2007 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Test Drive
Super-Fast Luxury. Reach warp speed without even feeling it.
MSRP: $85,750 - $181,500
The new Mercedes-Benz S600 will boggle even the most jaded luxury-car owner. Now, most people will probably be satisfied with the V8-powered S550 (roughly $86,000), which restored the S-Class' flagging profile among top luxury cars. But for buyers who'd never consider themselves "most people," Mercedes will tack on $55,000 and an additional 128 hp from a twin-turbocharged, 510-hp V12 and call it the S600.
For that $140,675, the flagship S600 delivers more propulsion and gadgets than the Starship Enterprise. And it reaches similar warp speeds with an almost eerie lack of engine noise or vibration. (In this space, no one can hear the Benz scream.)
This 5,000-pound luxury liner storms from 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds, and clips through the quarter-mile sprint in an amazing 12.6 seconds. That’s not only faster than pricier sedans like the Bentley Continental Flying Spur or Rolls-Royce Phantom; it’s quicker than most sports cars, including the Porsche 911 and Ferrari 612 Scaglietti.
The sole shortcoming is the car's obsession with technology, some of it useful, some smacking of overkill. But computer gimmickry aside, the Mercedes S600 is unquestionably one of the world’s most commanding automobiles. Power, prestige, safety, luxury — this Mercedes slathers it on like a knee-deep mound of beluga caviar.
Exterior
The previous S-Class was conservative to the point of invisibility, but the new model takes at least modest styling risks. The front grille and V-shaped hood are more prominent, while the raised rear trunk lid recalls the BMW 7 Series. Bulging wheel arches appear clumsy at first glance, but seem more appropriate after repeated viewings.
Despite the makeover and the six-figure price, the S600 isn't about making necks crane and flashbulbs pop. The S600 owner knows he's rich, knows he's got a great car and doesn't feel the need to rub either fact in your face.
The S-Class has grown about an inch longer and taller, and a half-inch wider; V8 and V12 models are identically sized. The trunk is wide and deep and includes a power-operated lid that opens and closes at the push of a button. But there's no pass-through for skis or other long items.
My test model featured an especially nice twilight-blue paint called Black Opal, a sweet contrast to the caramel-colored leather inside.
Interior
The S-Class’ interior benefits from a thorough design upgrade, with glorious sweeps of burl walnut, lustrous metals and eye-popping attention to detail.
Virtually every option available on the base S550 is standard on the S600, including the road-taming active suspension system, park distance control, keyless entry, rearview monitor, four heated, powered and massaging seats, four-zone climate control and a hands-free phone.
Special mention goes to the Distronic Plus adaptive cruise control, which maintains a driver-adjustable distance from traffic ahead and regulates speed without you touching either the gas or brake pedal. On the bruising highways of New York, the system worked smoothly even in stop-and-go traffic. (You can set any cruising speed up to an improbable 125 mph).
The Infrared Night View screen puts an image on the driver’s instrument panel, illuminating the nighttime street to draw attention to stray pedestrians, pets and debris. That feature seems clever at first, but the novelty soon wears off — it seems safer to keep your eyes on the road rather than on the display.
The seats are magnificent. The front feature heating, cooling and an inflatable moonwalk’s worth of pneumatic chambers. Those allow 16-way adjustment, four massage settings — including one that attains Shiatsu levels of pressure unlike the barely-there pulsing of the Bentley Continental Flying Spur’s seats — and even side bolsters that can firm up through turns for added support.
Limousine-like rear seats also heat, cool or massage on command. Another button shimmies the front passenger seat forward to maximize rear legroom for those being chauffeured.
Pull up one of those plush chairs and get comfortable with the Tolstoy-sized owner’s manual, because it takes time and patience to master the vehicle's myriad functions. For better or worse, Mercedes has mimicked BMW’s iDrive with its central display screen and rotary-wheel COMAND controller. While the Benz's graphics and menus are superior to BMW's, some functions that should be simple remain anything but. If you assume, for example, that the "preset" menu is the place to set a radio preset, guess again.
Performance
The S600's fearsome capabilities are almost wasted on U.S. roads, with their left-lane dawdlers and radar-zapping patrol officers. With 510 hp and a god-like 612 pound-feet of torque, the Mercedes will reel in and spit out any car in its path. Step on the gas, and entire towns quickly disappear in the rearview mirror. The speedometer says you're flying, yet there's no tire squeal or engine wail — only a nearly imperceptible hum from the 5.5-liter V12.
If luxury has a sound, this is surely it.
With the no-free-lunch rule in effect, the Mercedes S600 returned a mere 12 mpg over a week-long test, one mpg less than the EPA estimated average. The car’s 11 mpg city/17 mpg highway government estimates result in a $3,000 gas-guzzler tax.
Steering is fluid and effortless, and it feels more heavily boosted than the previous S-Class. The active air suspension — featuring Comfort and Sport settings — produces a creamy ride while keeping the body flat and composed in turns. Powerful brakes are larger than on the S550 and help rein in an additional 500 pounds in curb weight.
Despite the sense of serene control, the S600 remains more a pampering cruiser, not nearly as sporty as a BMW 7 Series or even the Bentley Continental Flying Spur. There's ample tire grip but a shortage of steering feel, especially at the triple-digit speeds this Benz so effortlessly reaches. (Most S-Class owners, of course, will drive happily without ever testing the outer limits of handling.)
In at least one area, the more affordable S550 trumps its 12-cylinder sibling: It employs a seven-speed automatic transmission. The S600 makes do with two fewer gears, and its five-speed unit could use at least one more.
Mercedes touts the S-Class as pioneering the latest safety advances. In the event of an accident, the Pre Safe system will cinch occupants' seat belts, shut the sunroof and windows to support curtain airbags, and reposition front passenger and rear power reclining seats for optimal crash protection.
In addition, when the S-Class senses an impending collision, it adjusts its own braking force to maximize stopping power. Mercedes claims that in real-world and simulated testing, the systems reduced rear-end collisions in heavy urban traffic by 75 percent.
Considering the value of the car — and its occupants — that's the kind of technology any S600 owner will welcome.
(C)Forbes
MSRP: $85,750 - $181,500
The new Mercedes-Benz S600 will boggle even the most jaded luxury-car owner. Now, most people will probably be satisfied with the V8-powered S550 (roughly $86,000), which restored the S-Class' flagging profile among top luxury cars. But for buyers who'd never consider themselves "most people," Mercedes will tack on $55,000 and an additional 128 hp from a twin-turbocharged, 510-hp V12 and call it the S600.For that $140,675, the flagship S600 delivers more propulsion and gadgets than the Starship Enterprise. And it reaches similar warp speeds with an almost eerie lack of engine noise or vibration. (In this space, no one can hear the Benz scream.)
This 5,000-pound luxury liner storms from 0-60 mph in 4.3 seconds, and clips through the quarter-mile sprint in an amazing 12.6 seconds. That’s not only faster than pricier sedans like the Bentley Continental Flying Spur or Rolls-Royce Phantom; it’s quicker than most sports cars, including the Porsche 911 and Ferrari 612 Scaglietti.The sole shortcoming is the car's obsession with technology, some of it useful, some smacking of overkill. But computer gimmickry aside, the Mercedes S600 is unquestionably one of the world’s most commanding automobiles. Power, prestige, safety, luxury — this Mercedes slathers it on like a knee-deep mound of beluga caviar.
Exterior
The previous S-Class was conservative to the point of invisibility, but the new model takes at least modest styling risks. The front grille and V-shaped hood are more prominent, while the raised rear trunk lid recalls the BMW 7 Series. Bulging wheel arches appear clumsy at first glance, but seem more appropriate after repeated viewings.Despite the makeover and the six-figure price, the S600 isn't about making necks crane and flashbulbs pop. The S600 owner knows he's rich, knows he's got a great car and doesn't feel the need to rub either fact in your face.
The S-Class has grown about an inch longer and taller, and a half-inch wider; V8 and V12 models are identically sized. The trunk is wide and deep and includes a power-operated lid that opens and closes at the push of a button. But there's no pass-through for skis or other long items.
My test model featured an especially nice twilight-blue paint called Black Opal, a sweet contrast to the caramel-colored leather inside.
Interior
The S-Class’ interior benefits from a thorough design upgrade, with glorious sweeps of burl walnut, lustrous metals and eye-popping attention to detail.Virtually every option available on the base S550 is standard on the S600, including the road-taming active suspension system, park distance control, keyless entry, rearview monitor, four heated, powered and massaging seats, four-zone climate control and a hands-free phone.
Special mention goes to the Distronic Plus adaptive cruise control, which maintains a driver-adjustable distance from traffic ahead and regulates speed without you touching either the gas or brake pedal. On the bruising highways of New York, the system worked smoothly even in stop-and-go traffic. (You can set any cruising speed up to an improbable 125 mph).
The Infrared Night View screen puts an image on the driver’s instrument panel, illuminating the nighttime street to draw attention to stray pedestrians, pets and debris. That feature seems clever at first, but the novelty soon wears off — it seems safer to keep your eyes on the road rather than on the display.
The seats are magnificent. The front feature heating, cooling and an inflatable moonwalk’s worth of pneumatic chambers. Those allow 16-way adjustment, four massage settings — including one that attains Shiatsu levels of pressure unlike the barely-there pulsing of the Bentley Continental Flying Spur’s seats — and even side bolsters that can firm up through turns for added support.
Limousine-like rear seats also heat, cool or massage on command. Another button shimmies the front passenger seat forward to maximize rear legroom for those being chauffeured.Pull up one of those plush chairs and get comfortable with the Tolstoy-sized owner’s manual, because it takes time and patience to master the vehicle's myriad functions. For better or worse, Mercedes has mimicked BMW’s iDrive with its central display screen and rotary-wheel COMAND controller. While the Benz's graphics and menus are superior to BMW's, some functions that should be simple remain anything but. If you assume, for example, that the "preset" menu is the place to set a radio preset, guess again.
Performance
The S600's fearsome capabilities are almost wasted on U.S. roads, with their left-lane dawdlers and radar-zapping patrol officers. With 510 hp and a god-like 612 pound-feet of torque, the Mercedes will reel in and spit out any car in its path. Step on the gas, and entire towns quickly disappear in the rearview mirror. The speedometer says you're flying, yet there's no tire squeal or engine wail — only a nearly imperceptible hum from the 5.5-liter V12.If luxury has a sound, this is surely it.
With the no-free-lunch rule in effect, the Mercedes S600 returned a mere 12 mpg over a week-long test, one mpg less than the EPA estimated average. The car’s 11 mpg city/17 mpg highway government estimates result in a $3,000 gas-guzzler tax.
Steering is fluid and effortless, and it feels more heavily boosted than the previous S-Class. The active air suspension — featuring Comfort and Sport settings — produces a creamy ride while keeping the body flat and composed in turns. Powerful brakes are larger than on the S550 and help rein in an additional 500 pounds in curb weight.
Despite the sense of serene control, the S600 remains more a pampering cruiser, not nearly as sporty as a BMW 7 Series or even the Bentley Continental Flying Spur. There's ample tire grip but a shortage of steering feel, especially at the triple-digit speeds this Benz so effortlessly reaches. (Most S-Class owners, of course, will drive happily without ever testing the outer limits of handling.)
In at least one area, the more affordable S550 trumps its 12-cylinder sibling: It employs a seven-speed automatic transmission. The S600 makes do with two fewer gears, and its five-speed unit could use at least one more.Mercedes touts the S-Class as pioneering the latest safety advances. In the event of an accident, the Pre Safe system will cinch occupants' seat belts, shut the sunroof and windows to support curtain airbags, and reposition front passenger and rear power reclining seats for optimal crash protection.
In addition, when the S-Class senses an impending collision, it adjusts its own braking force to maximize stopping power. Mercedes claims that in real-world and simulated testing, the systems reduced rear-end collisions in heavy urban traffic by 75 percent.
Considering the value of the car — and its occupants — that's the kind of technology any S600 owner will welcome.
(C)Forbes
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