"Do we have to go back to work? Can't we just roam around aimlessly for the rest of the day?"
I uttered these words as Chris Walton and I sat in the lavish back seat of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class as we returned to the office after lunch. I've been treated to the back seat of a Rolls-Royce Phantom before, and outside of some lambswool carpet and a few more cows worth of leather, the old Roller's got nothing on this Benz.
Let's go over some of those back seat niceties, shall we? All S-Class models in the States are the long wheelbase model, so there's enough sprawl space for me to keep the stilts on. A power rear sunshade is standard and has controls on each rear door. The optional Rear Seat Package awards you with eight-way power outboard rear seats, four-zone automatic climate control, and heated and ventilated seats (which can oddly be operating simultaneously). You can also motor forward the passenger-side front seat using the back seat controls (I might have done this to Magrath coming back from lunch). Our test car also had panoramic sunroof shade controls on each rear door, along with vanity mirrors on each side.
The Rear Seat Entertainment package includes a pair of headrest-mounted screens, wireless headphones and two remote controls (the front passenger also gets headphones and a remote for the trick dual-view screen up front). Those remotes can be used to control the front cabin's COMAND interface with all its myriad controls at your disposal. Indeed, on Saturday night, photographer Kurt Niebuhr managed to engage my driver's lumbar massage function from his spot in the back seat. I'm not sure why it allows you to do this, but better not tell the kids.
The cost of all these extras is about $6,500, but they are well worth it if you're already ponying up for an S400, S550, S63, S600 or S65. You'd be crazy not to. As brilliant as the Mercedes flagship is in most respects, riding in the back may be the best way to enjoy it. If I were to depart on a long road trip and wouldn't be driving, the S-Class with this specification would be my No. 1 choice.
Does the Lexus LS go a bit further with its La-Z-Boy-style foot rests? Perhaps, but those footrests aren't realistically long enough for full-sized adults, and besides, the LS doesn't have the Benz's imaculate attention to detail.
Is the Maybach 62 (right) absurdly nicer than the S-Class, which has a more useable footrest, a cooler, a table, an optional humidor, an optional Sony PlayStation, 29 feet of legroom and a ceiling that looks like one of those Japanese paper walls? OK, it is, but that car costs $409,000. Also, Puff Daddy owns one and I don't want any part of that.
So there you have it. From this back seat occupant, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class indeed has the best back seat (in a car that isn't $409,000 and owned by Puff Daddy).
James Riswick, Automotive Editor
Check out my Facebook Page
Post Comment