Mercedes-Benz 2012 S350 Bluetec Consumer's Review

Mercedes-Benz 2012 S350 Bluetec

No one buys a Mercedes-Benz S-Class by chance. this can be Mercedes’ largest and most snug sedan. By no coincidence, it's conjointly the foremost expensive. An S-Class may be a rolling, four-door announcement. It says you recognize what you’re doing together with your life, and whereas you've got cash to pay, you are doing not pay it foolishly.

Or a minimum of that’s the stereotype. In reality, gobs of individuals purchase S-Classes while not wondering it. Parking heaps from South Beach to Palm Springs are dotted with the cars, and big apple town boasts virtually as several chauffeured S-Classes because it will yellow Ford sedans. for several individuals, an S — the letter stands for the German word sonderklasse, or “special class” — is solely a standing image. It’s the cushiest, fanciest sedan from the oldest and most revered carmaker extant. What a lot of may there be to consider?
The S350 is that the initial diesel S offered in America since 1995. It’s conjointly the sole full-size diesel luxury sedan you'll be able to purchase within the u.  s., Mercedes or not.

Lots, actually. Mercedes-Benz has been creating cars in one kind or another for a hundred twenty five years. you are doing not keep in business that long, notwithstanding the merchandise, while not being smart at what you are doing. Similarly, whereas there are lots of S-Classes on supply — within the u.  s., the model vary encompasses six cars and runs from the $92,275 S400 hybrid to the $211,775, 621-hp S65 AMG — every may be a distinctly totally different machine and will various things well.

Still, most S-Class consumers appear to simply waltz into a dealer and obtain the foremost expensive version of the automotive they'll afford. At the danger of being blunt, this can be stupid. and therefore the 2012 S350 Bluetec 4Matic diesel, the newest entry into the S-Class vary, is proof.

Let’s take a quick detour and examine the remainder of the S-Class vary. At very cheap, there’s the aforementioned S400 hybrid. It gets 19/25 mpg city/highway and is that the slowest S to sixty mph. Directly on top of that's the S350, that we’ll get to in a very moment. One step on top of lies the $95,375 S550, that offers a 429-hp, 4.6-liter, twin-turbo gas V-8 and 15/25 mpg. on top of that's the 536-hp S63 AMG (twin-turbo V-8, 15/23 mpg, $140,175), the 510-hp S600 (V-12, 12/19 mpg, $160,375), and therefore the twin-turbo, V-12-powered S65 AMG (12/19 mpg).

Confused yet? every of those cars is suited to a particular client. The S400, as an example, is best for captains of business with a protracted, chauffeured commute in stop-and-go traffic; its forte is keeping gridlock inexperienced whereas still creating you're feeling like you’ve arrived. The S550 is what you purchase if you would like a decent all-rounder, neither outrageously quick or wanting for power. The S63 is that the canyon-carver special, loud and quick enough to satisfy your hot-rod urges however lacking the nose weight of the V-12 models and so comparatively lightweight on its feet. The S65 offers autobahn-crushing power and noteworthy refinement with somewhat of the S63′s edge and exhaust note. The S600 pairs most of the S65′s grunt with the understated grace of the S550. It’s best for people who wish to have the highway however don’t wish to be obvious regarding it.

Where will that leave the $93,425, diesel-powered S350? Easy: It’s what you purchase if you’re sensible.

The S350 is that the initial diesel S offered in America since 1995. It’s conjointly the sole full-size diesel luxury sedan you'll be able to purchase within the U.S., Mercedes or not. Its turbocharged three.0-liter V-6 produces 240 hp and a thumping 455 pound-feet of torque at simply one,600 rpm. (This variety of power delivery is common with diesels, that typically thrive at low rpm.) sixty mph comes up in seven.0 seconds. Fuel economy is 21/31 mpg, an astounding figure only if the S350 weighs virtually five,000 pounds. A version of Mercedes’s wonderful seven-speed transmission is that the solely gearbox obtainable, and all-wheel drive is normal. (The latter is optional on the S550 however unavailable on different S-Classes.) the top result's one in every of the most effective massive sedans on the market. within the interest of science, I drove an S350 from Chicago to Key West and back within the middle of winter. the thought was to take advantage of the S350′s strengths — tremendous vary, good fuel economy, peerless comfort — whereas deciding simply who, exactly, would wish an oil-burning autobahn sled.
Like all S-Classes, the S350 is essentially a rolling lounge on wheels.

Like all S-Classes, the S350 is essentially a rolling lounge on wheels. you'll be able to purchase it with massaging front seats, every of that comes with multiple massage designs (From the menu, and that i quote: “Fast and vigorous.” “Slow and delicate.”). Headrest video monitors are an choice, as are electrically reclining rear seats, a split-view front screen — the driving force will read the navigation system whereas the front-seat passenger watches a DVD — radar cruise management, and a number of different high-tech choices. In typical Mercedes-Benz fashion, all of them work exceedingly well and do precisely what they’re designed to try to to, that is over you'll be able to say for many of what’s on a contemporary Lexus.

But the S-Class’s interior appointments and obtainable tech aren’t the most draw, nice as they're. massive|the massive} pull is that the S350 may be a no-excuses large diesel sedan, with everything that entails. To wit:

Economy: sort of a heap of contemporary diesels, the S350 delivers over what its EPA numbers may indicate. Over 3,000-plus miles, I saw a mean of twenty five mpg in town use, thirty two mpg on the highway. vary varies with use, however figure on between five hundred and 700 miles a tank, counting on use. this can be outstanding. whereas rocketing down I-65, my bladder was repeatedly outlasted by the car’s fuel tank.

Torque: You get ample it, and everywhere on the tach. The seven-speed automatic may be a bit slow to downshift however goes regarding its business smoothly, launching the automotive faraway from stoplights with a velvety, refined surge. the sole factor extremely missing is an more than highway passing power — traffic maneuvering at speed generally takes somewhat of coming up with.

Noise: You get very little of it. Diesel clatter is audible from the road however virtually never from the cockpit; At ninety mph, there’s a small wind whoosh over the A-pillars, barely enough to remind you that you’re moving.

Highway stability and long-distance comfort: Oh lord. Oh lord, lord, lord. If there’s a bigger highway joy than cranking out thousands of miles behind the wheel of an oversized, pavement-crushing Mercedes, I don’t wish to grasp regarding it. As a driver, you’re given barely enough info — barely enough steering feel, wind noise, and body roll — to remain awake, informed, and interested. As a passenger, you tend to go to sleep lots, that is that the nicest compliment anyone will provides a massive sedan, notwithstanding the worth.

Either way, you climb out of the S350 at the top of a 12- or 14-hour drive feeling refreshed. once I hit Key West, it had been like I’d spent the past 3 days lounging on the couch, not hammering down the highway. At 70 mph, the engine is spinning at simply one,600 rpm in seventh gear. The steering is heavily weighted and slightly wooly however incredibly pleasant; it seems like you’re commanding a helm amendment from somewhere within the car’s bilges. (This isn’t a knock. The steering fits the S350′s torque delivery and laid-back temperament.)

The point here is balance. The S350 may be a delicate piece, a complicated, assured automotive that doesn’t broadcast its ability or value tag. It offers all the ability you wish, outstanding fuel economy, and simply the maximum amount comfort as the rest on wheels. In that sense, it’s the foremost old-school machine Mercedes offers. It harks back to a time when luxury cars were sold on how they created you're feeling, not how they created you look. as a result of it trades flash for capability and excess for practicality, it oozes intelligence like few different fashionable machines.

The irony is, individuals don’t purchase luxury cars with their brains. They purchase them with their hearts, which implies that the S350, like different diesel S-classes before it, can most likely never outsell its gas-powered siblings. What a shame.