Our S500 comes with a gigantic 4,663-cc engine, which is super-smooth and barely audible in the cabin. You’ll find it difficult to figure out if it is running. That’s where the discreet nature of the petrol-powered V8 stops, as it develops 460 PS of maximum power and a tasty 700 Nm of peak torque from as low as 1,800 revs. The 7G-Tronic Plus transmission has been given a thorough overhaul and in the S500 it is not just fast but offers impressively spike-free gear changes. During most of the drive, it’s difficult to decipher when the shifts take place, all you get is non-stop, seamless surge which pins your head deeper into the delicately soft headrest.
The V8 has so much vim that the big limousine’s bulk is hardly an obstruction and has stunning straight-line performance. Physics-defying 0-100 km/h time of just 5.51 seconds, 200 km/h in 18.39 seconds and just 30 seconds to touch its top speed of 246 km/h is proof enough. For a car that measures more than five metres and weighs 2,200 kg, this is a phenomenal achievement. It goes without saying that even overtaking isn’t a stress. Kick-down from 40 to 100 km in just three-and-a-half seconds is proof enough of this Mercedes’ brilliant abilities.
To make driving efficient, the S-Class also employs a start-stop system, which kills the motor when the brake is held on to and brings the V8 back to life with just a tap on the throttle. What’s more impressive is the efficient manner it does the whole drill as the occupants can barely feel a thing. Despite the system, the car achieves just four km/l in the city and 7.5 km/l on the highway, which isn’t really as efficient.
The brakes on our S500 were simply stunning. Fitted with discs measuring 370 mm up front and 360 mm at the rear, the car offers a strong bite. Safety system like the Stop&Go pilot needs to be mentioned here, which helps the massive rotors to do their job better. Whenever I swiftly lift my foot off the accelerator, the brake pads are put into slight contact with the rotors, to offer maximum braking power at my disposal. During our performance test, the S-Class took just 2.08 seconds to come to a complete standstill from 80 km/h and travelled just 22.46 metres. For a car of this size and weight, this is quite a feat.
However, you do feel the bulkiness while driving the car, more so on our hyperactive city roads. In the new S-Class the electro-mechanical Direct-Steer system allows the system to adjust the extra torque for superior refinement, but in the process the steering isn’t as communicative as I would have desired. It’s definitely better than the outgoing car with the extra feedback it offers and provides enough information from the road, which is acceptable in the luxury class of cars.
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