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Few cars receive such uncontested acceptance of their superiority as the Mercedes S-Class. The best hot hatch used to be the Volkswagen Golf GTi, but it's not any more. Opinion is divided as to the best family hatchback you can buy. The McLaren F1 is probably the ultimate sports car. Best car in the world? The Mercedes S-Class saloon, no ifs, buts, or maybes. This is a car that was introduced in 1999 yet when, given the advantage of three years of development, BMW introduced the current 7-Series it still failed to make a significant dent in the imperious Merc's armour.
It's a car that has responded to the social climate. Whereas its predecessor, the W140 model, as Mercedes' engineers call the 1991-1999 S-class model, was conceived during the tail end of the eighties and had the same overblown look-at-the-size-of-that-thing feel to it, the latest S-Class is a far subtler foil, yet offers more of everything bar ostentation. As a used buy it's hard to fault. With the market maturing nicely, putting the best car in the world on your driveway is a beguiling prospect.
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What you get
We would say perfection, but there are a few caveats. The boot could be bigger (that's where the increase in interior space came from). There could be a little less plastic and some have asked for steering with a little more feel. Plus of course, you could moan about the sum you need to stump up, but that's par for the course. You want the best
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What to look for
Whilst some would rightly claim that the S-Class is no longer as massively over-engineered as previous models, it's still impressively screwed together. There are no known mechanical issues that affect the latest generation car although it may well pay dividends to check that all of the electronics are working as designed. One glimpse at the brick-sized manual will suggest that this is not the work of five minutes but when you're forking out this much money, the seller has every right to indulge you. Some of the pale leather interiors can quickly become grubby and you'll need to opt for the right combination of colours and trims.
These cars sell on easiest with the right specification which trade pundits usually define as automatic (the odd rare manual is about), air conditioning, leather and a classy metallic finish so avoid dull solid colours. The S320CDI is especially popular given its miserly fuel economy and increasing popularity of executive diesels. A full Mercedes service history is also desirable, especially on recent examples which have very generous warranty and anti-corrosion cover.
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Replacement parts
(Based on a 1999 S500) Consumables for the S-Class are reasonably priced with an air filter weighing in at £24, a fuel filter the best part of £60 and an oil filter a mere £6. Spark plugs are around £5 each, although tyres are expensive at around £140 per corner. One word of warning. When piloting your S-Class around narrow city streets think twice before using the door mirrors as width indicators. They contain the side repeater mechanism and if you've got the auto-folding, self-dimming affairs you'll be looking at around £350 if you knock one off. Keep a keen eye open for courier bikes!
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On the road
From a driving satisfaction point of view, the S-class always retained its edge when it came to all round passenger comfort. There's a lot of room and the suspension allows a very smooth ride. The latest S-class is unanimously rated as the finest driver's car in the class. Better handling than a BMW 7 Series. More refined and comfortable than a Lexus LS430. It's faster too. The S500 makes sixty in just 6.2s (faster than a Porsche Boxster) and, like the entire range, cruises comfortably at close to 150mph. Yet it's not unreasonable to expect to see a 25mpg average on the trip computer, even in mixed driving.
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Overall
The best car in the world certainly doesn't abdicate its crown when the name on the registration document changes. If you can put a foot wrong when buying a used S-Class, you're either spectacularly stupid or wretchedly unlucky. For the price of an upspec Renault Espace you could put a Mercedes S-Class in the garage. Decisions, decisions
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