Carbon credits

The Mercedes-Benz S320 CDI lets you motor in luxury without having to feel guilty.

Alright, Mercedes-Benz had a few off years. And the new S-Class, as we know it today, was conceived and built during a phase when heads were rolling and new ideas were being thrown out of the window.

Stuttgart's reputation was at stake and they needed to reinvent themselves, and the only direction that they had to take was from their glorious past.

A past when cars were built like battle-tanks, everything was engineered three times over and when Mercedes-Benz set benchmarks that other car makers strove to follow.

The new S-Class with its flared rear arches and a proud overall stance is a clear indicator that it is here to occupy the top slot. It sure looks like a car that a head of state can arrive in. That is, if the said head of state does not have a Rolls-Royce Phantom to do the same.

But then, the Phantoms and Flying Spurs are in another league altogether "" and we need to compare the S-Class with cars that made giant strides during the above-mentioned lean period at Mercedes-Benz.

That brings us to the extremely well built and sophisticated Audi A8 and the extravagantly sporty if not slightly ugly BMW 7 Series. We have sampled both these machines as well as the petrol powered Mercedes-Benz S350, and realise that the Mercedes wins hands down when it comes to key areas such as overall image and ride quality over bad roads. And matches the other two when it comes to luxury on offer.

So let us concentrate on the diesel car. There are certain things a Rs 70 lakh-plus car, powered by petrol, diesel or kerosene for that matter, ought to do.

That includes wafting the owner in the lap of luxury, accelerating well enough to make a quick getaway when you need it and a minimum top whack of 250 kph. And here is the quick answer to all of those questions. Yes, the S-Class does all of the above and more. That 'and more' is where this road test will begin and end.

The 24-valve V6 engine that occupies surprisingly little space inside the vast bonnet features a new generation common-rail direct injection system and develops 235 bhp at a leisurely 3600 rpm and 54 kgm of torque right from 2400 rpm onwards.

No stressed out, high strung motor this "" the impetus is on relaxed cruising and longevity of the motor. Power goes to the rear wheels through the brilliant 7G-Tronic auto'box that Mercedes should be really proud of.

Step into the yacht inspired interior with your nostrils flared "" because the quality of wood and leather (artificial in the test car) requires you to not just touch and feel it, but take in the aroma too.

Fix the 12-way adjustable seats (a bit of an overkill? I'll be happy with a four-way adjustable system with memory) to your comfort and you are ready to pilot one of the finest mass produced automobiles ever. Slot the key in and thumb-start the motor (again, I love the starter button idea).

From outside the car the diesel idles loudly as it should, but very few vibes are sent inside for you to be reminded of the sticky fuel that it is combusting.

This car has a kerb weight of two tonnes (1,995 kg to be precise), yet is extremely quick off the block. Sure, a Ferrari F430 can do a 100 kph sprint in 4.3 seconds flat but it weighs less than half and has only a fraction of the creature comforts as this S-Class which can manage the same in a mere 7.8 seconds.

And we are talking diesel here. The bigger engined S350 petrol (3498cc) with more power (272 bhp) manages to shave only decimals off this time at 7.3 seconds! Isn't that amazing?

You must have read about how the Audi R10 and Peugeot diesels dominated the 24 Heures du Mans this year "" it proves that diesels are here to stay, they are quick and fast.

Repeat that ten times and you may start believing.

A good diesel engine with loads of torque is good for truck or SUV applications but how good is it when it comes to delivering the magic carpet drive expected from this uber-sedan?

Well, that's where the seven-speed auto'box steps in. Shifts are absolutely seamless and never do you feel the lack of power. The third generation common-rail system along with a variable geometry turbo ensures that the famed lag is not perceptible at all. Sure, you can induce lag by flooring the throttle which sends numerous computer chips astray for a nanosecond, but otherwise no.

So the engine is extremely tractable but how about refinement? Let me put it this way "" at cruising speeds there is more wind noise than combustion noise in this car.

Sure, as the car gets much older and eventually when the engine loses its intimacy with the monocoque there are bound to be more vibrations seeping in. In this regard, petrol-powered S-Class Mercs (or for that matter any Mercedes-Benz) will age more gracefully.

Now that is a statement we do not have a right to make since we have not driven an S320 CDI with over a lakh km under its belt. What we can tell you though is that the S320 CDI is quite an economical motor for a car of these dimensions. Our test car returned a healthy 11 kpl and we were certainly not thinking of fuel consumption when we were driving this car.

At Expressway speeds, the S320 CDI is as serene as it can get. If you don't scream aloud, I would like to make a point here and say that it is far better poised than the Maserati Quattroporte we drove on the same road (comparing a mere Merc to a Maser... hmm. But the fact was that the Italian offered a thrashy ride), while the Audi and BMW are certainly on par when it comes to smooth surfaces that stretch to the horizon.

Determined to understand how the car performs on winding terrain, we took it to a beautiful stretch of road with more sharp curves than an average Formula One track.

Shreenand was playing demanding photographer and that meant I had to give him numerous runs on this narrow road with blind corners. And that involved taking a lot of U-turns with the mothership Mercedes.

Two things came to the fore during this endeavour "" the speed-sensitive S-Class steering is very good at slow speeds and two, Shreenand needed help from a Nikon manual before he could finally say pack up.

On a more serious note, the tractability of the motor came through again as I started attacking the corners. I have driven a short, stubby and potent Mercedes SLK on the same road and I can tell you that I had similar confidence levels with this one "" and that is saying quite a lot.

The big difference though is in the feedback on offer "" rather, the lack of it. There is quantifiable proof that Mercedes has gone back to its roots and has quarantined the driver from minor irritants such as laws of physics. So you approach a sharp right hander carrying speeds you shouldn't and the car responds by staying neutral through the corner and sticks to the lane as if nothing happened. It is not that the car is not agile "" it certainly is when it almost always ends up carrying more speed out of any given corner.

Sure, Airmatic suspension and adaptive damping system is the way to go, but I like my cars with a bit of pitch and body roll. At least that makes one feel like driving an automobile. Mercedes says body movement under hard driving conditions has been reduced by 60 per cent over the last car. Yawn.

Therein lies the fact. I am not the customer for this, in all probability, the best all-round luxury car I have ever driven. This car pampers its occupants (don't let me start on how good the Comand module is over iDrive), ensures safe transportation and still helps the world stay cool by stretching hydrocarbon reserves that it consumes to an eternity.

Some of you are contemplating buying a luxury car. It is not as sporty or as involving to drive as the competition, but heads still turn and yours will be held high as you arrive in an oxymoron "" a politically correct luxury car!