Mercedes-Benz S-Class S600 & S65 Driven
To my mind the S-Class remains Mercedes-Benzs crowning glory in its model range. Mercedes manages to infuse its biggest model with the most elegance and the most integrated approach to luxury motoring in its class, in terms of unruffled waftability.
Waftability? Is that a word? The term means an ability to transport you and your business colleagues or loved-ones in supreme isolated splendour whatever the going crowded down-town Joburg rush-hour or sluicing through a mountain pass at high speed – with an air of stability and precision and unflustered grace that seems to defy the laws of physics.
And yes, this special trait of the S-Class is enhanced in the two new long-wheelbase cars launched last week, the S600 L and the S65 AMG. The S-Classs design seems to make even more sense with an extra 180 mm of length in long-wheel-base form. It adds more imposing presence to the design, and, as we were to discover at the Gerotek high-speed testing facility, there is little that the lengthier car gives away in terms of crisp driver responses, even on a slalom course.
On the run out to Gerotek after a short briefing by Selvin Govender, Divisional Manager for Product and Marketing of Mercedes-Benz Cars in South Africa, it was astounding to note the abaility of the base S600s ability to accelerate to well over 200 km/h in matter of seconds, after flooring the throttle from a cruise-mode 120 km/h.
S600 engine
The S600 Ls 390 kW and 830 Nm of torque from its twin-turbo V12 makes nonsense of the fact that it is shifting along a huge car that weighs over 2 200 kg, despite its sleek profile. That V12 engine has been completely revised for this model, and of course for the awe-inspiring S 65 AMG, which we would get to drive later.
The capacity of Mercs V12 has been increased from 5,5 litres to just under six-litres now 5 980 cm3 to be precise and despite its prodigious power output in S600 form, fuel consumption has been slashed by 20%.
The S600 Ls ability to deal with any road vagaries is assured as both this car and the S 65 have MAGIC BODY CONTROL, the active road-ahead scanning system using cameras and radar that constantly adjusts the cars damping rates before you actually arrive. Gautengs unpainted speed bumps, located skilfully in the shadows of trees as they usually are, thus arent the heart-searing experience they normally are as you jump on the clamps and wait for that sickening sound of suspension members trying to force their way through the bonnet area.
The suspension is adjustable for sport and comfort via a switch on the console, and it makes a huge difference in ride quality flicking from one to the other.
Of course, many of these S-Classes sold in long-heel-base form will be driven by a chauffeur, while The Boss sits in the back doing business, or watching cartoons , or whatever else rich people do in the back of cars. And you have to be rich to buy an S 600 L. It costs R2 170 000, yes, nearly 2,2-mllion bucks.
S65 AMG – yours for R2 842 700
But if you have that sort of money, why not shell out an extra half a bar or so and sign up for the S 65 AMG, yours for R2 842 700? And while you are at it, equip it with the optional forged multi-spoked alloy wheels, which Merc says are inspired by the wire-spoked wheels fitted to the famous 540K of the 1930s. The alloy spokes on the new forged wheels are twisted to capture special light-catching effects when you are on the move. For detailed specifications on the Mercedes-Benz S65, click here.
And you can be on the move in a serious hurry in this monster-limo. Thanks to a max-power output of 463 kW and 1 000 Nm of torque they actually restricted the amount of power they could have made here, in sympathy to the 7-speed AMG-specific SPEEDSHIFT automatic gearbox you can blast to 100 km/h away from the hotel concierge area in 4,3 seconds and reach the electronically-limited 250 km/h top speed in just a few seconds more.
What is amazing is how stable this car is at ridiculous speeds. At Gerotek we followed an S-Class on the banking up ahead at 210 km/h using the latest Ditronic Plus system which maintains a safe following distance to the car up ahead.
Whats more, as we entered the banked turns at this speeds, foot off the throttle, the ESP Dynamic Cornering Assist brakes the inside wheels to assist in getting the car smoothly and safely around the corner with no extra driver inputs on the steering wheel. You can actually feel this effect. Its very close to the autonomous driving situation that pundits are saying is likely to be a reality in two decades or so.
There is so much equipment to mention, like the first-class-cabin fold in trays for rear seat passengers, and the Burmeister audio surround sound system and
. Aargh, space precludes going into all the stuff here.
Suffice to say, if you have the money demanded, both the S600 L and S65 AMG are worth the loot.
