Mercedes-Benz S-class S 350 CDI L review, road test

The all-important diesel variant of Mercedes’ incredible flagship.

Published on Oct 11, 2014 01:30:00 PM

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Mercedes-Benz S-class S 350 CDI L.

Chrome grille now bigger than ever; spells out the S’s luxury credentials.

Lets face it, for most Indian luxury car buyers, the bragging rights come from the prestige that the car offers, rather than the engine under the bonnet. In fact, if Mercedes ever decides to drop its 2.2-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine into this new S-class, we reckon that would immediately become the most popular model over here. Of course, for a select few, the words diesel and luxury simply cant be said in the same breath, and for them, the better-equipped S 500 is now available at a more attractive Rs 1.36 crore.
So the 350 CDI will likely become the de-facto choice for Indian S-class buyers, and as we’ve discovered in our test, the V6 engine works really well too. At Rs 1.07 crore, its not the most expensive car in its class, either. The other revelation is that in removing equipment from the Launch Edition, Mercedes has been careful not to dilute the luxury experience. The focus is still the back seat, where everything is as grand and plush as you would expect from an S-class, and if your chauffeur can find cause for complaint about whats missing in the drivers seat, you should probably sack him.
The S 350 CDI drives home the point that Mercedes has really put a lot of work into its latest flagship. When the supposed ‘lesser; diesel version still feels almost every bit as good as the range-topping petrol, you know that the core engineering is solid. Did the best car in the world just get better? For most diesel-loving Indian buyers, yes it did.