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The S550 is the entry-level model of Mercedes' biggest sedan. The 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550 packs lots of space, lots of technology, and lots of presence, but is it worth the lofty price -- or are you just paying for perceived cachet? Read on. $87,525 base (including destination charge and $1,000 gas guzzler tax), $103,025 as tested, EPA fuel economy estimates 16 MPG city, 24 MPG highway.
First Glance: Power and presence
The S-Class may not be the most expensive car in the Mercedes lineup, but it is arguably the brand's flagship. It's the car aspired to by most people who aspire to a Mercedes. Let's face it, if you won $20 million in the lottery tomorrow, you wouldn't go to your local Mercedes dealer and plunk down a lousy $32,000 for a C-Class, would you? (Well, maybe you would, seeing as how the C-Class is smaller, more fuel-efficient, and easier to park, but for the sake of my narrative, just go ahead and agree with me, OK? It's been a long day.) No, of course not -- you'd go for the Big Kahuna -- the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
And it certainly fits the Big Kahuna bill. Even the base model I tested, the S550, packs just shy of 400 horsepower under its long, sleek hood, enough to propel it to 60 in well under six seconds, the time commonly considered the threshold for serious sports cars. (The V12-powered S600 does it in less than five.) The sinewy new-for-2007 shape makes this the most distinctive S-Class ever to grace the roads. Show up in an S-Class and you've arrived. You are someone. Even here in Los Angeles, where Mercedes and BMWs are as common as Toyotas and Hondas, the S-Class stands out as something special.
But there's more to the S-Class than power and presence. The S is home to some of the neatest gizmos known to autodom. Prepare to be dazzled -- and perhaps a little baffled.
Continued below...
In the Driver's Seat: Class and confusion
I've always thought Mercedes makes some of the classiest automotive interiors, and the S-Class is Benz at their best. It's gorgeous, made from the same materials used to build five-star hotels and Royal Family bathrooms. And it's huge, with comfy front and back seats (links go to photos), the latter boasting loads of legroom.
But it is German, and that means it has lots of buttons and switches arranged in such a way as to make me wonder if there is simply no German word for "intuitive". Actually, some of the controls are brilliant in their simplicity. The rear seat side windows and sunshades are controlled by the same switch -- press up once to raise the window, up again to raise the sunshade. And the power-seat switches are mounted on the door and shaped like a seat. Want to raise your headrest? Push on the little plastic headrest. Fantastic.
But other functions, especially those controlled by the center-console-mounted dial interface, are confusing in a way that only the Germans could come up with. Turning up the stereo's bass or treble is nearly as complicated as brewing your own beer. And why on earth is the rear-window sunscreen controlled by the dial? The sun will have already set before you navigate to the right menu. Rear seat passengers get a single button to raise the sunscreen, so why can't the driver get the same? And while I'm asking rhetorical questions, why do I need a special phone-specific cradle to take advantage of the cool built-in phone keypad, when I can get simple wireless Bluetooth connectivity in a $16,000 Nissan Versa?
On the Road: Technology takes flight
What's truly amazing is that something so big can drive so well. The S550 zips away from traffic lights like a sports car, and with the optional ($3,900) active air suspension you can fling it 'round the bends like a hot hatchback. It can even pull a U-turn on a residential street. Small side mirrors make changing lanes difficult, but other than that the S550 presents no big-car difficulties.
What about parking? That's covered by the optional backup camera -- it displays lines that turn with the steering wheel to help you aim -- and LEDs above the rear window to warn you when you're about to hit something.
But those aren't the coolest of the electronic goodies. The S-Class offers a dynamic cruise control system that not only slows down to match the speed of the car in front, but can actually bring the S-Class to a halt if the car ahead stops. Trying it was one of the most frightening things I've ever done, but yes, it works. You can sit through an entire traffic jam without touching either pedal. Cool -- eerie, but cool.
And then there's the night vision system. Flip it on and the speedometer -- actually an image on an LCD screen -- is replaced by black-and-white video of the road ahead, sans darkness. The system didn't do much in my well-lit urban corner of the world, but I bet it'd be great on country roads -- though if the idea is to drive while looking at the dash rather than out the windshield, I don't think I have the nerve. (An occasional glance won't help much, unless your glance just happens to coincide with a deer jumping into your path.)
Journey's End: Brilliant, in more ways than one
I understand now why the heads of unstable nations buy S-Classes. This car really can do just about anything. It sees in the dark. It shows you how to park. It practically drives itself in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I am convinced that if you placed a skillet, a couple of eggs and some cheese under the hood, it could make you an omelet. All that, plus it drives like a small sports car -- a very smooth, very quiet, very big small sports car. The S-Class is an awesome automotive achievement.
It's also got an awesome price. The S550 starts just below $87k; the goodies I mentioned, along with doo-dads like keyless ignition, heated and cooled front seats, and an electrically-operated trunk lid drove my tester's price up over $103k. Mind you, the rear-drive S550 I tested is the base car -- there's also the all-wheel-drive S550 4MATIC ($91k plus options), the V12 powered S600 ($144k), and the 604 horsepower S65 AMG ($185k). In my dreams -- the ones where I can actually afford an S-Class -- I'd lean towards the S550 4MATIC, if only for the added safety and security of all-wheel-drive.
If you're considering an S-Class, chances are you're cross-shopping it against the BMW 7-series, the Audi A8, the Jaguar XJ and the Lexus LS460. The S-Class is the most elegant of this bunch, though the Audi A8 is a better driver's car and the Lexus LS460 is more likely to deliver a trouble-free driving experience. Still, if I ever get my own unstable nation to lead, you can bet my first purchase will be an S-Class. -- Aaron Gold
