Discretion is the name of the game when it comes to the
Mercedes S-Class, so a makeover for Merc’s luxury saloon was never really going to involve botox and teeth whitening. Nope, Mercedes has played it safe and subtle from the outside. You’ll have to look good and hard to spot the re-profiled front and rear bumpers and the more ‘arrow-shaped’ front grille. The only real giveaways are the LED daytime running lights set into the lower front air intakes, and these hardly scream ‘facelift,’ do they?
Most of the other changes to the S-Class centre around Mercedes’ battery of safety systems, which we’ve recently seen introduced in the new E-Class. Now it’s the S’s turn and it receives the same dizzying array of Distronic Plus, Lane Keeping Assist, Attention Assist, Adaptive High-Beam Assist and Night View Assist Plus. All catchy names, but they boil down to the S-Class being more capable of avoiding an accident in the first place or, if the worst happens, being better at protecting its occupants. In total, there are no less than 17 different safety systems available on the new
Mercedes S-Class (some standard, some optional) and it will do everything for you bar fill in your tax return – which is perhaps a missed trick from Mercedes...
There’s even a revised version of Mercedes’ Active Body Control, which continually fine-tunes the air suspension for the best ride and stability balance. The new system comes with a function to compensate for crosswinds, though this is not a problem we’ve experienced in any S-Class, thanks to its near two-tonne weight keeping it firmly pressed onto the road. If you spend a good deal of time driving on the Autobahn at three-figure speeds, this could be of some use, which explains why it’s an option on all models but the range-topping S600 L. It’s perhaps of less use here in Ireland, where there’s little chance of motorway driving anywhere near the winds of the Wild West.
All of this technology could be overbearing, as was the case with some of the safety tech in the E-Class. However, it’s all suitably more discreet in the S-Class and we found none of the systems interfered with our enjoyment of plutocratic driving. One piece of gadgetry that is more obvious is Merc’s new SplitView screen. This display is set high in the centre of the dashboard to show the satellite navigation to the driver, but the clever bit is that it can also simultaneously show the front-seat passenger a television programme on the same screen – yet the driver cannot see the this, so won’t be distracted by it.
Neither will the driver be distracted by the few mechanical changes to the S-Class that Mercedes has made. Only the turbo-diesel-powered S350 CDI comes in for attention, as it replaces the S320 CDI. There’s no more go – it remains at 235hp and 540Nm of torque – but emissions have been lowered from the previous model’s 220g/km to 199g/km. This is a significant drop, though it still sadly leaves the entry-level diesel S-Class residing in Band F for road tax and VRT. However, there is some compensation, as fuel economy improves to 7.6l/100km from the S320 CDI’s 8.3l/100km.
The economy and emissions gains are thanks to Mercedes fitting low-rolling-resistance tyres and a revised seven-speed automatic transmission to the S350 CDI. When the car comes to a stop with the footbrake applied, the seven-speed gearbox puts itself into neutral to reduce drag on the transmission. This is also standard on the other S-Class models that use the seven-speed auto, though the 5.5-litre V12-powered S600 sticks with its five-speed auto. We suspect that buyers of that car may not have saving the odd litre of fossil fuel high up on their list of priorities...
Driving the S-Class, you will never notice the gearbox slipping into neutral when you’re waiting at the lights or in stop-start traffic. As soon as you take your foot off the brake, the Merc re-engages drive and off you go. There’s no loss of smoothness with the revised gearbox, either, and the S-Class smooches its way from gear to the next with all the calm efficiency you would expect from a range-topping Merc.
It’s the same story with the way the S-Class travels along any type of road. Whether it’s polished-smooth motorway or broken city streets, the Merc passes over lumps and ruts with ease, putting the Audi A8 and BMW 7-Series in the shade. Head on to twistier roads and the S-Class reveals that it’s surprising agile for a two-tonne slice of luxury. Its steering has plenty of feel and accuracy for these conditions, yet there’s no fidgeting on the motorway.
The only slight interruption to the S-Class’s impressive driving ability is a hint of diesel rumble from the 3.0-litre V6 at slower speeds. It’s not enough for us to steer clear of the car – it’s just not as refined as the petrol versions. The S350 CDI diesel is also not quite as brisk as its sister models. Covering 0–100km/h in 7.8 seconds is respectable, but the S350 CDI driver cannot overtake with the same assured confidence that they would have in the petrol-fuelled models.
Even so, it’s hard to fault the S-Class, as it has evolved over decades into the definitive blueprint for the luxury saloon. Inside the cabin, wind and road noise are distant memories, while every passenger is afforded generous space for heads, legs and shoulders. If rear legroom is a priority, Mercedes continues to offer a long-wheelbase version of the S-Class with every engine variant.
A superb driving position with masses of adjustment suits every type and shape of driver, and all-round visibility is excellent. Mercedes now supplies its Blind Spot Assist to keep an electronic eye on traffic the driver might not be able to see, while a reversing camera helps to make light work of parking.
Mercedes had a tough task improving on the S-Class and it has managed to incorporate a huge amount of technology into the revised version, without it becoming intrusive. The only thing Merc has forgotten to include is ‘Payment Assist,’ as the revised S-Class will cost a little bit more than the current model when it goes on sale in October. Expect prices for the entry-point S350 CDI to creep beyond the €112,000, which is about the only indiscreet thing about the latest Mercedes S-Class.