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Will the new Mercedes S-Class be the best car in the world?

New_Mercedes_SClass
he tech-laden next-generation Mercedes S-Class - will it really be the best car in the world?

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17 May 2013

Mercedes S-Class
As well as the usual V8s there’ll be a new emphasis on more economical versions – including a diesel hybrid

MERCEDES is very clear about its aspirations for the next-generation S-Class – it wants its latest flagship model to be ”the best automobile in the world”.

The new car was unveiled this week and its sober, unadventurous styling doesn’t really betray much evidence of the company’s vaulting ambition – it’s under the skin that the real advances have been made.

The new S-Class bristles with technology

The new Mercedes S-Class bristles with technology, with a full suite of intelligence and comfort features such as adaptive cruise control grouped together under the collective description “Intelligent Drive”.

It’s also the first car to dispense entirely with conventional bulbs in favour of an “all-LED” lighting system; in fact there are almost 500 LEDs, including about 300 that combine to produce the “ambient lighting” effects in the cabin.

Mercedes S Class
300 LEDs create an ‘ambient lighting’ effect in the cabin

One feature that seems likely to attract a lot of attention is the new car’s “Road Surface Scan” technology, which uses a stereo camera to “read” the road ahead and adapt the suspension to deal with any unevenness, although this will only be available as an option on the top models at first.

Other cars get Mercedes’ Airmatic air suspension as standard, along with adaptive damping.

Mercedes has also put in a big push in the area of drivetrain efficiency.

Mercedes S Class
Will the tech-laden new S-Class be the best car in the world? We’ll find out when it launches later this year

At the top end, there’s a V8-engined S 500 (capacity 4.66 litres) which is exactly the sort of thing you’d expect to find under the bonnet of an S-Class.

But at the other end of the range, the S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid has Mercedes’ 2.15-litre four-cylinder diesel engine paired with an electric motor in a hybrid drivetrain delivering  64.2mpg and 115g/km of CO2. Even this model is capable of accelerating from rest to 62 mph in just 7.6 seconds, and it tops out at an impressive 148 mph.

Other engine options for the Mercedes S-Class include the S 400 Hybrid (3.5-litre petrol V6) and the 3.0-litre S 350 BlueTEC diesel – likely to be a business car favourite – although the precise UK line-up remains to be confirmed.

Cars will appear in British showrooms during the last quarter of 2013.

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Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Business Car Manager (now renamed Business Motoring). Ralph writes extensively about the car and van leasing industry as well as wider fleet and company car issues. A former editor of What Car?, Ralph is a vastly experienced writer and editor and has been writing about the automotive sector for over 35 years.

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