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Sometimes you have to settle for the little things. Also be happy with the basic engine. Do not ask for the biggest engine of a series, but simply be happy with the series entry. We tried that in the sexy Coupé version of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The base engine? Luckily a V8, with charge. Modesty can be so convincing!
New modesty
Driving Report of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe
With the latest model, Mercedes-Benz has made the name clear again. No more CL-Class, now an S-Coupé - everyone understands that. Anyone who opts for S-Luxus, but swaps two doors in favor of an actually not youth-free coupé shape, does not have to complain of a lack of performance with the basic engine either. Even if the “five hundred” has to be understood as an “entry-level”, its 455 hp allow no shortage. No lack of performance. No shortage of sound. Above the "five hundred" rank the sharp V8 variants in the AMG version and - completely over the top - the V12. If you are used to big price jumps from Stuttgart, there is actually another S630 between this “entry-level S-Coupé” and the 12 PS strong V500 with AMG birth certificate. Our test car costs, if you ignore all options, a smacky € 122.153,50 - the other end of the price range is € 244.009,50.
Silent luxury
Any thought of a possible defect evaporates and the V8 engine ignites. With the pleasant, goosebumps-causing timbre, as inimitable as only eight-cylinder gurgles can gargle, the “new modesty” in the mein-auto-blog test fleet comes to life. Almost a little pubescent, he spits on his tailpipes in the first few seconds. As soon as the first liters of cooling water have been warmed up, the sound calms down and what remains: luxury. Quiet luxury. Nothing can be heard or felt from the engine while idling. The fact that somewhere “up there”, three feet away, a 4.6 liter powerhouse is in tune with his day's work, you can only determine it by looking at the tachometer and its position above “zero”. In addition to the 455 hp of the V8, it is the 700 Nm that are pressed out of the “entry-level engine” with the help of the two turbochargers, which announce the anticipation almost as a damp point in the crotch.
The S500 was originally intended as a 4matic. Four-wheel drive can not be a hindrance with 455 hp. The test car then drove to the yard without - instead with 9 gears instead of 7 in the 4matic version. That makes the driven coupé within the eight-cylinder variants finally the affordable entry-level model and just take it like this: save yourself the 4matic surcharge. Unless you live in Switzerland - but then you will take the S63 AMG Coupé 4matic anyway, whose base price of € 170.586,50 will not bring you in need of explanation from your colleagues. Business is running, right?
Seriously: 9 gear is great!
Enthroned on the nappa leather of the large stalls, one should first become aware of the vastness of the interior. Then all the technology, all the gadgets, the equipment, the options, the details, all the assistance systems and then - then it's best to forget everything and just drive off. 9 gears are one too many, thinks the automatic and lets the temptation of the new modesty, compressed to around 2 tons, move into gear step 2. 3-4-7-8-9. If you have yourself under control and do not want to spill all 455 HP gleefully over the terminology of the basic engine, you will not feel anything of the imperceptible elegance that resides in the magic, when, like mighty steamships, probably the most merced of all Mercedes at the time-space- Hopping starts. Tempo 120 in ninth gear, there hardly more than 1.200 revolutions are called. Complete luxury in the drive train.
4.6 seconds should pass for the sprint on Tempo 100. After barking, the 4.6 liter V8 then blares out its power. The V12 Bi-Turbo in the S65 AMG Coupé, which is located at the other end of the range, also manages only in 4.1 seconds. At some point, the opportunity to prove the power of the drive in meters per second is also over.
The large coupé runs at 250 km / h with almost brazen coolness. That one does not reach the NEDC values of 8.3 liters in everyday life, it should come as no surprise with over 2 tons, two turbos and 455 hp. But that you can easily reach 9 before the decimal point and then 1 - is convincing!
[one_half] [=”notification_mark” ]The basics:[star_list]
- Performance: 455 PS
- Consumption: 8.3l / 100km
- Base price: 122.153,50 €
[star_list]
- Bentley continental
- Aston Martin DB9
- BMW 650i
Daily Dose of Luxury
With the equivalent of a home, you can expect a more or less manageable dose of luxury on wheels. And so, of course, the S-Coupé pampers you with all the little helpers that can sweeten the day on the move. However, the full luxury boom definitely requires a courageous grip on the surcharge list. The Burmester 3D Sourrund system is an indispensable part of the order form, air-conditioned seats, the air-balance package for scenting the interior, keyless-go and heat-comfort package are just as beautiful and useful as the panorama roof whose tint is variable at the push of a button. The luxury of the S-Coupé begins with the omission of two doors, affords the V8 turbo as a minimum engine, but also means being painless when choosing additional options. It is the claim of an aristocratic self-perception with which one avails oneself in the sometimes painfully expensive list of surcharges. Our test vehicle even got the completely pointless Swarovski crystals in the LED headlights. With a purchase price of € 156.000, only a minor abnormality. Especially since the test car has an extraordinary understatement. Omitting the AMG design line, combined with the “surcharge-free” emerald green metallic, avoids overly offensive onomatopoeia. The car itself is noticeable anyway due to its sheer size - nice if you are optically more in whisper mode.
GT for the long haul
Double glazing, door seals for which more development work was carried out than for Lada for an entire car. Everything, just everything about this coupe is trimmed to perfection. While you can enjoy the S-Class as a sedan, probably the best sedan in the world, quite well from the rear right seat - you want to drive the S-Coupé yourself. The goal is irrelevant. You don't really want to arrive. You just want to drive.
Even the king of the long haul allows himself a faux pas. Or is it just the misunderstood explanation of what a two-door coupe in the 455 hp class is not there for? With all the excitement that you feel when you slide across the sheet metal, someone just forgot to install a button to open the trunk lid ... banal wish?
We would have loved to have our bell sign on the door handle of the S-Coupé, because one thing is clear after this test car: modesty can be wonderful!
[toggle title=”Engine and Transmission”]
Mercedes-Benz |
S500 9 gear |
| design type | V8, bi-turbo, stratified charge |
| Capacity | 4.663 cc |
| Performance | 455 hp / 5.250 rpm |
| kraft | 700 Nm / 1.800 - 3.500 rpm |
| Transmission | 9-speed automatic |
| drive axle | rear-wheel drive |
| Length Width Height | 5.027, 1.899, 1.411 mm |
| wheelbase | 2.945 mm |
| Empty weight | 2.030 kg |
| turning circle | 11.60 m |
| top speed | 250 km/h |
| Acceleration 0-100 km / h | 4,6 sec |
| standard consumption | 7.4 l / 100 km |