Alright, Mercedes-Benz had a few off years. And the new S-Class, as we know it today, was conceived and built during a phase when heads were rolling and new ideas were being thrown out of the window.
Stuttgart's reputation was at stake and they needed to reinvent themselves, and the only direction that they had to take was from their glorious past.
A past when cars were built like battle-tanks, everything was engineered three times over and when Mercedes-Benz set benchmarks that other car makers strove to follow.
The new S-Class with its flared rear arches and a proud overall stance is a clear indicator that it is here to occupy the top slot. It sure looks like a car that a head of state can arrive in. That is, if the said head of state does not have a Rolls-Royce Phantom to do the same.
But then, the Phantoms and Flying Spurs are in another league altogether - and we need to compare the S-Class with cars that made giant strides during the above-mentioned lean period at Mercedes-Benz.
That brings us to the extremely well built and sophisticated Audi A8 and the extravagantly sporty if not slightly ugly BMW 7 Series. We have sampled both these machines as well as the petrol powered Mercedes-Benz S350, and realise that the Mercedes wins hands down when it comes to key areas such as overall image and ride quality over bad roads. And matches the other two when it comes to luxury on offer.
So let us concentrate on the diesel car. There are certain things a Rs 70 lakh-plus (Rs 7 million) car, powered by petrol, diesel or kerosene for that matter, ought to do.
Text: Bijoy Kumar Y
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of DaimlerChrysler India Wilfried G. Aulbur (L) and Director of Corporate Affairs and Finance DaimlerChrysler India Suhas Kadlaskar (R) pose with S-Class S320 CDi L
Photograph: Manpreet Romana/AFP/Getty Images
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