If there is a car which has time and again re-written the rules of its segment, it’s the Mercedes S-Class. Known for extreme engineering, the latest iteration of the quintessential sedan was launched earlier this year in global markets, raking up 30,000 bookings in no time. Now Mercedes-Benz is all set to bring the fifth generation S-Class to India early next year and dealers have commenced pre-bookings. One needs to pay a booking amount of Rs. 25 lakhs for the all new S-Class and deliveries will commence in February.
Not everybody will be able to get their hands on the new S-Class as Mercedes-Benz is only bringing in 125 units to India. The variant to be launched initially is the S500 which will be a limited edition model with AMG fitments. The initial batch will be brought in via the CBU route but Mercedes will locally assemble the car via the SKD route. 125 units for a car costing above Rs. 1.2 crore might seem quite a lot but considering the S-Class is the holy grail of the luxury segment, demand is easily going to outrun supply.
Read The 2014 Mercedes S-Class Review
The S500 is propelled by a 4.7-litre twin-turbo V8 engine which bumps out 449 BHP of power and 700 Nm of torque, enabling a 0-100 km/hr run in just 4.8 seconds. Mercedes-Benz will launch the S350 CDI by mid-2014 which is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 diesel motor belting out 255 BHP of power and 620 Nm of torque. The diesel model is naturally going to be more popular in the Indian context. In case you need more power, there is the S63 AMG and S65 AMG, neither of them are likely to make it to India in 2014.
The W222 Mercedes S-Class is loaded with equipment you haven’t heard of till date. Features like active perfuming, 1540 watts audio system, massaging seats with 14 cushions, all LED lighting (not a single conventional bulb in the whole car), Magic Body Control (adjusts ride quality according to road surface), etc make the S-Class the very pinnacle of luxury automobiles. However some features might not be offered in India like Magic Body Control won’t work in our chaotic conditions as it’s a sensor based system. Meanwhile, the folks at Bavaria and Ingolstadt are working day and night to catch up with the three pointed star.
