The Mercedes S350 Bluetec is in the running for the title of  World Luxury Car in the World Car of the Year awards. Not only is it a beautiful car to look at, with many talents, it is also a turbo diesel which makes the above statement even more surprising.

Now almost 90 per cent of all S-Classes leaving British showrooms are the S350 Bluetec, otherwise known as a turbo-diesel. Today sales of diesel cars outpace their petrol counterparts accounting for more than half of all new car sales.

Not so long ago, the idea of a car with all the luxury of a new Mercedes S-Class but with something as agricultural as a diesel engine under the bonnet would have been laughable. It’s a measure of how things have changed that not only is this far from being the case but that petrol-powered S-Class sales are now the minority option.

It is not difficult to see why either. Under the long bonnet of the S350 Bluetec is a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine with 258bhp, capable of 0 to 60mph in just 6.8 seconds and top speed of 155mph. Neither of these are exactly embarrassing considering the Mercedes is close to nudging two tonnes on the scales.

What is really impressive, however, is the 50.4mpg average fuel economy and the 148g/km emissions. There are 1.6-litre Ford Focuses that are thirstier and dirtier than that and this is a full-blown luxury limousine. Those on-paper figures are only underlined by your experience out on the road too.

While there is a little bit of diesel rattle detectable from the roadside when you start up, the cabin is so well-insulated that it is hard to tell from inside. The same is true on the move as well. The seven-speed automatic gearbox is very well-matched to the grunt of the turbo-diesel engine and it makes for smooth progress.

The arrival of a new nine-speed gearbox being fitted to the S-Class later this year almost suggests that the current seven-speed is somehow a short straw but the reality could not be more different. In fact, the S-Class’s biggest compliment is that you often barely notice its driving experience at all.

Every element of the big Mercedes is so unobtrusive that it’s only on longer journeys that you realise the depth of the car’s talents. Every element from its cosseting ride to its sheer lack of engine, wind or road noise on the move makes it a supremely comfortable long-distance companion. We cannot imagine any car this side of a Rolls-Royce Phantom that would be better motorway transport than this and that will cost you four times more.

Add in the extra length of the long wheelbase version and there is no shortage of space for rear passengers, either. Make no mistake, the S-Class is easily one of the most comfortable real-world cars on sale and arguably represents the best package. The only downside is that, competent though the S-Class is, it’s not the kind of car you will want to throw around a country lane with any kind of enthusiasm.

A Jaguar XJ might reward that kind of behaviour but while the big Mercedes does shrink around you to a certain extent, there is no fully escaping its dimensions. The good news continues with the interior, however. While having been widely copied for the smaller C-Class, it is little short of immaculate. Some of the myriad controls may need a bit of familiarity but the dashboard screens are clear and easy to read and the build quality cannot be faulted on any level.

Nobody would pretend that the S-Class is an affordable car by any means (except compared to a £300,000-plus Rolls-Royce) but it is easy to see where all the money has been spent.

It is no surprise that this latest Mercedes S-Class is so good, though: the German firm has been leading the luxury car sector with its various generations of S-Class for generations. That it can also do that with a turbo-diesel engine is testament to just how good it is. The bar for the best luxury saloons on the market just got a lot higher.

Source http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/471377/Mercedes-S350-Bluetec-A-three-litre-miracle-luxury-car