2014 Mercedes-Benz S 350 CDI Test Drive Score Sheet

The new S Class certainly lives up to the reputation that this car has crafted for itself over time – the best car in the world!

For decades, the S Class has been the symbol for having made it in life. Politicians, businessmen, dictators, and religious leaders have all made the S Class the ride of their choice – underlining their ability to spot quality when they see it, and (more importantly) pointing to their own supreme importance.

And while, historically, the S Class has been worthy of such reverence – it hasn’t always lived up to the hype. Over the years, the competition has managed to catch up and even surpass this symbol of engineering excellence. But, with the latest S Class – the W222 – Mercedes has upped the ante in an effort to stamp its class on the motorized chariot once again. And so the attention to detail, quality levels, and the sheer levels of comfort have just moved up a notch – epitomized by the fact that the rear headrests in the new S Class are softer than an Ostrich’s belly. And it doesn’t hurt that the styling of this car ensures that it has more road presence than a US Army Humvee. But, strangely, it’s elegant as well!

The car we tested at the BIC was powered by a 3-litre V6 turbocharged diesel that produces 255bhp and 620Nm of torque – mated to Mercedes’ ubiquitous 7-speed automatic transmission. The masses of torque produced by the engine means that it never feels short of grunt. The most impressive bit, though, is the way the electronics work in the background to ensure that this car puts in a lap time of 2:39.7. Granted it’s slower than both the 7 Series and A8 in this test, but the brakes on our test car were almost completely fried – which certainly affected the lap time.

The brakes aside, the manner in which the S Class navigated the corners was pretty miraculous considering its girth. The car just follows the line of the steering to the tee – it’s pretty incredible. Sure, you can’t entirely disguise the weight – but the electronics seem to work their way around it so impressively that you almost forget that you’re actually piloting a full-sized luxury barge. Meanwhile, on the road, the bevy of electronics (and the air suspension) really do make you feel like you’re riding on a magic carpet.

If we were to nit-pick, we would say that the all-white interiors could do with a hint of subtlety. But, more importantly, it really is time for Mercedes to introduce its new nine-speed gearbox and save us the trouble of knocking this 7-speed transmission every single time we test it.

But, like we said – it’s just nit picking. On the whole, the styling, the quality, and just the sense of being on top of the world is unmatched in the S.

Sure, for this test, it may not be a populist choice – but the numbers don’t lie. The new S Class simply lives up to its billing of being the best car in the world!

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