Economical Among The Luxury Sedans

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

Mercedes has equipped the S-Class with new engines. They combine more power with less consumption. Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche is definitely satisfied with the company's flagship.

By Frank Mertens

When a consulting company presented the results of a survey a few weeks ago, very few car bosses were likely to have been pleased. Who likes to hear that Germany's favorite child is no longer a status symbol, but has, depending on the brand, reached the level of washing machines.

S-Class number one in luxury sedans

One person who did not have to be angry about the study was Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche. After all, cars from Mercedes-Benz continue to arouse customer desires. They are still status symbols, especially the S-Class, the company's flagship. It is still number one in luxury sedans ahead of the BMW 7 Series and the Audi A8.

In the previous year, over 53,000 customers around the world opted for the S-Class, which pours the highest contribution margins into the coffers of Stuttgart. If Zetsche has its way, it should stay that way. The S-Class should continue to serve as a benchmark for the competition and show them "where the hammer is," he said at the presentation in Cannes.

Therefore, 15 months after the last model revision and the market launch of the S400 BlueHybrid, the Stuttgart-based company is now also equipping its sedan with new, more fuel-efficient engines that make the flagship the most economical S-Class of all time, as Zetsche is satisfied. And the safest - because Daimler has equipped its flagship with further developed safety features such as the active lane departure warning system. If there is a solid line, it not only warns the driver via a warning signal that his car has left the lane, but also brings it back to the right-hand side of the lane with automatic braking.

The blind spot assistant works in exactly the same way: if things get tight when changing lanes, the brakes are also applied. As test drives showed, the systems work perfectly. These are more than just nice gimmicks, but a significant increase in security.

Aha experience with gasoline direct injection

But with the new S-Class, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary next year, the new direct-injection petrol engines, which are also used in the CL, ensure an aha experience. Depending on the engine, they offer an increase in performance of up to 12.5 percent, but at the same time reduce consumption by up to 24 percent. The V6 engine in the S 350 BlueEfficiency is said to be content with a consumption of 7.6 liters of Super per 100 kilometers, which corresponds to CO2 emissions of 177 grams per kilometer. The predecessor still had ten liters (CO2 value: 235 grams per kilometer).

It goes without saying that eight-cylinder engines should not be missing in the S-Class. The 4.6-liter V8 in the S500 with its 435 hp and in the CL500 BlueEfficiency luxury coupe require 9.4 and 9.5 liters, respectively.

Soft start-stop system

The developers succeeded in reducing consumption by combining the direct injection engines and the 7-stage automatic transmission, which is standard in all vehicles and is coupled with a start-stop system. When you stop at traffic lights or in a traffic jam, it imperceptibly switches the engine off and on when the brake is released. The combination of these measures makes the S350 BlueEfficiency the most economical gasoline engine in the luxury class.

In addition to lower fuel consumption, customers can look forward to the said performance increase of 12.5 percent with the S350. This means that instead of 272 HP and a torque of 320 Nm as in the previous model, 306 HP and 370 Nm are now available. This means that the five-meter vehicle with its empty weight of 1910 kilograms can be moved confidently.

The V6 does its job so calmly that thoughts of the V8 do not even arise, even though the engine has to take a little breath from low speeds in order to get going. Its maximum torque of 370 Nm is then only available from 3500 revolutions, but does not end until 5250 crankshaft revolutions.

Don't worry

Anyone who buys an S-Class wants to arrive at their destination comfortably and as rested as possible, even after hundreds of kilometers - and the luxury car does not disappoint its customers. This is ensured by the Active Body Control (ABC) suspension, which adapts the springs to the respective road situation within a fraction of a second. If you also order the electronically controlled Airmatic damping system, you don't have to worry about bad routes.

But as luxurious as you can glide along in the sedan-like S-Class, you sometimes want a little more sportiness. Sure, you can take corners quickly with the S-Class, but it's not really fun, even if you set the dampers to sport mode. But for those who value sportiness, there is the in-house sports car manufacturer AMG. It now also offers more power with less consumption for the class. Two 5.5-liter V8 biturbo engines with 544 and 571 hp are available here.

Daimler also places an exclamation mark on the diesel engines. The S 350 BlueTec only has a combined consumption of 6.8 liters of diesel. This means that the 258 hp diesel is also the most economical S-Class of all time, but it is far from reaching the end of its savings potential, as Zetsche said.

Since the S-Class will not receive the new engines until the beginning of next year, the prices have not yet been determined. It looks different with the CL, the two-door coupé. The 4.6 liter V8 biturbo with 435 hp starts at 118,345 euros.