Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2005 Review

What we liked
>> Solid, no-nonsense luxury express
>> Lovely interior, amazing technology
>> Big V8 performance in S500

Not so much
>> Fussy styling details
>> New "Comand" system takes some learning
>> Much of the good stuff is optional

OVERVIEW
It doesn't seem too long ago that if you someone mentioned Mercedes-Benz, the first car that sprang to mind was something large, ostentatious and reeking of power. Something like the S-Class, in fact, although Mercedes' flagship has been overshadowed more recently by other offering ranging from tiny hatchback A-Class and Smarts through to 4WD M-Class, a cornucopia of convertibles and even the (even bigger and flashier) Maybach brand.

Make no mistake though, the S-Class represents what the spin-doctors would call Mercedes-Benz's core values - luxury, performance and safety among them - and a new one is very big news indeed. So make way for the new W221 model, the first since the hugely popular W220 released way back in 1998. That car sold more than half a million world-wide and even this year it still regularly beats all-comers in the rarefied world of large luxury sedans.

How to improve on such success? Mercedes has made the new car bigger, stronger and much faster thanks to new and revised engines that include a 5.5-litre V8 on the S500 driven here with enough power to give acceleration like a sports car. The S-Class also traditionally introduces new technology that filters down the Mercedes range in years to come, and this one is no exception. Much of it is optional, but includes things like a night vision system for improving after-dark driving, an active cruise control system that does most of the driver's work for them, and brakes that think ahead and prepare themselves for an emergency stop.

It's a complicated car in some senses, but the concept is simple; Mercedes wanted to build the world's best luxury car. CarPoint turned up to a drive through the north of Italy and the Swiss Alps to find out.

FEATURES
The new S-Class is still a conservative car in some senses, even if Mercedes has taken a somewhat radical approach to styling. It's a four door sedan, of course, but now comes with aggressively rounded wheel arches and other embellishments at least as controversial as the fins that appeared on the 1961 model.

The flanks are convoluted by sweeping style-lines, the rear end has more than a hint of Maybach about it and the boot lid is raised and seemingly separate from the rest of the design. Yet that big grille and those tail lights could be from no other car, and while the general impression is not necessarily pretty, it definitely has a massive and imposing presence.

Perhaps that's not surprising given that at 5076mm the standard wheelbase S-Class is 33mm longer than the old one with a 70mm longer wheelbase, and also 16mm wider and 29mm higher. The long wheelbase version adds a another 130mm to the length. Aluminium has been used for the front guards, bonnet and boot-lid but at 1950kg for the S500 for instance, it works out to about a 100kg increase.

COMFORT
The interior of the new S-Class isn't just new in terms of design and materials, but in concept as well. Gone is the conventional instrument panel with normal dials, and in its place is a TV screen, used to display night-vision images when asked. If that sounds garish then don't worry: the large speedometer projected onto it is conservatively coloured in grey-and-black and there's no outlandish digital readouts.

More confronting is the large alloy knob on the centre armrest used to control the Comand centre. It looks very much like BMW's i-Drive system, although Mercedes reckons its really just an extension of the previous S-Class's profusion of buttons on the centre console. Here, you hit a button to change parameters for the stereo, navigation or even seat set-up, then use the knob to scroll through the options. It's pretty easy to use but takes some learning to find specific functions and inevitably detracts from watching the road.

The good news is that a lot of the on-off switches for the stability control system are still on the dashboard somewhere, and although the gear selector has been moved to the steering column it's a set-and-forget function anyway. Another nice touch is the ambient lighting (likely to be an option) supplied by fibre-optic cable to the underside of the woodgrain strip surrounding the cabin. Polished aluminium for the window, seat and other switches balance the amount of leather, timber and not too much plastic of this generously proportioned and stylish interior.

The front seats are superbly comfortable with plenty of support and softness and there are nicely padded rests for each of the driver's elbows. The Comand controller has a kind of padded palm-rest itself that flips back to reveal the keyboard for the on-board phone. The overall impression inside is of an elegant yet high-tech comfort that extends to the rear seat with its ample leg room made even more generous in the long wheelbase version.

SAFETY
There are no NCAP star ratings for the S-Class yet, but you almost feel sorry for the concrete block about to get hammered by two-tonnes of Stuttgart steel. Mercedes claims the latest in structural design elements and airbags to protect its passengers, but there's also that high and strangely humped bonnet to give pedestrians a chance if they are unlucky enough to step onto Toorak Road at the wrong moment.

More interesting is the full gamut of active safety measures available. Night View Assist, for instance, shines invisible infra-red light down the road at night, and a camera records an image that's displayed on the instrument panel in place of the speedo. Mercedes says during testing a dummy in dark clothing could be spotted at a distance of 164 metres instead of just 72 metres using normal low-beam lighting.

Or there's Brake Assist Plus, which uses the active cruise control (Distronic) radars to measure distance to vehicles ahead of the S-Class and travelling in the same direction. It will give a warning if the safe braking distance is encroached upon, but also calculates what's needed to safely stop the car and is ready to apply the appropriate force - usually much more than the driver imagines – once the brake pedal is applied.

Add to that Distronic itself, which now operates right down to zero speed and so can be used to crawl though heavy traffic, and the latest ABS and ESP software and it is clear the depths of the S-Class's safety package are only being scratched.

MECHANICAL
When the S-Class arrives in Australia early in 2006 the range will start with the S350 with its 3.5-litre V6 that's good for 200kW, and also 350Nm of torque from as low as 2400rpm. Then there's the S500 which, despite the same name as its predecessor gets the larger and all-new V8. This one has 5.4-litres to play with and four valves per-cylinder so its not surprising power has gone up from 225kW to 285kW and torque has also been beefed-up from 460Nm to 530Nm.

That's enough to give the S500 bantamweight footwork despite its cruiserweight bulk. The sprint from zero to 100km/h takes a claimed 5.4 seconds, and yet improved efficiencies mean Mercedes reckons fuel consumption remains the same. Part of the reason for that is the brains of the standard seven-speed automatic gearbox to go with the brawn of the engine.

Suspension is by air springs all-round and a modified version of the old S-Class's multi-link rear end and there are massive ventilated brakes, backed by the latest ABS and brake assist systems.

A little further down the track will be a number version with different engines. The S320 CDi with its 173kW and 540Nm diesel V6 is one possibility, but the S600L powered by a 380kW twin-turbo V12 is a definite. Even at 2180kg it will do 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds and paves the way for the new 6.2-litre V8 S63 AMG that will replace the current supercharged S55 at a later date.

COMPETITORS
Lexus with its LS430 and Audi with its A8 might be snapping at Mercedes' heels, but the one major rival for the S-Class is, of course, the BMW 7-series. There's no pricing available for the S-Class yet, but it is expected to be more expensive. Given the big BMW has historically been a little cheaper, the price gap might widen even more.

The Seven is usually seen as the sportier choice, although the new-found grunt of the S-Class could change that, right down to the six-cylinder S350 model. Whether that's as much a factor with buyers as the 7-series' confronting styling is another matter; the interesting thing is the new S-Class itself is no oil painting.

Then there is the A8, which offers lightweight aluminium and quattro all-wheel-drive among its armoury, and the jaguar XJ6 which is also lightweight, but hasn't captured the hearts of buyers despite its strong performance, agile handling and very British interior. Maybe it's the old-fashioned exterior that has harmed the Jag, but it's also unlikely that any car apart from the BMW - and maybe not even that - will give Mercedes-Benz dealers too many sleepless nights.

ON THE ROAD
You would think with all that technology looking after the brakes, handling and even speed control there wouldn't be much for the driver to do in the new S-Class. In fact, that's pretty much the case except it's not hard to be entertained by what turns out to be an extremely capable as well as comfortable drive.

The S500 quickly establishes that it's not short on performance. Although it will lope along with a barely audible hum from the big engine, stand on the throttle and the car surges forward with almost indecent haste, accompanied by a distinctly hard-edged rumble of V8 noise. The seven-speed auto is very smooth with intuitive kickdown, and offers a sports and manual mode that are available, not really needed most of the time.

The main impression is of size and being surrounded by a whole lot of metal, but also of refinement and an exceptionally good ride quality. The Airmatic suspension wasn't quite perfect before, but seems to be approaching that now with an ability to iron out shorter, sharper bumps than it once did.

There's also an optional active body control that limits roll and wallow, and it works a treat to keep the big car on the straight and narrow. Similarly, the brakes have no trouble hauling the S500 down from speed. The steering has some free-play just away from the straight-on position but has plenty of feel and feedback after that. Handling isn't so much entertaining as supremely stable, giving an impression of being planted to the road and yet somewhat aloof from it.

The upshot is that while the new S-Class might cause a faint ripple of controversy thanks to its comparatively radical styling and even its BMW-like controls, it embodies the standing notions of making the driver feel that more than $200,000 has been well spent on comfort, technology, safety and above all presence. It's a logical successor to what's come before; better by a good margin, very capable very likely to uphold Mercedes' spot on top of the luxury-car tree.