Mercedes-Benz S550 2008 review.
When a car costs as much as a house, as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class does, it makes you take a step back. Can a car this expensive really be worth it? After spending a week with an S550, I can tell you that if any ultraluxury car can justify its gold-plated price tag, it’s this one. Mercedes’ flagship offers a level of power, luxury, technology and prestige found in only a select few full-size luxury sedans.
When a car costs as much as a house, as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class does, it makes you take a step back. Can a car this expensive really be worth it? After spending a week with an S550, I can tell you that if any ultraluxury car can justify its gold-plated price tag, it’s this one. Mercedes’ flagship offers a level of power, luxury, technology and prestige found in only a select few full-size luxury sedans.
Elegant and Modern
The S-Class commands respect. The sedan’s strong visual presence is highlighted by a sleek front end that incorporates triangular headlights and a classic Mercedes grille. The edges of the headlights flow into bulging front fenders that are mimicked over the rear wheels as well (see a side-by-side comparison with the 2007 model).
Contributing to the car’s serious look is the optional AMG Sport Package that gives the S-Class some of the look, if not the performance, of a high-performance AMG version of the S-Class. The package includes 19-inch AMG-style alloy wheels, more-aggressive bumpers and rocker panels, and chrome exhaust tips. It costs $5,630.
The Strong, Silent Type
The S-Class is available with a range of V-8 and V-12 engines that produce from 382 horsepower in the V-8 S550 up to 604 hp in the ultimate-bragging-rights sedan: the S65 AMG with a twin-turbo V-12. In between are the S600 with its 510-hp, twin-turbo V-12 and the S63 AMG, which has a 518-hp V-8 under its hood. These are pretty heady power figures for a full-size luxury sedan, but not counting the AMG versions they’re relatively similar to what competitors from Audi, BMW and Jaguar offer; big horsepower is a prerequisite in this class.
Even if you choose the “base” S550 with its 5.5-liter V-8, you’re still going to be in for a performance treat. This V-8 engine is what you might call a strong, silent type; it’s powerful and makes this big sedan lunge forward when you mash the gas pedal to the floor. Mercedes-Benz cites a zero-to-60-mph time of 5.4 seconds for the S550, which is stunning considering the sedan’s 4,465-pound curb weight. The more powerful versions are quicker still, with times in the mid- to low-4-second range. That’s Chevrolet Corvette territory.
The S550’s V-8 drives a seven-speed automatic transmission that, like the engine, performs in a purposeful, quiet way. In many cars you feel when a shift occurs, but in the S550 the only hint that it’s happened is when the V-8 gets even quieter with the drop in engine speed. The transmission includes Mercedes’ Touch Shift clutchless-manual mode, which lets you select gears by pressing buttons on the back of the steering wheel.
Gas mileage for the S550 is more like what you might expect for a full-size SUV; the rear-wheel-drive S550 gets an EPA-estimated 14/21 mpg city/highway, but with the optional 4Matic all-wheel-drive system it drops slightly to 14/20 mpg. Not surprisingly, it’s even lower — 11/17 mpg — if you choose the S600 or one of the AMG models. Most typical car buyers would see this as a significant negative, but here the frequent visits to the gas station are likely to be nothing more than a slight inconvenience for the owner of one of these six-figure cars.
Surprising Agility
At 17 feet long, the S550 is obviously a large car, but it doesn’t feel the least bit ponderous from the driver’s seat. It’s pretty easy to maneuver through heavy, fast-moving highway traffic and feels rock-solid doing so, like nothing’s going to move it off its line.
The big Benz also delivers a comfortable ride. An adaptive air suspension is standard on the S550, and it gives the sedan load-leveling capability as well as a lower ride height when traveling fast.
The sedan’s size is most noticeable when you maneuver in tight spaces. Fortunately, there are a number of optional features that can lessen your chances of scuffing one of the bumpers, like front and rear parking sensors and a backup camera. Even with such aids, though, the S-Class can still sometimes feel like a giant when parking.
Your Den, On Wheels
The S-Class’ cabin mixes classic luxury cues with modern technology features. It also includes the kind of details you’d expect in this segment, like a leather instrument panel cover and classy chrome power window buttons. Beautiful burl walnut wood graces the dash, doors and center console, the latter of which incorporates one of the S-Class’ techno gizmos: the Comand controller.
A large silver dial, the controller can be rotated and nudged in various directions to navigate menus on a large screen in the middle of the dash. Think of it as a universal remote control for your car’s various features, but with a large joystick and a few buttons. Mercedes isn’t the only luxury automaker with this kind of system — Audi has its Multi Media Interface and BMW introduced the world to the concept with iDrive — but Comand is one of the more user-friendly versions.
Its primary advantage is the intuitive arrangement of menus on the screen that will have even new users comfortable with its operation in a matter of minutes. Whereas iDrive has you wishing for some regular buttons to control the vehicle’s settings, Comand shows you the value this kind of thing can have when done right.
A few days into my test drive, though, the system’s cursor began intermittently jumping between menus on its own, which made it difficult to control. With a little less than 3,000 miles on the odometer, this issue would hopefully be under warranty, but it makes you question how well a high-tech system like Comand will hold up long-term.
The S-Class is also available with some of the most advanced front seats ever. The optional Drive-Dynamic multicontour seats have numerous adjustments, thanks in part to air chambers in the seats. They also include a massage mode and can inflate the side bolsters when cornering to help keep you in place. Some of the settings can be adjusted using the Comand system, but the more traditional controls, like cushion position, are in easy reach on the door panel. Fancy adjustments wouldn’t mean much if the seats weren’t comfortable, but they are, in a large, soft, leather easy-chair type of way.
Maybe you’re more interested in being driven than in driving. If that’s the case, the S-Class has you covered with its massive backseat. It offers tons of legroom and a backrest that’s angled backward for optimal comfort. Power-adjustable rear seats are optional.
What makes the S-Class a bit different from most of its competitors is that this expansive backseat is standard; unlike the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series and Lexus LS 460, you don’t have to buy a long-wheelbase model to get it. Even though there are seat belts for three, it’s clear the backseat is designed for two, as there is a large hump in the middle of the floor, and the middle seat’s cushioning is hard compared to the outer seats’.
High-Tech Features
Optional high-end gadgets include Night View Assist, which can “see” almost 500 feet ahead of the car and display the view in the instrument panel. Equally interesting is the available Distronic Plus adaptive cruise control system. If you’re one of the legions of drivers who find themselves stuck in stop-and-go rush-hour traffic on a daily basis, Distronic Plus might be just what you need to ease the morning and evening commute. This system will brake and accelerate the S-Class as necessary to keep it moving through heavy traffic, and it can even bring the car to a complete stop if necessary. We know of no other manufacturer with a feature this comprehensive.
Safety
Standard features include antilock brakes, an electronic stability system, front and rear side-impact airbags, side curtain airbags and Pre-Safe. By monitoring the braking, steering and stability systems, Pre-Safe can ready occupants for a collision by tightening the seat belts, adjusting the position of the front passenger seat and available power rear seats, and closing the windows. The more advanced Pre-Safe Brake system, which requires the optional Distronic Plus adaptive cruise control system, can brake the S-Class automatically if the system deems there is a chance for an accident.
S-Class in the Market
The S-Class is up against some very good competition in the full-size luxury sedan category, including the LS 460, which starts significantly below the Mercedes’ $86,700 base price. The S-Class and its competitors aren’t vying for any value awards, though; they’re designed to offer consumers a high level of performance and luxury. In this the S-Class succeeds, and it remains a leader in this exclusive slice of the market and a favorite here at Cars.com.
Vehicle Overview
Mercedes-Benz’s flagship S-Class sedan was redesigned for the 2007 model year and emerged as a larger car with a raft of safety features. For 2008, a second AMG high-performance model — the S63 AMG — has been added to the S-Class lineup, which also includes the S65 AMG, S550 and S600. The S-Class shares luxury-sedan real estate with competitors like the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series and Bentley Continental Flying Spur.
Available safety features include Mercedes-Benz’s Pre-Safe system, which can tighten the front seat belts, close the sunroof and side windows, and adjust passenger seats for optimal safety when a collision is unavoidable. Also offered is an infrared night vision system that can project a black-and-white video image of the road ahead onto a display in the instrument cluster.
Exterior
The S-Class’ exterior shape features pronounced fender flares that resemble those of the automaker’s recently redesigned M-Class sport utility vehicle. The sheet metal is smooth and uncluttered, and the headlight assemblies are more angular than those of prior models. The sedan’s trunklid calls to mind the BMW 7 Series.
Interior
Chrome and wood accents adorn the inside of the S-Class. As opposed to a console-located gearshift, the driver selects Park, Drive and Reverse via a stalk on the right side of the steering column. Drivers who wish to manually control the automatic transmission can do so with shift buttons located on the back of the steering wheel.
The S-Class’ Comand system features an 8-inch screen high on the center stack that can be operated via a control knob on the center console. At first glance, it appears much like Audi’s Multi Media Interface or BMW’s iDrive. The stereo, navigation system and climate control system can also be operated with traditional buttons. Four-stage massaging seats are available.
Under the Hood
The 5.5-liter V-8 develops 382 horsepower and 391 pounds-feet of torque. The engine features variable valve timing and four valves per cylinder. The V-8 teams with a seven-speed automatic transmission. Also available is a 510-hp, twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-12 that churns out a pavement-wrinkling 612 pounds-feet of torque. The V-12 works with a five-speed automatic.
A 604-hp V-12 in the S65 powered the sole S-Class AMG model for 2007. For 2008, an S63 AMG with a 6.3-liter V-8 making 518 hp and 465 pounds-feet of torque joins the lineup.
Safety
In addition to Pre-Safe and infrared night vision, available safety features include Distronic Plus adaptive cruise control and Brake Assist Plus. Brake Assist Plus works in conjunction with Distronic Plus radar signals and can increase brake pressure in order to avoid a collision. Distronic Plus also includes front and rear radar park assist.
The only reason I think Mercedes-Benz built the S63 AMG was to show the world it could.
Why else would the luxury carmaker pack more than 500 horses under the hood of a car with as much room in the leather-encased second row as the front?
But don’t mistake the bravado this car brings as empty bragging; this is one mean machine. It will lull you into a sedate cruise with its sumptuous interior before scaring the bejesus out of you with its street-handling power and prowess.
The S-Class, renowned for luxurious technology in Mercedes flagship sedans, and AMG, the German word for uberhot rod, have created a vehicle with more science than the first U.S. moon landing and more pampering than a five-star resort.
The S63 AMG will rub your back, cradle you in fast turns, blow the doors off anyone next to you at a light and handle all of those tedious driving things like monitoring your speed and dialing your cell phone. Normal people use pedals to accelerate and brake; S63 drivers flick one switch and let the car do the work. Sit back and enjoy the ride, Mein Herr.
The S63 AMG may cost more than the U.S. first moon landing as well. My test vehicle came in at $149,000 or $4,000 less than the median home price in Michigan, according to the U.S. Census. Yes, it’s expensive, but, man, is it fun.
It’s also a glimpse at the future of the automotive world, with things like dynamic driving bolsters, adaptive cruise control and even night-vision camera.
While many of those devices may be unavailable to the unwashed masses like you and me, eventually, we’ll get to see them. Mercedes has used its S-Class to develop firsts that find their way into everyone’s car. Air bags and electronic stability control are just two S-Class firsts.
Hit the gas and go This S-Class is the first to have Mercedes AMG’s 6.3-liter silicon-aluminum alloy V-8. A naturally aspirated, variable value timing brute, Mercedes-AMG, the performance branch of Mercedes, has created a hand-made engine with 518 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque. It’s mated with Mercedes’ seven-speed electronically controlled transmission, which includes AMG SpeedShift and paddle shifters. Acceleration is smooth and clean — exactly what you’d expect. Hit the gas, and go.
The only thing holding this beast back is the car’s own mass. With a curb weight of nearly 4,700 pounds, the sedan felt surefooted but a little heavy on the highway. That’s the point for a sedan designed to cruise on Germany’s Autobahn. Sadly, there is no equal surface in North America.
The speed-sensitive steering feels nicely weighted at slow or high velocity. It stiffens while cruising, but still allows a nice return to center at slow speeds around town. Lesser cars tend to feel too loose at lower speeds. Feedback is excellent, even when taking an exit ramp too quickly. The car’s 20-inch tires stick to the road like Krazy Glue to your fingertip. With an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph, the S63 AMG is sure and true.
So is the ride, which uses Mercedes high-tech active body control, a system of 13 sensors and hydraulic servos to manipulate the car’s four-wheel independent suspension. Sure, that sounds like a lot of mumbo jumbo, but what it does is eliminates the car’s body from rolling. It’s amazing, and also why you need Mercedes dynamic driving seats.
The 14-way adjustable electronic seats have bolsters that push out to hold you in place as you take a turn. After all, the car’s body isn’t rolling and it wants to keep you in your seat. It takes some getting used to. When you first turn them on, it feels like a soft kidney punch during a sharp left or right.
That’s not even the best part of the seat, much less the best part of the interior.
The leather seat will also give you a massage. Just click on one of four settings and enjoy. While the Lexus LS 460 will give a massage to the executive in the second row, this Mercedes lavishes the driver and front seat passenger. And if you have this car, the only place you want to sit is behind the steering wheel.
Posh and sophisticated Inside, the S63 AMG is posh and sophisticated. Its lines are clean and the hand-polished burl walnut adds to the car’s elegance. Decorated with AMG badging on the seats and floor mats — gentle reminders that you’re in a sports-tuned vehicle — the interior feels purposeful. The eye is drawn toward the adjustable 8-inch navigation screen, where most of the controls function with Mercedes single-control knob on the center console. Known as Command Control, it is easy to use and quickly becomes second nature.
The sedan is comfortable, boasting 41.9 inches of legroom in the front and 42.3 inches in the back. Much of that room is a product of the car’s 205-inch overall length. It has a wheelbase of 124.6-inches and a 63-inch track — the kind of measurements that ensure smooth performance.
Perhaps the most interesting feature is the Distronic Plus radar cruise control. It’s a remarkable piece of technology that tracks the cars in front of you and adjusts your car to their speed. The car can bring you to a complete stop without requiring you to ever touch the brake.
It takes a leap of faith to trust the system over your instincts, but once you get used to it, it’s astonishing. Just set a speed limit and the car does the rest. I found only a couple kinks. When the highway bends, sometimes the radar loses track of a vehicle ahead of you and speeds up, unnerving any driver who can see what the machine can’t.
Also, because the Mercedes will only let you follow at a safe distance, the gap between you and the leading car is big enough to allow a couple of cars to squeeze in. Often, other drivers fill in that space and the system then slows you down again to create a safe distance. It’s a little frustrating but still cool.
During some traffic trouble on Interstate 75, I was able to drive in bump-and-grind traffic for nearly five miles without ever touching the brake or gas, even at speeds under 10 mph. As long as the car doesn’t come to a full stop, it will keep driving. Just sit and steer. (If you stop, you need to touch the gas pedal again to start the car moving.)
Using the adaptive cruise control means you don’t have to cruise by push button, estimating when to turn off the cruise control and then reset it. It will easily prevent you from ramming into the back of someone if you’re distracted. The disadvantage is that it’s easier to become distracted.
Melding two extremes The exterior is also distracting to other drivers. Its clean smooth lines remain muscular and aggressive, exactly what you’d expect with an AMG. The four chrome-tipped exhaust pipes and special AMG rear bumper and side air vents also show off this car. It’s aggressive enough looking to mean business, but classic enough to fool an unsuspecting bystander.
In a way, this Mercedes is built for both the affluent enthusiast and the unsuspecting affluent car consumer. Its extravagances appeal to one shopper and its muscle-bound racing remains uncompromised.
The Mercedes S63 AMG melds the two extremes perfectly. Mercedes may have built this AMG to show off, but ultimately, it’s the S63 AMG owners who will get to boast.