Motoring
Leave it with me
Alan Judd
Spectator readers are part of the process of natural selection and in their case species differentiation has produced a bio- logical need to know about Top Cars. Those tested so far (cars, that is) have been the BMW 750i1, the Bentley Turbo R and Toyota L,exus (`Motoring' 30 December 1995, 23 March 1996, 15 February 1997). This month it is one of the icons of motor- ing, the S class Mercedes.
I once had a relationship with a big S class of early Seventies vintage, a somewhat faded beauty by the time she drifted down to my level but still magnificent. Passengers could unfold broadsheet newspapers in comfort, the leather armchairs were of clubland proportions and it went faster than anything I had then owned. I recall 120 mph and gaining on a Belgian motor- way, under the illusion they had no speed limits, until snow and ice persuaded us to abandon what we should never have begun. It had air suspension that lowered the car to the ground whenever you left it (it wasn't supposed to) and — possibly con- nected — a worrying vibration at speeds over 80. I sold it to an airline pilot.
The beauty this time, however, was an S320, which has the 3.2 litre six cylinder engine. The four others in the luxury class range from 2.8 to a mighty six litres. This one costs £49,200 in its basic form and £54,939.96 with extras (metallic paint, leather, electric front seats, alloy wheels, radio and an ultrasound system that tells you that you are about to bash the gate 'We can skip the part where you clear your mind of clutter.' post). It will do 0-62 mph in 8.9 seconds and has a top speed of 141 mph. Combined urban and extra urban fuel consumption is 21.1 mpg.
First impressions of this car were good, for the apparently trivial reason that Mer- cedes sent the detailed press pack in advance. They are the only manufacturer I've known do this and it makes you think — well, if they're thoughtful in small ways, maybe they'll be thoughtful in big ways, too. And so it proved. This car is made to last and designed to live in. Everything about it, from the size of the pedals to the fold-away pocket-preserving key and the feel of the seats, is thoroughly thought through and considerately done. It also passed the hat test front and rear (a flat hat, anyway).
It is a delight to drive, solid, sure-footed and responsive. I like solidity in things and you feel the weight in this car without it being a burden. Also, I always feel that fol- lowing that Mercedes star lends purpose to my progress. For my wife, the favoured thing about all Mercedes saloons is that you look down and along the bonnet. It is true that you sit high and that this encour- ages a certain stateliness, particularly in the big saloons, but that is not achieved at the expense of ease and facility of handling. Nor is there anything flash or overdone about its lines; it has significant presence and quiet, unquestionable authority, yet it looks similar to other Mercedes. You feel you are different in one of these but you needn't feel embarrassed.
You don't notice the gearbox and you hardly hear the engine. Those six cylinders are more than adequate for any reasonable — or remotely legal — driver, though any- one wanting the sensation of massive untapped power in reserve would probably prefer one of the V8s. After a five-hour flog I got out feeling fresh and distinctly looked-after rather than slightly dazed and beaten up, which is my usual state of arrival. The quietness has a lot to do with it (double-glazed windows) but that is simply a feature of the quality and integrity that characterises everything about the car. The blurb describes it as 'ideally suited to the demands of those who cover very high annual mileages and who wish to arrive relaxed', which just about sums it up.
You have to look hard for faults. The cruise control stalk seems widely separated from the indicator/wiper stalk yet on three occasions people unfamiliar with the car mistook them. I sometimes think that only Rolls Royce really understand leather and wood. The walnut in this Mercedes is dis- creet and darkly pleasant but polished to such a gloss that it looks like plastic. They also somehow managed to make the grey leather look a little like superior plastic. It's partly the ventilation holes, partly the ruched bits on the doors, but there's some- thing else as well. Could it be that the Con- nolly hides in the Bentley Turbo R are simply thicker or better treated? They're certainly more aromatic, a key element of the sensual surround that welcomes you when you enter a Bentley.
Finally, the count of knobs, dials, han- dles, buttons and other controls (excluding the radio) yielded roughly 96, compared with BMW's 129, Bentley's 70 and Toyota's 86. It is important to maintain the down- ward pressure on clutter but I did wonder whether radio buttons in the steering wheel might improve this already excellent car. In the interests of further customer research, they might like to leave it with me for a year or two.
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