Mercedes-Benz S-Class review

Underpinnings first. The revised S-Class still uses a re-engineered version of Mercedes’ large-car Modular Rear Architecture (called MRA2) platform, which has additional aluminium in its construction (more than 50 per cent by weight) to complement the hot-formed high tensile steel used in the car’s safety cell and elsewhere. Nothing wrong with the bones, though. The changes to the outside are cosmetic, the changes to the integrated computing systems more comprehensive.

It’s solid, does that mean it’s heavy on the road?

Let’s start with the S500 4Matic. Its 3.0-litre six makes 443bhp with torque improved to 472lb ft and boosted by a 48v electrical system and integrated 17kW starter motor (all-wheel drive is standard). It weighs 2,065kg in its long-wheelbase form (with 4Matic), a substantial figure but perhaps less than you might imagine for such an imposing car.

Clearly, the S-Class’s sweet spot is at cruising speed, and on German autobahns it’s as quiet and majestic as you’d expect, even at Vmax. At lower speeds the engine is a little more vocal than is ideal, sounding vaguely dieselly, and although it moves rapidly the S500 isn’t a full-bore ‘bahn-stormer. The version TG drive also suffered from very slightly jiggly suspension, a sensation not usual to an S-Class. We need to drive one in the UK to see if it resolves.

At the more extreme end, the new V8 is masterful. Resolved suspension with intelligent damper control and some surprisingly lively dynamics – including rear-wheel steer that reduces the turning circle by up to two metres – the V8 has the power and dynamism to show why it’s the most ‘S-Class’ of model choices. It’s regal at 155mph, but feels like a smaller car on an A- or B-road. This engine has the kind of delivery that reminds you why internal combustion still warms the heart as much as the atmosphere. Although to be fair, 258g/km means it doesn’t warm as much as it could.

So which one will people actually buy?

The plug-in S580e with EQ Technologies-majig. Up to 60 miles of EV-only range from a 21.96kWh battery, seamless mode-switching, lots of usable and discrete power. Up to 576bhp, 97.5mpg combined (if you charge a lot), 73g/km of CO2 class weighted. You’ll easily get 45 miles from a full charge, but more to the point, it’s pleasant and powerful whether you’re in the front or back.

The two power units work exceptionally well together here; electric in town is smooth and silent, but when you’re on the motorway, the petrol motor takes the strain and ups the horsepower for effortless long-range speed. The air suspension means it doesn’t feel particularly heavy, either. In fact, none of the S-Classes we drove felt particularly lardy.

Are there modes? I bet there are modes.

It is the Mercedes way. Four different drive modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport and Sport Plus, as well as an Individual one to tweak steering, throttle and damping. Unsurprisingly, Comfort is the one that suits the car’s character best, but if you do investigate the limits of the handling ‘envelope’ you’ll find grip and poise to spare, greater responsiveness from the primary controls, and a harder (though far from thuggish) edge to the car’s overall character.

The nine-speed automatic does its thing as imperiously as ever, although if you do flick into Sport mode and take control via the steering wheel paddles you quickly lose track of which gear you’re in, and the display that tells you is small.

If you have the 580e, there’s even more to look out for – you can lock it into electric mode, choose to maintain battery levels, or run it as a hybrid. The latter is the mode to go for – it honestly switches between EV and petrol flawlessly, blending the best of both. Yes, it’s a fiendishly complicated system, but one which Mercedes has obviously mastered.

The all-round refinement must be amazing.

Mercedes uses an acoustic foam in key parts of the body, which is fitted early in production and then expands in the oven during cathodic dip painting. The area around the C-pillars – i.e. beside the rear occupants’ heads – is particularly well-suppressed, so it’s quiet, if not as sombre as a big electric car. 

Interestingly, the ride on the standard air suspension isn’t quite as peerlessly smooth as you might expect, at least not on the German backroads which TG experienced in the S500, but the body control is exceptional, and even better with Merc’s ‘E-Active body control’. Not that the standard S-Class will ever be subjected to overtly sporting treatment, but this is a car that can be hustled down a country road with real vigour if you need. Nor are the brakes quite as well modulated as we’d like. But the overall dynamic behaviour seems to depend on model and spec – we need to try them all to see which ones make the most sense.