Mercedes did promise that it was going to have best-in-class engines, and here they finally are! They've got all their cylinders in a row, as seen on this twin-turbo 2.9-liter found under the hood of the S 400d.
We don't know how many customers bought the old S 350d, but it was probably a lot in Europe. Yet Mercedes never tried to chase the twin- and tri-turbo diesel fantasy... until now.
This new engine delivers a maximum of 340 HP at 3,600rpm and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) from as low as 1,200rpm. At launch, the new Audi A8 is only going to have a 286 HP single-turbo version of the 3.0 TDI, but you can get a 327 HP diesel in the A6 Competition. Meanwhile, the 740d delivers 320 HP and 680 Nm.
Benz's new mill displaces exactly 2,925cc with a bore of 82mm and 92.3mm stroke. Power is sent to the 4Matic AWD system via a 9-speed automatic transmission. The 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint takes 5.2 seconds, and top speed is limited to 250 km/h (155 mph). Those numbers are matched by the 740d xDrive. In this independent test, the actual time is more like 5.4 seconds, because we're looking at a RWD S 400 d.
The updated S-Class is still available as a less powerful S 350d, but it's powered by a less powerful 2.9-liter straight-six instead of the V6 it's relieved on for so many years.
The facelift brought about a vast array of driver assistance system that adds up to level 2 autonomy. That means the car can operate many of the systems itself but still needs a driver to be on standby to take over. There's also been some tidying up around the cabin.
Mercedes-Benz reports it's sold more than 300,000 of this generation W222 S-Class since launch in 2013. This updated model will become available in the UK this October. Until now, diesel represented a massive 80% of all S-Class sales in Britain, but execs expect that to drop significantly in coming years.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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