Just last weekend, I was checking the classified ads looking for how much a new house might cost these days. After a few flips, I found an interesting middle-class real-estate project with prices that start at P8 million. The units have no furnishings—just painted concrete shells with metal tin roofs. This took place just a few minutes before I got to drive the similarly priced Mercedes-Benz S350. And after spending the better part of the day in the flagship Merc, all I can say is that the house will definitely have to wait.

As the Iridium Silver S350 drove up, I couldn’t fathom the air of majesty that this car brought with it. Although most people complain that the new S-Class doesn’t have the same clean lines as its predecessors’, the level of attention to detail is amazing.

The crisp sheet metal remains unadorned (no protective strips or body moldings) and yet it doesn’t look like a bar of soap. The creases that run through the top and bottom of the body help mask the S-Class’ mass even if it’s significantly larger than the model it replaced. The S-Class typically doesn’t polarize in terms of looks, but this one’s different.

The most controversial aspects are the exaggerated fender flares and boot lid lines that, for some people, echo those found on the BMW 7-Series. According to the S-Class design team, these bulges exist not to outdo Chris Bangle (BMW’s infamous design chief) but to give the new S-Class unequalled passenger and luggage space. Stepping into the cabin confirms this.

Opening the door gives off a whiff of high quality. Sitting in the driver’s seat is like settling down in a lounge chair: soft, relaxing and comfortable. The black-and-gray interior makes the S-Class visually inviting, while the walnut wood trim and chrome accents add a bit of warmth and hominess.

Despite the complexities of the S-Class’ interior system, the cabin is clean and without fuss. The center cluster is simple with just a colored eight-inch LCD screen, ventilation control adjustments and an analogue clock. The rest of the controls are now incorporated into the COMAND system, located where the shifter usually sits. The system uses a control wheel with a center button to navigate through the complex list of features that even this “base” S350 has. Everything is customizable on the S-Class—from the way it reacts when you unlock the car to how the trunk lid opens and how sensitive the parking sensor should be.

After five minutes of tinkering with the COMAND system, it was time to get down to the business of driving. Before you do that, you adjust the driving position—after which you can’t help but grin at Mercedes’ trademark electric seat-adjuster icon. This makes the 14-way adjustable seat easily adapt to any sort of shape and size. Even the rear seats are electronically adjustable—in no less than six directions—making everyone extremely comfortable inside the S-Class.

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