the seat inflate to hold you in place when your driving it on the door handles!.
oh yeah, this driving style is quite popular these days among S-class drivers isn't it huh ? ;)
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I am the only Pole over here.
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oh yeah, this driving style is quite popular these days among S-class drivers isn't it huh ? ;)
It's not, of course, but the crucial factor is that they like to think that they do...
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no point in having that horsepower if your not going to use it.i would.
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I have bolsters in the side of my seats in the Scenic that inflate as well!!
Mind you, Renault call them side airbags :)
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The remedy to the S-class IMHO, is and always has been, the Jag XJ. Sure it hasn't got the technical specifications you'll find on a Merc options list - but I'm largely in the Lotus-camp for technology - it's largely just a distraction from the driving experience, the only things I really need in a car is a Cd/MP3 player, Air-con/Climate control, and heated leather seats would be nice, but that's it. I certainly don't need the headache-inducing iDrive or similar, thank you.
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Just noticed HJ's S-Class Road Test and:
"....relatively new 7G-TRONIC.... But it?s not infallible, on the S500, at least. Its 388bhp and 530NM torque can still come in with a thump on mountain roads when you?re trying to press on. Apparently, this is much less of a problem with the S350."
Much less of a problem with the S350 ? Now that's something. But why ?
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I am the only Pole over here.
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Smaller engine, less torque.
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Cheddar, you got it in one. (I didn't get to drive the S350. No time.) Test at www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=190
HJ
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The S-class is the only option if you are an African dictator, or aspire to be considered in the same category.
For anyone who doesn't want to be thought of as aspiring to that sort of role in life, the remedy is anything-but-a-Merc (especially an S-class). Even a BMW doesn't carry the same sort of stigma.
But Merc sells plenty of its S-class machines, so I guess dictator-chic is the aspiration of quite a few of the moneyed folks.
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Excuse me, No Wheels, but I find your comment rather difficult to make sense of. The S-Class is the World's best selling luxurious car of its size. With the restrictor off the S600 will do 200mph as well as 0-60 in 4.4 seconds, and around 20mpg cruising at 70. A lot of people prefer to drive or be driven fast in an S-Class to a sports car. And if we're going to get environmental, the S-Class chucks out less emissions than a helicopter or a Learjet. So what has that got to do with Idi Amin?
HJ
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NoWheels may have read the same article that I did a few months ago in the Daily Telegraph. The Article basically confirmed that a big benz is the ultimate african Dictator's status symbol, and the single biggest winner from all the aid that has been poured into Africa over the last few decades is (yes you guessed it ) mercedes benz. Several instances of dictators ordering whole fleets of the things for their families, ministers/entourages.
Not that I am now or will ever be in the position to buy one myself, but I think the current model is rather elegant and understated. Was it the previous one that was amusing described in top gear mag as a "bloated boardroom panzer"?
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I too am confused. I have a strong dislike of dictators (whether in Africa or elsewhere). I'm also deeply saddened that some rulers have become rich in countries where many people struggle to survive.
However M-B sell cars: not weapons, not food, not nuclear technology. I therefore struggle to see why they should carry out due dilligence on their customers.
If it were established that most dictators used Andrex loo roll,would we propose buying another brand?
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"...the single biggest winner from all the aid that has been poured into Africa over the last few decades is (yes you guessed it ) mercedes benz."
That is pretty big, bold statement to make.
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I was feeling expansive rjr, I had a good lunch!
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HJ, I don't doubt that the S-class is full of very sophisticated engineering and that it is a very fast and comfortable vehicle, but that isn't the point I was making.
The design of the S-class is clearly intended to be imposing: it's a look-at-me, I'm-bigger-than-you so get-outta-my-way statement. There are other large cars which come close in terms of comfort and so on, but don't have this sort of presence: a Jaguar XJ, for example, is elegant without being oppressive.
A parallel in bricks would be the difference between two 19th-century large homes: one a whimsical gothic-revival building, and the other a mock castle. Both might offer similar comforts to the occupants, but they are designed to make very different statements to the outside world (the castle says "keep out", and the gothic pile says "welcome").
It's that haughty, imposing air which makes the black merc so beloved of those who want to make an I'm-in-charge statement.
Governments of all shades use Mercs, not least because they used to be very reliable and long-lived as well as comfortable ... but the sort of government which enriches its rulers while oppressing its people nearly always goes for a Merc. Can anyone think of a nasty African dictator who drives anything else?
As the 4Car website puts it, "And even now, what self-respecting dictator, warlord or underworld Mr Big would be without one?"
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The S-class is the only option if you are an African dictator, or aspire to be considered in the same category. For anyone who doesn't want to be thought of as aspiring to that sort of role in life, the remedy is anything-but-a-Merc (especially an S-class). Even a BMW doesn't carry the same sort of stigma. But Merc sells plenty of its S-class machines, so I guess dictator-chic is the aspiration of quite a few of the moneyed folks.
I'm so curious to know the answer to this, what would you buy NW if you suddenly won the lottery and became one of the moenyed folks? Obviously Merc and BMW are out of the question...
Can't understand your total aversion to a product based on image, as there is no doubting the standard of the vehicles themselves, I can only assume that you really are very image aware and assume that if you were to drive one of these cars then everyone would think you are a bad person?
Anyway, personally I reckon the S-Class is a very elegant vehicle, and would be on my shortlist if I did come into money, failing that, a BMW 7 series would be on there, as would something from either Aston Martin or possibly Bentley if I fancied pure opulance. Suppose I can dream at least...
Blue
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I was always a BM man and love all the current ones bar the 1 series but after that ride in the E class, I'm swayed. If their middle range model can impress me that much, then the S-class must be nothing short of amazing.
I'd have one and the only thing I dictate is how often I eat.
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I'm so curious to know the answer to this, what would you buy NW if you suddenly won the lottery and became one of the moenyed folks? Obviously Merc and BMW are out of the question...
I'd probably get a second-hand and slightly scruffy Toyota Corolla: an easy-to-drive, comfortable, reliable and anonymous car that I wouldn't have to worry about. Not the first choice of thieves, and does everything I need.
If I was being extravagant, I'd be tempted by a Honda Jazz with CVT for ease of driving, or maybe a Civic for the interior space ... tho I do like Toyotas. But I can't imagine my dog enjoying a Merc - I'd be too busy trying dissuade him from damaging the posh interior.
Can't understand your total aversion to a product based on image, as there is no doubting the standard of the vehicles themselves,
I'm sure they are built to a very high standard, but but I'd neither need nor want a car built like that. The image is a secondary thing.
I can only assume that you really are very image aware and assume that if you were to drive one of these cars then everyone would think you are a bad person?
No, I just reckon that everyone would think I was a haughty prat :) Apart from being a pain to park and a waste of money which could be better spent on good causes, that sort of transport just cuts you off from people, 'cos most folks do understand the I'm-better-than-you logic and keep clear.
Dictators don't buy their Mercs because they think it'll make them friends - they buy them to boast and intimidate, neither of which is what I'd want to do.
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