Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2013 Review

Released Down Under this week, the all-new MR222 family will eventually comprise Mercedes-Benz Australia’s largest S-Class line-up Turbo-diesel, petrol and hybrid models with four to 12-cylinder engines have been slated for local release, with the lion’s share of models on sale Down Under by mid-2014.

At that time Mercedes-Benz Australia will add V6 and V12 bi-turbo petrol models plus the diesel-electric S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid to the local line-up. For the time being, however, the powertrain choice is limited to turbo-diesel V6 and petrol bi-turbo V8 models.

Mercedes-Benz says the new S-Class range is figuratively built on three pillars: the marque’s Intelligent Drive concept; efficient technology; and the ‘essence of luxury’. In its latest generation, the S-Class is claimed to deliver fuel economy improvements of over 20 per cent and unprecedented levels of technological integration. As the effective replacement for Mercedes’ axed Maybach brand, little has been held back in terms of fit, finish, equipment or execution.

Although not the oldest model designation in the Mercedes line-up (SL has been used since the 1950s), the company claims the roots of the latest S-Class can be traced back to the very first car to wear the Mercedes badge, the 1903 Simplex. Since then 15 generations of Benz flagships have sought to rule the world’s roads and showrooms.

The first to wear the S-Class badge, the W116 debuted in 1972. The most recent iteration, the W221 first appeared in 2005. Simply, new S-Class generations don’t come along all that often…

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

The new S 350 BlueTEC turbo-diesel kicks off the MR222 line-up in Australia. Priced from $215,000 for the standard-wheelbase variant, the 350 features a 190kW/620Nm EU6 emissions-compliant version of Benz’s proven 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel powerplant.

Standing-start acceleration stats show a 0-100km/h time of 6.8 seconds while combined fuel consumption is listed at 6.0L/100km. Both numbers are impressive.

As you’d expect, standard equipment levels across the MR222 S-Class line-up are comprehensive. DISTRONIC PLUS cruise and proximity control system with Steer Assist and Stop & Go Pilot, full COMAND online connectivity and high-spec Burmester audio systems, split-screen video functionality, DAB+ and internet radio, full LED lighting inside and out (including active headlights) and myriad other goodies are all included in the 350’s spec sheet.

Indeed, full details of the armoury are too long to list here. That said, other key features include Driving Assistance Package Plus (See SAFETY below), auto parking with alerts and a 360-degree monitor, two-pane panoramic sunroof, keyless entry and start, no-touch boot opening/closing, lashings of leather and wood and more are all also standard.

For the first time Down Under, the new S-Class range also combines turbo-diesel power in a long-wheelbase variant. The resulting S 350 L BlueTEC also released this week is priced from $222,500. Over its standard-wheelbase stablemate (see above), it adds electrically adjustable rear seats with memory function, THERMOTRONIC rear climate-control and power-operated rear and side blinds.

Mercedes-Benz Australia says in the full model lifecycle, the turbo-diesels will likely be the top-selling variants. In this launch phase, however, the twin-turbo 4.7-litre petrol V8-powered S 500, available in both standard- and long-wheelbase guises, will be the most popular.

Priced at $285,000 and $310,000 respectively, the S 500 and S 500 L’s bi-turbo V8 is rated at is just 4.8sec.

Over the V6 turbo-diesel models, the S 500s add interior finish upgrades (including a wood/leather steering wheel) soft-close power-latching doors, infrared-reflecting laminated glass (all round), anti-theft package and 20-inch alloys. The long-wheelbase 500 also features a two-screen DVD-equipped rear entertainment system.

All S-Class models are delivered standard as five-seaters. Options available on the new 222 generation include AMG Line interior and exterior styling packages ($7500 and $6500 respectively), rear-seat Safety and Comfort upgrades (the former with seatbelt airbags), a Business Class four-seat configuration, various alloy wheel and interior finish upgrades and Burmester 3D audio.

The final S-Class variant offered at launch (but not available to be driven just yet) is the AMG-fettled 430kW/900Nm 5.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V8-powered S 63 AMG.

Only offered in standard-wheelbase configuration priced from $385,000, the interim S-Class flagship is loaded to the gunwales with AMG-branded and developed equipment and is also upgraded in terms of comfort and amenity items.

Key inclusions are an AMG body kit and signature 20-inch ‘five x twin-spoke’ alloys, AMG interior ‘appointments’, Nappa leather upholstery, front seat Comfort package, AMG-tuned MAGIC BODY CONTROL suspension and AMG’s own Speedshift transmission.

PACKAGING

Although the new cars share key dimensions with the outgoing range (see MECHANICAL below), styling is all-new. The trademark three-pointed star badge is retained, sitting on the bonnet about a grille that’s 30 per cent larger and more than a metre wide. Along with the full LED headlights (the S-Class is bulb-free – every lamp is LED), there’s little chance you won’t be noticed.

The S-Class has been designed in the first instance as a long-wheelbase car, say Mercedes insiders. Thus the car’s flanks feature much more dramatic sculptured surfaces and the roof line is more arched, says Mercedes, to create an impression of forward motion. A horizontal emphasis to the lines on the rear of the vehicle exaggerates its width, Benz states.

Exterior brightwork looks more like polished stainless steel than plated items. Attention-to-detail standouts include one-piece exterior trims that ‘frame’ the upper doors and accentuate the above-noted roofline. Extra touches include external door-handles which are lit at night.

But as dramatic as the exterior is, it’s the cabin which has received the lion’s share of the attention. And as the majority of S-Class buyers worldwide still drive themselves, the driver doesn’t miss out.

Three grades of leather are offered and each is defined via not only surfacing but also distinct stitching patterns on the seats. The Exclusive Nappa range-topping finish sees the diamond pattern quilting on the seats echoed on door cards and dash pad… It’s just a little over the top for moi…

Various wood finishes are offered or AMG fans can opt for carbon-fibre. Air-con vents have a real metallic, precision feel. Ambient lighting is customisable.

Unless individual rear seats are optioned (a choice of grades up to full airline-style seats are offered), there’s room for five. Mercedes makes no apologies for the emphasis remains on the outer two rear occupants. Most S-Class cars will spend 95 per cent of the time with the large pull-down centre armrest firmly in place.

The signature of this new cabin is, however, the integration of two high-resolution 312mm TFT colour displays. Fused side-to-side under a single binnacle, the screens form the “information centre” of the new S-Class and deliver everything from split-view video functionality (driver sees one thing, passenger something else), to displays for the optional night-vision system and multi-function, multi-format analogue-style gauges for speed and revs.

Simply, the integration of technology into the new S-Class is mind-boggling. Mercedes claims the new car has up to 83 computers (including 10 Flexray high-speed processors), 61 simpler ‘controllers’ and around 5000m of wiring across over 730 harnesses. There’s also a separate optic-fibre ‘network’ for onboard telematics (think: sat-nav, car set-up and systems, climate, audio, WiFi hotspot, etc). The latter system along is controlled by a claimed 30,000,000 lines of code.

Re the above, technos should take note: the Mercedes-Benz system offers full functionality via iPhone, something other systems do not. That said, unlike others (Audi, for example) there is no provision to equip the car with its own data SIM. This is an oversight in a car that will often be used as a mobile office.

MECHANICAL

The new family features a body-in-white that is 50 per cent aluminium but also features a safety cell constructed entirely of high and ultra-high strength steel. The structure is not only lighter (saving up to about 100kg) but it is also twice as strong torsionally.

Aluminium is used for most of the external panels, which are all new. The latest standard and long-wheelbase S-Class models ride on 3035 and 3165mm wheelbases – carry-overs from the 221-series S-Class. Indeed, most key dimensions are essentially unchanged from the W/V221.

Full independent air suspension (AIRMATIC) is used on all models, with some variants also featuring Mercedes’ latest semi-active Magic Body Control suspension system. This system supersedes Automatic Body Control and now also incorporates predictive suspension tuning.

The new S-Class features stereoscopic forward-looking cameras at the windscreen head that are used by the car’s various safety systems including steering assistance. This camera also plays an important part in the operation of the semi-active suspension system, scanning the road for irregularities, so the suspension can proactively tune the car.

Significant improvements in refinement are claimed and efficiency is championed. The four-, six-, eight- and 12-cyclinder engines used across the complete S-Class range all feature automatic idle-stop.

As noted above, most are familiar. Power and torque outputs (noted above) have been increased in some cases, notably the new 335kW/700Nm version of the bi-turbo 4.7-litre petrol V8 used in the 500 and 500 L.

Some models, in particular the V6 turbo-diesels just released and the upcoming four-cylinder S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid, boast fuel economy that betters most small cars – and this in cars which in their long-wheelbase variants stretch almost 5.3 metres and weigh around 2000kg.

Weight reduction plays a part, as does the new car's aero styling. The S-Class incorporates race-car style aero tweaks including full underbody cladding, redesigned door and roof channels, and even aero-optimised mirrors. Mercedes claims an aero figure of 0.24Cd. The BlueTEC Hybrid is even slipperier.

All non-AMG variants use Mercedes’ own 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission to drive (in right-hand drive versions) the rear wheels only. Although all-wheel drive 4MATIC versions of standard and AMG S-Class models are offered in left-hand drive markets, that option will not be available Down Under until an all-new S-Class platform is produced… Don’t hold your breath...

SAFETY

That doesn’t suggest that this latest S-Class has any paucity of safety innovations. It’s packed with them. Such is the depth of this part of the new S-Class story, in the lead-up to the release of the MR222-series S-Class, Mercedes hosted a number of technical and safety briefings. Indeed, there are simply (again) too many to list.

In addition to the expected stability and anti-lock braking systems, just a few key systems include driver assistance technologies such as eight airbags, optional rear seatbelt airbags, PRE-SAFE anticipatory functionality (belt tensioning), pedestrian and animal recognition, blind spot monitoring, active lane keeping assist (and other autonomous steering functions including crosswind assist), a 360-degree camera, active LED headlights, run-flat rubber and so on.  

COMPETITORS

That said, there is more choice in this segment than has been the case in the past. Audi’s A/S8 range competes against the S, as does BMW’s 7 Series, Lexus LS models and Jaguar’s renewed XJ family. Maserati has renewed (and enlarged) its Quattroporte in an effort to grab S-Class buyers. The latest Bentley Continental Flying Spur and Rolls-Royce Ghost also compete against models at the upper end of the S-Class line-up.

Perhaps the most likely vehicle to steal sales away from S-Class Down Under, however, is none of the above. Land Rover has just a launched a long-wheelbase version of its Range Rover that’s certain to attract a new group of buyers from cars like the S-Class. Watch this (v-e-r-y long) space….

In 2012, Mercedes-Benz Australia sold just 99 S-Class vehicles and in 2011 that total was 168. To October this year, only 66 new S-Class sedans have found homes Down Under.

ON THE ROAD

The V6 diesel-equipped S 350 is quiet and cultured and there’s plenty of ‘welly’ when you need it. The S 500 V8 delivers just enough V8 burble when appropriate and is remarkably swift -- indeed, performance car-quick. Most of the time the mechanical packages are essentially unnoticed and inaudible -- mission accomplished.

Even the air-spring cars corner with a relatively flat stance. This is important if you want to keep all on board comfortable at a sporting clip. It would be untoward for one to have the door-handles scraping around every 60km/h signposted bend, James.

The instrument panel is imposing but not confusing. There’s enough change in the new COMAND system for it to require some learning, but new owners will get the hang quickly.

With driver’s seat at its lowest point (my default when I get in a car) I was too low. Suffice it to say that in an effort to accommodate the widest range of driver sizes, there’s a significant amount of adjustment available and it’s easy to get seated just so.

Like a few lesser cars, however, even once I was comfortable, the S-Class was possessed of a noticeable driver’s-side blind spot thanks to the combination of large mirrors and the significant structure of the A-pillar.

In recent times, the only other car I can think of that presented such an issue was the Holden Commodore. Impressions such as this differ from person to person, so I’ll be very interested to see if this is an issue for others.

At least half of the S-Class drive experience is the impression from the back seat – and it’s very impressive. There are acres of leg and foot room in the long-wheelbase version in which we were chauffeured. As an early-build car, it was sans rear climate controls, so our driver had to make adjustments on our behalf.

‘Real’ buyers and their passengers won’t have that issue.

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