Mercedes Benz S-Class voted 2006’s Best Luxury Car

The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class Saloon has been heralded as 2006’s Best Luxury Car by respected motoring magazine What Car? – the second award it’s received in the past month, and before it’s even gone on sale in the UK.

Arriving in showrooms on 16 March, the new S-Class combines state-of-the-art technology with effortless performance and peerless refinement. It’s a view that helped the experts at What Car? reach their verdict:

“Every decade, Mercedes-Benz launches a new S-Class, and every decade, the rest of the world gasps in amazement,” explained David Motton, Editor of What Car? magazine. “The new model won a rare five-star What Car? rating, obliterating strong opposition and rewriting one or two rules along the way. At a stroke, it has become the best luxury car on sale.”

David Motton concluded: “Our chosen S 500 provides effortless performance and is supremely refined. The S-Class isn’t merely a technological tour de force. It’s a perfect example of machines making our lives easier – and a lot more comfortable. Now that’s real luxury.”

At a ceremony at Grosvenor House in Park Lane, London, the Best Luxury Car trophy was presented to Hans-Dieter Multhaupt – DaimlerChrysler’s Vice President Program Management and Development S-Class; SL-Class; SLK-Class and Maybach.

Mr Multhaupt said: “It is a real honour to receive such a prestigious award for our new model. It is always a challenge to replace a motoring icon as widely respected as the S-Class, but throughout the development phase our engineers were confident that the latest car would quickly establish itself as a proud successor to previous generations.

“The S-Class has always pioneered new technologies and new levels of luxury, and with safety innovations like Nightview Assist, Brake Assist PLUS and DISTRONIC PLUS we have once again taken a significant step forward.”

With two awards already, the new S-Class, costing from £54,975 on the road (S 320 CDI) looks set to become the new benchmark for luxury motoring. With its wealth of innovations– including Brake Assist PLUS, enhanced COMAND, PRE-SAFE® and upgraded dynamic multi-contour seats with a choice of massage options – S-Class customers can look forward to driving the technology of tomorrow in the car of today.