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In a class of its own

The new Mercedes S-class briefly dropped by in India en-route some international duty. SRIRAM NARAYANAN caught up with it

S MINISTER The new S-class is all dressed to handle boardroom battles, not the stuff of the past where a hostile takeover meant a bloody dictatorial coup d'etat

It's the year 2040. Roads, we presume, aren't going to be any different. Public transport wouldn't have improved, but there would be more options. An underground or a sky rail for instance. The Maruti 800 will most definitely be around, with the same 796cc engine. With more power, better fuel-efficiency, perhaps. But what it will most definitely have are alloy wheels, airbags, anti-lock brakes, discs in all the four wheels, power-windows and power-steering.

Cars like the Skoda Octavia and Toyota Corolla would have got xenon headlamps, rear-view cameras, cruise-control and automated-parking assist systems. The Honda Accord and Toyota Camry would have got infrared cameras, a night-vision system, radar-sensors that automatically increase and decrease speed according to obstructions ahead and they would be riding on an air-suspension system.

By then, the Mercedes S-class, we can safely figure, will be able to drive by itself. And if engineers at Stuttgart are bugged at having reached the plateau of in-car innovation, the Frankfurt Motor Show 2041 will see an S-class concept that can fly over very low altitudes for over short distances.

The future today

Well, we haven't taken to wizardry or crystal-ball gazing. The thing is, a Mercedes S-class is way beyond most of us. You may very well crave for one and dream about one. But you know in you heart, that it's way beyond your pocket. You also reconcile yourself to the fact that you don't need such a pristine example of automobile technology in your garage. However, today's pinnacle is tomorrow's run-of-the-mill. Look at it this way - a couple of years back a cell-phone with a camera was outrageous. Cut to today, when "Sorry, I thought your phone would have a cam... "

And the Mercedes S-class is just that - the future in the present. Back in 1959, Mercedes was the first to introduce crumple zones, disc brakes and a very basic form of air suspension in the SE line of cars. It even had fuel injection - a marvel at that time. Now, even the humble 800 has one. The 450 SEL in the mid-70s was equipped with ABS. That too, as an expensive option. Now, you have tiny hatchbacks sporting these... so there! You get the picture - if you want to know where automobile technology is headed tomorrow, look at the S-class today.

True, the S-class today may be a lesson in opulence. But this is what you or your kids may be driving a couple of decades later. Now, the Merc S is soon to come to India. The car you see here is not one of them. A while ago, the new S-class was one of the first cars to be featured when we started Wheels. And at that time, we had told you about what a technological tour de force the new S was.

This time, we got lucky to drive an S 500. This car is a left-hand drive, has a 5.4-litre V8 and reigns over 388 sumptuous horses. The car was in India for a day, en-route an international motor show somewhere else on this planet. And a day is enough time for a good, close look and a short spin around the neighbourhood. Standing before the new S-class, it isn't immediately apparent that the car is wider and longer than the outgoing model - in fact, the skin is stretched so tightly and so purposefully over, that the car immediately assumes a more youthful and sporty stance than the previous-generation machine.

Shod with massive 18-inch alloys with very low-profile rubber, we were counting on a somewhat firm, crunchy ride over Indian roads. However, that wasn't to be as the AIRMATIC air-suspension makes this car coast over irregular roads like a Boeing would jet through a clear sky. And the S is oh so silent inside, even when you floor the throttle. The silence actually gets quite maddening. Galloping down a smooth road at 120 kph, all you can hear is a sleeping baby peacefully breathing into your ear.

The car's pretty fast and 100 kph seems to come up under seven seconds. The company claims 5.4 seconds, to be precise. One road test and we will know for sure, but you don't need any equipment to tell you are driving a very fast car. It may weigh as much as an elephant, but can change directions like a gazelle trying to outrun a hungry cheetah, thanks to the Active Body Control.

This system sees to it that there's absolutely no body roll or undue pitching, even when taking a sharp corner. And this system is just the tip of the S-class' tech-laden iceberg. Temperature-controlled, massaging seats, six air bags and cruise control that's sensitive to lane-markings are some more, for starters. The car also adopts Merc's BrakeAssist system, which gives you audio and visual warnings if the S-class tails a vehicle ahead bit too close. If you ignore the warning, the car will automatically engage the brakes to slow down or simply bring itself to a stop.

Tech it to the max

Moreover, if the car senses the probability of an accident - like panic braking or a loss of grip in any of the wheels, it automatically pre-tensions the seatbelts, keeping you pinned to your seat to negate any inertia that may arise after or during an impact. It also inflates all the air-bags before the actual impact. In short, PRESAFE pre-empts an accident and takes preventive measures. Then there's the seven-speed 7-GTRONIC gearbox that can intelligently skip ratios to provide you with sublime flowing power, as you demand it.

The cabin is great. You may think in a car of this sort, that's a taken. Well, not quite, because the previous S wasn't exactly of the reference grade for expensive saloons. With a beige and wood theme, the interiors are accentuated with the clutter-free instrument panel and the COMAND screen. An acronym for Cockpit Management and Data System, it's Mercedes' way, inspired by BMW's i-Drive, of reducing the buttons on the dash to a joystick-like dial on the centre console.

The car's not beyond compare though. You wouldn't need me to tell you that arch rivals BMW and Audi have already peered over drawing boards just so that they aren't caught napping. And once the Merc officially does land here, trust us, it will face a pitched battle with the likes of the 7-series and the A8.

While the results of that battle will see another battle of equal ferocity, is this Mercedes S-class a good car? That's like asking if the Broccolis will make another James Bond movie. With some variants commanding eight figure price tags in Indian rupees, it better be.

Moreover, those of you who would want such machinery don't need explanations on the phenomenon that wears an `S' badge with a three-pointed star on its nose. But as I said earlier, we weren't interested in checking on how good this car is - we just wanted to know how good our neighbour's Maruti 800 could be twenty years from now.

TECHNICAL DATA

MERCEDES-BENZ S 500
How much?
Rs 1.25 - 1.30 crore (estimated
How big?
Length: 5,206 mm
Width: 1,871 mm
Height: 1,473 mm
Wheelbase: 3,165 mm
Weight: 1,985 kg
Fuel capacity: 90 litres

Engine

Layout: 5416cc, V8, petrol
Max power: 388 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Max torque: 54 kgm @ 2800 rpm

Performance

Top speed: 250 kph (electronically limited)
0-100 kph: 5.4 seconds (claimed)

Transmission

7-speed auto, rear-wheel drive Tyres
255/45 R18 (front)
275/55 R 18 (rear)

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