Category: Large Executive 
Price Range: £57,790 to £150,090
Plenty of kit and safety equipment, comfortable, roomy, quality cabin.
Handling a little soft, thirsty, UK will have to wait for smooth-running hybrid.
The 350 CDI is the most practical and frugal but the 600 provides the most entertaining drive.
You pays yer money and you take yer choice. If you opt for the 350 CDi you'll get solid performance, excellent comfort and luxurious cruiser for around £60k. Go for the 600 and you'll get a scintillating drive but it'll cost you £40k more.
The total range comprises the 3.0-litre 235bhp 350 CDI Blue Efficiency, the 3.5-litre 272bhp 350 petrol, the 5.5-litre 388bhp 500 petrol and the 5.5-litre 517bhp 600 petrol. There's also a 3.5-litre 279bhp 400 petrol-electric hybrid, which we're told will come to the UK in a few years' time.
The performance stats tell an obvious story: the 350 CDI will accelerate from 0-60mph in 7.8s, while the 350 petrol will do the 0-60mph sprint in 7.3s and the hybrid is one tenth faster over the same distance. The 500 and 600 are the most urgent, completing the 0-60mph dash in 5.4s and 4.6s respectively.
We tested the 350 CDI Blue Efficiency, the hybrid and the 600. The CDI lacks excitement in the twisty bits but is capable enough and delivers a satisfying dollop of torque (398lb-ft at 1,600-2,400rpm), good enough to make overtaking on B-Roads a cinch. It's not a total hoot but is agile enough in the twistier corners.
Body lean is a problem for all the variants we tested. Because it's a luxury car the S-Class is softly sprung, so to get a more positive experience though the bends you need to firm things up by adjusting the damper setting to sport mode. This does flatten the car up... a bit. You can also adjust gearchange settings from normal to comfort to get quicker responses from the seven-speed auto.
As well as the CDI, we tested the 600 and the hybrid. The hybrid is similar to the CDI in terms of performance but this petrol motor offers a more linear power delivery and with a maximum torque of 283lb-ft coming in at between 2,400 and 5,000rpm, it just seems much more elegant. The 600, with a monster maximum torque of 612lb-ft, is a brute: press the loud pedal and it'll respond instantly. Keep your foot in and it'll hurtle you towards the horizon with alacrity - you feel like everything is moving in fast forward.
