How most manufacturers approach vehicle development seems to be based on three general assumptions - the first two have to do with the notion that a car should get you where you need to go as quickly and as comfortably as possible.

The third has to do with making sure that you don't get yourself killed in the process. The latter, safety, is by far the most important aspect but it's the one that most of us tend to overlook in favour of digital climate control or electric seats.

This is partly because building safety into a car generally involves putting in things you can't really see or touch, beyond the 'SRS airbag' tags at least. Anyway, since we don't plan on actually having accidents and most of us consider ourselves pretty handy behind the wheel, why bother?

The trouble is that this last bit of thinking is somewhat like leaving a box of matches within easy reach of a six-year old and expecting him not to burn something down. It's the reason why one school of thought advocates heavy reductions in the demands made on the driver in day-to-day commuting, and it's also why my room has blinds instead of curtains.

Mercedes-Benz's latest S-Class is a product of this aforementioned school of thought. It's all about making life easier, and therefore safer, for the driver. The rationale being that the less stressed out you are, the safer the driver you'll be.

Each iteration of the S-Class has always served as a showcase for all of Mercedes' latest technologies and innovations, and this one is no different. The company has been largely responsible for a great deal of the safety innovations found in most modern cars and to expect this new S-Class to drop the baton is virtually unthinkable.

Mercedes had already embarked on a concerted effort to reduce driver stress and up safety with the last generation S-Class, and the new car takes this approach to a whole new level. The car has no less than 12 innovations in total that make their debuts in a volume production context, and with regards to safety, the S-Class can, when appropriately specced, quite literally avoid accidents with little corrective action from the driver.

Physically, the new S-Class gives little away in terms of just how much tech actually sits under its largely aluminium skin. There's the now de riguer stacked bootlid, flared wheel-arches all round and a much pointier and more aggressive new nose.

The car manages to bear a significant resemblance to the ultra-luxury Maybach while maintaining a strong evolutionary link with the previous car, but the overall effect is actually quite understated. Local dealer Cycle & Carriage will only bring in the long wheelbase model, which is over four centimetres longer than the old car.

DRIVING IT

The S 350 model tested here serves as the entry-level S-Class model, at least until the S 300 makes an appearance towards the end of the year. The 3.5-litre V6 develops 272bhp and 350Nm of torque, channelling all that grunt through Mercedes' 7G-Tronic automatic gearbox. 0 to 100km/h takes just 7.3 seconds.

On the move, the car does palpably shrink around you, no mean feat considering the sheer size of the thing. The steering is direct and quite precise. Your inputs are always faithfully translated into appropriate turn-in but there's precious little feel to be had.

The twin-turbocharged V12-engined S 600 comes with Active Body Control or ABC, which uses the standard-fit air suspension to keep the chassis flat during cornering, but this S 350 model makes do with adaptive damping only.

Choosing between the gearbox's Sport, Comfort or Manual modes also changes the settings governing the adaptive damping programme accordingly, although the system does sort itself out in the fly if the mood for some enthusiastic driving does take you. And the car does seem very comfortable in the corners - granted there's a fair bit of mass to contain but it's very easy to make quick progress.

The engine is brawny but reluctant to rev, which isn't a problem as there's plenty of torque low down the rev range. This characteristic does lend itself more towards a more stately mode of driving but if you do boot it, all the engine's 272 horses very quickly manifest themselves. This is by no means a slow car.

The seven-speed automatic is much smoother in this application than in some other models we've tested, slurring shifts imperceptibly and generally functioning unobtrusively.

INSIDE IT

Much has been made of the S-Class' interior, and most of it revolves around similarities to that of BMW's 7 Series. You get an almost identical central display with attendant rotary controller and in fact the general dashboard architecture will seem quite familiar to a 7 Series owner.

The differences lie in the details. For instance, the S-Class' speedometer is a virtual one, an image on a high-definition LCD display. If you opt for the night vision system, the same display will show an enhanced image of the road ahead.

As mentioned above, Mercedes' answer to BMW's iDrive is the new Comand system and it's organised in quite simple fashion. Happily, there are no deeply nested menus to get lost in and after a short while it does become very easy to use. There are several hard-coded buttons around the Comand controller and a programmable one for favourite functions.

Next to the main display you get a column of buttons that control various ancillary functions like toggling the Electronic Stability Programme on and off, as well as for orienting the display towards the driver or front passenger. You also get a CD/DVD changer for watching movies on the main display screen as well as a PCMCIA slot.

That said, the logic behind the grouping of some of the major controls is a little curious. You can't for instance access the air-conditioning system's economy mode via the controls on the dashboard, you have to go through the Comand menu. The same goes for the controls for the lumbar supports for both front seats.

On the plus side, quite literally, is interior room. Cabin space is truly vast and it almost seems like Mercedes designed it with the mind to fit four seven-footers comfortably. Build and trim quality, however, aren't on par with some of the S-Class' rivals. And when you consider that the CLS's cabin seems better resolved, this does seem a bit strange. Still, the car we drove was an early-production model so expect things to be better for customer cars.

Dollars and Sense

The S 350 lists at $328,888 with COE. You get quite a bit of standard kit but to take full advantage of all the high-tech you've got to be very generous in terms of ticking the boxes on the options list.

Two other engine variants are available - shelling out $408,888 bags you the 388bhp S 500 and if even that's not enough for the well-heeled petrolhead, there's the 517bhp S 600.

VERDICT

Dynamically, the new S-Class is a big step up from the its predecessor. There's plenty of tech, it's very roomy and has loads of understated presence. It's also an S-Class, so for a whole bunch of customers there won't really be any alternative. However, with plenty of capable competition from rival manufacturers, the choice isn't going to be as easy to make.

NEED TO KNOW

Mercedes-Benz S 350
Engine Type 3,498cc, 32V V6
Max Power 272bhp at 6,700rpm
Max Torque 350Nm at 2,400rpm
Gearbox 7-speed automatic
Top speed 250km/h
0-100km/h 7.3 seconds
Price $328,888 with COE
Warranty 3 years / 100,000km
Contact Cycle & Carriage Industries
Telephone 6298-1818

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