The Mercedes-Benz S 500 has been voted Best Luxury Car over $60,000 at the inaugural Drive Car of the Year Awards, held in Sydney on Wednesday night.

Every passenger vehicle launched in 2006 was eligible for the Drive Car of the Year awards, making it the most comprehensive vehicle test ever conducted in Australia. A panel of nine motoring judges from drive.com.au, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age reviewed the 48 finalists over six days, awarding the Mercedes-Benz S 500 Best Luxury Car over $60,000.

According to drive.com.au; “The S 500 is the only choice for luxury driving and long-distance cruising. Creature comforts abound, and technology is cutting-edge. The S 500 has a continent-crossing swagger and space that’d challenge Qantas first-class for comfort and accoutrements. One judge described it as a ‘magic carpet ride.’

“Few cars can match the integrated technology. Few cars do comfort and class on such a grand scale. This year, only one car does it all,” said drive.com.au

At an exclusive ceremony held at the Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney last night, the Best Luxury Car over $60,000 trophy was presented to Horst von Sanden, managing director of Mercedes Car Group. “We are delighted to see the S-Class feature so highly in the inaugural Drive Car of the Year Awards,” he said.

“It is great to see that our flagship model is yet again considered number one, not only by our customers, but also the motoring media”, he said.

In Australia, S-Class sales accounted for 50 per cent of the upper large greater than $100k segment for the month of October. Year-to-date figures show that the S-Class has dominated this segment with a 48.7 per cent market share, meaning almost every second car purchased in this segment is a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Popularity: 15% [?]