The Sunday News
Lovert Mafukure
MERCEDES Benz has always had a touch of class and has always been a mile ahead of competitors. From as far as my remembrance of the brand goes, the brand has been oozing royalty and divine presence except for the A class, the A class is a glorified Toyota Vitz.
The W116 came with a luxury persona that has defined the S-class up-to this day. By the way, it was the first sedan to officially carry the S-class badge.
It’s always been a Special model hence the S designation.
The S-class has always been the car to bring innovative technology with every new model that comes in — bulletproof engineering par excellence. The story of the S class has been the same since the W116, it’s the story of innovation, passion and people with courage to stray from well-trodden path. If you have ever driven a Mercedes Benz you will know precisely what I mean.
This W116 model changed a lot in terms of design from the way the older models looked. It drifted away from the horizontally aligned headlights to vertically aligned headlights. The grill got a revamp but never lost its identity, it still could easily be identified with the three-pointed star hanging over the top.
The guys at Mercedes Benz have never been shy of their innovation to the point of stating that the S-Class is the best luxury sedan you can ever have — Special indeed! In 1979, the W116 was the first car to ever have ABS – anti-lock braking system. Nowadays it’s a luxury we can all afford to have on our cars but , back then, it was only for those who could afford an S-class, safety came at a price.
The W116 line-up started with the entry level 280S, followed by the 280SE then the 280SEL, the W116 followed that same trim on the 350 and the 450.
S stood for the class — in this case Special! E stood for fuel injection and lastly the L stood for long wheelbase so the 280SEL was the 2,8 litre fuel injection long wheel base model. The models that came with just an S at the end were all carburetted.
The smallest engine to come with the W116 was a 2,8 inline six cylinder engine followed up by a 3,5litre V8, a 4,5litre V8 and the mighty 6,9litre V8 engine found in the 450 SEL 6,9. A 5 cylinder turbocharged 3-litre diesel engine was offered as an option. Need I say also that the W116 S-class was the first luxury sedan to be offered with a diesel engine? It’s not all about the thirsty petrol engines, some rich people want the luxury but need to save some bucks too. Up to today, it is still a tradition to find S Class with a diesel engine option.
Mercedes Benz claimed — the normal 280 had a fuel consumption rate of 12,5l per 100km while the high end 6,9 V8 SEL had astronomic figures of around 16,9 litres for every 100km it travelled. That means with that engine, you needed 40 litres of petrol to cruise to Gwanda and back! Remember, these are claimed figures so perhaps these sedans consumed a little more. If your grandfather did not own an oil rig, you did not qualify town one of those 6,9s.
This model was offered a 4 speed manual transmission and a three speed automatic transmission. A four speed automatic was available for the 280SE.
As per Mercedes tradition, the W116 had rear wheel drive train and optional hydro-pneumatic suspension. This was the first time hydro-pneumatic suspension was adopted by Mercedes Benz from the original designers — Citroen. They improved the system though to a point where the car did not completely sit on its on suspension when it’s not running or in the event of hydraulic failure. They employed the use of emergency dampers to allow the car to be driven even when the hydraulic suspension failed. This special feature was however reserved for the top class 6,9 SEL.
It’s customary for Mercedes Benz to make cars that last the whole nine yards, you can still find many W116s around and in drivable condition. Many of them however have been neglected because of the high maintenance bill. Only the enthusiasts still keep them.
The W116 was the very first production car to ever have ABS (anti-lock braking system) and the very first luxury sedan to have a Diesel engine as an option. It was the first in the line up to carry the S-class badge officially. Talk about the guy who’s always making you seem dull and stupid by coming first in your class always — Mercedes Benz!
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