Special Class - Mercedes Benz S Class

The new Mercedes Benz S Class will be on sale in India early next year, so we take a look at its plethora of technology – airbags embedded in the seat belts, ‘far sighted’ suspension, driving aids of all sorts, and, soon, a plug-in hybrid.

The year was 1972, and Mercedes had begun to mark its flagship with the letter ‘S’ for ‘Sonderklasse’  (German for “Special Class”). Over forty years later, here’s the next generation – the sixth with this denomination – on a mission to elevate the limits of its category even further while waiting to see what its eternal rivals from Munich will do next (already grappling with the next 7 Series.)

"For the first time in the history of the S-Class, it’s the long-wheelbase version (5.25 metres) that sits at the top of the range. But even in the “short” version (5.11 metres), there is more room for the rear passengers who are pampered with standards even higher than what they’ve been used to before. From the bigger grille, to the rear lights, the design is decidedly different – and to its benefit, the aerodynamic drag has now fallen to 0.24 Cd. An absolute first is the absence of incandescent lights – the street, passenger area, and the trunk are all illuminated by something like 500 LED’s. There are three engines that have been announced – in addition to the powerful 450bhp V8 petrol engine and the 258bhp V6 diesel, there is the 302bhp hybrid V6 petrol engine. And before the end of this year, there will be an additional 4 cylinder petrol engine. There will also be the debut of a plug-in variant of the S-500. Lastly, the security systems and infotainment are the best you can find on the market, and include some interesting novelties that may push the final price further into the statosphere.

Everything and more

Whether you decide to personally grip the innovative two-spoke steering wheel, or leave “the burden” to the driver, once aboard it’s easy to confuse the passenger area with a luxurious living room due to the abundance of high-quality materials – including numerous metallized switches. The latest-generation includes every comfort under the sun, including the Air-Balance package featuring an air fragrance selection control, the new heated armrests and ventilated seats with a massage function, and a rear seat that can recline to 43.5-degrees.

An ever-aware co-pilot

The S-Class, whose third-generation aluminium body has 50% more torsional resistance than before, is literally peppered with electronic driving assistance systems. Not all of them are new, but they are all optimized with the goal of reducing the risk of an accident to the bare minimum. The blind-spot detection feature, for example, now intervenes to rectify the car’s trajectory, while the anti-collision program now has an additional pedestrian-recognition device and intersection assistance. There are also inflatable seatbelts for the rear passengers. Lastly, with the new Park Assist, you can enter and exit from parking spaces without holding on to the steering wheel. As things stand now, you would be hard pressed to desire much more.

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