Mercedes S500 L

By Dan Strong

December 2009

• Rating:
• Latest deal price: from £48,736 to £145,293

Ever since the introduction of the 600 Pullman in the Sixties, celebrities have chosen Mercedes limousines to take the strain on long trips. The firm’s S-Class now sets the standard for first-class travel, and the facelifted S500 L continues the tradition.

Design revisions on the long-wheelbase model are minor, such as LED lighting and subtly reworked chrome detailing.

But inside, there are massage seats, plus cruise control that dictates the vehicle’s speed in traffic and drives the car in jams. There’s an advanced air-suspension system, plus night vision.

Thanks to the car’s 5,226mm overall length, rear passengers have plenty of legroom. They can enjoy a digital TV system, complete with noise-cancelling headphones, and a DVD player.

At night, soft blue ambient light fills the footwells, while the instrument panel dims to ease eye strain. The experience is as impressive as it sounds, and so it should be. Our test car’s options send the basic price rocketing to £95,574. Still, even the likes of Bentley would struggle to deliver a vehicle so well adapted to transporting occupants over long distances in such comfort.

Yet the S-Class remains a great car to drive. With accurate steering and excellent body control, the 2,015kg machine disguises its bulk with ease.

Rival: Lexus LS460-L
Exceptionally well equipped, and coming with the option of aircraft-style reclining rear seats, the Lexus matches the Mercedes for passenger comfort and refinement. However, for now the Japanese machine can’t quite equal the S-Class’s raft of advanced technology, nor the German model’s brilliant road manners.