The new Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a big and heavy vehicle but as this video reveals, it can actually be quite agile when it needs to be.
Spanish publication KM77 recently got its hands on a new S-Class and put it through the dreaded moose test to see how it would perform. The first attempt was conducted at 77 km/h (48 mph) while the driver was unfamiliar with the car and despite the driver’s valiant attempts to control the Mercedes, he wasn’t able to keep it between the cones. Nevertheless, the publication notes that the car remained controllable.
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KM77 then dropped the speed down to 74 km/h and engaged the car’s Sport+ system. This mode drops the ride height by 17 mm and enabled the S-Class to maneuver through the moose test safely and predictably. Tests were also conducted at 76 km/h and 79 km/h and while the S-Class didn’t pass either of them, it remained controllable even after understeering wide and hitting the cones.
Towards the end of the video, the S-Class was put through a slalom test. Once again, it performed very well with KM77 noting that the steering is fast and responsive and that body roll is kept to a minimum.
The video doesn’t specify which exact variant of the S-Class this year, although we can tell that it’s certainly not a flagship Maybach model. Of course, Mercedes-AMG is readying a new S63 variant of the S-Class, and thanks to its more performance-focused nature, it should perform even better in the moose test.