Flagship S-Class now plays value card
with lesser gizmos and a frugal engine. Manages well
The S-Class is now made in India. Well, not
exactly manufactured, but assembled. That alone has dropped the price of the
S500 by a whopping $33,485. And Mercedes-Benz has decided to take matters a bit
further in its attempt to outsell the BMW 7-Series and the recently updated
Audi A8 with this - the S350 CDI.
As the name suggests, under the bonnet is a
3.0-litre V6 powerhouse borrowed straight from the mammoth GL-Class. That’s
254bhp of grunt and 620Nm of peak power, which pales in comparison to
453bhp/700Nm combo of the S500, but this one runs on cheaper fuel. And not even
the high-grade kind – just normal diesel.
In
spite of its mammoth size, the Mercedes S350 CDI can be quite fun to drive too
There is little on the outside to suggest
the downsized power. The new S-Class looks more lean than the earlier model
with more easy flowing lines both along the breadth and width of the car. This
diesel version gets smaller 18-inch wheels as compared to 19 on the 500 but
carries with it the same arresting street presence. The wide grille and the
tri-star emblem on top is enough to halt many in its path. Bejeweled headlamps add
to the charm.
Inside, at first glance, there is little to
give away its shorter list of features compared to the S500. Visually,
everything is in place – plush seats, top-quality leather, wood finish on the
dash, all the controls and buttons, rich soft-feel carpet and an array of high-resolution
displays that make some of the best five-star hotel rooms feel like budget
stays. Merc has cleverly left out bits that aren’t immediately obvious – like
the 360-degree camera (with the cool night vision up front) and instead replace
it with a single rear-facing camera. You wouldn’t mind not getting the
keyless-go package or the touchpad to use multimedia. The only obvious miss
inside are the plush individual rear seats which are replaced by a ‘bench’.
Well, it’s not exactly a bench because the seats can individually be inclined
and the centre armrest can fold up to accommodate an extra person just in case.
The individual seats recline too, but not as much as those in the S500. The
front passenger seat can be folded all the way in front and a mechanised
footrest emerges from below it, allowing the passenger seated directly behind
to rest his/her feet. No calf rest though. Yes, and all seats have inbuilt
massagers.
The
cabin of the Mercedes S350 CDI is pure indulgence
The cabin remains a serene place to be in,
even on the move. Engine noise is a distant rumble, except for when you
shamelessly bury the throttle. The Airmatic suspension makes sure the S350
maintains a supple ride when you toggle it to ‘comfort’ more. ‘Sport’ just
stiffens the ride bit but you get that sense of urgency from the engine and the
7G-Tronic transmission. The latter is clever unit and can even jump gears just
to make sure it is on the right step to get power to the rear wheels.
Acceleration is elegant and effective. But
just so you know, don’t be surprised when you hear wheelspin on accelerating
hard from still. This tells off a darker side to the S350. Which is simply
brilliant.
The
chauffeur needn't wear gloves - the bespoke two spoke steering wheel is heated
The S350 can hurtle into the distance in
true performance saloon style, and with minimum of fuss at that. The steering
weighs just right and reins in the car with authority. Not that you need it
because the S barely misbehaves. The drive experience is near therapeutic. It
does have a calming effect on the nerves even when on the limit. Cruising at
100kph is like coasting and you could be doing 200 without any drama.
Unfortunately at this speed only the driver would have a smile on his face. The
passengers would possibly be fast asleep in absolute comfort.
The
driver sees two screens, one displaying digitally speed and revs, the other
multimedia and sat nav
Despite it’s size and the resultant weight,
the diesel engine does bring enough horses and grunt to the party to keep the S
fleet-footed. The dash to 100kph took us 7.51s. That’s 0.7s slower than the
claimed figure but more importantly, in-gear it remains massively flexible.
30-50 or 50-70 bursts can be done in 2 seconds, which makes overtaking large
vehicles more than simple. And if you feel you can do better than the auto
tranny simply get the ‘Direct Select’ paddle shifts into action.
There is little doubt that the S-Class is
meant for the CEOs and established movie stars of the world. The onus is on
comfort, but the S350 is interesting enough a drive for you to ask the
chauffeur to step aside and get behind the wheel yourself. There is loads of
style and comfort, and despite some chinks, like a relatively smallish boot,
the S350 makes a case for itself as one of the best cars in the world. Powered
by diesel, it also brings in a bit of economy into the equation with an overall
efficiency figure of 9.85 kilometres to the litre while boasting enough
performance to keep it ahead when needed.
The
S350 CDI uses a 3.0-litre V6 motor which produces 258 HP and 620 Nm
Despite letting go off some cool stuff like
the more-reclining rear seats and 360 camera, the more affordable version of
Merc’s flagship does comes dressed aptly to the luxury saloon party. There is enough charm to keep the most
pampered customer interested in what is a fantastic package of performance,
comfort and style.
