Test drive Mercedes Benz S-Class W222 2013-NV sedan

Comparative test: Jaguar XJR SUPER V8 and Lexus LS600HL against Mercedes S550 and Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT

Big sedans comfortably transport four reputable people. Large engines readily give out 400 selected horses. The price tags sparkle in amounts close to $ 100,000. And, most importantly, there is a large ego behind the wheel. You see, ordinary rich people in the garage have many huge luxurious sedans, from which they choose in their mood, and every copy costs in the region of $ 80,000. Therefore, we, the simple people, have only to guess how much this luxurious car cost the owner, and What message it is designed to convey to others. Maybe she is destined to show his subordinates in the company that the chic corner office is occupied by the boss forever, it is possible to demonstrate to the neighboring neighbor, who is alpha male, and can show partners on a closed club, who is Mr. Big without visits to a steam room. Whatever the message, we decided to select the best means of expressing the above ideas in English, Italian, Japanese and German.
Choosing applicants for a sedan test worth about $ 100,000 of the first three countries was very simple. From Japan, we took the fresh unsurpassed Lexus. Without reserve V12, Lexus LS600HL is content with the 5-liter hybrid V8 Hybrid Synergy Drive with a direct fuel injection system with a capacity of 438 combined L.S. (the leader of this test in this indicator) with an advantage in the form of 444 km of the course between gas stations, and in the city mode (who generally thinks about the economy of this class?). The standard configuration contains such high -tech toys such as intuitive parking sensors, a fully adaptive diode front optics, an audio system of 19 columns Mark Levinson and a full -wheel drive system with an intended differential.
 
The old woman Britain provided the exact opposite of Lexus: a completely aluminum elongated version of the supercharger Jaguar XJR Super V8. Of course, he has with Lexus and general features, including radar cruise control, voice control of the governing organs (aka navigator) with a sensory display, but this car, slightly modified for the current model year inside and outside, is the embodiment of the classic charm. It is naked to the edges with expensive varieties of wood and skin, which can be found in the decoration of the ancient cathedral named after St. Anthony.
 
Italian exotic is represented by Maserati Quattroporte. Presented in 2004 and strongly reminiscent of Ferrari at that moment, to date, this machine finally received a normal 6-speed automatic, although the masochists still have the opportunity to get this car with unpredictable Duo-Electic mechanics. We chose the Sport GT version because of its more sports 20-inch wheels, although even it is as comfortable as possible. Three configurations are available with the chimeleon paint, the decoration of various varieties of wood and skin.
 
But with the choice of German cars it was not easy. As an option, we considered the BMW B7 Alpina, but, firstly, the seventh episode now fell into decay, and, secondly, we were not able to find a driver who wanted to fight with an unpaid Idrive system, so this candidacy had to be rejected. Audi S8 with V10, which can also be found under the hood of Lamborghini Gallardo, looked very tempting, but the distribution of mass along the axes in a ratio of 59/41 and all -wheel drive lubricate the control picture, and the body is perhaps too conservative. Therefore, for the test, we chose the latest technologies packed in the very top of the head and slightly tiller Mercedes-Benz S550. The model, which appeared in 2007, is equipped with a 7-speed automatic gearbox and options such as Night-View Assist and the Distronic cruise control system, which can completely stop the car and then resume traffic in the stream.
 
So, participants in the test are presented, you can start checking which of these expensive healthy women can be best amused by the owner of the owner.
Our tests began in the south of the Okhinj district on a large even section of the highway, where you can properly evaluate the interior, play enough control buttons and test the audio system for each of the applicants for the title of the best. To make their unique impression to these cars you need very little time. Thanks to the new acoustic glass, hermetic sealing along the perimeter of the hood and modern soundproofing materials, the internal space of Jaguar turned out to be much quieter than that of competitors. Even quieter than the Lexus, shod in summer tires Dunlop SP SPORT MAXX 101, which produces a lot of noise and emits sensitive pops on road joints. (Only Jaguar had an all -season rubber). Both Lexus and Jaguar have navigation systems are equipped with a sensory display, while Maserati and Mercedes-Benz are controlled by a joystick on a computer mouse. Perhaps with Lexus the easiest way to find a common language due to the large number of auxiliary buttons, although their accumulation on the central console deprives the interior of the aura of luxury and ease, and even the finish of a strange red-brown color does not save. At a speed of 120 km/h, the arrow of the economy sensor rests on the border between the Power and Economy modes, and the Mark Levinson audio system delights the most delightful sounds of all.
Mercedes made a real masterpiece from the joystick joystick, placing it under a pretty armrest and complementing it with so many right buttons so that each of the most commonly used functions receives its own. The method of output of information in the S550 is also unusual. Radar cruise control, for example, displays the set speed on the speedometer, and also displays information about the speed of each of the cars moving in front of its reach and shows how slowly you have to move if you do not find a way to go around them. In Lexus and Jaguar, everything is much easier: while you are moving within a given speed, the indicator burns. This high -tech is saturated with the entire internal space, made in accordance with the requirements of modern fashion and trimmed with wood inserts, emphasized thin strips of chrome metal. In such a situation, I want to relax and enjoy, which is very promoted by the suspension: as soft and at the same time giving the right amount of information about the road. Maserati, on the contrary, is very informative, although there is no excessive stiffness in it, even at high speed. The quality of wood and skin in the interior decoration is comparable to the quality of the materials used in the Jaguar interior, but the manner of decoration is truly Italian: the patterned red tree decorates the door panels and the central part of the front panel, and the pattern of the tree is located in the way that two arrows stretch throughout the cabin And they meet in the center of the cabin, pointing forward. Also, a choice is provided with a carbon decoration, a tree of black piano or wood of five other colors. The most pleasant in the computer interface/navigation system was its significant improvement compared to the previous Maserati models, and this was noted. This car can be appreciated only after a long and thorough study or re -reading of the operating instructions.
On the rear seats, you can say a lot about these cars. In the Jaguar, the rear sofa is equipped with individual climate control, DVD displays, sun curtains and folding tables (an elegant way to put dust in the eyes, since you will not really succeed in writing something or eat after them). Each of these two soft supple seats has the ability to change the angle of inclination of the back (electric drive), heating, as well as memory in three positions. In Lexus and Mercedes, the rear passengers are allotted 0.05 m3 more than in Jaguar, but there are at least additional amenities, except for the mirrors for passengers and a small refrigerator for drinks in Lexus. (Multifunctional thrones are both in both). Mercedes boasts an electric drive of the side curtains, so paparazzi should leave attempts to shoot passengers in the back seat, but the seats are as tough as German dictatorship during the war years. The smallest rear seat turned out to be Maserati, but at the same time it is the most convenient for sleep, if you throw back the back and raise the front of the sofa.
 
 
The next step in our test was 32 km of the track to Mount Palomar (due to its reputation) in order to get even more impressions of the participants in the competition. The all -wheel drive Lexus stubbornly showed insufficient rotation in most turns in this area, a sound warning signal of the stabilization system very often worked. If you turn it off, irritating sounds will disappear, and the effect will remain. And, despite the set of reproach stability costs worth $ 3,000, LS 600HL is no less, or even more than the rest of the test participants, even in Sport mode. The steep rise contributed to the rapid discharge of the battery (although the intensive effect on the gas pedal leads to this result on any type of road), and the variator’s run through 8 virtual gears with periodically pressing the accelerator pedal into the floor led to the conclusion of a prevention of overheating of the hybrid system. As a result, we believe that the variator is not worth the place in the trunk that he takes (instead of him, a bag with golf clubs would enter), and after this test, everyone had a persistent desire to fix the 600 to 500 models in the name.
At first, it is very unusual to disperse the luxurious Jaguar up this highway, but then you notice that he, like the best English butler, obey the driver impeccably. Yes, there is a small roll of body in corners, and the tires are sometimes noisy (less than that of Lexus), but it is very easy to control it. The steering wheel is light, but responsive and informative, and the stabilization system is perhaps the most liberal of the presented. One of our editors managed to let the car in all four wheels before the electronics worked and returned it to the previous course. Nevertheless, the lack of lateral support from new seats hints that this car implies a different driving style.
Mercedes S500, equipped with an adaptive suspension of Active Body Control for $ 3,920, showed the lack of rolls, and its tires never make unpleasant sounds. The stabilization system is disconnected in some way. One has only to press the gas when exit from the turn, how the light demolition of the rear axle is felt, which, however, is quickly suppressed by electronics. It is difficult to call it annoying even in fully active mode. You can switch the transfers using steering wheel petals (most of all we liked fixed levers in Maserati), although the adaptive logic of gearboxes in the S550 is so good to keep low transfers in complex turns and with a slight rise, which there is no need to use the switches (in a 6-speed box in a 6-speed box Maserati does not have such a logic, therefore, aluminum switching levers have to be used quite actively).
Undoubtedly, the Italian pleased us with the most striking performance on the highway to Mount Palomar. In this car, the mass is distributed along the axes in a ratio of 48/52, which when using 20-inch discs allows you to minimize the rolls in corners. This machine has such a clutch with the road that the stabilization system is almost unnecessary if we are talking about dry asphalt. The steering is as informative and honed as Ferrari 599, and the irregularities and joints are unable to knock it off the intended course (although they are felt quite clearly in the cabin). Having a second result in the ratio of mass to power and shorter gears by at least 20% shorter than other cars in this test, Quattroporte demonstrates amazing acceleration dynamics without much effort, giving out the selected sound of the configured output, which adds sharpness and without it and without that extravagant image.
Finally, we drove our cars through a series of track tests, where they demonstrated strikingly similar results. Only 0.3 seconds shares them on a quota, although in the maserati handling test the rivals are very ahead of the opponents, demonstrating the best results in the test for a stop at a speed of 100 km/h 32.61 m against 40.84 m in Jaguar. The lateral acceleration of Quattroporte is also beyond praise 0.91G (ahead of opponents by 0.08-0.11g), and it passed the eight for a second faster with the best lateral acceleration. The test completes this series, the results of which we would not pay attention, if not for the presence of a green hybrid we have. This is fuel consumption. On 100 km, Lexus spent 15.79 liters of fuel against 18-20 liters spent by other participants. Savings turned out to be only 15%.
 
 
Summing up, I would like to note that Lexus seemed to us an ideal option for the general director of the company, who earned its millions, ruining the bowels of our planet, and now wants to make up somewhat guilty. Nothing except the message, forgive me, please. I am not as hapug as it seems we did not find in this car. Her complacency annoyed us no less than an undeserved badge 600. We would prefer to burn the rubber on LS 460L, which is cheaper than LS600HL by $ 33,000, so Lexus today finishes the latter. Jaguar Super V8 seems to say: I am one of those who climb the career ladder. And I succeeded in this. This causes respect, we liked to ride this powerful boudoir, and its cost pleased us (relatively, of course), so we gave him third place. Mercedes-Benz S550 may be the best car in this test in all objective parameters. He has a charming appearance and a beautiful interior, his dynamics cannot but admire, the technological solutions used here will be relevant for many years, he causes respect in any country in the world, and his message sounds like: this representative of the ruling elite is not afraid of the future.
But the only car to which we unconditionally gave their preference, until readiness to sell the soul for the sake of possessing it, became Maserati. It seems to me that this is the most easily controlled sedan of all, which I had to sit behind the wheel, Saint Anthony says, climbing to the top of Mount Palomar, which, given his more than twenty years of experience in evaluating sports sedans, can be considered the highest praise. No one dared to argue with this statement. We know that this car can bring its owner to white heat in the process of changing CD, because the CD changer is located under the steering column. You can lose your temper, waiting for the navigation system to calculate the route. It is endlessly annoying that you have to spin the starter three to four times to start the engine (like any ordinary machine), and that the driver's seat belt creaks, etc. But you forget about everything when you are inside the car that literally screams for you: I am so special that this delightful car was done specifically for me, and you were lucky to see it for a moment. Maserati is like a glamorous formula-1 car, and it was physically painful to part with it. If you are ready to spend on the purchase of a car $ 116 500 plus some options, then you do not need to look for anything else.
First place: Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT
It affects pleasure centers as none of the sedans we know.
Second place: Mercedes-Benz S550
The right luxury sedan.
Third place: Jaguar Super V8
Hides modern technologies behind the elegance of the 19th century.
Fourth place: Lexus LS 600HL
Does not live up to expectations in terms of dynamics, or in economy, or luxury.
 
 

A source: junal Motor Trend