Yaz..I'll definitely tell you what I think of the 3 systems..and don't worry guys I have good things to say about all the systems. I'll write a review tomorrow, as of right now...I just got back home from school, I've been there since 7:30am and now it's 11:45..so I'm going to sleep.

Go right ahead, I'm not here to hog the place...LOL
I would love to read what you thought of the car and compare our opinions and I hope you will like the car as much as I do.

I want to know how the W221 handled in turns and switchbacks compared
to the W220 S-Class. Did it feel on par with the BMW 7er and A8 if not better to you. How was the feedback, was there heavy understeer or was understeer light. Lets us know!

Also how the the quality of materials compared to the competition.

Great review. I enjoyed reading it.

Well I went for a test drive of the new S500 today and came away moderately impressed. First the bad news, the car didn’t have a few key features that I was really looking forward to testing including the night vision and distronic plus cruise control. Apparently there are issues with the radar frequency down under, and the system will only be available next year. Missing these two key features begun the disappointment. Also, the colour combination simply didn’t impress me at all. The car was standard black with the dark beige/brown interior. How awful the interior colour was. It looked like a grandpa vehicle. Also the black did the cars lines no favours, doing its best to hide a lot of the body’s finer elements. And why on earth Mercedes continue to design some of the worst standard alloy wheels, I simply do not understand. Do they not look at BMW wheels and gape in amazement?? The standard alloy design is EXTREMELY poor at best. In all the car looked very HO HUM and didn’t excite me in the least. When I saw the w220 for the first time I was blown away, with the w221 I’m simply left wanting more. Much much more. I really hope it was just a matter of the colour combination and alloy wheel design, because from some of the other combinations I’ve seen in pictures, the w221 truly promises to be a gorgeous looking vehicle. I’m still hoping once I seem some more appealing colour combinations I’ll fall in love with the car (fingers crossed). I really really want to like its looks.

Well that’s all that bitching done, the rest of the vehicle can only be described as effortlessly superb. The interior quality is beyond reproach. Sure there are cars out their built from more exotic materials, but in terms of build quality and solidity the car was perfect. Later in the day I had a chance to sit in a 7-series, and all I can say is for plastic quality (which abounds in the 7) and solidity, the new s-class shames the 7. I could not fault the design of the interior in any way (apart from the putrid colour). The command screen is crystal clear, the digital TV tuner excellent and the navigation operating about 10 million times faster than even dvd based systems was seamless. That the display can be swiveled for driver and passenger is a major boon! Also, within a few minutes I was getting fairly attuned to the interface. It was not at all difficult to use. The seats were easily the best I have ever experienced. The Harmon Kardon sound system was brilliant. The sound was perfectly balanced for each passenger and was crystal clear.

On to the driving experience. What more can I say than that the car drives brilliantly. The engine and gearbox team up perfectly offering excellent refinement and performance. What I really noticed was how much the transmission actually alters behavior according to the suspension setting. In sports mode the transmissions responsiveness is increased by a noticeable margin. In comfort mode the suspension soaks up bumps like no other car and road noise is virtually non existent. The chassis really seems to have the perfect blend of refinement and responsiveness and is notable advancement on the driving experience of the w220. To answer GTA's question, the cars handling is extremely neutral and body control exemplary for such a large vehicle. And this was on a non ABC equipped vehicle. I can only imagine how awesome the drive would be with ABC. As one magazine so aptly put it, the way the w221 drives is ‘crushingly superior’.

In all though this particular car left me with mixed emotions. While I was blown away by the driving experience, the black exterior and dark beige interior color combination, along with the crappy alloy design, left me somewhat cold. Time will only tell whether the cars styling is really a disappointment or just a victim of bad color choice and alloy wheel design.

Oh a little point that remains a pet peeve of mine when it comes to MB. Some of the equipment that should be standard on a vehicle of this price (if Lexus can include it as standard on MUCH cheaper vehicles, why cant MB include it on an S-class) is still optional and insanely expensive (i.e. distronic cruise control, climate controlled seats, reversing cameras etc.). Other options seem to be much more realistically priced than before (i.e. Harmon Kardon sound system and independent rear climate control).

On a side note, the actual point of visiting Mercedes today was to test drive, and perhaps even buy, a B-class. At the end of the day however, it was a BMW 318i that was purchased by my cousin. But that’s a story I plan on writing about tomorrow.

Cool review Merc. I'm glad you enjoyed the car, from what people have reported it seem like the new S is a superb luxury car. On the exterior side the standard rims doesn't do the car justice, as I have seen it looks a million times better with some nice AM rims.

Great review Mr. Merc. Sounds like the S550 is a real blast to drive!
There is no doubt the W221 AMG models should outperform the W220 AMGs

I`m guessing the wheels on the S550 you drove looked something like the
the ones` in this photo, I like them for a standard model.

Good review, Mr. Mercedes.
I agree that the rims and the color combination are essential for overall good looks.

Actually GTA7.5, I think Mr. Mercedes was refering more to these kind of rims shown in this photo below.


In my opinion, the rims that you showed GTA7.5 are superb looking. I can't hardly imagine Mr. Mercedes would be calling those rims being crappy and ugly.

Good review, any pics?

I think it was just the color/wheels that put you off. I doubt this will happen with a properly spec'd model.

M

Big difference there Alwing! big difference. Lets see what Mr. Merc has to say.

Thanks guys.

Nope those are the rims (GTA's picture) that come standard on the s500. They have nothing on the superb and dynamic alloy designs BMW produce. They're just so boring. Oh the standard wheel size is 17inch on a 280 thousand dollar car!

The picture posted by Alwing, those are the standard wheel design on the s350 here. Now those are even NASTIER and look like cheap hubcaps. I simply cannot comprehend what they were thinking when they designed those wheels. Like they were purposely trying to punish the buyers for getting an s350 and not going higher, or forcing them to dish out more money for better rims.

Sorry no pictures Merc1, didn't have enough time. Had a lot of dealerships to visit.