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18/05/2009
By EWAN KENNEDY in Stuttgart
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The styling of the four-year old Mercedes-Benz S-Class was so good from day one that it hasn't needed a lot to freshen in up for the final three years of the model cycle. Changes have been restricted to styling of the headlights and taillights as well as to the shape of the bumpers and the door mirrors.
 Yet despite these apparently minor alterations the stylists have managed to give it quite a different look, one that ties in neatly with the other models in the Mercedes passenger car range. Indeed, so neat is the resemblance between the existing C-Class, the new E-Class and the facelifted S-Class that the result is a sort of matching luggage effect. You know the sort of thing we mean, luggage put out by upmarket makers that rises neatly in size in a satisfyingly visual effect.
Inside, the shape of the existing S-Class has been so good that nothing has been tampered with. Instead the designers have added a range of additional hues to the options of the leather trim. These, together with the carryover of some existing shades, give buyers plenty to chose from.
We have spent a full day in Stuttgart, Germany with a number of new models in the S-Class range. Amongst these was a fascinating petrol-electric hybrid, a car using lithium-ion batteries for the first time in a vehicle in this class. Rather than cover this model here we will produce a full report in the near future.
 Others in the new S-Class range will include a variety of engines. Not all will be coming to Australia when the car is released here in August, but we expect to receive two S350 models, one with a turbo-diesel as the CDI, the other the highly regarded V6 petrol unit. |
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