By Paul Gover.
The only better way than a Mercedes-Benz S450 to travel from Melbourne to Sydney has wings.
And a Boeing is not good at all for the school pick-up . . .
The latest S450 is the seventh generation of the Mercedes S-Class flagship model, which has always been an executive express for people who enjoy – and can afford – the finer things in life.
It is both plush and poised, and a car that says as much about the owner as itself.
In 2021 it is a wonderful antidote to the SUV plague, as well as proof that an old-fashioned four-door sedan can be as enjoyable as anything on the road. Sales might be falling in Australia, and around the world, but there are some people who want and demand the motoring excellent that only comes with a three-pointed star at the top of the grille.
If you’re waiting for the ‘but’, here it comes …
The S-Class, which led the world on anti-skid braking and so many more technological marvels since the 1970s, is now so overloaded with high-tech systems that is is both confusing and distracting to drive. It’s easier to list what it doesn’t have than what it has in the standard equipment.
It has a light for the passenger seat that triggers automatically when you reach across the cabin, every safety system you can imagine – including a one-touch automatic lane-change – and even an anti-fatigue monitor that also nags you to make sure you set your seat in the correct – for the car – driving position.
Once the obvious intrusions are deactivated it is much more enjoyable, but anyone new to the car or tech-resistant will find it a confusion of computers.
Still, it is nice to say “Hey Mercedes, the cabin is too hot” and get a response that says “I’ll turn the temperature down to 19 degrees”. That’s luxury.
But the real luxury comes from a full-sized flagship with generous space for four people, an incredibly quiet cabin, an air-suspension system that creates a magic-carpet ride, and the final finishing work – from the giant landscape-layout infotainment screen to leather stitching – that justifies a price which can easily zip past $300,000.
The power pack in the S-Class is a 48-volt hybrid arrangement, which only has a four-cylinder turbo petrol combustion engine at its heart. Yet it makes a rousing 286 kiloWatts in total, thanks to the EQ Boost, and all of 750 Newton-metres for the same reason.
It also clocks an easy 8.5 litres/100km consumption during my test, which means well over 600 kilometres between refuelling. It also recovers plenty of energy during braking and coasting, although some people will find the feel through the brake pedal a little inconsistent as it moves between harvesting and traditional friction braking.
There will eventually be more-powerful S-Class models, and a longer-wheelbase limo for the seriously wealthy and powerful, but the biggest change will come when Benz goes to the fully-electric EQS battery flagship. Considering it will often be driving through no-go combustion-engine cities like London, Paris and Berlin, the S-Class is heading for extinction once the EQS arrives.
Yet for now, and even into the future, it is an interstate express that ticks all the boxes.
From the driver’s seat, it is comfortable and enjoyable. It’s not a sports car yet it goes and corners impressively for such a big and heavy car.
Not even Australia’s awful roads can challenge the suspension and the all-round refinement takes the stress out of any trip, long or short.
The technology takes some taming, and means annoying smudge marks that spoil the look of the infotainment screen, but it’s a car that re-sets the S-Class and the expectations of people who want one of the world’s very best cars.
THE BASICS
Mercedes-Benz S450
Price: from $245,747
Engine: 3-litre 4-cylinder petrol turbo
Power: 286kW/750Nm
Transmission: 9-speed auto, all-wheel drive
Position: luxury flagship
Plus: all-round excellence
Minus: too much intrusive tech
THE TICK: have to love it
Score: 9.5/10
