Having launched in its home land and other markets last fall, subsequent to its unveiling at the beginning of September, the new generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class has now had its construction tested out in the dreaded evasive maneuver known as the moose test.
In this challenge, vehicles have to avoid an imaginary obstacle in the middle of the road and then get back in the initial lane with one turn of the wheel. As per Km77’s standard, the test is aced if performed at a minimum of, well… 77 kph (48 mph).
The 2021 S-Class managed to impress the people behind the test, who expected it to behave worse. This is a big and heavy car that came in the S 400 d spec, with the standard chassis set-up and no rear-axle steering. Don’t get us wrong, it did fail to stay away from the cones at 77 kph or higher, as the best it could do, without hitting any, was 74 kph (46 mph).
The German brand’s flagship sedan felt safe and easy to handle at every speed, especially in the Sport+ driving mode, which stiffens up the suspension and brings the whole body closer to the ground. They also said that it felt nimble and responsive in the slalom test that followed.
The result puts the BMW 7 Series and Audi A8 rival in the same zone as the small Fiat 500e. On a more positive note, the 2021 S-Class performed admirable compared to cars such as the Volkswagen Golf Mk8 and Mercedes-Benz CLA, which completed the course at 69 and 66 kph (43/41 mph) respectively. The BMW M235i, which is built around a front-biased, all-wheel-drive platform, shared with the X1 and X2 crossovers, and new 1 Series hatchback, managed a disappointing (for a sporty model) 68 kph (42 mph).
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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