[Akshay1234]

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Review

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Pros

• The best luxury sedan on sale in India. Period
• Truly next-level technology, its visible everywhere!
• More driver-focused than previous generations; owners will be happy to drive themselves
• Cabin is incredibly opulent & comfy. It's quite the royal experience!
• Powerful & punchy engines on offer
• Marvelous air suspension offers a plush ride & excellent road manners
• Loaded to the gills with technology, equipment & gizmos
• 5-star safety kit & radar-based systems. Among the safest cars ever built

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cons

• IMO, its lost some of the classiness & charm as compared to the W222 (outside & inside)
• Pricing (even for CKDs) is going to be noticeably higher than the outgoing generation
• Cost of ownership is only for the 'money-no-object' personalities
• Technology overload and lack of buttons means its going to glitch out sometimes. Be prepared for it
• Many of the features we see on this launch edition will be removed in the CKDs
• Large 20" wheels with low profile tyres are easy to damage. R18 wheels will be better suited to India
• Usable boot space is limited (no wheel well for the spare tyre)
• Reliability concerns over the air suspension & the car’s very complex electronics

[Akshay1234]

The best car in the world, is what Mercedes calls the S-Class. And in some ways, it truly is. The S-Class (over the generations) has been known to bring many a world's first in terms of technology, which then trickles down into the more mass-market vehicles. It is the top-of-the-line offering from Mercedes, and one can clearly see it, because the S Class feels like it's built differently from any other Mercedes. Most of the materials used seem to be a notch above, and even if one sees a 10-year old S-Class, it seems to age and wear a lot slower than other vehicles. What we have now is the W223, probably more of a quantum leap from the W222, than the W220 was from the W140 - in terms of a design change, the way it drives, and the technology which has been developed for it. The W223 feels like it has gone all digital, from something which was somewhat analogue where it needed to be. With fewer buttons than ever and a huge controversial Tesla-esque touchscreen, it remains to be seen how the S-Class audience takes to it. Like many other Mercedes vehicles off late, it seems targeted at a younger audience (unlike any previous-gen) with its modernity and a more involving drive. Not much else really needs to be said about the S-Class, and while its a big, big change, it still does stick to the S-Class ethos, which is to pamper and cosset its passengers, while disconnecting them from the outside world.

[Akshay1234]

Exterior

The new S is a large departure from the previous gens in terms of looks. Its now got many more angles and cuts, and the grille covers a larger area too. This launch edition comes with AMG-style bumpers and wheels, and it sure looks the part:


Head-on, the S looks mean, with the angular headlights and large air vents. The big grille does take some getting used to. New style daytime running lights can be seen here too, like in the E-Class facelift and upcoming C-Class. Do note, that little silver trim which you may notice missing on the lower bumper was not our doing:


The side profile is where it kind of continues the same silhouette as the earlier S-Class. It hides the huge length of the vehicle with its good proportions. The multi-spoke wheels sure look sporty:


Once one gets used to seeing the S, it does look pleasing from all angles. The tail light shape etc. have been compared to Korean cars by many, and justifiably so, but that too is just a matter of getting used to. In this pic, one can see the retractable door handles in the out position. Normally, these handles go in and out automatically, but they gave us a scare. While stepping out of the car to take these pics, I took the key out (luckily), and the car kind of locked itself with the handles unresponsive. It wasn't unlocking with the remote key either. The only solution was to put the physical key behind the handles and unlock it (on the passenger side FYI). GTO also faced a glitch with the handles where they wouldn't pop out at all!


The rear, which fits in with the newer Mercedes family look, is very different with the longer + flatter tail lights. Not much really which stands out at the rear:


The multi-beam LED headlights are a work of art. Just so many details, its astounding! Also, there are so many beams that it is capable of writing text on the road in front of the car. Headlight performance was excellent, as expected, and made night driving a breeze:


All else may change, but the star on the bonnet remains. Notice the blocked part of the grill below, behind which lie the radar and various other sensors:


The classy and sporty multispoke 20" wheels, which again are part of the AMG style package on the launch edition. While they look awesome, they are very easy to damage. The design is very similar to a set of wheels offered optionally on the W222:


A closer look at the tail lights with loads of LEDs inside too. It certainly looks more pleasing when the lighting elements are lit up:


A parting shot of the S400d launch edition:

[Akshay1234]

Interior

The spaceship interior is really futuristic and unlike any other Mercedes on offer. All of the styling, especially the large ~13" vertical touchscreen, is striking. It certainly looks and feels great:


A view of the cockpit area, with the new shape steering wheel. The sleek paddles, and even the stalks behind feel solid. Touch scrollers on the steering were not great to use, and I had to slide my fingers multiple times till the intended result happened; this was a disappointment:


Another feature worth mentioning is the instrument cluster, the resolution of which is exceedingly good. Also has a 3D display option which gives it depth and makes it actually seem 3D. Not a gimmick at all. Seen here is the service menu with lots of information:


Up next, we have the sport display, which again looks super cool in 3D:


There are 3 options with normal dials, again in 3D. These are pleasing to the eye and easy to read. The map in the middle has a great amount of depth too, and all of this just makes any other car feel a generation or two old after you experience the S-Class:


The door panel is rich. Seat controls are touch-based, i.e. the switch / button doesn't actually move, you simply touch the part which needs to be adjusted. Controls for the lights have now made it to the doorpad:


The sofa-like supportive front seats, with a multitude of adjustments, heating / cooling and various types of massages too. It is as comfortable as it looks:


Large centre touchscreen is a fingerprint magnet, as you can see. No matter how much we wiped it, just going through the menus caused a ton of fingerprints again. Note the only physical buttons present, which are below the screen. The touchscreen has good haptic feedback and is superb to use:


A view of the comfort menu, where one can adjust the seat massage, seat kinetics (a function which moves the seat ever so slightly every couple minutes, so that the body doesn't stay in one position), ambient lighting etc.:


The 360 camera is like no other, no parking system I've seen comes close. The clarity and expanded views are impressive. But while playing around with this, I think the system got overwhelmed somehow & the touchscreen stopped functioning completely. While I could use the left steering wheel scroller to go through the menus, the touch function just didn't work and nothing but leaving it parked overnight fixed the issue:


The passenger side of the dashboard, with a big slab of wood which looks very classy, along with the slightly retro-themed AC vents. Note the now typical swivelling Burmester tweeter in the door panel. I have to mention, the Burmester audio is top-notch, and it even has a 4D function with speakers built into the seats which give you a real thump along with the bass of the music. Very innovative!


Sofa seats in the rear too. This launch edition didn't have the split seats, which Mercedes is probably saving for the Maybach models. Loads of tech at the rear too, with the 2 touchscreens behind each front seat and a removable tablet between the seats which controls a multitude of things. Somehow, me & GTO both felt that the legroom is lesser than in the W222:


Another look at the rear seat. Both the rear seats have foot rests which pop up and when fully reclined (with the passenger seat moved in front, mind you) are super plush. The regular S has Maybach-levels of comfort, I cannot imagine how the actual Maybach is going to raise the bar:


Controls for the main seat in the S-Class, with shortcut buttons to various positions. The ambient lighting on this has been taken to the next level by Mercedes, with multicolour themes, various different combinations and functions. Its worth noting that even though it may seem overdone, the ambient lighting isn't gaudy at all. Somehow, Mercedes has managed a lot of colours, yet kept it classy:


The rear AC controls are also touch buttons, but quite simple after the front:


An amateur photo taken from the back seat, shows how spaceship-like the interiors are. If you look closely at the monitors, rear passengers can view data such as how much accelerator / brake input is being applied by the driver, and also other driving data which normally is reserved for the front screen. No better car to go home in, after signing a couple of crores worth of deals:

[Akshay1234]

Driving the Mercedes-Benz S-Class 3.0L Diesel Automatic

For this review, we had the S400d, which has the same inline 6-cylinder engine that has been used before, but with a twin-turbo setup pushing out 325 BHP and 700 Nm. There is also an S450 petrol on offer with about 360 BHP and 500 Nm. These specs, especially those of the diesel, will probably change for the CKD version, to something slightly less powerful.

Getting into the driver's seat, I suddenly felt a lot more supported. While the previous-gen S-Classes had sofa-like seats which were extremely comfortable, this one just seemed to cocoon me a bit more. The cockpit and driving position itself seemed to feel more driver centric, which is something I appreciate. Starting the smooth diesel engine, one barely hears a murmur when it fire up and it is pretty much inaudible at idle. The first thing I noticed as soon as the car started moving is that the S-Class seemed to shrink around me. The S-Classes I have driven previously are easy enough to drive, but one is always aware of their gargantuan size. In this, it suddenly felt like an E-Class in terms of size. Pottering about in the city is about to get a whole lot easier for many chauffeurs who will be at the wheel. The S400d moves around with the usual grace and smoothness expected of an S-Class, and the rear wheel steering, which turns up to 10 degrees, is really a game changer. U-turns, which would have been 3 or 5-point turns, are now taken in a single turn. It's simply unbelievable to see such a long vehicle make such tight turns. The rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front ones at speeds under 60 km/h.

Ride quality, even with the larger 20" wheels, is very supple and soft, and it simply eats up bumps and road unevenness. Though the suspension does crash (I'm not sure crash is the right word) into larger bumps and potholes, which are one too many on our terrible Mumbai roads, largely due to the 20" rims (the CKD's wheels will fare better), it is never heard, it's only felt. While earlier S-Classes were a bit like boats in terms of how they bobbed about, this W223 seems to have more of a controlled/flat ride. It is still the gold standard when it comes to ride comfort, and insulating its passengers from the outside world. BMW, Audi & gang simply don't match up. It makes long drives through traffic feel like nothing, like some sort of time warp. You get out just as fresh (or fresher, with the comfort features available) as when you started the journey. To summarise the ride, on these 20-inchers, I found it about as comfortable, if not a little bit more supple than the W222. The 20-inchers don't really take away the comfort, but one needs to be careful with the lower profile tyres, which are easily damaged.

The S-Class continues with the 9G Tronic gearbox which was used in the W222 facelift, and it is certainly a smooth gearbox in terms of imperceptible shifts, and also being in the correct gear when it needs to be. One thing I noticed is that, unlike the earlier S, this one starts in first gear as compared to second. Also, it seemed to hold on to gears till slightly higher rpms than needed (not that one would notice in terms of NVH), rather than upshifting early. In efficient mode, it did upshift quicker, but I drove mainly in Comfort mode, and felt it should have done the same in this mode too.

On the open road, the S-Class comes into its own. The suspension eats up road undulations, and smaller bumps and joints on the road like magic. High-speed stability is very confidence-inspiring, and the comfort levels are top-notch. It is here that one can really enjoy driving the S-Class. With the large power and torque reserves, and the more driver-focused steering setup, one actually can enjoy hustling the S-Class around. The OM656 engine, when given the beans, emits a pleasing growl and revvs to the redline without any strain. The 9G transmission is quick to react and shift at the same time. The rear-wheel steering turns the rear wheels in the same direction as the front, and changing lanes or taking turns has a different feeling altogether. It is effortless. While with earlier S-Classes, one would only want to cruise, with this S400d, I found myself pushing it a fair bit and enjoying it. Grip levels with the all-wheel drive 4MATIC system are surprisingly good, and the car never managed to lose its composure no matter what I threw at it. Also, doing 0-100 km/h runs is a lot of fun because it just puts the 700 Nm down without any drama. I also do need to mention that the brakes are strong enough to bring the S-Class down to a stop from whatever silly speeds the drivetrain manages to get it to.

The radar-based cruise control, lane assist, blind spot assist and auto braking functions are carried over from the previous-gen car. I did use the adaptive cruise control for a while on my highway drive, and it was a very pleasant experience. The feature is certainly something one can use on well marked expressways, or highways and it takes some of the effort out of longer drives. It's still a bit unnerving waiting for the S to brake when the car in front slows down, and while it reacts a tad millisecond later than a human would, it does so smoothly and without drama. One does need to keep an eye open though, since our roads are far too unpredictable. The story is similar with the steering assist. Sometimes, it turns into corners a bit late (more due to bad road markings), and once or twice, I felt it was going to hit the crash rail but it turned just in time. I guess its a matter of trusting the systems more. For the city though, its best to keep the assists off, since the car slams the brakes when it detects an imminent collision, it's designed to perform on the conservative side (more Europe than India) and that can lead to one being rear-ended.

Now the most important part - rear seat comfort. The rear seat, like previous S-Classes, is the place to be. And it is the place where owners will spend most of their time. Apart from all the massages, cooling, entertainment and info available, the basic comfort of the seat is astoundingly good! There is an overload of screens and different ways to control different functions. The ride quality is even better at the back, and there is zero engine noise. The insulation is noteworthy. Be it bumpy roads at city speeds, or highway speeds with an enthusiastic driver, the rear is stable and comfortable.

The S-Class is built for the open road. It munches miles like a BOSS:


20" rims are silly and impractical in India. We ended up with a damaged tyre in Lonavala. The jack had been used on our new test car, so clearly, the tyres had been damaged earlier too:

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[KingKong]

Wow, fantastic review. The W223 is a great car but the pricing is astronomical, even the CKD car will be at-least 50 lakh more than the outgoing model. The backseat is better than the W222, having travelled in the back of both, I found that the seat is much nicer in the new car, but the legroom was slightly lower. For reference I am 5 foot 11 inches, so I can see the legroom difference.

[vredesbyrd]

Another great review!

Indeed, the S Class can be surpassed only by a Maybach (unless Rolls Royce is considered). Nothing comes even close this side of 2 crores.
Yes it is a better car in every aspect but I'd still prefer the looks of the W222.

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

Touch scrollers on the steering were not great to use, and I had to slide my fingers multiple times till the intended result happened; this was a disappointment:

While I could use the left steering wheel scroller to go through the menus, the touch function just didn't work and nothing but leaving it parked overnight fixed the issue:

I was once beaten black and blue on the forum when I had once mentioned that the steering wheel looked uncomfortable and impractical
At least it doesn't have those drive mode touch-ball-things.

[Electromotive]

Thanks for the quick review. Really liking this format.

I lost respect for Mercedes ever since they introduced the light up emblem. Seems like they too understand that it is the badge people are actually paying for.

At the rate with which so-called premium features are trickling down into the 15-30 lakhs segment, it is becoming harder and harder to justify the prices of these vehicles. I am, of course, not one of those people for whom money is no object, so my opinion might not be qualified but rationally speaking, the value proposition is quite terrible unless the salutes the badge gets and the doors it opens is what you specifically want.

I am surprised at how quickly panoramic sunroofs, LCD dash clusters and surround cameras made their way into the 15-30 lakhs segment and even lower if we include the MG Astor and XUV 700. Yes, the premium brands still excel at coach building and the quality of materials and craftsmanship is better but not 5x.

Almost everything that these premium marques (Merc, BMW, Audi) boasted about will soon be available in upcoming BEVs in the 15-30 lakhs bracket, that's a big threat to their USP.
Lower NVH - check (no engine noise)
More Torque/ faster acceleration - check
Better handling - check (lower CoG)

It would be interesting to see how these premium brands continue to justify the prices they charge when vehicles costing less than 25% provide 95% of the features. Guess they will spend more on advertising; just like Rolex.

[shreevishnu]

If the GLS 400d is CKD, I think the S400d should also arrive (hopefully) in the locally made variant list.

S350d for commercial spec (taxi, etc) and S400d for the owner-driver.

[BharathXUV700]

Excellent review. Although i am a bit surprised that you felt that the bump absorption is better than the previous generation. A number of other international reviewers mentioned that they all felt the previous generation S class had the small edge when it came to bump absorptions. Perhaps Mercedes took those feedbacks and further tuned their suspension before coming to the Indian market.

[Hayek]

Brilliant review of a brilliant car. It’s amazing how Mercedes is able to keep upgrading what seems perfect in each and every generation. And it’s cars like the S that make me believe that as Daimler starts mastering battery - motor technology, the days of Tesla’s dominance in the luxury electric car space will be numbered - learning how to build a good motor is likely easier than developing taste and how to deliver genuine luxury.

Sadly (for me), I would have to live another lifetime to be able to afford it. But yes, I must rent one for a self drive holiday one day.

[ads11]

Very intrigued by the use of the 3D display on the instrument panel, one thing I miss in these days of just having a screen there is some of the craftsmanship that can come with physical dials, though admittedly the screen allows far more permutations. Ironically given the current trend is to remove skeuomorphism (think the appearance of depth in flat designs, ergo why all these auto OEMs are flattening and redesigning logos), this is a clever work around by Mercedes.

I imagine they must've got their inspiration from something like the Nintendo 3DS. The later iterations of it really had the 2D to 3D display switching technology down pat, but what concerns me is if Mercedes suffer from the same early problems the first 3DS's faced : users used to get headaches. Last thing you want from your instrument panel, is it to be headache inducing, especially in your line of sight while driving.

Still, must admit I'm curious to see how this pans out in real life.

The seat kinetics sounds like another small but potentially very handy feature. I've not come across this in office furniture or for upper tier seating on airlines, let alone cars. Would be another feature to see how it affects you in the real world.

[GTO]

Superb review, thanks for sharing Akshay! I enjoyed spending a couple of days with the W223. It is an exceptional machine that will become the default choice for anyone looking at a 1.7-crore sedan.

@ Mercedes, please give the CKD 18-inch rims and not 19s as rumoured. Just not practical for India. I blew a tyre of the W223 inside Lonavla on what wasn't even a pothole! Just a rough road patch.

Originally Posted by ads11

The seat kinetics sounds like another small but potentially very handy feature. I've not come across this in office furniture or for upper tier seating on airlines, let alone cars. Would be another feature to see how it affects you in the real world.

Corner the W223 hard and the seat actually juts out on the opposite side to hold you in place. The technology in this car is mind-boggling. I still prefer the styling (inside & out) of the W222 though. IMHO, Mercedes did a "W140" with the W222 and it'll go on to become a much revered model.

In Lonavla with this special car:

[RedTerrano]

Whoa!
I read the review twice and I am still drooling on the looks and tech.
Opulent indeed!

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

20" rims are silly and impractical in India. We ended up with a damaged tyre in Lonavala. The jack had been used on our new test car, so clearly, the tyres had been damaged earlier too:

Could you please elaborate on this? I am not sure what "damaged" tyre means and how it relates to the rim diameter.