Mercedes-Benz has ruled the luxury automobile market for as long as one can remember; it’s the brand that one dreams of driving home — the ultimate statement of class and prestige. And to celebrate Merc’s grandest innovations, we bring you a line-up of S-classes — all driven to convey the essence of the German luxury brand over the years. This is the evolution of the motor car at its finest, changing shapes and forms over the ages and preceding design trends that you may have seen in other cars at later stages.

W116 (1972 — 1980)

The first official S-class looks more sporty than luxurious, with its cherry red paint, wide tyres, the beam-straight body and boot, strong shoulder line and rectangular grille and lights. It’s the only Merc in the series to have chrome bumpers and its thick chrome frames around the rear windscreen have to be seen to be believed.

Opening and closing the rear doors reveal a mechanical ‘clack’ along with the regular Mercedes-door ‘thunk’. The door locks work fabulously and even after all these years, the spring loading is perfect.

But the biggest surprise is that the W116 drives like a modern car despite the fact that it’s 37 years old! The ride is very pliant but without extra dive, the steering feels direct and though the motor wasn’t at its best (at the time of this test drive), it had a lusty tug. The fox-ear headrests and the parallel wiper arrangement are very appealing. This was one of the first cars with ABS and fuel injection. It even has a hydro-pneumatic suspension, a 6.9-litre V8 and a five-cylinder turbo-diesel version.

What’s hot

• Designated ‘S-class’ for the first time
• Anti-brake lock system (ABS) from 1978
• Largest post-war engine (6.9 litres)
• First luxury car with diesel engine (300 SD)

W126 (1979 — 1991)

The grey W126 matches the car’s character to the last millimetre. This one houses the 5.6 or 560 V8, which doles out 272bhp, under its hood, making driving it feel effortless.

What it must have felt like in the early ’80s is anyone’s guess. Back then, it had the power to outperform sports cars. Like the W116 before it, you can sense the ‘no budget’ approach characterising many of its parts, especially the robust construction. What’s still amazing is the chiropractor-designed stiff but perfectly shaped rear seats and the incredible sense of space. This is still the largest-selling S-class ever as well as the one that was around for the longest time (almost 12 years).

What’s hot

• First production car to meet offset crash criteria
• Driver’s airbag and seat belt tensioner from 1981
• Automatic locking differential
• Acceleration skid control

W140 (1991 — 1998)

Once you sit inside the W140, shut the door and start the car, you immediately get the impression that Merc went overboard with this one’s build. Massively over-engineered, it seems to blot out the outside world. It has double-pane glass windows and rides over poor roads like it wants to beat them into submission.

This car in particular has one of the last twin-cam straight six motors to grace the S-class line, and what an engine it is! The variable inlet cam motor pulls from everywhere in the powerband and the tall gearing allows the impressive 3.5-litre motor to wind long and hard.

The 5.1-metre-long W140 is also feature-rich — powered door-closing, air suspension, traction control, ESP, rain-sensing wipers and a six-litre V12, if you want one. This car is also infamously remembered as the Merc which Lady Diana was riding in when she lost her life.

What’s hot

• Electronic stability program
• Brake assist system (BAS) from 1996
• Adaptive damping system
• Sound-proof double-pane windows

W220 (1998 — 2005)

When it was first launched in India in 1998, the W220 just blew everyone away with its sophistication, refinement and thoroughbred driving manners. Supremely comfortable, both behind the wheel and at the rear, this car had it all. And nine years down the line, very little has changed. The W220 feels totally modern, providing occupants with comfort that most cars just can’t muster.

This Merc was smaller and lighter than the W140 but better packaged. Strangely, it’s the styling that seems to have aged the most. The best bit is that there are plenty of W220s available in the second-hand market. Prices start at Rs 18 lakh, but keep servicing and spares in mind.

What’s hot

• DISTRONIC — intelligent cruise control
• Automatic cylinder shut-off
• Keyless-go access system
• Electronically adjustab-le air suspension

W221 (2005 — present)

Class-leading style, class-leading quality and class-leading comfort, the latest S-class has it all. Its styling seems fresh even after its launch in 2006, cabin quality is first-class and the car displays an agility that nearly borders on ridiculous.

Once you shut the doors, you blot out traffic completely. The car simply glides over patches that would make other cars’ suspensions weep. You soon get used to the gear selector stalk, actually pioneered by BMW, and everything you touch — the solidly built chrome bits, the wood and the leather — feels extra special.

Little touches are most impressive — like that little bit of extra padding under the leather of the armrest, the perfect wooden seams, chrome and leather on the doors — the list is endless. The central screen, however, does look a bit out of place.

Then there is the way the motor sounds, like it is situated two decks below the cabin, the way the world shrinks around you when you drive it harder and, as ever, everything is effortless. And Merc has opted for the speedo in the form of a screen rather than a dial.

This is still the best car in the world. It feels extra special, is engineered to the finest standards and holds dear the values that have made the three-star famous.

What’s hot

• Brake assist with radar sensors
• Infra-red night view assist
• Pre-Safe passenger protection system
• Active Body Control (ABC)