Mercedes-Benz S350 Review
Published: 8th August 2006
Mercedes-Benz S350
Moving across to the leather and eucalyptus trimmed centre console (or dark walnut at £280), there’s another screen for the updated Cockpit Management and Data System, known as COMAND. The large, circular controller for this is sited on the control panel over the transmission tunnel. Menus are accessed by rotating, nudging and pressing the button, which, once mastered, is very easy to use.
The central screen is also used by the optional PARKTRONIC system’s rear-view camera. The superimposed guide and trajectory lines can be set for reversing into bays or parallel parking, while Park Assist adds proximity sensors front and back.
Just above and behind the COMAND controller, sits an egg-shaped telephone keypad. It’s about the size of a mobile phone and has its own padded leather cover to match the upholstery. There is also another mobile phone socket in the central armrest. Telephone pre-wiring with hands-free adds a further £430 to the price, while the Linguatronic, voice actuation for telephone, sat-nav and some audio functions costs £320.00.
Can you see a message emerging? The standard S350 saloon (not the limousine version) will set you back £56,720 and has more than enough functions and gizmos to keep you occupied, safe and comfortable. The extras fitted to the test car totalled £12,100, which is not quite enough to buy a 3-dr A-Class but you could get two Kia Picantos. Amusingly, in the list of extras, the twin, front cup-holders are a ‘no-cost option’.
As the nomenclature suggests, the S350 houses a 3.5-litre, V6 petrol engine that produces 272hp and 350Nm of torque. It takes 7.2 seconds to get from 0-62mph and the top speed is limited to 155mph, where legal. It’s probably just as well as the car is so smooth and quiet that there is very little sense of speed. It’s what I would imagine a magic carpet ride to be like; if there was such a thing.
