The boardroom wars are heating up in the luxury saloon segment where the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XJ and Lexus LS are jostling to be the most technologically-advanced car.
Audi will later this year launch its latest A8 model billed by the company to be the most advanced yet, while the new Lexus LS is also standing in the wings ready to please the industry captains.
BMW’s 7 Series seems to be leading the charge in respect of technology, trounced only in the semi-autonomous driving aids, which the recently updated S-Class has prised from the current E-Class.
The S-Class has long been the leader of the segment, the chairman of the board if you will, but the 7 Series seems to have pulled the rug from under its feet. Now the Stuttgart limo is back to try to find favour with the rest of the board members to be voted best in the class.
We travelled to KwaZulu-Natal to sample the improved S-Class, which now comes with an even more tailored suit, thanks to slight alterations to its corporate garb. However, the biggest changes are to the interior where appointments have been taken to the next level with the instrument cluster now featuring a one piece, 12.3-inch screen that spans almost half the dashboard and adds a feel of simplicity and avant garde style.
One of the big news items, though, is that the model now comes with new inline six diesel and petrol engines, which will comprise two turbodiesel engines in the form of the S350d L with a 3.0l capacity making 210kW and 600Nm, while the S400d L has a similar capacity but pushes out 250kW and 700Nm. Petrol engines come in the form of the S450 L powered by a 3.0l turbo engine making 270kW and 500Nm, while the S500L with a similar engine capacity bumps that power up to 320kW and 520Nm. Then there is the S560 L harbouring a 4.0l V8 twin-turbo engine making 345kw and 700Nm. Another wrung up is the S600 L with a 6.0l twin-turbo V12 good for 390kW and 830Nm.
Climb the corporate ladder even higher and you arrive at the AMG models in the form of the S63 and S65. The former now uses the company’s 4.0l V8 twin-turbo to make 450kW and 900Nm while the latter still boasts the 6.0l twin turbo V12 to kick out 463Kw and 1,000Nm.
There is also the S650 Maybach, which shares an engine with the S65 to achieve similar outputs and it is here that the lines begin to blur somewhat.
You see, Mercedes has its luxury brand Maybach, which is 109 years old, and was acquired by the three-pointed star to take on the likes of Bentley and Rolls-Royce at the highest echelons of luxury saloons.
It launched around the middle of the last decade with the S-Class based 57 and 62 saloons, the number referring to the extra length in wheelbase. It was a valiant attempt, but the models paled relative to the Rolls-Royce Phantom, which proved too hot for Maybach to handle.
The Maybach brand was canned as a standalone model in 2012 only to re-emerge as part of the S-Class range with a few Maybach badges and little else. The latest S650 Maybach I drove at its launch continues this trajectory and seems to lack the sense of occasion one would expect of the brand and I was left rather disappointed by the half-hearted measure.
Maybach needs to relaunch as a standalone brand, build bespoke cars to truly take on the likes of Bentley and Rolls-Royce and not be based on the already accomplished S-Class.
The various models of the S-Class I drove at the launch were quite impressive, with a standout feature being the Curve driving mode that can be activated via the drive mode toggle switch on the centre console. It assists the body of the vehicle to remain flat during cornering by using the air suspension, a feature that first debut in the S-Class coupe, but markedly improved here as it works a treat.
The updated S-Class, priced from R1,620,000 to R3,410,000, has added just the right quotas of refinement and efficiency to remain the CEO of the luxury saloon segment.
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