New Mercedes S Class S500 Review: Reign S-upreme

Does the new S Class deserve the title of ‘the Best car in the World’ in a setting where almost every major car maker is equipped with cutting edge tech and refined manufacturing techniques? We figure out in this exhaustive Mercedes S Class S500 review.

Images: Hanoz Patel & Amit Chhangani

At first I found it to be smaller than I anticipated. From a distance, around 100 meters, my very first reaction on seeing this thing in the flesh was that of slight disappointment. And then it closed in. As it approached me I realized how mistaken I was. The thing looks massive – that chrome drenched four slat trapezoidal grille is absolutely enormous! Those boomerang styled DRLs only augment the ominous aura around the enormous contraption.

This one’s not all elegance and sophistication, there’s much more brawn and testosterone to it than any of its predecessors I can think of. It probably doesn’t fit perfectly into the subtle, understated definition of the almighty S-Class, but you know what, I love it! Why? Because it embodies Mercedes-Benz’s newfound vigor and zest – it’s resolve, its aggression to take on its two compatriots and beat them at their game. M-B is not playing the kind gentleman anymore, this one’s got some blood in its eyes – you want to play ball? Let’s play ball! That’s the kind of attitude the new S-Class carries.

The tautness, the athleticism is carried over to the profile view as well. A long bonnet with a slashed snout for that angry stance, a rather small greenhouse compared to the rest of the body, a high shoulder line and those tense creases through the doors – there’s strength and vigor to be witnessed aplenty. It’s only at the rear, where with that stubby, soft cornered boot and those ultra elegant lights that the new S-class exudes the geniality that its forebears have been better known for.

I wouldn’t exactly say that the new S-class is a homogenous exercise in design all through. I find some contrasts in the approach at the front and at the rear. The boot is a tad too short too. But the sheer overall size of the thing works in lending it massive road presence.

Trust me you, though, the exteriors aren’t the headline news with the new S-Class. It’s the stuff inside – the technology, the features, the unprecedented attention to detail, the quality of materials, the old worldly touches and the new worldly gadgets. Once inside the cabin this machine makes you gape in astonishment.

Having driven almost every single premium car on sale in this part of the world, it has become rather difficult to get impressed or excited – even with some really good gear on show. Having seen those B&F speakers conduct their pop-out circus, having witnessed those massagers and the fridges on the A8L, having seen the seductive shape of the 640d Gran Coupe, Night Vision devices on half a dozen cars and having been knocked out by the punch of the F10  M5, what more remains to be seen in a limo, really? Hardly anything, I thought to myself before I entered the new S-Class. And then, I realized, there was indeed a hell of a lot that I hadn’t seen. The S-Class should be your weapon of choice when you need to treat cocky snoots like me with some lessons in humility.

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