MERCEDES has opened the UK order books for what it says is the most advanced and luxurious car it has ever built – the new technology-packed S-Class.
Prices for the Mercedes S-Class will start at £62,650 for the 3.0-litre diesel S 350 BlueTEC SE Line and top out at £88,130 for the powerful S 500 L AMG Line – the L signifies a long wheelbase.
The new car’s impressive technology has already been heavily trailed (read more here) – it will, for example, be the world’s first “all-LED” car, dispensing with conventional light bulbs altogether. But now Mercedes has provided more information about how the UK line-up will look in detail.
There’s a choice of three engines – one diesel, one hybrid and one petrol.
The £62,650 S 350 BlueTEC has a 3-litre diesel engine producing 258PS – enough to accelerate from rest to 62 mph in 6.6 seconds and reach an artificially limited top speed of 155 mph.
CO2 emissions are as low as 146g/km while combined fuel consumption is 51.4mpg – remarkable values for a car that offers such high levels of performance and luxury.
The £69,650 S 400 L Hybrid model matches the diesel for performance and delivers a still-impressive 44.8mpg and 147g/km, while the range-topping S 500 L AMG Line blasts to 62mph from rest in just 4.8 seconds, thanks to a powerful 4.7-litre petrol V8, although there’s a penalty for that in the form of emissions of 207g/km and fuel consumption of 31.7mpg.
Production of UK cars starts in September, with the first deliveries taking place in October.