Mercedes S-Class: The best car in the world

The Mercedes S-Class is without any doubt the best car in the world writes Faisal Ali Khan of MotorBeam.com

Mercedes-Benz is known for re-writing the rules of the luxury car market. The company has done it time and again with its flagship model, the S-Class.

The all new S-Class (V222) takes a vast leap over its predecessor in almost every department.

The sixth iteration of the S-Class was recently launched in India at an on-road Mumbai price of Rs 2.03 crores.

Available only in S500 trim, the new S-Class is the best luxury car in the market today.

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The 2014 Mercedes S-Class carries the new styling language of Mercedes forward. The car looks very elegant and has grown in dimensions over the previous model.

The design is athletic yet sleek with the proportions very limousine like. In spite of being so large, the S-Class is very aerodynamic with a very low CD of just 0.24.

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The interiors of the S-Class are pure luxury with the cabin designed with utmost attention to detail.

Use of soft touch leather, wood and aluminium is in plenty with the dashboard having a retro feel to it with the round AC vents.

The S-Class gets a 2-spoke steering wheel which is splendid to use and reminds you of Mercedes cars from the 1950s.

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The size of the S-Class has increased but the wheelbase remains the same as the old model because interior room is just too generous.

Every passenger has ample amount of space to stretch but its the rear occupants who are truly pampered. The rear seat is extremely comfortable with all the controls on your finger tips.

You also have a screen in front of you along with massage functions and a removable tray.

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Mercedes-Benz has loaded the best bit of tech inside the car. The S-Class is the first car in the world to have 0 light bulbs, it only uses LEDs, more than 500 of them.

Plethora of features make sure the S-Class is the most technologically advanced car with stuff like night vision camera, 360-degree surround view, 100 electric motors for the electronics, 14 pneumatic massage chambers, 3D maps, 24-speaker Burmester surround sound system, heated arm rest, etc.

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Powering the Mercedes S500 is a 4.7-litre V8 engine which uses twin-turbochargers to produce 453 HP of power and 700 Nm of torque. 0-100 km/hr is achieved in just 4.8 seconds while top speed is limited to 250 km/hr.

The S-Class offers effortless performance. NVH levels are just fantastic and you can barely hear a thing from outside, let alone the engine. A mileage between 5-7 km/l is what the petrol S-Class offers.

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Stomp on the accelerator pedal and the S-Class simply takes off with total secrecy, the motor has immense performance but doesn't make itself felt.

The 7-speed automatic gearbox operates smoothly while the ECO start/stop system helps in saving fuel. A diesel engine will be offered in the S-Class later this year.

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The Mercedes S-Class is the pinnacle of comfort in an automobile and thus ride quality has been given immense importance.

The S-Class glides on the roads and wafts along at high speeds. It rarely transmits anything to the passengers.

The active body control suspension uses Airmatic technology along with adaptive dampers.

A new technology called Magic Body Control senses the road conditions and adjusts the suspension for a butter smooth ride but isn't offered in India as the laws prevent the use of certain frequencies for the public.

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In spite of the S-Class being hefty, it handles quite well. While it isn't the car you or your chauffeur will throw around corners, it does stay extremely composed at high speeds.

Even taking long sweepers enthusiastically doesn't affect the S-Class which continues to move in its track with immense confidence.

Braking performance is excellent and automatic braking works up to 50 km/hr to prevent collision with a pedestrian.

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The new Mercedes S-Class is easily the best car in the world. It is so good that Mercedes has received more than 30,000 orders globally and the 125 units allotted to India were sold out even before launch.

The S-Class not only offers high-end comfort and luxury, it also performs brilliantly on the road by munching miles effortlessly. Simply put, there isn't any car as well engineered as the new Mercedes S-Class.