I'm a very lucky guy to be able to testdrive the new S-class in the US. I'm not a journalist, not a some rich guy or anything even close. I'm just your ordinary college student. My major is Industrial Design: Transportation design. I was able to test drive this car because I told the dealer that my dad is interested in the car, which he is. He wanted to know if he should go ahead and buy the w220 or this w221.

Well first thing first, I had an appointment for Monday at 4:30 pm because my class gets out at 3 and I wanted to go eat before I went to drive and the dealership is about 10 blocks from my school in San Francisco. I got there at about 4:15 and found out that I had the best timing in the world because the car wasn't available yet to purchase and the demo car that I was going to testdrive was going back to Mercedes because their customer cars come in next week. So as luck would have it I was the last person to testdrive the S-class in all of San Francisco...

Now to the car...sorry for the boring story...LOL

The car I drove was the S550, fully loaded with all the options except for panorama roof. The car had the nightvision, reverse camera, and everything that is available at this time..dealer told me that the AMG package and panorama roof hasn't come in yet.

The rep took the car out of the dealership and took me to a parkinglot where he explained the new command really quickly and showed me how to use the reverse camera...and yada yada yada....well here is my opinion.

The command system was by far the easiest I've ever used out of the 3 germans...It's just a tad bit complicated but mostly all the functions are available by the click-wheel. As of ease of use...I just got in fiddled with it for maybe a few minutes and got used to it. Just in case you're wondering, yes I have used the I-drive and no the i-drive is not complicated but it is hard to use when on the move.

I'm pretty sure that you guys have read in magazines how S shoudn't have come with the I-drive like command and how it will be hard for it's main buyer's who are 70 years old. My answer to that is that is a load of BS. I used that system to see if my dad would be able to use it, my dad is not a native english speaker, can't use the computer at all and he is just very much technology illitrate, and I know for a fact that he should be able to use it with may be 30mins practice. I will put it very boldly, the only way this system will be hard to use is if you are just a tad bit SLOW!

Now the reverse camera, I'm sorry to dissapoint....but the damn thing WORKS!!! Yes I said it, it works, but not in all situation. You will still have to look behind you for a second or two to make sure that there is no car coming or backing out, but for the most part you can keep your eyes on the screen and back up. Did I park the car using that system, yes...would I rely on it fully, no....Do I think it's a gimmick, NO! When you're looking at the screen the blue line is you're car's straight point, the yellow line is your turning-into angle and the red lines tell you the danger zone...pretty simple to use and definately a good thing especially in a city as packed as San Francisco.

The drive it self was very very smooth, the car is definately powerfull and you can feel it too. There is such a HUGE difference between the w220 and 221, it's not even a joke. The first thing I noticed was how quiet the car was, especially in a city like San Francisco. The V8 has so much grunt it pulls you into the seat, I can compare that to sports cars. Plus the sound that engine makes when you step on it is so nice, I can't really describe it. All I will tell you is that the sound is very deep and bass like.

I tested out the various settings for the suspension, such as comfort and sport. The comfort is very smooth, the best ride I've ever felt in my life. The seats are so comfy, you don't even remember you're sitting down. This would definately make a real good long trip car. When you switch into the sport mode the ride is still very very good, just a bit firm and the steeringwheel gets tightened and makes for a good time.

At one point in my drive, I was doing about 45mph and there was nobody in front for a long distance and the light was just about to turn yellow. The salesman, just as passionate about cars as myself, tells me to step on it so I can truly feel the power of this car. So, that is exactly what I did, I stepped on it. All I can tell you is DAMN!!!!!!!!!! That car accelerates so fast, my head just slammed against the headrest because I wasn't ready for it. I hit about 100mph really really fast. I do mean really really fast, no lie. I got scared because I approached the car in front very rapidly so I stepped on the brakes. The brakes for the first milisecond felt like they weren't doing anything, just calculating or something and then just slam. That car slows down really fast as well. I know some of you guys might be thinking that there are other cars can do that too, but you have to understand that this car is almost 4,300lbs. To me for a car like that to do the things it did is amazing.

Now the interior. I know that most of us see the pictures of the interior and say "They ripped off BMW". As much as that is true in the pictures it's that much false in real life, at least for me. As soon as I got into the car, all my judgements went away. My opinion went from "They ripped off BMW" to "It resembles the 7 but not by much" The reason I say that is because The iterior is just so different in real life because you can just feel the aesthetics of the interior and the quality and craftsmanship and how it differentiates from the 7. The LCD dash is so cool. You can't really tell that is a LCD screen until you switch to something else. The LCD command screen screen is so cool too because it can swivel from the side to side, and it's good because if you put on a movie you can turn it to the passenger so you don't get distracted.

The back seat is very very comfy and legroom is unbelievable. I fit like a little child back there and I'm 5'10. The trunk was huge as well and I love the little compartments that mercedes as installed in it. The first thing I thought of when we opened the trunk was... "DAMN! that's huge, you can put like 4 people in it."

The looks. Well design is always subjective, because someone will always like it and some people will always dislike it. As for me, I thought that car was beautiful when I saw the pictures and when I saw it in real life (far away in frankfurt, up close in San Fran), my jaw dropped. That friggin' car is gorgeous. As for the fender flares, sometimes they look good and sometimes they don't when it comes to pictures, but in real life the fenders are unnoticable and blend quite well with the body and does make the car look very imposing.

The Cons....there are none. From my testdrive, the car is perfect. I don't see a flaw in it. The interior quality is flawless, finish and fit is just perfect. This car is just the best car I've ever driven in my life, and it has impressed me more than anycar as well.

So the final verdict: The best S-Clas ever. Hell in my opinion this car rivals any car for the Best car in the WORLD category. So, is this car better than the previous benchmark S, HELL YEAH!! I personally think this car has just become the benchmark once again and will be for a long time. All I can hope for is that I hope my dad decides to buy this...probably not anytime soon but this car will never age.



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S-Class:

And to Mercedes for winning the crown back.

article by,

Raman Banwait.

email: - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

cool review thnx alot man

Thanks for sharing your experience with us. This happens to be another story where I read the W221 S-Class is a whole different driving experience than the W220 S-Class, Big improvement for MB!

Didn't you expect that from the new S? I did...

Yes Tycoon, I surly did. Btw, nice avatar, I see I`m not the only one who likes large cats!

Thanks, man. Yeah, tigers are my obsession...

Excellent review. Thanks for sharing

Thanks guys...I tried my best to write the review. I'm still shocked at how great this car is.

I might have left some stuff out...so if you guys have any questions I would love to answer them for you if I can.

I hope you all like the pics...they're from my phone camera so they're not that great.

Hey, at least they prove you drove the damn thing

Anyway man, what's your take on MB's COMAND III, BMW's I-Drive and Audi's MMI? Love to hear whatcha got to say

Great review. Thanks man.

I will be testdriving the car tomorrow, and I hope my impressions are as positive as yours.

P.s Would you mind if I posted my review in this thread as well, just so as to keep all the personal reviews in one place?