October 20, 2005. Copyright 2005, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Mercedes S-Class: High-tech tour de force sets new standards, but have embarrassing quality issues been tackled?
By Neil Winton

LONDON, October 20, Graphic News:  The Mercedes S-Class has always been my answer to the question, ÒWhat car would you buy if you won the lottery?Ó

Strictly on the understanding though that there would be plenty of money left over to buy a Ferrari if fun was on the agenda.

Why not a Rolls-Royce or a big Bentley? Rolls Royces and Bentleys cost about three times as much, but donÕt significantly outperform the S-class in terms of quality, space or performance. Rolls Royces and Bentleys, not to mention MercedesÕ own super-luxury Maybach, are embarrassingly over-the-top and say Òlook-at-me-IÕm-richÓ. The Mercedes S-class is always nicely understated and is unlikely to upset the underclass. It has a reputation for leading the way for all the latest high-tech developments for safety, performance and efficiency.

The latest S-class doesnÕt disappoint when it comes to new gizmos. ThereÕs the Night View Assist system, which uses infrared light to significantly extend the driverÕs range of vision at night. An infrared camera shows the road ahead on the satellite navigation screen on the dashboard. Other ground-breaking technology includes:

Brake Assist Plus -- which uses radar to measure the gap between vehicles ahead and automatically brakes the car if the gap gets too small. If the driver hasnÕt applied enough power to the brakes to avoid a collision, the computer will.

Distronic Plus -- which automatically keeps the car a safe distance from the car ahead, braking when heavy traffic stops, then accelerating when traffic starts moving again.

Active Body Control -- which constrains suspension movement under hard driving and makes sporty driving easier and the ride smoother.

Pre-Safe -- which recognises that an accident or skid is imminent and tightens seats belts and inflates air cushions in the seats.

The new S-Class looks sleeker and more exciting than the previous model even though itÕs bigger. The raised rear end looks suspiciously similar to its rival, the BMW-7 Series. ThereÕs more room in the back and in the boot. There is a 7-speed automatic gearbox. Base models are powered by 3.5 litre V6 petrol, or 3.0 litre V6 diesel engines. More expensive versions include a 5.5 litre V8, and the S600 top-of-the-line model is powered by a V-12 engine. Later there will be petrol-electric and diesel-electric hybrid engines. Prices start at around 74,000 euros, or £50,000.

MercedesÕ reputation as a leading luxury car maker has taken a bit of a pounding lately, when leading edge technology like new braking systems failed and forced reputation-damaging recalls. In April 2005, Mercedes reported its first financial loss in more than a decade. A month later the company recalled 1.3 million faulty cars.

Mercedes says that all these new technical improvements relieve driver stress, and it has a survey to prove it. Mercedes measured stress levels in the S-class compared with its rivals over a 500km route and declared that their average driversÕ heart rate was five beats per minute lower than the rest. No word from Mercedes on what happened to the blood pressure of those 1.3 million customers who were asked to take their luxury cars back to the dealers for repair.
/ENDS