Whenever Mercedes-Benz goes back to the drawing board to design a new S-Class, the company sets a straight and simple agenda to its engineers: build the best car in the world. For more than fifty years now, the flagship model of the German automaker has remained as the primary choice to introduce many of the company’s latest and greatest innovations. For many years, the S-Class has not only ranked as the world’s best-selling luxury sedan, but also has been touted as the best car in the world by top automotive experts. And its latest generation, the W222 S-Class that debuted in 2013, is no different. We recently had the S500 variant of the Mercedes S-Class to ourselves for a comprehensive review and found enough reasons to believe that it absolutely deserves the title of being the best. Here are the top 8 reasons why the Mercedes S500 is the best car in the world.
8. Aircraft like comfort
From a top-of-the-range luxury limousine, you’ll only expect the best, and that is exactly what you get with the Mercedes S500. We start with the new S-Class’s cabin, which is entirely draped in leather or is made from wood or metal, and seamlessly delivers utmost comfort to its passengers. The soft-touch doors that suck close and come as standard, successfully manage to shut out the noisy outside world. Even on the busy streets of Mumbai during peak hour traffic, the cabin completely filters out the hustle and bustle of the city and all you can hear is the soft humming of the air conditioner. Club that with the fantastic Airmatic suspension system of the S500, which does a wonderful job of absorbing the bumps and potholes, and you get the best in class ride experience. In fact, the air suspension, which come with two modes as standard − Comfort and Sport, is so good that it feels like riding on a luxury magic carpet.
7. The back seat spa
This brings us to the rear seats, the place where you will end up spending most of your time. Electronic adjustment allows the seat to be slid and angled in just about any way. The big headrests provide a bed-like plushness, while the seats provide enough side support that’ll keep you from sliding around. The seats offer energizing massage function. Six different programs are available, including two hot stone relaxing massage types to revitalize and relax. In addition to it, the S500 also comes with a Chauffeur Package as standard. With a press of a button, this function allows the rear passenger to move the front left seat ahead electronically up to 77mm. Once the front seat moves ahead, it folds down and a footrest slides out of it making the journey for the rear passenger sitting behind a great deal more relaxed.
6. Office away from office
The buyers of Mercedes S-Class are high net-worth individuals who are usually short on time and end up working while travelling. The German automaker’s range-topping luxury saloon has always been a great mobile office and the S500 is no different. The astonishingly silent cabin and the plush back seats offer ultimate comfort and silence and make for an outstanding workspace. The new Mercedes S-Class also has the best fold-out table, which is hidden inside the giant armrest between the occupants.
5. Sound never looked and sounded so good
The Burmester surround sound system in the Mercedes S500 includes a combination of 13 high-performance speakers, a 9-channel DSP amplifier with a total output of 590 watts and amplifier/speaker systems configured specifically for the vehicle. Not only the performance of the sound system is unmatched but also it looks class-apart. The speaker grills are beautifully embedded in the car doors that look phenomenal. The tweeters have a LED glow that change with the ambient lighting conditions. To top it all, the tweeters gently rotate and pop out when the car is turned on and retreat gracefully when switched off.
4. Let there be LED’s
Two years back, Mercedes S-Class became the first car in the vehicle in the world to do without a single light bulb as standard. With the new S-Class, Mercedes made a complete switch to LED technology and there is not a single light bulb in the car. In fact, there are 300 LED’s in the cabin alone that offer 7 ambient lighting colors, 4 dimming zones and 5 dimming levels so that the light is there in the right place with the right intensity creating a personalized lighting ambience. On the outside, the headlamps adapt automatically to suit the weather, lighting and driving conditions, improving the driving comfort and ensuring an optimal view in any situation. The tail lights on the other hand are also adaptive. The brightness of the turn signals and brake lights varies depending on the day/night lighting conditions and speed. This significantly reduces potential dazzling for other road users and thus contributes to road safety.
3. Futuristic interiors
This brings us to the warm and welcoming interior of the Mercedes S-Class. The Mercedes S-class’s interior is everything you expect it to be and more. The fit and finish inside the cabin is immaculate and the attention to detail is outstanding. Each and every part of the cabin, to the tiniest detail, screams of opulence. In the front, the leather-wrapped dash along with its solid switchgear, stylish analog clock and retro-designed AC vents looks beautiful. Even the 31.2cm TFT screens for the COMAND system in the front and the two 25.4 cm displays with cordless headphones in the rear are delightful.
2. Fast yet refined
Under the hood sits a petrol-powered 4.7-liter V8 engine with twin turbochargers that contribute to its effortless yet mighty-impressive surge. The V8 churns out 449-bhp of peak power and has tarmac ripping torque of 700Nm on offer, which is available from just 1800rpm. What it means is that the 5-meter long hefty luxury limo goes like a rocketship even when your foot is barely pushing against the throttle. It barely takes just 4.8 seconds for the Mercedes S500 to reach 100kmph from stand still, while the top speed is restricted to 250kmph. But beyond the phenomenal performance figures, the V8 engine is silky smooth giving the passengers a delightful ride experience.
1. Safer than the safest
The Mercedes S-Class is loaded with a host of innovative and industry-first safety features making it one of the safest vehicles in the world. The Indian S500 comes with 8 airbags, instead of 13 in the international version, to keep its occupants safe. In addition to the intelligent LED lighting system discussed before, the S500 offers a 360° camera system that allows you to park and maneuver with ease, giving you an all-round near real-time view using four networked cameras. The luxury limo also offers a feature named ‘Night View Assist Plus’ that uses thermal vision and highlights any people it has recognized and helps the drivers to react quicker to dangers by night