The latest Mercedes-Benz S-Class - a name synonymous with luxury saloon motoring - has arrived on Irish shores.
After seven years living with the current model, top Irish executives have been eagerly awaiting this day. Some couldn't wait and placed their orders for this new flagship over 24 months ago, well before they knew specification or cost, although one wonders if cost is ever an issue for those in the market for a car of this pedigree.
Now their wait is over, with a clearly influential few taking delivery of their €100,000+ S-Class early in the New Year, although the majority of these premium saloons destined for Irish customers will not be delivered until after February.
The arrival of the S-Class, which is taller, wider and longer than the outgoing model, marks the start of a vitally important year for Mercedes in Ireland. Determined to recapture market share lost to arch rivals BMW, 2006 is the year Mercedes goes on the offensive with a range of new models led by this imposing new flagship.
The S-Class must now win back customers lost to the 7 Series, although the confidence that Mercedes-Benz executives have in their new range topper tells us that they have little fear of not achieving that goal. The 7 Series may be a great driver's car they say, but the new S offers the complete package - it is a tour de force of automotive design and technology.
The car is renowned as a technological groundbreaker, especially when it comes to safety. 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 which uses 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. It's all about keeping the driver relaxed: Mercedes-Benz tell us S-Class drivers have an average heart-rate six beats per minute below those of drivers in competing executive saloons.
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 move 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 system employs 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.
Whether after crashing a car that costs between €105,100 for the base 320 CDi up to a massive €214,335 for the S600 (expect the high performance S-65AMG due later next year to be closer to €300,000) one would want to see it cut to pieces is debatable, but it demonstrates the lengths Mercedes goes to ensure a long and healthy life for its S-Class customers.
Powering the base model, which will account for the vast majority of Irish sales that will peak at 350 units next year and level off at 250 during the following years, is the impressive and familiar 3.0-litre V6 unit that pumps out 235bhp and a huge 540Nm of torque. The current range topping S600 has a mighty 5.5-litre 517bhp petrol unit that produces an awesome 830Nm of torque, which will take this saloon to 100km/h in 5.4 seconds. Power is transferred via a close-ratio seven-speed auto box which is standard across the range.
The interior is impressive. There are touches that confirm its flagship status, such as the exquisite but traditional analogue clock and the adjustable ambient lighting that wraps around the cabin.
Technology is everywhere with Mercedes's version of i-drive, called Command, allowing selection of the basic functions such as air-con, radio and TV via a set of buttons, while a mouse allows more selective navigating. However, although assured Command is intuitive, the amassed brainpower of several motoring journalists failed to get even the radio to work during an initial appraisal. Despite this, the S-Class is a supreme vehicle and sets new standards in so many areas. Watch out BMW.