Reinventing the flagship

You don’t mess with perfection. You merely attempt to reinterpret it, improve upon it, maybe. That was probably the brief given to the Mercedes-Benz engineers who set out to create the 2018 S-Class.

For a model that is widely called the “Best car in the world”, the S-Class wears the compliment lightly on its shoulders. A lot of effort though goes into keeping it the top performer in the luxury saloon market worldwide. For example, the latest ‘facelift’ to the S-Class has barely led to a change in its proportions or stance, and much of the exterior remains faintly similar to the previous iteration, yet it has more than 6,500 new components.

The facelift to the 2018 S-Class runs across all six body styles of the saloon. Dealing with a design, which is said to be automotive perfection personified, obviously meant that the designers could only attempt tweaking the signature characteristics of the new S-Class. The most obvious change on the outside are the new three-line eye-brow LED daytime running lights. Snubbing all those who felt chrome is no more in vogue, the S-Class facelift brings a truckload of it on the outside and in the cabin. The new radiator grille is embellished with a lot of the shiny stuff. The crystal headlamps and tail-lamps are vaguely familiar, though new; and a lot of the other changes to the exterior like the new front bumper and rear fender are meant to boost the sportiness of the design or to incorporate new autonomous driving technologies. While the new three-line LED signature is meant to make the S-Class instantly recognisable, it is also a model hierarchy reference – stepping down to two in the E-Class and one in the C-Class.

The new S-Class’ cabin gets a bigger range of changes, but by sheer volume, the additions are mostly newer tech and passenger comfort related. Like the exterior, the changes to the cabin’s overall design are only minimal. Mercedes had organised a test drive of the new S-Class in Zurich, Switzerland. The moment I stepped into the new 2018 S 400d, the most visible change I noticed was the addition of the twin 12.3-inch (each) high-res displays at the top of the dashboard. They are housed under one shared glass creating a ‘wide-screen cockpit’, which is customisable for the information and the display style.

The other dashboard elements are refreshed versions of the current S-Class and classier variants to the ones offered in some of the other Merc models – basically shared design. The S-Class’ cabin was always extremely luxurious and has kept setting new benchmarks in quality. The 2018 model is no different; it is remarkable and to the credit of Merc engineers that the new S-Class takes cabin trim quality to a rarefied, new level. There are new trim elements like open-pore wood, new leather-trimmed door linings etc, that really boost the perceived quality to a new level even for a member of this flagship class of saloons.

The steering wheel is new with a whole new bunch of touch-sensitive buttons and controls. The seats are big, nicely bolstered and comfy; and in the S63 AMG they also feature dynamic side bolsters to hug you as you attack corners on the track or a winding road heading uphill. The rear seat can be inclined; and depending on the chosen trim – the ventilated seat with massage on and the soft leather neck pillow to sink into – this could well be the best car seat ever.

The S-Class is now a big seller in the East with markets like China contributing a lion’s share of volumes. So, in keeping with the buyer and just like the combo of ever-more-powerful engines that also have to be more efficient, the cabin is also meant to satisfy both the driver and the rear bencher. More controls for rear passengers and more features are offered, including a 64-colour ambient lighting package, a high-end Burmester 3D surround sound music system and a new ‘Energizing Comfort’ control that combines the seat’s, music and air-conditioning system’s comforting features to create a customisable zone in the car; this can also include a personal fragrance infused through the aircon.

The latest S-Class gets a whole new set of in-line six-cylinder and V8 engines, many of which will probably make it to other Merc models in the future. Some of these engines have been equipped with features like cylinder-deactivation to improve mileage and lower emissions, but all of them are now more efficient than previous powertrains. The earlier V6s will be replaced by the in-line sixs in the new S-Class, but there will be no dearth for power and refinement in the new powertrains. All the new configurations offer higher power and torque outputs. And the new two-stage turbocharged diesels are quieter and more refined. All the motors now also get the 9G-Tronic automatic gearbox.

This is good news because when it is eventually launched in India, the S-Class will probably be debuted with the diesel engine first. The S 400d I test drove one way features a three-litre mill with an output level of 340 hp and 700 Nm. I also got behind the wheel of the new S 63 AMG, which features a new four-litre V8 petrol engine offering a whopping 612 hp and 900 Nm. Power delivery is seamless and there is oodles of torque available at hand in the 400d – much more than the enforced speed limits in the towns and highways around Zurich and the border towns near Germany where I tested the car. The S 63 AMG’s handmade V8 Biturbo petrol engine replaces the previous 5.5-litre Biturbo and can shake you into submitting that size doesn’t matter. Zero to 100 kmph comes up in a mere 3.5 seconds. On the return, after being grumpily stuck in traffic, I got lucky and managed a 30-kilometre run down the Autobahn where I managed to stretch the S 63’s legs leaving behind a medley of growling, rumbling notes played out of the exhaust flaps.

The big story of the new S-Class is the adoption of Level 2 Autonomous Driving tech, which Merc calls Intelligent Drive. The system now combines a rash of sensors and safety features with the car’s radar systems to enable literal hands-free driving. Tech like Active Braking Assist, Crosswind Assist, Active Lane Change Assist etc, along with Adaptive Cruise Control allow the driver to let go of the wheel for short 30-second spurts of hands-free driving. It was uncanny to see the new S-Class take swooping turns on the highway all by itself while staying in lane and slowing down to match the speed of the car ahead, before powering off again. Don’t get your hopes up too much because, even though some specific radar spectrums have been opened up for use by car companies in India, it is unlikely that the India-spec versions of the new S-Class will get many of the autonomous driving features.

However, though it is being called a facelift, the new S-Class is a significant upgrade in quality and tech-propelled luxury. And that’s why when the India-spec models make it here mid-next year, it will be a treat for back benchers.

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