In some ways, though, it feels as though progress has stalled somewhat. The plug-in hybrid powertrain of our S580e sets new class standards for efficiency and versatility, but cabin isolation and ride quality seem no better than before. Where an S-Class used to challenge Rolls-Royce in terms of road manners, the British marque is now a clear step ahead. The new S-Class is a fantastically opulent way to travel, but no longer is it breathtakingly so.
3. BMW iX
Pros: World-class refinement and luxury
Cons: 516bhp xDriveM60 is overkill
Number three on this list is a double whammy of convention defiance. Not only is the BMW iX not a saloon, but it also doesn’t have a combustion engine. It came just over a year before the BMW i7, but it is effectively that car, a few inches higher up in the air. It’s perhaps marginally less opulent, but having a hatchback, it’s also a bit more practical.
“A BMW like no other” is how our man Greg Kable described the iX, the firm’s new all-electric luxury SUV flagship model for its ‘i’ brand. Some critics have used other words to make their feelings plain about the way this car looks and the departure from classic BMW design type that it, and other recent BMW model debutants, represent. Feel free to make up your own mind: this is a car clearly intended to provoke a reaction.
There is an entry-level BMW iX xDrive40 version, which gets 296bhp and 249 miles of WLTP-certified electric range. But really, you want the xDrive50, with its plusher air suspension and 373 miles of range, which truly makes this a viable long-distance luxury car. If you need to charge en route, it takes up to 200kW. The BMW iX xDriveM60 offers even more power and performance than the xDrive50’s 516bhp, but we remain unconvinced that anyone needs their internal organs rearranged any more violently than the mid-range model is already capable of.
The BMW iX saw off the Mercedes-Benz EQS in a comparison test. The Mercedes is comfortable, but the isolation and sophistication of the iX’s ride is really very special indeed and makes it a particularly compelling luxury car. The BMW also counters the EQS’s wide-eyed futurism with a warmer, more idiosyncratic and less formal flavour, both inside and out.