Is there any chance S450 will come this year to the U.S market.I have been waiting for this car and still no news about its launch in the U.S market.

It is now available in most countries and alot of owners are very impressed by its performance

As far as I know there are no solid plans to bring this over to the US.

In Europe the S450 is often compared to the LS460 in terms of price and the performance of the S450 is actually quite close to that of the European LS460 despite a 40-hp deficit.

I would think the S450 would be a great alternative to the S550 in the North American market. I also think the S320 CDI and S350 should be sold overthere: there's definitely a market for those in that region.

We'll probably see it when the facelifted S-Class shows up. The S550 is doing very well, no need to bring it into the U.S. market just yet.

^^^ My thoughts exactly.

I expect by then the 4.6L V8 will have direct-injection and nearly 370hp, a nice bit more than the 335hp made now. Of course the S550 at that point will exceed the magical 400hp mark set by BMW's new V8.

M

I saw an S45(W221) AMG last Thursday in Toronto.

But that is the exact kind of "can't see the forrest for the trees" mentality that hurts Mercedes. They can't see the market they are missing because of the market they are getting. Of course the S550 is doing well. It is a fabulous car. But why does MB have $4,000 loyalty money for folks who currently own an S430?? Because those people who bought S430s are not ready to plop down $90k plus for a 550.

There are a lot of sales to be had in the $75k range and Lexus is cleaning house with them right now as Mercedes has nothing other than the CLS in that price point. And the CLS does not fit the needs of an S-class buyer. How in the world MB can continue to be so blind is beyond me. Why in the world would the worlds greatest luxury maker have such a price gap between the E and S. You go from $60k to $90k????? What's even more frustrating is the product is available. It's not as if MB would have to develop a new car, but simply import what they already make. A SWB S450 and LWB S450 would be great additions, especially now that S550 interest is starting to dwindle.

I agree to some extent, but on paper a S450 wouldn't have been all that competitive with the LS460/L. If they would have brought over the S450 to compete with its 335hp V8 against the LS460's 380hp V8 they would have lost as many sales as they would have gained, between it and the S550 I seriously doubt they would have sold more S-Class units than they already have.

Some people IMO would look at the S450 and LS460L and decide that the Lexus provides "more" for the money and not bothered looking at the S550 which can cost way more than the LS460L. The S450 wouldn't have won all the comparison test with the LS460L either. I think making the S550 the price/point of entry for the S-Class took guts and was the right thing to do. IMO for every sale MB would have gained with the S450 they would have lost one or two more for the S550. Keeping the S550 as the entry into the S-Class forces one to either cheap out and get a SWB LS460 which is anywhere from 15-20K less (no way MB is going to compete with that) or a lightly optioned LS460L, because when you piles everything on a LS460L you can get within 10-12K of a loaded S550 and the the Lexus doesn't look like a bargain anymore.....and then...people would buy the Benz. Not to mention that is much better for MB ($$$) to sell more loaded S550s.

That said, now as the S-Class' sales start to slow and the facelift is pending, we'll see the S450 for model year 2010, but hopefully with more than 335hp with direct-injection and some other tricks.

Sure people don't race these cars...we know...but hp sells if only on paper. I just don't think a 335hp S450 would have been a great idea when a 380hp LS460L would cost less.

Mercedes likely pulled the S450 from the U.S. market at the last minute because of this because if you remember all the press and preview articles for the W221 talked about the S450 and the S550 equally, both of the coming to the U.S. All of a sudden the S450 was never mentioned again.

In the past Lexus has never increased power as much as they did from LS430 (290hp) to the LS460 (380hp). From 1990-2001 they only increased hp from the original 250hp to 290hp. I don't think anyone expected them to show up for 2007 with 380hp.

M

If Mercedes had a 3.5 liter V6 CDI that would do well in the S.

I gotta go with Marcus here.

Maybe MB set the bar too high for themselves when they introduced the S550. Maybe they should've introduced the S450 first and then bring on the S550 a year later (like they did with the GL).

On the streets of New York, I can tell you that there are more W220 S430's out there than there are W220 S500's, especially for customers that use them as company cars or limos. Why should they put down more money for a bigger V8 (500) when the 430 was sufficient? I just don't see the reason for having two V8's in the same class.
I think MB learnt their lesson here and that's probably the reason why we don't have an S450 in the States.

An S350 wouldn't work here either. I've only seen one or two W220 S350, but they were only made available during the last year of the W220 and it had an old engine/tranny.

Hasn't the LS up until this new model been a 'better deal' for as long as it has been out? I don't see how arguably the most highly educated buyers coming to Mercedes Benz would simply over look a car because of it's perceived power disadvantage. I have to wonder when it will all end? In a few years will we see the V8s in these cars coming in with 600hp!?!? Come on people, use some logic!!!! It's ridiculous. 335hp is more than the previous gen. 500 engine ever made. How much is really enough and do these amazing numbers on paper actually translate or have any relevance to potential buyers?