Stone Life June July 2014 | Page 66

MOTORING MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS AWARDED BEST EXECUTIVE CAR BY DIESEL CAR he S-Class has been voted ‘Best Executive Car’ in the 2014 Diesel Car, Car of the Year Awards. In announcing the Award, Ian Robertson, Editor and Publisher of Diesel Car Magazine, commented: “It’s the kind of car that you'll want to drive yourself, thanks to alert steering, great composure through the bends, enormous grip and an impressively supple ride." Among the innovations featured on the new SClass is the option of Magic Body Control – making the S-Class capable of detecting bumps in the road ahead and adjusting the suspension accordingly. The S-Class is available with a choice of four-, six-, eight- or 12-cylinder engines, two Hybrids and two wheelbases – bringing new levels of T 66 June/July 2014 driver and passenger comfort to the market. The awarded S 350 BlueTEC generates 258 hp, returning 51.4 mpg with emissions of 146 g/km CO2. It sits alongside the S 300 BlueTEC Hybrid returning 61.4 mpg with emissions of 120 g/km CO2, generating 204 hp, with additional 27-kW electric engine. The S-Class, which remains the UK’s most popular luxury car based on registration figures issued by the SMMT, focuses on three engineering priorities; Intelligent Drive – encompassing a host of new comfort and safety systems, Efficient Technology – setting a new benchmark with combined fuel consumption of up to 61.4 mpg and a cd figure of 0.23, and Essence of Luxury – where the highest perceived quality underpins the high standards throughout this flagship model.