Used Mercedes-Benz S-Class 2006-2013 review

Benchmark, trend-setting luxury saloon gives you world-class luxury from £3000, but ticker for unwanted surprises Putting speech thing bearing the Spirit of Ecstasy oregon similar, is determination a luxury saloon much revered than the Mercedes-Benz S-Class?We deliberation not, peculiarly successful fifth-generation form. Between 2006 and 2013, everyone from celebrities to satellite leaders got astir successful them, often sitting down a chauffeur. These days, it’s an uncommon sight.After all, the W221-era Mercedes S-Class has agelong since been succeeded. That’s nary atrocious thing, though. Now they person afloat descended into the utilized marketplace and examples are successful scope of anyone with arsenic small arsenic £3000. Fancy a V8 one? There are immoderate listed for little than £10,000.The extended motor line-up ranges from the S280’s 3.0-litre V6 to the S65’s 6.0-litre V12, though astir buyers opt for the S320 and S350 CDi diesels. They person 232bhp and 268bhp respectively, with the S320 linked to pre-facelift cars (before 2010) and the S350 to those after.Let’s ellipse backmost to that V12, though, due to the fact that it’s ridiculous – successful a bully way. With 603bhp and duplicate turbos astatine its disposal, this motor pushes the 2.2-tonne S65 from 0-60mph successful 4.4sec. Even the lesser S63, with a 6.2-litre oregon 5.5-litre V8 (depending on, again, which broadside of the facelift it falls under), puts successful a sub-5.0sec effort.Numbers archer you lone truthful much, of course, truthful however does the S-Class drive? It deals with bumps similar they don’t beryllium and is astir arsenic quiescent arsenic a church. The seats are suitably plush, too, with tons of accommodation and, should the archetypal proprietor person chosen it, a massage function.As for handling, this dense instrumentality is amazingly competent. It’s nary sports car, but there’s a bully level of precision, poise and balance. You besides get a tenable grade of consciousness coming done the steering, adjacent though its weighting is precise light.What isn’t astonishing is the awesome level of tech. The S-Class is ever the archetypal to get immoderate caller systems that Mercedes produces, and this iteration of it is nary exception.To sanction a few, there’s Active Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Attention Assist and Distronic Plus radar cruise control, each of which were innovative options astatine the time.It’s a lot, isn’t it, and we won’t sugar-coat the information that this isn’t a Ford Fiesta successful presumption of maintenance. Fancy gadgets and aerial suspension are acold from immune to going awry, not to notation there’s the substance system to deliberation about.Some of the lower-powered diesels tin officially mean much than 40mpg, sure, but get 1 of the V8s oregon V12s and you’ll spot overmuch person to 20mpg. It’s besides worthy looking into security and roadworthy taxation earlier you bargain to guarantee neither comes arsenic an unwanted surprise.However, the S-Class is simply a utilized car bargain to statesman with, truthful we wouldn’t blasted you for stomaching these costs and diving in.Nor would we blasted you for hiring idiosyncratic successful a bully suit and necktie to thrust you astir successful it. This is simply a car that’s casual to bask whichever spot you’re in.