2011 Mercedes-Benz S500 Reviews

That is, as long as that buyer is not in Australia. The 220kW, 7.9-litres/100km limousine with a mere 186g/km CO2 emission level powers Mercedes-Benz into a new era of luxury.But the most disappointing feature of the S400 – Mercedes’ first production hybrid and the world’s first production hybrid with lithium-ion batteries — is that there are no current plans for a right-hand drive version.The closest one for which Mercedes would speculate about a right-drive model is for the next generation S-Class, due in 2012.That’s a long time to wait for a car, especially one that has only just been released in its home market.The disappointment showed on my face on a run in the car through Germany’s Black Forest region, where the undulating and twisting narrow roads have no patience for weak engines. The relatively modest 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine is usually starved of brisk off-the-mark sprints, weighed down by the S-Class 1.9-tonne mass and its own leisurely power output.But mated with a n electric motor, situated between the engine and the seven-speed automatic gearbox, it becomes subtly more responsive and with a big boost to low-end delivery.As it caught the evening traffic snarl out of Stuttgart, it switched off its engine when stationary to save fuel. I had expected it to crawl forward with the snail’s pace of the traffic, quietly using only its motor in a similar fashion to the Lexus and Toyota Prius. But it didn’t, instead always silently starting the engine and letting petrol fuel the ride.The lithium-ion batteries are considerably smaller — about 10 per cent of the size and weight — than its rivals. But they may also be less powerful to act as stand-alone power.The battery box sits under the bonnet so there’s no change to the luggage area in design, layout and available space. That is a big bonus compared with its rivals that use the bigger, heavier metal-hydride batteries.Why has Mercedes-Benz grasped the hybrid concept and set it free in its latest S-Class saloon? Simply because it believes performance and luxury can co-exist with a more environmentally-conscious powerplant.In wheeling out the S400 Hybrid, Mercedes takes on Lexus and for the future, a potential stream of upmarket rivals.It will lead to more hybrid examples and, within two years a diesel-hybrid version that promises much greater emission and fuel use reductions, predicts the company’s high-voltage energy manager Dr Martin Hermsen.So impressive is the S400 Hybrid that it overshadowed the concurrent launch of the 2009 S-Class make-over model. This is the car that leads into the 2012 next generation model.For Australia, the S400 will be only a dream. But eight models will lead the S-Class into the Australian market starting in August with the S350 and S500 petrol-engine versions. These will be followed by the S350 CDI turbo-diesel, the S350 and S500 long wheelbase versions, then the S600, S63 and S65.Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy says prices will remain about the same as the current range.In a similar vein, little has changed about the 2009 S-Class in comparison to the outgoing series. Yes, a closer look sees restyled head and tail lights, a new grille and mirrors.New systems are included inside the car and theres new technology such as the split-image monitor that allows the driver to see the satellite navigation map while the front passenger enjoys a movie.The S-Class is still a big car yet retains a conservative style that lures a mature market. Undoubtedly, it’s impressive and — as the S-Class has since 1951 — speaks without words about the importance of its owner.

When a customer forks out this sort of money, they expect the best.The new S-Class, with more than a passing resemblance to the stratospherically luxurious Maybach, breaks new ground with a dozen technological innovations available for the first time on a series production car.These include dynamic contour seats with moving side bolsters for cornering, "Brake Assist" that optimises braking function ac- cording to driving conditions and demands, "Pre-Safe" that optimises various safety systems if a collision is imminent and active air suspension that adjusts according to the road, load and driving style.But the trump card is night view assist, an infrared camera ($4000) that gives the driver a clear night view beyond even bi-xenon headlights on a monochromatic in-dash screen.The safety implications of night view assist are awesome particularly if mass manufacturing makes it accessible further down the car food chain.The new S-Class is bigger in every dimension than the previous model and is available in short and long wheelbase with the latter being 130mm longer at 5206 metres.The extra size correlates to additional interior room and more comfort.Accepting that the S500, the only V8 in the lineup, has almost every imaginable luxury, what is it like to drive?The $270,000 test vehicle was a long wheelbase model and that means copious rear seat legroom.The car has huge visual impact commanding attention wherever it goes. Large wheel arch flares add a distinctive touch as does the "pancake" bootlid.Power comes from a 5.5-litre petrol V8 kicking out an impressive 285kW/530Nm, sufficient to propel the big S500 from 0-100kmh in a scant 5.4 seconds.It does this while being capable of using as little as only 10.5 litres of petrol/ 100km in mixed driving.Drive is to the rear wheels via a seven speed auto with sequential shift on steering wheel mounted buttons.There is never a point when the S500 can't provide blistering acceleration. It can be cruising almost silently and move away like a sports saloon car with a moderate push on the throttle.When sound is audible, it's a bass exhaust burble - totally in keeping with the big Benz.Ride is superb thanks to the adaptive air suspension which delivers a supple controlled ride no matter what the conditions.The interior is finely crafted and stylishly modern offering easy to use controls and high levels of comfort.Possibly the only complaint I have with this car is the Benz version of that annoying BMW I-Drive controller in the centre console.When you're driving, you need to be looking at the road and concentrating, not fiddling with a electronic controller and looking at the readout screen to find out which function you have.

The S-Class also became Mercedes's technological showpiece. The W116 model of 1972 was among the first cars designed for crash safety and the W126 model of 1979 introduced ABS brakes and airbags to mass production cars (although airbags had appeared briefly in the US on 1973-76 Oldsmobiles).The 1991 W140 model — derided as the "swine-class" for its huge size — established a reputation for unimpeachable build quality that some think the W220 of 1999 lost slightly, although it shook off the piggy nickname with renewed agility and graceful styling.Now comes the W221, the first S-Class of the new millennium and the car that must uphold Mercedes-Benz's reputation for the remainder of the decade, at least. Its advanced technology credentials are an optional night vision system and hybrid powered concept versions, seen at last year's Frankfurt motor show. Until those cars hit the roads the question is how the S-Class performs in a world crowded with luxury car contenders and pretenders. After a week in an S500 L we have an answer. The fact that our week-long test included 650km of driving in a single afternoon gives some clue as to what it is.Styling on the largest Mercedes has moved with the times. The conservative and devout Adenauer might find this one a bit racy with its 17-inch wheels (18-inch on the test car) and prominent, flared guards. The boot and tail lights seem a nod to Maybach, which probably seemed like a good idea several years ago when the car was being drawn, although these days the less said about Mercedes-Benz's underperforming super-luxe line the better. But the result is lithe without being undignified. Something about the contradiction between its ready-for-action stance and its traditional luxury chromework evokes an athlete in a tailored suit.The interior is a new direction for Mercedes. A central control knob, similar to BMW's reviled iDrive and Audi's better regarded MMC system, appears on the centre console. Like the Audi system (and — to be fair — the latest versions of iDrive) the Benz comes with a "back" button to extricate you from the murkier depths of its multi-layer menu. It becomes comprehensible after a few days although operations like changing the radio station can be needlessly complex if you're using another mode, such as navigation, at the time. But that was also a whine about the old model's Comand system. Whether these controls are truly intuitive or whether your intuition adapts to their little ways is the unanswerable question.But questions of interior quality have been answered emphatically. Some reviewers said the previous model displayed a little too much plastic in the cabin. Not this one. Whatever plastics it uses are convincingly disguised, such as the steely cold feeling seat adjustment buttons. The rest is leather, cloth and metal.The result feels both old-world and up-to-the-minute. It's an elegant contradiction exemplified by the speedometer. Look again at the needle and dial and you realise it's actually an LCD screen emulating a conventional instrument. On cars equipped with night vision this is where the display appears.We'll withhold our verdict on the usefulness of this $3590 option until we take an S-Class down a 'roo-ridden country road at dusk. In city driving it adds little to what the streetlights illuminate. But the xenon headlights, which follow the steering, are brilliant.Radar cruise control is optional and will soon include a second, long-range radar that scans for objects entering the car's path. The system gives Mercedes the confidence to offer full automatic braking, from up to 200km/h down to a standstill if it detects an object. Certification in Australia has been delayed; the small matter of it using the same frequency as radio telescopes has to be resolved. Astronomers might confuse a passing S-Class with a distant galaxy.Another welcome change is the end of the Mercedes-Benz patent shin-scraper — also known as a foot-operated park brake. It's replaced by an electro-mechanical push-button parking brake as already used by Audi, Jaguar and BMW. By contrast the main brakes remain a conventional hydraulic/vacuum design with a direct physical link between the driver's foot and the wheels. Mercedes decided not to use the Sensotronic brake system of other recent models.In Sensotronic, the brake pedal acted as a switch for an electronic system. Impressive as this was to technology wonks, it offered no overwhelming advantage — particularly as ABS and stability control work perfectly well with conventional brakes. Old-fashioned or not, the S500's brakes had an exemplary combination of initial bite, strong stopping power and finesse for gentle stops.The interior ambience can best be summed up in one anecdote. You can listen to classical music at low volume when the S-Class is sitting on the motorway speed limit. (What else would a road tester for a broadsheet newspaper listen to?) Most cars drown out quiet orchestral passages, but the S-Class is a mobile concert hall.Ahead of its double-insulated firewall a newly designed 5.5-litre V8 turns at a relaxed 1500rpm at 100km/h, returning an impressive 12.4 litres per 100km over a very demanding test. Despite the truck-like low revs there's no vibration or coarseness through the driveline. That's expected but the way it responds between corners on winding roads is a surprise. Its 0-100km/h time of 5.4 seconds makes the two-tonne S-Class as fast as a Porsche Cayman. The seven-speed transmission can be shifted with steering wheel buttons, right for up and left for down. In sport mode, via a switch on the centre console, it can feel a little fidgety but in comfort mode it is as smooth as the rest of the car.The steering, light at first in familiar Mercedes fashion, becomes firmer as speeds rise although it never approaches sportscar levels of communication. The same goes for the S-Class's handling, although it is fundamentally well-balanced, well-endowed with grip and astonishingly agile for a big car.And big it is, although the styling disguises its true bulk. Front seat room is ample and the rear compartment of an S500 L is one of the few in any foreign car that is as commodious as those of a Holden Statesman or Ford Fairlane. It comes with three seatbelts but is really set up as a luxurious and roomy space for two, with a second interior control knob in the pull-down armrest for climate and audio.And while both a Statesman and Fairlane are well-sorted cars they can't approach the splendid isolation of the S-Class. Most of the time its ride is sublime, delivering the wafting sensation that is the mark of true luxury. Occasionally there's a rude interruption from broken bitumen or severely ridged concrete but it is like distant thunder, and larger bumps are almost completely damped away.That was why, as the big Benz bathed in the autumnal afternoon light beside a quiet road in southern NSW, it seemed entirely reasonable to take the long way home.

Would you put a price of, say, $790 on it?If I had enough money lying around to buy an average three-bedroom Brisbane home, I think I'd be tempted to buy a new Mercedes-Benz S500 instead.And then I'd splash out further with an extra $790 for the luxury head restraints for the front seats.Like the headrests on a business class seat on a jet, they are pillow-soft and can be pushed into a cup shape to nurse your head.They almost make driving too comfortable.Careful, you don't want to go to sleep at the wheel.And that is one of the biggest draw-backs with this vehicle.It's so darned comfortable, you could easily fall asleep in it.My eldest daughter suggested we could sell our house and buy one. "I'd gladly sleep in it," she said.At the national launch in Victoria in February, I actually fell asleep in the back seat while a fellow motoring journalist punted it around Mt Bright.The comfort is thanks to the soft leather seats with heating and cooling vents, the ultra-quiet cabin, the plush carpet, the home interior decore and the smooth air suspension ride.The fact that the Airmatic suspension makes it sit flat in corners means you can stab the throttle hard and enjoy the pace of the lively V8 engine, without disturbing dozey daughters or motoring journalists in the back seat.A spirited drive up Mt Mee for a Sunday lunch served to whet my appetite, while a more sedate drive home on a full tummy had everyone, including me, nodding off to sleep.I had to keep myself alert by playing with the Comand centre which operates the many gadgets and gizmos in the top-of-the-line Benz.The Comand "mouse" is situated where the gearshift used to be. The gearshift is now a stalk on the steering wheel.My first encounter with this phenomenon was in the ML. I didn't like it, knocking the vehicle into neutral on several occasions because I mistook it for the indicators.However, I didn't have any troubles with the S-Class — although I did have to think a couple of seconds whenever I switched it off. Not that it matters as it naturally goes into park and engages the parking brake.Above the Comand mouse is a comfortable hand-rest that opens up to reveal the mobile phone keypad. Everything seems to be oriented towards being both comfortable and functional in the S-Class.This large limo barely fits in my garage, it's that long. That means there is ample leg room for rear-seat passengers and plenty of boot space.And despite the large proportions, Benz has done a fine job of the styling: they made it look smaller than it really is. It's no CLS, but still quite charming.But is such a large and luxurious car fun to drive?Frankly, no. It just does everything so well, you are almost divorced from the driving experience.Apart from straight-line acceleration forces, there is little involvement. And even then you are divorced from the wind, engine and exhaust noise of swift movement.It sits flat in corners, so there is none of the usual G-force feeling.And the steering is so smooth, linear and well-weighted, it almost has no character. It simply points and turns.I was overjoyed when I ran hard through a corrugated corner and heard suspension components struggling to keep pace with the rapid changes in the surface. However, there was no associated sidestepping or rack rattle.This Teutonic techno-whizz has so many standard features and expensive extras it takes abrochure to list them all.Just make sure you get the pillow headrests.

The second generation Distronic cruise control system employs not one but two radar systems to automatically brake the car when the active cruise system is activated.One radar focuses on traffic directly in the lane ahead while the other scans the lanes on either side on the lookout for vehicles entering the car's path.The trouble is the second, long range radar operates on the same 77Ghz frequency that astronomers use for their radio telescopes - and herein lies the problem.Until Benz gets permission, it is not able to use this frequency and so the first cars offered for sale here will only have the old single radar system for which the company already has approval.This short range system operates in the 24Ghz band.Benz applied for government approval two months ago but it could be several months before it gets the go ahead.But the kerfuffle doesn't seem to have phased buyers as company executives say their is still strong demand for the car.The S Class is the biggie of the Benz range and goes head to head with the likes of BMW's 7 Series and Audi's A8.However, it has a big reputation to live up to as it is regarded as the world's best mass produced car.As such the S commands a premium, with prices starting from $187,900 without any options - and no one, but no one, buys one of these cars without ticking a few options.Models range from the 3.5-litre V6 S350, to the 5.4-litre V8 S500 and top of the line twin turbo V12 model that goes for a whopping $363,900.A V6 diesel is also in the pipeline.In comparison, prices for the BMW 7 Series kick off at $181,000 and for the Audi A8 at $169,000.Resale value for the S Class is best in its class.First cab off the rank for the Australian market is the S500, the long wheelbase version of which we got to put through its paces this week in Victoria.At just over 5.2 metres and weighing in at close to two tonnes, this car is no shrinking violet.The 5.4-litre V8 delivers 285kW of power and 530Nm of torque, capable of catapulting the car from rest to 100km/h in just 5.4 seconds.Power is fed through a seven-speed tiptronic auto to the rear wheels and the car rides air suspension, with 17-inch 235/55 wheels and rubber.A host of electronic aids are standard to keep you and the car on the road.Fuel consumption is a claimed 11.8-12.0 litres per 100km.To give you an idea of how advanced this car is, a 108-page document is needed for the technical highlights.However, the proof as they say is in the pudding and we make these observations after several hundred kilometres behind the wheel.It's not as quiet inside as the BMW, nor for that matter the library like Lexus LS430, with plenty of road noise penetrating the rear passenger area from the Continental tyres fitted to our test car.Although the rear seat has seatbelts for three passengers, it is designed to carry two outboard passengers in absolute comfort, with individual seat adjustment for each.Number three passenger gets the narrow bit of seat left over in front of the fold down armrest, but this is the market for which Benz is catering.Like the BMW, the transmission shift lever has been moved to the steering column, freeing up space for a covered phone kepad.Guess the designers feel that the well heeled owners will make more use of this more than a floor shift.Having said that, we're not huge fans of the column shift in either car, nor for the matter the steering wheel mounted button change system.Surprisingly, an alarm system is not standard but we gather is not a high priority option among buyers.