SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
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*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.


We luxuriate in the 2011 S350 BlueTEC, the only diesel version of Mercedes-Benz's executive express

Luxury, safety and comfort

Published in The Witness Motoring on Wednesday July 6, 2011

"Now why would anyone want four makeup mirrors?" I asked when my mate William pointed out the pair in the back of the car. He had stopped by to check whether the S350 BlueTEC diesel was as good as his S320, built around the time the world was waiting anxiously for every computer on the planet to implode at midnight as the century turned. "Perhaps for that bloke in the TV ad, with his wife and five daughters," he suggested.  "Or maybe our friend Tiffany, who has this really cool model agency," we thought. Not a chance, we realised - she loves her classic Porsche too much to give it up.

We'll get back to luxury features later. What's more important is that last year's BlueEfficiency version of Mercedes-Benz's 3.0 litre turbodiesel has been upgraded and made cleaner. Power output is up to 190 kW from 155 previously, while torque goes from 540 Nm to 620. Happy side effects are that the zero to 100 sprint takes place with almost three seconds' more urgency and fuel consumption decreases by as much as 1,8 litres per 100 km. The new CO2 emissions’ rating is 177 gm/km, but MB is after bigger things. Nitrogen oxide (NOX) is still a major concern, so the company ensured that this version of the diesel complies with the Euro6 standard due for implementation in 2014.

BlueTEC is a technology developed by Mercedes-Benz to reduce emissions, particularly nitrogen oxide, from diesel vehicles. AdBlue, an aqueous urea solution, is injected into the exhaust flow. This releases ammonia that converts up to 80 percent of nitrogen oxide into harmless nitrogen and water in the downstream catalytic converter. The 25-litre solution tank is installed under the luggage compartment floor and is replenished during normal services. Mercedes-Benz dealerships throughout South Africa will assist with interim top-ups, if required. 

Safety research and design, as well as the latest kit, is part of Mercedes-Benz's mission and culture, so this S-class is no exception. Built into every model in the range is ABS with EBA, ESP, acceleration skid control, belt pretensioners and limiters front and rear, active head restraints in front, crash- and rollover sensors, eight airbags, PRE-SAFE, the brake preloading system and a warning device that monitors tyre pressures.

Inbuilt luxury features include heated and ventilated power-adjustable front chairs with memory settings for each one, as well as mirrors and steering column, so up to three drivers can be spoiled rotten.  Add an electric sunroof, media interface cables and an SD card slot, voice control, attention assist that monitors your driving behaviour and suggests when a break might be necessary, front and rear climate control, an MP3-compatible music system that takes six discs, doors that snick themselves shut, remote controlled bootlid, keyless-go, park assist and theft protection, and you have pretty much all you need.

Oh, so you expect Bluetooth and full telephone management kit too? OK, you have it. Even the metallic paint is included in the price, with the only on-cost colour option being Diamond White Bright Metallic, at R17 600. Plain leather is the only upholstery material available in this model. If you want "Passion Leather" (I absolutely won't go there), it's standard on the S63 AMG and available optionally on S500 and S500L.

Getting down to practicalities, the boot is huge at 560 litres with a shallow sill, loading at about mid-thigh level.  Two netted side niches look after small objects and a further four net hooks are provided. The spare is a steel spacesaver. Rear seat head, knee and foot space is plentiful and there are three head restraints and belts. Electrics include additional air conditioner controls, reading lights and both a cigarette lighter and a 12-volt/15-amp socket.

A fold-down centre armrest opens to reveal two shallow trays and a pair of cup holders. Another panel unclips to reveal a hidden compartment big enough to conceal a compact personal side arm, should you operate in that kind of security-risk zone. If that's the case, may I suggest the armoured S600 Guard version at only R 6,5 million? Still in the back seat area, my only complaint is that the doorsills are deep, making exiting a little inelegant. Perhaps one of the long wheelbase versions if decorum is really important? 

Up front, doors unlock as you touch the handles, the steering wheel adjusts electrically, the seats adjust every way imaginable and the numbers of buttons and options is bewildering. I strongly recommend you pay close attention to the salesperson at hand-over time and study the book carefully.

It's probably a case of having 'enough' power and torque, but the 7-Gmatic transmission works a whole lot better in this car than in another Mercedes I tested recently. It's still a little slow to react in 'comfort' mode, but when 'sport' is selected, its behaviour sharpens up nicely. Much the same feeling applies to suspension settings. In 'comfort,' the car feels SUV-ish; sort of floaty and unsure of itself. Select 'sport' suspension mode though, and the Airmatic underpinnings firm up nicely for daily use.

An exception is when travelling on potholed and washboarded country roads. With ‘comfort’ selected, severe irregularities caused only minor suspension noise, while the steering wheel hardly vibrated. It's possibly the most comfortable car I have ever driven on dirt.

So what did William think? He insists that his car has more substantial makeup mirrors and better shoulder room, but then, he might be biased.

The numbers
Price: R1 034 880
Engine: 2 987 cc V6 turbodiesel
Power: 190 kW at 3 600 rpm
Torque: 620 Nm between 1 600 and 2 400 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 7,1 seconds
Maximum speed: Governed to 250 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: about 9,8 l/100 km
Tank: 83 litres
Fuel: 50-ppm diesel strongly recommended
Warranty: 2 years/unlimited km
Maintenance plan: 6 years/120 000 km






What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that road test cars entrusted to me are driven only by me. Some reviewers hand test cars over to their partners to use as day-to-day transport and barely experience them for themselves.

What this means to you is that every car reviewed is given my own personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every car goes through real world testing; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

My articles appear every Wednesday in the motoring pages of The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles most months of the year (press cars are withdrawn over the festive season - wonder why?) so not everything gets published in the paper. Those that are, get a tagline but the rest is virgin, unpublished and unedited by the political-correctness police. Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so I do actually exist.

I am based in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa. This is the central hub of the KZN Midlands farming community; the place farmers go to buy their supplies and equipment, truck their goods to market, send their kids to school and go to kick back and relax.
So occasionally a cow, a goat or a horse may add a little local colour by finding its way into the story or one of the pictures. It's all part of the ambience!

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