A measure of the sea changes in the new car market is that even in the $100,000 luxury car market, a V8 engine, at the very least, is no longer a given.
In fact, that kind of money no longer buys more than a six in most of the cars in this class, like the Audi A8 and the Lexus LS 500, which no longer offer more than that, for any amount of money.
What It Is
The S-Class is Mercedes' largest, most luxurious — and expensive — sedan.
It is also one of the few sedans in this league that still offers a V8 engine.
Prices start at $111,100 for the S 500, which comes standard with a 3.0-liter inline six, turbocharged and further boosted by a flywheel starter/generator mild hybrid set up to generate 429 horsepower.
The $117,700 S580 comes standard with a 4.0-liter V8, twin-turbocharged to summon 496 horsepower.
What's New
An "E-active" adjustable suspension is an available option for both the S 500 and the S 580.
What's Good
Six figures still buys a V8.
More room in the back than most cars have up front.
Voice-command massaging seats.
What's Not So Good
It's become necessary to spend six figures (and then some) to get a V8.
Much less room in the trunk than much smaller cars — and rival same-sized cars.
Awkwardly located 12V power point.
Under The Hood
The standard engine is an in-line 3.0-liter six paired with a mild hybrid system that consists of a flywheel-mounted generator/starter that is used both to provide supplemental and on-demand power, to the tune of 429 horsepower in total.
The 4.0-liter V8 that's standard in the S 580 ups that to 496 horsepower.
Interestingly, it rates the same mileage: 16 city, 25 highway.
That is still exceptionally high mileage for an almost-500-horsepower engine propelling a nearly 4,800-pound (empty) car.
Speaking of propelling ...
The six-cylinder-powered S500 is capable of propelling itself to 60 in 4.8 seconds, an astounding feat for a car this big, this heavy, without a big V8 under the hood. With a V8 under the hood, the car's zero-to-60 time drops to less than four seconds.
On the Road
Either version of the S-Class will treat you to that which has become almost as rare a V8 engine in this class of car: a luxurious ride — as opposed to the firmer ride of a luxury-sport sedan, which is what most of these kinds of cars try to be. It is an incongruous thing given the point of the thing.
If the thing in question is meant to be a luxury car.
You want to be comfortable above everything else. To be insulated and cushioned from the world — and road — outside. This Benz does it in the manner of the massive W100/long-wheelbase Benz 600 sedans of the past that were the favored luxury sedans of people like The Beatles and which outdid even Rolls-Royce when it came to insulating those within from the world — and road — outside.
Underneath the big Benz is a suspension designed to damp any untoward motion that might arise as a result of all that weight undulating with the road. The optional E-Active Body Control helping to keep the roll under control.
Out back — way back there — the rear wheels do their part (via a new rear wheel steering system) to shorten what would otherwise be a turning radius so wide the back end of the car would still be going straight after the front end came out of a curve. It makes this big car track like a midsize car, and you'll be surprised by its athleticism, if you ever feel like exercising it.
You probably won't — because it's really not the point.
At The Curb
This Benz is a big car, but most of its bigness is in between the axle centerlines, the space where the passenger cabin lies. And that space is immense, especially in the rear.
One of the interesting attributes of the S (and shared with rivals such as the BMW 7) is that the rear seating area is more spacious than it is up front, at least in terms of legroom. There is nearly 44 inches (43.8 to be exact about it) in the back of the S as opposed to 41.7 inches for the driver and front seat passenger. If you opt for the S580, you can up that ante with rear seat neck heaters and heated armrests as well as power-reclining rear seats. That's why "Red" (from the TV series "The Blacklist") rides in back.
Up front's nice, too.
The Rest
There is one thing you can't get in this exclusive Mercedes that arguably ought to be standard — that thing being a full-size car's trunk. Instead, you get a small car's trunk — just 12.1 cubic feet. It's not an issue if it's just you, and maybe someone along for the ride. But if you take two or three along for the ride, you may not have room enough for their stuff in the trunk.
And that's a shame, because this big Benz is otherwise the ideal thing for a long road trip.
The Bottom Line
If you're looking for something more substantive than just LED mood lighting and a digital dash, the S still has it.
Get it while you still can.
Eric's latest book, "Doomed: Good Cars Gone Wrong!" will be available soon. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
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