For those who prefer finer things in life, there is the new BMW 7-series

Were you to ask any serious and self-respecting Mercedes S-class driver to swap their prized luxobarge for any one of the other contenders in the segment, they would probably choke on their Remy Martin Black Pearl Louis XIII cognac (55k a bottle) and try to enforce upon you some deeply unpleasant macular degeneration courtesy of a Cohiba Behike cigar (€450 each).

S-Class drivers regard themselves as a breed apart — from the Sultan of Brunei who has billions in oil reserves and dozens of sexy examples to Ultan from Ballina who has an old S280 and a printshop in the garden shed. They vaingloriously look down on every other motoring mortal with some just cause, given the S-Class is Mercedes’ flagship model and the world’s best-selling luxury car.

Imposters from BMW, Audi, Jaguar, and latter-day Japanese pretenders like Lexus, Infiniti, and Accura (the latter two of which cannot — unless you’re really that enthusiastic — be got here) have tried damn hard down the years to muscle in on the Mercedes act.