Mercedes-AMG is extending its product range with the addition of three new models and at the same time introducing a new model designation: the 53 series models of the CLS, E-Class Coupé plus E-Class Cabriolet. They combine powerful performance with sporty style and high efficiency. At their heart lies a new, electrified 3.0-litre engine featuring twin-turbocharging by means of an exhaust gas turbocharger and an electric auxiliary compressor. The 6‑cylinder in-line engine generates 320 kW (435 PS) and delivers a maximum torque of 520 Nm. Its EQ Boost starter-alternator momentarily provides an additional 16 kW of output plus 250 Nm of torque and furthermore feeds the 48 V on-board electrical system. Other technical highlights include the AMG SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G transmission and the fully variable all-wheel drive system AMG Performance 4MATIC+.

Sporty design, performance and efficiency.

Without a doubt the benchmark big luxury saloon, the one Audi, BMW, Lexus, Cadillac and even Jaguar and Maserati must define themselves by and be measured against.

This car defines the sector and is the one all others must topple. The latest A8 and 7-Series are closer than they have been in the past, but while both are excellent cars in their own right, neither is quite as special as the S-Class.

With 2017’s facelift arrives many new things. Chief among them new engines, an in-line six-cylinder diesel and petrols (replacing the old V6s) and the S63 AMG’s V8 bi-turbo petrol. The rare-groove S65 keeps its old V12, and a hybrid arrives later in the year.

There’s an array of semi-autonomous driving technology like Active Speed Limit Assist, Active Lane Change Assist and Remote Parking Assist – all carryovers from the E-Class.

But to make sure the S-Class keeps its crown as the techiest Merc, it’s got a few of its own too. The main one is a kind of active cruise control that, as well as sensing and maintaining gaps to other cars, knows to slow you for roundabouts, corners and tolls using GPS. Sounds clever in principle, but does it work?  

What is it like on the road?

Sort of. The thing to bear in mind is that the system isn’t watching for other cars that might be on the roundabout you’re approaching.

It will slow you down to a speed where you could take the roundabout, assuming it’s not following anything that might dictate its speed and if there are no cars to give way to. But if there are, you have to bring things to a stop yourself. 

It all worked pretty well when an engineer demoed the system on country roads around one of Merc’s places in Stuttgart, but when we tried it for ourselves in the UK it wasn’t quite as effective. It’s a bit ‘last of the late brakers’, which isn’t what you want in a luxury limo.

Nonetheless, on motorways it’s great. It maintains a gap to the car ahead – which varies by speed and setting, all the way down to a stop – and keeps the car in its lane. It’ll also adjust the speed you’ve set to whatever the speed limit is, because it recognises road signs. Remember it’s long-journey driver support, not autonomous self-driving.

It goes without saying the S-Class is not an especially engaging drive when you take full control yourself. It’s all about astounding quietness and ride suppleness, and it delivers both of those in spades. Adaptive dampers tauten it where needed, but the steering has no feel – its hallmark is immense directional stability at high speeds.

The new diesel is a great engine, and is perfectly capable of getting along smartly. It’s our choice for now, but our inner hooligan will always prefer the AMGs.

Layout, finish and space

The dash’s two huge instrument and display screens are all clarity and logic. They’ve been updated and now more closely resemble what you get in the new E-Class, which is fine by us.

Mercedes is one of the few manufacturers that hasn’t gone doolally for touchscreens, and good as the A8’s twin-screen setup is, it’s still not as intuitive as having a dedicated, physical control. 

Said screens are set in beautifully worked leather, wood and metal, and most ergonomics are just-so. Those familiar with Merc will notice the new steering wheel, with its touchpads and cruise control, erm, controls (no more little stalk behind the wheel – a Merc fave). It’s a bit button-heavy, but you get used to it.

Also new for the facelift is something called ENERGIZING Comfort Control (yes, all caps. Live with it). It links the climate control, seats, lighting and stereo enabling “a specific wellness set-up tailored to the mood and need of the customer”. Bit of a gimmick? Perhaps, but in all we can’t think of a comfier interior, front or rear. At least for less than £200k. 

The LWB version can be specced with rear seats that massage, heat, vent and recline halfway to horizontal, with aircraft-like leg-rests. Rear entertainment is very comprehensive and legroom just vast. The V8’s active suspension has an option that uses binocular vision to see bumps in the road and lift each wheel as they pass beneath. The result is near-miraculous.

Running costs and reliability

Big limos aren’t the cheapest cars to run, but they’re not as bad as you might think. The diesel-engined S350d does 0-62mph in 6 seconds and hits 155mph, but Merc still claim 52.3mpg and 139g/km of CO2. The new six-cylinder petrol S500 (no V8 in a 500-badged Merc now, shame) manages 40.9mpg and 157g/km – we’ll pass judgement once we’ve driven it. 

While the facelifted S-Class is still fairly new to market, the only ones you can get are AMG Lines, so expect big wheels chunky bumpers. That said, Brits like all the trinketry, so we wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn Mercedes isn’t going to sell non-AMG Lines over here. Prices start at around £73k for a SWB S350d, and you should add £3k or so for the LWB. S500s are about £85k and are LWB-only. 

And whatever you do, don’t get carried away with the options list. Think carefully about what you’re using your S-Class for – whether you’re a professional driver and will therefore have people in the back, or a private buyer who wants it to waft about it – and spec accordingly. It’s far too easy to fall down the rabbit hole and spend £3k on carbon trim. In a limo. 

Final thoughts and pick of the range

The E 220 d 4Matic All-Terrain is to the standard Mercedes-Benz E-class sedan what the V90 Cross Country is to the Volvo S90 sedan. That is to say, the All-Terrain is the rugged all-wheel-drive-equipped, estate version of the E-class. The All-Terrain is a unique offering as is, but what makes it that bit more special still is that it marks the India debut of the BS-VI-compliant version of Mercedes’ latest-gen OM654 2.0-litre diesel engine that debuted on the E 220 d sedan last year. Notably, just like the facelifted S 350d’s new 3.0-litre OM656 diesel unit, the revised OM654 can meet BS-VI emission norms even when powered by lower-grade BS-IV fuel. Locally-assembled Mercedes cars will get the engine update toward the end of the year.

The All-Terrain might be based on the standard wheelbase E-class (as opposed to the locally-assembled long-wheelbase sedan) but being nearly 5m long, it is still a lot of car. Of course, it’s the section aft the B-pillar that typifies the All-Terrain. The rear overhang is long but the large 19-inch wheels and plastic cladding on the lower section of the bodywork and bumpers keep the All-Terrain’s tail from looking ungainly. Also neatly integrated onto the rear bumper is the scuff plate that encircles the twin (albeit dummy) exhaust ends. Up front, the All-Terrain gets a bespoke styling treatment (vis-à-vis the E-class sedan) with its bolder, twin-louvre grille and different bumper.

All said, while the All-Terrain is well-turned out, the extent to which you will appreciate its look, remains a function of your openness to the estate body style in general.

If you’ve been in any new-gen E-class before, you’ll get a sense of familiarity in the All-Terrain’s cabin. The smooth, flowing dashboard is shared with other versions of the E-class though the fully digital display offered on Es sold abroad has been given a miss on the All-Terrain for India; the speedo and tacho dials are analogue units. Still, there’s a genuine high quality to the car's look inside the cabin and almost all of what you touch feels rich.

You don’t sit any higher in the driver's seat than you would in an E-class sedan so the view to the outside is decent but not what you’d call commanding; and ingress/egress is similar, too. Passenger-seat comfort, however, is excellent and those seated at the back have it good, as well. Sure, there’s less rear legroom than in the long-wheelbase sedan, and the seat recline function and soft pillow headrests from the sedan don’t make it to the All-Terrain either – but your rear passengers will still not have reason to complain. If anything, it’s the high centre tunnel that could be a bother for the middle passenger.

Judged as an estate, the All-Terrain impresses with its massive luggage bay. Standard luggage capacity is 640 litres and adjusting the rear backrests by 10 degrees frees up another 30 litres of space. Completely folding the 40:20:40-split rear seat backrest takes the car's cargo volume to 1,820 litres. There’s also a sizeable storage bay under the boot floor. Unfortunately, there’s no provision for a spare wheel which means the space saver spare (which was not on the test car) will inadvertently eat into prime real estate in the boot.

The All-Terrain comes reasonably well-specced as standard – with air suspension, a panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, three-zone climate control and an electrically operated tailgate – although a Volvo V90 Cross Country does offer a whole lot more.

The All-Terrain gets standard air suspension with three levels for the ride height. The ride height can be raised by up to 35mm at the touch of a button – but with a maximum ground clearance (laden) of 156mm, this is no SUV. The All-Terrain didn’t ground on any of the mild off-road stretches we ventured onto; but the fact is that we were also extra-mindful of the vehicle's clearance at all times. The 2.9m-long wheelbase also means the All-Terrain is not the most maneuverable of cars you could venture into the wild in. What does its work well is the 4matic all-wheel drive system that apportions torque between the front and rear axles, based on available traction. The Merc didn’t lose its footing – neither in the rough, nor on the rain-drenched tarmac – on the journey home. There are five drive modes on offer (including an ‘All-Terrain’ mode and ‘Individual’ mode) and do alter the driving experience.

There’s a hint of firmness to the All-Terrain’s ride which is quite the opposite of the air-suspension-equipped E 350 d sedan that is setup soft to the point of almost being floppy. The All-Terrain rides with great composure and body movements are well-contained at all speeds, effectively making the driving experience more involving than the E-class sedans. A fluid steering and neat dynamics help to this end and, as mentioned, there’s always the option to customise steering and suspension settings to your liking.

The All-Terrain’s 2.0-litre diesel engine makes the same 194hp and 400Nm of torque seen in the E 220 d sedan. Performance and refinement levels are also similar. The engine is smooth in the way it delivers its power; and though it is not outright punchy like a like-sized BMW diesel, the Merc unit feels strong. The nine-speed auto is slick in its shifts as well but it does tend to trip, at times, when you floor the throttle. A tug at the steering-mounted paddles does help performance, however. Mercedes claims a 0-100kph time of 8sec for the E 220 d All-Terrain – which is reasonable for a car that weighs an upward of 1.9 tonnes (1,900kg).

In isolation, the E 220 d All-Terrain is a rather nice package. It’s distinct, luxurious, more than pleasant to drive, and also offers every bit of the practicality that estates are famous for. It’s no off-roader but the all-wheel drive also brings in a degree of added usability that no E-class sedan can match.

The trouble is, buyers willing to pay the estimated Rs 65 lakh (estimated, ex-showroom) price for the car, have other options to choose from, too – least of all the better-equipped and higher-specced Volvo V90 Cross Country. In the same price bracket, you could have a full-fledged SUV from a premium marque (even within Mercedes, itself) with all the trappings that have made this genre of vehicle so popular in India.

Good as it may be, then, the All-Terrain is not the first Merc – or even the first car, for that matter – that springs to mind for anyone with a shopping budget of about Rs 65 lakh.