Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Styling is much racy than its predecessor with its 17-inch wheels (18- and 19-inch wheels are optionally available) and those prominent flared wheel arches. The back end with its boot and tail light design echoes a throwback to Maybach.

This adds character to the car when viewed from the rear, while strongly reminding of its elder sibling from the German carmaker. Mercedes have done a great job giving this lavish automobile a unique and powerful style with a tastefully integrated design that looks good from any angle.

Inside is typical Mercedes with swathes of top-grain leather and select wood trim. The steering wheel has a multitude of controls incorporated in it, so the driver can invoke a number of commands without having to take his/her hands off it.

Taking of commands, the new S-Class has an improved COMAND system that is much easier to master with a large display screen in the centre of the dash and a push-and-turn controller, as Mercedes calls it, to control the various features this car has to offer.

Similar in operation to BMW's i-drive, it accesses a myriad of features - right from selecting a radio station to setting the navigation plus a whole lot more. A nice touch is the comfy hand rest that flips open to reveal a telephone keypad.

In many ways the interior blends old-world charm with modern class and ingenuity. This is best exemplified by the speedometer. While it looks like a conventional dial, in reality it is a TFT display. Flipping the switch to activate the night vision, which Mercedes calls Night View Assist, turns the Speedo into an eight-inch display.

Ahead of its double-insulated firewall a newly designed 5.5-litre V8 belts out 388 bhp that's good enough for a 5.4 sec sprint to 100kph. This is not a big revving engine and the engine ticks over nicely at low revs with nary a judder or vibration seeping through into the cabin. Now that's expected of a car that is touted as the best luxury car in the world but what really took me by surprise was the way it responded through corners on Al Ain's famed Jebel Hafeet.

The intensity to stick to the road was truly a revelation and flinging the big S through corners invoked nary much roll, belaying its massive bulk and girth (not that it is fat by any count). This is thanks to the Active Body Control which has different settings for comfort, Sport and what-have-you.

The air suspension system used on the S Class has a way of soaking up road irregularities as though they aren't there at all. Mercedes has done well in setting up the S with its Airmatic suspension and while the overall plushness of the suspension remains on the softer side, the intelligent system rapidly calculates if the car is being driven sportily to adequately harden up its act and infuse better handling.

One of the most invigorating and sublime treats served up by the S500 are the absolutely fantastic seats that I have ever experienced in an automobile. Our test car was equipped with the optional Dynamic Multicontour Front Seats, complete with massage. The first thing you notice is that they are adjustable in fourteen ways. In addition to the regular adjustments found on most cars, one can lengthen or shorten the thigh support and move the headrest up or down.

But the most endearing part of the front seats is the way the thigh side bolsters squeeze your legs when indulging in a bit of spirited cornering, holding you in place thoroughly. And yes, the massage function proves invaluable when on long drives. With four settings, there's a different pressure point squeezed in each setting. Heaven! Both the front seats have this feature as Mercedes did not want the front passenger to miss out.

Though the S is a big car, its styling disguises its bulk well. There is enough space on the inside - both for front and rear passengers - to truly revel in it. At the rear, different seating permutations can be carried out, with either space for two or three passengers.

The S-Class is truly a superb automobile and a technological wonder designed to generate looks of desire wherever it goes. With its vast array of gizmos working overtime silently hidden in the vast expanse of sheet metal, it is no wonder then that I regularly took the long way home.