The style is familiar across the brand’s\u00a0body of work, perhaps most significantly in the entry-level, $32,000 CLA coupe and sedan. The CLA flaunts papa\u2019s DNA right down to the exquisite, jewel-flecked grille. For Mercedes wannabes who can\u2019t yet afford the three-piece suit, the CLA is a lovely jacket.<\/p>\n
But the interior is where the S560 Coupe sets the standard. I\u2019m often asked to name\u00a0the nicest car I\u2019ve driven. The S is it.<\/div>\n
Even the $400,000 Rolls-Royce Dawn coupe I sampled last year (only Rolls can make a $157,000\u00a0car look like a bargain) can learn from the king. No, the S doesn\u2019t come with umbrellas tucked into its doors (Rolls\u2019 signature), but the Benz offers a more comprehensive, premium experience.<\/p>\n
Slip into the quilted\u00a0first-class leather thrones and be spoiled. An arm extends at the driver\u2019s left shoulder, handing over the seat belt. Visibility is superb thanks to a non-existent B-pillar. The doors are encrusted with stitching and etched stereo speakers, while recessed lighting bathes the cabin in color. Rear-seat space is tight for giraffes like me, but Benz makes the accommodations livable with auto-sliding rear seats and deeply scalloped front seatbacks for the knees.<\/p>\n
The cabin is wrapped in premium materials, from the quilted albino seats and mauve dash to an iPhone-like glass pane that stretches across twin 12.3-inch instrument and infotainment displays.<\/p>\n
The screen is another brand trademark and can be found across the Mercedes lineup from sport utilities to compact cars.<\/p>\n
The decadent interior isn\u2019t just for show. Like furniture in Q\u2019s James Bond lab, the S-class is a showcase for futuristic gizmos.<\/p>\n
Fifteen years ago, Burgess took me for my first ride using adaptive cruise control. We marveled at the early autonomous technology as the big Mercedes floated to and fro in traffic, its radar reading traffic speeds up ahead. Today, adaptive cruise control\u00a0is common on most mainstream cars. For the early 21st century, Benz follows Tesla with self-driving technology that can automatically change lanes with the toggle of a turn-stalk (appropriate, since Tesla borrowed Mercedes’\u00a0steering wheel stalks for its Model S).<\/p>\n
Neither is the high-class S too proud to adopt other proven technologies: Kick-open rear trunk innovated by Ford. Head-up display from Cadillac. It\u2019s all here. It even has\u00a0millennial-friendly Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.<\/p>\n
Mercedes’ engineers stretch their creativity with devices like night-vision pedestrian detection and miniature mousepads on the steering wheel. The pads are part of a suite of redundant center console controls,\u00a0including a touch pad, rotary wheel, even push buttons. My accessory of choice was voice command that understood direct verbal commands \u2014 Navigate to Le Petit Dejeuner on Jefferson Avenue \u2014 like my smartphone.<\/p>\n
With this upholstered apartment stuffed inside, the S Coupe tips the scales at over 4,700 pounds.\u00a0But don\u2019t let its weight fool you. This beast can move.<\/p>\n
Credit an all-wheel drive, all-wheel steer system (the 4MATIC part of the Benz\u2019s dizzying alphanumeric nameplate) that constantly keeps its four paws planted. I took ess-curves in Oakland County much faster than I thought possible, the big locomotive cornering as if on rails.<\/p>\n
Mercedes has been dominating GT racing in recent years with ground-pounding V-8s. No sissy sixes for the king of beasts. Under the S560\u2019s breast beats the heart of a lion.<\/p>\n
I pressed the throttle of the twin-turbo, 4.0-liter, 463-horsepower V-8 and gulped traffic like Simba running down herd of antelopes. Credit 516 pound-feet of torque and a liquid-smooth, 9-speed automatic for the instant thrust. The transmission was nearly seamless as it swapped cogs to catapult past mere mortal cars. See a traffic opening? Voom! You\u2019re there.<\/p>\n
This brute power happens with remarkable calm in the cabin where the eight pistons sound like velvet hammers deep under the hood. Though hardly necessary, the hammer octet can be put on high alert with Sport and Sport+ modes \u2014 the latter offering rev-match barks with each downshift.<\/p>\n
Whatever. This engine could tow the QE2 in Eco mode and not break a sweat.<\/p>\n
Pity the competition which has to cope with not just one,\u00a0but three S-class coupes on top of its formidable S-class sedan. Lincoln\u2019s Continental interior rivals the Mercedes’ comfort. Cadillac this year unveiled its first twin-turbo V-8 CT6 V-Sport. Fetching,\u00a0but they must jockey for air space with the S450 sedan, S63 sedan, S65 sedan as well as my S560 tester and its S63 and S65 coupe stablemates. The CT6 doesn\u2019t even offer a coupe \u2014 not to mention just three SUV offerings versus Mercedes’ seven.<\/p>\n
S560 is a magic carpet with animal thrust. Intoxicated by the quilted-leather seats’\u00a0\u201cheated back massage\u201d mode, my wife barely noticed as I pushed 100 mph merging onto I-94.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d be afraid of smudging this gorgeous white interior,\u201d she mused.<\/p>\n
Such are life\u2019s trivial worries when being chauffeured by the lead ship in Mercedes\u2019 star fleet.<\/p>\n
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne. Catch \u201cCar Radio with Henry Payne\u201d from noon-2 p.m. Saturdays on 910 AM Superstation.<\/p>\n
2018 Mercedes S560 4MATIC Coupe\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nVehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel drive, four-passenger sports coupe<\/p>\n
Price: $125,495 base ($152,195 as tested)<\/p>\n
Powerplant: 4.0-liter, twin-turbo V-8<\/p>\n
Power: 463\u00a0horsepower, 516 pound-feet\u00a0torque<\/p>\n
Transmission: 9-speed automatic<\/p>\n
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.0 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed: 130 mph (electronically limited)<\/p>\n
Weight: 4,751 pounds<\/p>\n
Fuel economy: EPA fuel economy:\u00a017 city\/27\u00a0highway\/21 combined<\/p>\n
Report card<\/strong><\/p>\nHighs: Rolling Rembrandt; AWD balance<\/p>\n
Lows: You can’t afford it \u2014 so buy the mini-S-class CLA<\/p>\n
Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My former Detroit News colleague, Scott Burgess,\u00a0once advised that auto reviewers schedule a regular Porsche 911 test \u2014 as a reminder of how good a sports car can be. The same might be said of a Mercedes-Benz S-class and its place atop the luxury kingdom. Everyone is in luxury\u00a0these days because there\u2019s money to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22480"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22480"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22480\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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