The seventh generation of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class will now be made-in-India, unlike its prior release which was a limited number of 150 imported models which came in as a completely-built-unit (CBU). The new S-Class comes in two variants — the diesel S350d which is priced at Rs 1.57 crore and the petrol S450 4Matic variant which is priced at Rs 1.63 crore. The S350d is a new launch in India and replaces the S400d, the S450 is almost the same as the CBU models, with a few dial downs.
The S-Class CBU as reviewed by us at evo India, truly proved to be an epitome of luxury, the made in India models are packed with almost identical features. The S-Class comes stacked with the same MBUX interiors — the best-in-class 12.8-inch OLED central infotainment screen and a 12.3-inch instrument cluster.
To raise the bar even higher, the S-Class comes with the 64-colour ambient lighting, rear seat massagers as well as rear seat infotainment screens and guess what, the rear is occupied with individual captain seats offering ultimate comfort and luxury.
The interiors also feature climate control, moreover, the ambient lighting works in sync with the interior temperature to offer colour schemes.
Present inside is also a wireless charging system for utmost passenger convenience. Safety features on the S-Class include park assistant, active lane keep assist, Pre Safe (a feature that pushes the occupant away from the danger zone during a collision to reduce the risk of injury), pedestrian protection and more.
The S-Class gets a very clean design that flows smoothly from the front bonnet to the rear. The front is rather sleek and stylish with cooling vents and a large grille. The sides of the car engulf the flush door handles, which look absolutely cool. The rear, too, with wrap-around taillights and dual exhaust on both ends of the car drips of sophistication and luxury. The S-Class is also a long car with dimensions — 5.3 metres in length, 55mm wider than the previous models and a long wheelbase of 3216mm making it bigger from the outside and spacious from the inside.
The made-in-India S-Class comes in two variants — the diesel S350d which is powered by a 3-litre inline-six engine producing 282bhp and 600Nm of torque and the petrol S450 4Matic variant, same as the earlier CBU model, which is propelled by the 3-litre petrol engine that produces 362bhp and 500Nm of torque. This engine is further assisted by a 48V electrical system which Mercedes calls ‘EQ Boost’. This system add-in an additional 250Nm of torque and 21bhp. The S350d replaces the S400d whose in-line six engine produced 327bhp and a solid 700Nm, which was more powerful than the model it is replaced by.
By assembling the S-Class right here in the country rather than importing it as a CBU, Mercedes-Benz has been able to cut off on costs by an insane amount of Rs 60 lakh and Rs 55 lakh on the diesel and petrol variants respectively. This brings down the price of the S-Class and makes it highly competitive against its rivals the Audi A8 and the BMW 7 Series that line up in the same price range.