Mercedes-Benz S-Class S300 L Review: If it ain't broke...

What we like:

Loads of gizmos to fiddle with and it's upped its safety features for that added peace of mind.

What we dislike:

Other than the new registration plates

you can hardly it apart from the older models.

In the case of the S300L test car, hauling all that heft is the duty of a 3-litre engine (one of the rarities today where the name of the car still makes any numerical sense). Mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission, it's almost like a marriage made in heaven.

The power delivery from the V6 is silky smooth, as are gear changes on the seven-speed 7Gang-tronic. Despite the car's weight, the 231bhp engine does a good job at bringing the S300L up to speed. You're probably not going to beat that pesky SH-plated vehicle next to you, but you're still getting from 0 to 100 in 8.2 seconds.

The latest iteration also comes with the Direct-Steer system that gives variable steering ratios. Parking this large behemoth is a cinch with reduced steering input and driving it feels more direct because of the more direct ratios at speed.

On top of that, the torque vectoring braking mechanism also helps enhance cornering accuracy by braking on the inner rear wheel when the car is going into a fast corner - just like a virtual LSD.

The current generation S-Class had a winning formula to begin with and now it's trying to out-do itself with a mid-life update. It's certainly a stronger package with the new gizmos, but it could have done with a more radical facelift externally.

Credits: Story by John Toh Photos by Raymond Lai