Corey Bit Spank
Active member
After what seemed like years of spy shots, the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W221) is finally here. For reference, the maroon car is the short-wheelbase version and the silver one is the long-wheelbase version.
Mercedes Benz has revealed the all-new S-Class ahead of its on sale date in spring 2006. The current S-Class has been around since 1998 and will be eight years old when it is replaced next year, by which time more than 500,000 will have been sold.
The new S-Class is longer, wider and taller than the current model. And significantly, the wheelbase is a huge 70mm longer, which should result in masses of cabin space. Indeed, Mercedes claims that head, shoulder and legroom are all increased on the new car, which will be launched in long and short-wheelbase guise.
The official pictures reveal a car with very dramatic styling, especially around the enormously swollen wheelarches. The side profile has also gained a much more rakish look in keeping with other more recent Mercs such as E and C-class. Indeed, the new S-Class's styling already makes the current car look quite dated, much in the way current 7-Series did to the previous model.
As well as moving the bar from a styling standpoint, the new S-Class also majors on technical innovation, especially on the safety front. Prices have yet to be revealed, but we'd expect a reasonably healthy increase across the board for this all-new Merc.
This is the most spacious S-Class ever, with the cabin gaining up to 39mm of elbow room, 5mm of headroom and 11mm of legroom (in the long wheelbase model). The boot also gains an extra 60 litres of capacity compared with the current model. And as you'd expect, Mercedes offers a mind boggling choice of wood-and-alloy trims.
Even though the new S-Class's sweeping dashboard looks a little like that of the BMW 7-Series, Mercedes Benz has clearly taken lessons from early criticism of BMW's complex i-Drive control system. The latest version of the Mercedes COMAND operating system controls functions such as the radio, climate control, CD, telephone and navigation system. And the company is at pains to explain that its operating system has been developed using "findings from extensive ergonomic and perceptive psychology studies, and takes into account the results of acceptance tests with Mercedes customers around the world." And just in case, the COMAND controller is backed up by conventional knobs and switches, located in places you'd expect to find them. Techno-phobes should be right at home, then.
Another interesting feature of the cockpit is the Direct Select wand controller on the steering column, which allows the driver to select gears on the standard-fit seven-speed 7G-TRONIC automatic gearbox. The idea here is to free up the space on the centre console where a gear selector would usually live.
The S-Class also gains new, 16-way adjustable front seats with lumbar support. Optional chairs include those with heating and ventilation, so-called 'multicontour' seats (front and rear) and dynamic multicontour seats (front) whose squab and backrest contours adapt to the way the car is being driven. Hooligan driving, for example, will prompt the seats to provide more lateral support.
