IT MAY not be the newest rich kid on the block, but the latest big Benz limousine is by no means lost among its newer and flashier rivals, thanks to a heart transplant of Phar Lap proportions.

Along with added safety features and fresh personalisation options, the W221 S-class suddenly seems like the standard of the segment again, with impressive performance and efficiency gains.

They are enough for most people to overlook the now-slightly dated interior.

Better still, the volume-selling S350 V6 petrol is no longer the poor relation since it now moves like you expect a Mercedes flagship would – effortlessly.

But why buyers would choose that over the stronger and far more economical BlueTec diesel – Australia’s first Euro-6 emissions-meeting vehicle – is beyond us, since that also happens to be the cheapest.