2021 Mercedes Benz S Class review: The default limo of choice for India’s mega rich

It appears to be like every single little bit as regal as you’d anticipate an S-Class to be.

For the second, the S-Class will come to India as a full import in totally-loaded Start Version type. Afterwards in the calendar year, locally assembled versions will go on sale with a (rather) decreased price tag and presumably less attributes.

2021 Mercedes Benz S Class: what is it like on the outside the house?

As just before, India receives the very long-wheelbase edition of the S-Class. The newest model is even for a longer time and wider than the very last-gen 1 (if only marginally so), and at 5.3m very long and nearly 2m vast, it truly is a major, major vehicle. In seem, it truly is every single little bit as regal as you’d anticipate an S to be and instructions regard like handful of other sedans can. It truly is got gravitas, so to communicate. Introducing in a tinge of sportiness to the seem is the AMG Line styling pack that is standard on the 1st great deal of cars for India. The stylised bumpers and much larger 20-inch rims do help the S appear fairly athletic.

At 5.3m very long and nearly 2m vast, the new S-class is a really major sedan.

Amid the details of take note on the outside the house are the ‘Digital Light’ headlamps (identifiable by their blue detailing) that aspect ultra-assortment substantial beam that can illuminate up to 650m in advance. The S-Class receives comfortable-shut doorways, as you’d anticipate, although the flush-fitting doorway handles that pop out when you strategy the vehicle is a little something we might seen on JLR versions 1st. At the rear, the on/off lights sequence on the full-LED tail-lights would make for interesting viewing as well.

The palms-cost-free boot lid opens to expose an common-sized luggage compartment. It truly is plenty of for an airport run but just isn’t specially spacious for this sort of a huge vehicle. Some of the usable space is taken up by the amp for the sound procedure and some by the space saver spare tyre that sits in a dedicated compartment under the flooring.

2021 Mercedes Benz S Class: what is it like on the inside?

We’ve occur to anticipate an S-Class cabin to harmoniously mix aged-globe design with new-age tech. This 1, even so, is out with the aged and goes major with the new. Screens, touch controls and active ambient lights (additional on this later) are among the components that make this cabin seem unquestionably chopping edge.

Chopping-edge cabin packs in various screens and touch controls.

Proprietors will usually commit minimum, if any, time up front, so let’s discuss of the all-crucial rear seat practical experience 1st. Substantial rear doorways are your gateway to the again, although it need to be mentioned that, like other sedans, even the S-Class are unable to match a substantial-using luxurious SUV on simplicity of ingress-egress. At the time inside, although, you are going to have small to fault. Legroom, for 1, is enormous, with genuine actual estate concerning the front and rear seats. The seats are also fantastic. Upholstered in nappa leather, the seats are sumptuous, get as lots of as 10 therapeutic massage functions and you will find air flow and heating as well. Ought to you want to sit again and unwind, the rear seats offer you electric power-adjust for the backrest angle and seat foundation angle. Nonetheless, for the full outcome, you want to be on the rear still left seat, commonly termed the boss seat. At the touch of a button, motors whirr into motion to slide the front passenger seat all the way ahead and reorient your seat for full extension that’s the backrest reclined to forty three.5 levels, seat foundation lowered and a powered legrest folding out for max aid. What is outstanding is that even 6-footers can sprawl out on this seat. Do take note, the front passenger seat at its ahead-most posture can impede the driver’s watch of the wing mirror rolling the backrest by a handful of levels is an simple remedy.

Space provided at the rear is top rated notch and the backrest can even be reclined up to forty three.5 levels.

Ought to the magnificent seats, mild therapeutic massage, and general hush in the cabin not lull you to rest, you will find hundreds of techniques to keep occupied at the again. The S-Class receives twin eleven.six-inch touchscreens for your enjoyment requires, you will find a seven.-inch pill that can be applied to control particular vehicle functions and also obtain the world wide web, or if you want to reduce yourself in the songs, you will find a 31-speaker Burmester sound procedure to make the most of. ‘Exciters’ (Mercedes’ expression) in the seat amplify the bass so you can truly come to feel the songs.

The seven.-inch pill can be applied to control some simple vehicle functions.

Dedicated local weather control zones, a wireless cell phone charger and powered sunblinds are some of the other goodies at the again. If you will find a little something to provide up, we are not admirers of the capacitive touch controls for the seat adjust that deficiency the tactile come to feel of Merc’s regular seat infogram buttons. Also, as luxurious as the rear seats are, they’re not developed to accommodate seating a few abreast. The center seat is slender and finest still left unused.

You will find heaps to discuss about the front part of the cabin as well. The throne-like front seats (they are heated, ventilated and aspect therapeutic massage as well) are as cozy as they seem, the dash that flows into the doorways to visually wrap about you appears to be like excellent and all about high-quality is expectedly 1st level. Everything, from the stitching down to the illuminated seat belt buckles, notify you no charge has been spared to make this a distinctive area. The gloss plastics on the centre console could be prone to scratches but that’s a little something your chauffeur will want to be thorough of.

Rear seats occur with 10 therapeutic massage functions, and also with air flow and heating.

Now to the actual major (basically so) chatting position in the S-Class – the 12.8-inch touchscreen. The portrait-oriented device is your go-to control for nearly all vehicle and infotainment functions, and Mercedes states the display has carried out absent with the want for as lots of as 27 bodily buttons. The OLED display is fantastic, the graphics are top rated class, and the procedure operates with the slickness of an iPad. Nonetheless, incorporating straightforward functions, this sort of as for temperature adjust, just isn’t perfect and it does not help that the voice instructions get tripped on Indian accents. In observe, you are going to be most relaxed utilizing the display at standstill. It truly is pretty simple to get the cling of the display layout and the haptic feed-back can help usability. Amazing attributes include things like fingerprint recognition for your settings profile.

12.three-inch digital dials are customisable and attributes a exceptional 3D outcome.

12.three-inch digital dials, customisable for topic and colours, are also part of the package deal. Distinctive to the S-Class is a 3D aspect that provides visible depth to the display (consider the outcome of 3D eyeglasses), although we found ourselves reverting to the standard watch swiftly.

2021 Mercedes Benz S Class: what attributes does it get?

The problem to talk to is what attributes does it miss? Alright, India-spec cars does not get the augmented fact navigation but this apart, the Merc is as loaded as they occur.

In addition to all that’s been touched on, the S-Class also packs in a panoramic sunroof, rear seat neck warmer, an onboard fragrance dispenser, related vehicle tech, wireless Android Vehicle/Apple CarPlay and car park. Brilliantly carried out sixty four-colour ambient lights that bathes the cabin in comfortable mild is part of the package deal as well and you will find also what Mercedes phone calls Active Ambient Lights. LEDs on the dash and doorways pulse to flash warnings (this sort of as blind spot warning) and display improvements to local weather control settings (blue/red when minimizing/rising temperature). The LEDs will also improve colour to reflect the Energizing Consolation method of option. In a nutshell, Energizing Consolation is a package deal of therapeutic massage, online video, songs and mild arrangements developed to soothe and rejuvenate you. The S-Class really is a spa on wheels.

The brilliantly executed sixty four-colour ambient lights bathes the cabin in comfortable mild.

The listing of security package is just as very long. The S-Class receives 10 airbags, like two front-facing ones for the rear seat occupants. You will find the entire array of digital aids as well, as very well as state-of-the-art driver guidance functions this sort of as adaptive cruise control, lane keep help and unexpected emergency braking. The attributes operate very well but in our unpredictable driving environment are also finest assumed of as an additional security net. We suspect people behind the wheel will access out for the suspension raise tab additional usually than people for ADAS attributes.

2021 Mercedes Benz S Class: what is it like to travel?

The S 400d 4Matic showcased right here will come powered by a 330hp and 700Nm, three.-litre, straight-6 diesel engine. Power is channelled to all four wheels (consequently, the 4Matic in the name) by using a nine-pace computerized gearbox.

This becoming an S-Class, it truly is additional about how quiet it is than how brief it is. The cabin is serene, you will find small outside the house noise to disturb your hotshot passengers’ prepare of assumed on that upcoming major enterprise offer and even the engine will come throughout as really cultured. You would not hear considerably of the diesel device in common driving, and even when you prolong, it appears really distant. Mercedes also features the S 450 4Matic petrol (367hp and 500Nm, three. petrol), which guarantees to be quieter continue to.

Air suspension does its work superbly, although the huge wheels hamper all round ride consolation.

As standard, the S-Class receives air suspension and it does its work superbly. The suspension beautifully arrests up and down actions, and you will find a softness at reduced speeds. Nonetheless, all round ride consolation is down on the very last-gen S-Class. And it truly is the AMG Line’s 255/forty R20 tyres to blame for this. The rather reduced-profile tyres are unable to wholly cushion towards the sharper imperfections on the road and you will find even a a bit rigid-kneed come to feel on concrete surfaces. Incredibly uncharacteristic of an S-Class. Assembled-in-India versions could and should really make the transfer to smaller rims with additional sidewall protection.

What is distinctive is the way the S-Class builds pace. You really don’t have to weigh down as well tough on the accelerator for the S to expose its punchy side, and functionality is just easy. The nine-pace gearbox also performs its supporting part very well by fluidly performing up and down the gears. Increase with it the S-Class masking its pace, and your passenger would not really know how brief you are likely.

We couldn’t get the S 400d 4Matic to match Merc’s claimed -100kph time of 5.4sec. Even so, the six.9sec time for the sprint to 100kph is brisk for a vehicle so huge. Sorry to use the cliche but you would not be late for that boardroom conference in an S.

Corners on your route? No issue. The S-Class is a major and major consolation-oriented limo, but the major surprise is that it truly is rather awesome to travel. System control, even with the suspension at its softest, is enjoyable and you will find even a fantastic total of link at the steering. You will find fantastic weight to it and you can truly get pleasure from your Sunday travel in 1.

Regardless of becoming a consolation-oriented limo, the new S-Class is rather awesome to travel.

But let’s not get in advance of ourselves. The S-Class will commit the bulk of its existence in the town where by driving a vehicle so huge can be annoying. Encouraging considerably to this end is the S-Class’ rear-wheel steering. As on other programs, the rear wheels change for enhanced agility and substantial-pace stability, but in the India plan of points, the most significant profit will come in reduced-pace manoeuvrability. On cars equipped with 20-inch rims, the rear wheels can change by up to four.5 levels in the reverse course to the 1 up front, efficiently minimizing the turning circle by nearly 1.nine metres. A slick 360 degree digital camera and car parking are other attributes your chauffeur will be grateful for.

The suspension raise aspect will come really handy as well, although you have to be thorough more than huge speedbreakers even at full peak. The S-Class tends to scrape its belly if you are not thorough, and the sound on speak to just just isn’t fairly.

2021 Mercedes Benz S Class: should really you get 1?

The S-Class has long gone on sale at Rs 2.17 crore (ex-showroom) for the S 400d 4Matic, although the S 450 4Matic can be yours for Rs 2.19 crore. The pricing is substantial even by luxurious limousine phase requirements, but the truth that the bulk of cars in the 1st great deal of S-Courses for India are presently spoken for tells you about the model’s mass attraction, even in the rarified space it performs in.

The newest S-Class appears to be like the enterprise, it truly is fantastic be pushed about in – a bit jittery ride notwithstanding – the cabin is calming, the seats are as cozy as they occur and you will find heaps and heaps of tech to geek out on as well. That the S-Class is also awesome to travel is just an extra as well as.