Mercedes-Benz S-Class: Even the Dalai Lama couldn't help feeling a bit smug cruising through Drumcondra in an S350, passing by the Taoiseach in his E-Class. Forget plastic surgery: if it's an ego boost you're after, then try driving a bigger car than the leader of the State. There's an irrepressible urge to stop and ask him how he's getting on in his little Merc, driving away swiftly enough to avoid getting a thick ear for the impudence.
The S-Class has represented many things in its time - from road-going barge to superstar limousine. It's every despot's favourite motor, and there isn't a tin-pot dictator in the world that hasn't at one stage had an S-Class in his or her garage. That doesn't necessarily mean that much, considering that reaching high office - by bullet or ballot - doesn't equate to any knowledge of the motoring world.
Whatever about the SLR or the beautiful CLS, this is the car that defines Mercedes. The other marques may pound on the door of the members' club and provide us with some lovely distractions, but the decision-makers invariably seem to opt for the S-Class, be it for the badge or more practically for the residual values.
All fine praise: so how come we never really warmed to it? Possibly because it was always the automatic choice, and that meant that Mercedes had the chance to rest on its laurels; possibly because it never handled as well as its fellow-Germans, in particular the BMW 7-Series; and possibly because we were never convinced about the quality of the fit and finish.
Now comes the new S-Class. While there's no mistaking its look, the new lines add a more muscular tone to the exterior and the higher boot line gives it a shapelier rump than its predecessor. Inside there's a distinct touch of art deco design, with a beautiful chrome analogue clock - like a high quality watch face - taking centre stage on a clear, uncluttered, central console. It blends with the tasteful wood veneer, the touches of chrome and the supplest leather we've ever had the pleasure to rest upon.
Out go the plastic buttons that worked the radio and the phone, and the poor quality information display that was about as sophisticated as a 1980s digital watch. Instead Mercedes has opted to follow BMW - and Audi - with an I-Drive style central control knob, called Command, and a proper screen. There are button controls for certain features, but in keeping with the art deco look, these are a tasteful line of touch-sensitive chrome switches.
The end result is an interior that's more stylish and elegant than anything we've seen from Mercedes in years - including its ill-thought out Maybach. Given that one of our pet hates of the previous model - and many of the current crop - is the rather cheap plastic finish on the central console, we look forward to seeing similar fit and finish on the smaller Mercs in the near future.
We even had the opportunity to compare the S-Class to the Maybach as we parked beside an 04-registered one in a car park. It looked to all intents like the same car viewed through a circus mirror. Except it was nowhere near as nice.
The 3.5-litre engine in our test car couldn't be faulted either, offering perfect cruising speeds at the slightest flick of your toe, and a wonderful gurgle when you kicked down. It even leant itself to a little wheelspin when the occasion arose, something you don't normally expect from a great big luxury executive.
Power from the 3.5-litre V8 is transferred via a close-ratio seven-speed gearbox that is standard across the range. It's a smooth operator, and allows manual changes via rocker buttons on the back of the steering wheel.
If it had any downsides it was that the handling was not as sharp as we would have hoped for. The first time we drove the new S-Class it was powered by the 5-litre engine up front and the extra weight seemed to give it a much better grounding. This time around the car felt rather light on long winding bends and the steering didn't give enough feedback as to what the front wheels were up to. That said, apart from the odd Chechen chauffeur, few S-Class drivers will be pushing it along. If you want a driver's car in this class you'd opt for the BMW, even if it did mean taking a much larger hit on your resale value. If it has to be a Merc, then keen drivers need look no further than the CLS.
The S-Class is meant to embody the future of motoring. In its history it has accomplished a long list of firsts. In 1978, the S-Class was the first production car with ABS. The next generation was the first car with a driver's airbag and seatbelt pre-tensioners.
Not surprising, then, that this latest model comes packed with safety features such as brake lights that flash under hard braking and an optional night-view system using infrared technology that provides a black and white view of the road ahead - particularly useful on dark wet nights when the view from the windscreen is compromised by the glare of on-coming headlights.
The car's safety package, known as Pro-safe, brings together four technology systems - perform, pre, passive and post-safe. Perform incorporates systems like night-view and Distronic Plus - cruise control that maintains a safe distance between the car in front even in stop-and-start traffic.
Pre-safe identifies when a crash is imminent and prepares the occupants for impact by bringing the seats into an upright position, closing the sunroof and side windows and tensioning the seatbelts. Passive-safe deploys the eight airbags at whichever level they are needed, and moves the head restraints to prevent whiplash.
Impressively, although the car does everything within its power to prevent an accident, in the event that the worst should happen, the car will maximise the survival chances of the occupants with Post-safe. This uses neat tricks such as automatically unlocking the doors and partially opening the windows to ensure the occupants get air. The crashed car even highlights the optimal cutting points on the A and C pillars for rescue teams.
The S-Class does have its faults. As mentioned, the steering is too light. Then there's the lack of a traditional clunk of metal when you close the boot, a reassuring sound we'd come to expect from German models. Also, certain cubbyhole lids were not quite as flush as we would have expected. And there's the seemingly endless amount of technology. They are wonderful toys, but you'd have to think that Mercedes are being very brave given the recent track record of problems with the current E-Class.
Looking at the financials there are other deals on offer that could tempt you away. For younger executives who don't want to be compared with their plumper fellow board members, the Audi A8 looks sleeker and seems more dynamic than the Merc. It's also relatively well priced; for less money you could get the 3.7-litre V8, or for a few euro more, the really impressive 4-litre diesel.
Yet for all that, the S-Class makes perfect sense. It offers luxury, tasteful design, continent-crossing comfort and all at a price that's not only competitive with its opponents, but one that will not plummet to earth as quickly as the rest.
Mention the thorny issue of residuals on luxury models to motor industry people, and they almost immediately develop coughs worthy of a TB sufferer. For most cars in this class, buying new is the same as setting fire to great wads of cash. The exception - though not exactly an appreciating asset - is the S-Class (and if Lexus claims are to be believed, its LS430).
It's for these reasons that we would support the re-coronation of the king of the luxury set: the S-Class.
