Mercedes s-class coupe

[Wretched]

Geneva debuts don't come much bigger than the new Mercedes S-Class Coupe. Well, physically at least. At over five metres long the new uber coupe - leaked yesterday - is excessive in size as well as technology and luxury, while adopting a decidedly more dynamic appearance than the three generations of CL it replaces. Bristling with high tech, rippling with textured design Mercedes describes as - bluergh - 'sensual purity' and even available with optional Swarovski crystal encrusted headlights it's a very different vision of luxury to the bruising Bentley GT V8 S also featured on the PH homepage today. What, you thought that was a coincidence or something?

As it stands the Audi-engined Bentley and its 528hp twin-turbo V8 have the horsepower to leave the currently entry level S500 Coupe gasping, the Merc's 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 boasting 455hp but retaliating with a Conti-crushing 516lb ft of torque. In terms of technology though the S-Class Coupe makes the Continental - and pretty much everything else on the road - look somewhat dinosaur like.

New S-Class Coupe, cornering on rails yesterday
New S-Class Coupe, cornering on rails yesterday
As per the new S-Class, Mercedes acronym overload has gone beyond the world of 'Assist' this and 'Plus' that and is now nothing short of 'Magic'. The panoramic roof is magic (switches between clear and opaque in the blink of an eye), the suspension is magic (reads the road ahead and adjusts accordingly) and the new coupe follows in the tradition of its forebears by rolling out a brand new gizmo called active tilting function. Yes, the S-Class Coupe actually leans into the bends, turning every corner into a version of the Karussell, minus the thumping concrete expansion joints of course.

Let's hope it's more successful than the famous leaning Advanced Passenger Train, Britain's great rail-based technological tour de force that never quite made the translation from novelty prototype to production reality.

Active tilting function is an extension of the ABC Active Body Control that was originally launched on the C140-shape CL, the car that before its facelift was the last to bear the S-Class Coupe name. From cylinder cut-off to xenon lights and ESP, the flagship Mercedes coupe has long been the early adopter of technology then filtered down through the Mercedes range and, indeed, adopted by rivals too. As such they'll be taking a keen interest in the car, which sales and marketing boss Ola Kallenius - formerly head of AMG - describes as "as exclusive as it gets - the ultimate in aesthetic sportiness."

If you're interested in the full story on the new S-Class Coupe you can read the official press release here. Pricing hasn't been mentioned yet but with the current car starting at £94,630 it's safe to assume the base figure will contain six digits. You could knock a couple of zeroes off that with a dive into the PH classifieds of course, research for our story yesterday revealing early C215 CLs starting at the five-grand mark and even the outgoing version available from a smidge under £20K - check out this £19,450 CL600 if you were in any doubt.