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.
The list of standard safety gizmos is fairly exhaustive: Attention Assist, Adaptive Brakes, ESP, crash-responsive headrests, Pre-Safe (a system that primes the car if it thinks an accident is imminent), front and side airbags, windowbags and a kneebag are all standard-fit items.
If you want more security you can opt for Lane Keeping Assist and Blind Spot Assist, Night View Plus and Distronic Plus - a radar system that will apply the brakes if it the driver has been distracted and has not noticed an impending rear-end collision.
The car has not been crashed tested by Euro NCAP, but in Mercedes' own tests the S-Class has performed extremely well.
