Living up to the claim of being 'the best car in the world' is no mean feat, but it's one that the various generations of Mercedes-Benz S-Class (starting with the W116 model of 1972, which was the first to be officially called S-Class, but really stretching all the way back to the W180 'Pontoon' models of 1954) has pretty well managed. Now, there's an all-new version, and it's hitting Irish shores this week.
Two petrol and three diesel options
Ciaran Allen, sales manager for Mercedes-Benz in Ireland said: "demand is expected to focus on the standard wheelbase 350d launching at €121,865. Beyond that, most models are likely to be bought by special order, fitted with features according to individual preference."
The new S-Class will come, for the moment, with a choice of two petrol engines - S450 and S500 - which are actually based around the same 3.0-litre inline-six turbo, and which will have standard 4MATIC four-wheel drive. The S450 will hit 100km/h from rest in 5.1 seconds, while the S500 will be slightly further up the road, doing the same sprint in 4.9 seconds.
The three diesel models are also based around a common 3.0-litre straight-six and come in the aforementioned S350d trim, as well as an S350d 4MATIC with four-wheel drive, and a torquier S400d which comes with 4MATIC as standard. The torque output of those engines rises from 600Nm to 700Nm, with the S400d hitting 100km/h in just 5.4 seconds. Other engines will come online in the coming months, including a plug-in hybrid version with a 100km electric-only range, and high-performance AMG models.
Standard specification will include AMG Design Line styling elements, rear 'Thermatronic' climate control, Nappa leather upholstery and trim, heated rear seats, metallic paint and OLED touchscreen with augmented reality.
Smarter infotainment
The new S-Class is more spacious than the outgoing model, with front and rear elbow room increasing by 38mm and 23mm respectively, as well as 16mm more rear headroom, and a big 550-litre boot. Mercedes claims that the interior is quieter thanks to 'improved acoustics' and that overall refinement is better thanks to hydraulic suspension and dampers.
Up front, there's an updated MBUX infotainment system, housed in a dramatic sweeping dashboard layout. There's a 3D display, and Mercedes claims that the computing power of the system has increased by 50 per cent. It may also know what you want before you've told it - Mercedes says that the system uses "eye-tracking spatial perception using cameras and algorithms that anticipate occupant wishes and interpret body language, head and hand movements to manage functions."
The 'Hey, Mercedes' digital voice assistant can now take inputs from all four seats and recognises speech and voice commands in twenty-seven languages. Mercedes has also upgraded its voice control so that it will be able to recognise colloquial phrases better.
Flush door handles
Elsewhere, the new S-Class comes with door handles that retract flush with the body when not in use and which extend automatically when the driver approaches or touches their outer surface. Other enhancements include measures to protect the vehicle against vandalism, improved driver assistance packages, an active body control feature which raises the vehicle up to eight centimetres when a side impact threatens, new headlamp technology which projects warning symbols onto the road ahead, a multi-speaker '4D' sound system with enhanced personalisation functions and a new 'over-the-air' system that automatically updates software for more than 50 components.
Optional equipment includes supplementary ambient lighting, rear airbags, and driver-assist tech developed to reduce the turning circle on long-wheelbase models. The start/stop function is said to work 'almost imperceptibly' without turbo lag thanks to a powerful electric booster and the integrated starter generator. Recyclable content is used in 120 components - more than 98kg of the S-Class' not-inconsiderable bulk is made from resource-conserving materials and a further 40kg from renewable raw materials.