Think Luxury - New Mercedes-Benz S-Class Saloon

Potential new owners, car enthusiasts and the motoring media alike eagerly await any new S-Class. It is always a notable event in motoring history and as Mercedes have worked so hard to improve the quality of their products and bring in new technology in the last year to restore their reputation, this particular generation of S-Class is the most important of all.

The new S-Class is a real technology tour de force as standard. The fact that the optional advanced safety driving aids, such as Distronic Plus, Active Body Control, and Night View Assist will only be ordered by fewer than 10% of luxury car buyers, allows the S-Class to be the showcase for what Mercedes can offer ahead of many of their rivals.

This week Mercedes revealed that once the range is complete they would expect to sell 2,500 S-Class models in the UK in a full year. This would mean the S-Class should account for around 22% of all luxury cars sold in the UK.

Currently the outgoing S-Class has a 20% share of the sector and just fewer than 9,000 luxury cars are sold in the UK annually. Due to market conditions Mercedes expects this total to remain the same for the next four years with the S-Class increasing its market share with conquest sales from other manufacturers.

Competitors to the new S-Class are: the BMW 7-Series – the sector leader which accounts for 25% of sales, the Jaguar XJ with 23% and the Audi A8 with 19%. Others, including the VW Phaeton, Maserati Quattroporte and the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, have combined sales which added up to a 13% share of the sector in 2005.

After Germany and the USA the UK is the largest market for S-Type sales. According to Claire McDonnell, Mercedes UK product executive for S-Class, S-Class customers are predominately male aged in their mid 50s and many are company owners or senior directors. Sixty per cent of sales are expected to be to retail customers and traditionally Mercedes retain 33% of their S-Class customers. Advance orders suggest that around 7% of UK customers will take the advanced technology options such as Night View Assist, priced from £1,200, the £1,840 Distance Plus Braking and the £2,310 Active Body Control at this early stage in the car’s life.

Ms McDonnell said their new S-Class has the same design concept as the outgoing model, a five-seat saloon available with two wheelbase options. It is longer, wider, higher and lighter with a 9% improvement in fuel economy due to the lightweight construction and use of aluminium body panels, she said.

In the UK Ms McDonnell expects the S 320 CDI diesel saloon, priced at £54,975, to take 60% of all S-Class sales and the best selling petrol model is expected to be the S 350 priced at £56,720. The S 500 priced at £69,770 will be the third best selling model from the new range. This model has a brand new 5.5-litre V8 power unit with 388hp and 530Nm of torque. All other engines in the range have been uprated.

All three of these versions plus the S 600 model are available in saloon and long wheelbase limousine body lengths. Limousine models are priced from £58,975 for the S 320 CDI up to £101,955 for the S 600. In Europe there is an additional diesel engine option, a 4.2-litre CDI V8 unit but this will not be part of the UK line-up as the small number of sales it would attract is considered to make it an unviable sales proposition. A S65 AMG 5.9-litre, petrol, 612hp, 1000Nm variant priced from £140,000 will be added to the UK in the summer of this year and an S55 AMG V8 petrol version will be added in the summer of 2007.

Mercedes S-Class range has a fifty year history of sales and the life cycle of each generation is in the region eight years said Ms McDonnell. Given its long history and sales success in the UK she expects the new S-Class to retain 45% its value over the traditional three-year residual value period.

Exterior looks are always subjective and everybody will have their own view about the S-Class. But I think the owners who buy and know about luxury and executive cars will not be disappointed. It is a substantial vehicle with loads of road presence and classic Mercedes-Benz.

More importantly the interior is roomier than the outgoing model with the largest boot in its class. The Mercedes reversal of quality issues seems to be settled once and for all. The S-Class’s cabin is impeccable in design, quality and comfort. All the switches are clustered together in areas reflecting their roles so it is easy for the driver to navigate their way around the comprehensive array of driving equipment. Mercedes also combines many of the car’s driving control and information options in what they call their COMMAND system. This is much more user friendly than the disliked BMW iDrive system.

Relative to its competitors the S-Class is an expensive car but it is well equipped. However there are lots of extra cost high tech and luxury options that can add many thousands of pounds to the final price but the sort of customers the S-Class attracts expect that choice.

There is no doubt after my brief test driving session that the S 320 CDI priced at £54,975, and the cheapest model in the range, is the best model to go for if the driver covers a high annual mileage. With 232bhp and 398lb ft of torque available from only 1,600rpm, fuel economy of 33mpg, a top speed of 145mph and a 0-62mph acceleration time of 7.5 seconds, why would you choose the S350 petrol version which is less frugal and costs nearly £2,000 more. Used in conjunction with the standard seven-speed automatic transmission it is a near perfect partnership.

If a customer really does want to buy a petrol S-Class then the new V8 engine in the S 500 is the model of choice. This 388bhp does give the S-Class more zip with a 0-62mph time of just 5.4 seconds and the fuel consumption will be around 24mpg. Because of the refinement and smoothness this all-new engine offers for the lower mileage owners, I can see this being their model of choice. The issue is that the £69,770 price tag might be off-putting and for highly taxed company car drivers who want a petrol model, the S 350 costing £56,720 will be the right model for them.

Whichever model S-Class is the final choice of the customer it will be a stunning car and probably one of the great luxury cars of today.

MILESTONES.

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