons seemed counterintuitive to operate. 3. Components mounted on the A-pillar offer their own rotating theatrics at start-up and shut-down. 4. 12.8-inch touchscreen is as fluid as your mobile device.
5. Steering controls use both press and touch/slide
motions
B-pillar mounted vents that offer three levels of air-speed control, each. For other things like rolling down the blinds and opening the rear sunroof, dedicated buttons are right at your fingertips. Most of all, the banging Burmester audio system encloses you in a “4D Surround” environment that makes the seat tune in to your beats and offer punchy bass that you can actually feel on your back. It is also important to remember that this is after all an S-Class so Mercedes will gladly spec it up to the gills with yet more features if you so wish for.
There is a definitive sense of opulence as every tactile surface, buttons and materials feel expensive and of solid build. There is also a sense of occasion with the various functions offered to its customers. There are however, some drawbacks. The seat adjustment buttons are soft touch and I did miss the clicky feel of the older styled buttons especially since they look similar as before. The reclining function takes a good amount of time to fully unwind and allows the front passenger seat to move forward to make for maximum leg room but my 5’8” frame seemed like the upper limit of passengers that can comfortably fit in the given space with their legs stretched out. Any taller and one would have to adjust their seating to fit
into a fully reclined rear seat. The rear right seat, for obvious reasons, doesn’t get similar functionalities. As it would mean that the Mercedes S-Class would have to be sans a driver and completely autonomous, which by the way, is a possibility in the international markets allowing autonomous driving and yes, the driver still has to be there.
For that person in the driver’s seat, I have one thing to tell you - I envy your workspace. Just look at the wide shot of the dashboard and tell me that you wouldn’t feel the same? The new S-Class’ cockpit is a departure from any of its predecessors and as with the times, screens take up more space than ever, eliminating buttons almost entirely. There is also the instrumentation that has a 3D display, it uses cameras and sensors to track your eye movements and offer a 3D effect to the screen. The central 12.8-inch display is larger than the iPad I typed this story on but surprisingly, is just as fluid with its swipes and slides and that’s important since we’ve come to expect the same amount of fluidity in our car screens as that on our mobile devices. This is the central screen, the all-controller for most in-car functions and settings. Funnily, if sir at the back wants you to switch on the massaging functions, you can’t help him with it as there are no rear controls offered here. Sunroofs open with a touch instead of buttons while the steering wheel allows for both touch and press button inputs. There are omissions again, compared to the international models where just looking behind would drop the rear blind auto
AIR SUSPENSION OFFERS THAT QUINTESSENTIAL DRIVING ON A CLOUD OF AIR FEEL BUT SHARPER BUMPS AND POTHOLES
ARE FELT INSIDE DUE TO THE LOW-PROFILE TYRES
matically or swiping back as a gesture near the headliner would open the sunroof, their absence robs away of the theatrics that make the S special as a car. You do get flickering ambient lights on the door pads to warn of cars in the blind spot and that’s kind of cool but I wouldn’t blame you for feeling short-changed when compared to the features available abroad.
I’m not going to gloss over the spec sheet because as a rear seat passenger, which is going to be a majority of the S-Class’ buyers, all you need to know is that this petrol-powered S450 is quick on its feet as you relax with the massagers on while the air suspension makes this luxury barge waft about on all kinds of surfaces that you probably won’t even notice. For the driver, a glance at the power figures won’t impress you much until you step on the throttle to experience this behemoth move and how. The engine is quick to gather revs and pulls clean till its soft limiter as the gearbox shifts seamlessly. Not that I ever expect this car to be driven in such a manner but it’s good to know that a strong engine with a 48V electrical system is there under the bonnet if dear sir at the back ever gets late to catch the last flight out. Body roll is present and the weight of the car makes itself felt under heavy braking but the beauty of it all is that all these things disappear when driven at a more real world pace. It’s borderline sublime and I say borderline because there’s a caveat.
The S-Class is also renowned for its ride quality and its ability to simply iron out bad surfaces
THE NEW S-CLASS DOES TEMPT YOU TO LOOK AT IT AND APPRECIATE THE CLEAN LINES AND THE ELEGANT STRETCHED LIMO LOOK
to make you feel that our road construction standards have gone up but it sadly isn’t so in this new S-Class. For the most part, the air suspension offers that quintessential driving on a cloud of air feel but sharper bumps and potholes are felt inside and some of the road noise of rougher surfaces do manage to creep in too. Most of these can be attributed to the 20-inch wheels and their low-profile tyres. There is one last trick up the S-Class’ sleeve to redeem itself and that’s the rear axle steering, making for a very tight turning circle thus super easy parking abilities. If you’re not confident of parking yourself then the S-Class will happily take over controls to park itself and take itself out of a tight spot, literally. It’s hard to step out from the lap of luxury that this new S-Class is and when you do, the new S-Class does tempt you to look at it and appreciate the clean lines and the elegant stretched limo look. Flush door handles are the newest addition and they work fine for the most part, except on occasions where you’ve left the key fob inside and then keep pressing the inset door handle while the car plays with you, ejecting the handle after a good few tense moments. The digital LED headlights are new too and apart from illuminating a good 650m ahead, they are intelligent enough to project signs and images, light up pedestrians and obstacles individually and perform a whole set of functions that current laws and legislations sadly don’t allow for.