2007 Motor Trend Car of the Year: Testing and Finalists
High-tech overload on the high-fashion runway
By Angus MacKenzie
The launch of a new S-Class is a much-anticipated event, not the least because M-B's flagship sedan ought to represent the distillation of the collective wisdom of Germany's finest automotive engineers. It's no surprise, then, that the 2007 S-Class is dripping with cutting-edge technology, from adjustable air suspension to radar cruise control to seatbelts that sense an impending crash and cinch you into the seat.
Some of that technology might be a bit too cutting edge, though: The world's first seven-speed auto (trumped almost immediately by Toyota, which put an eight-speeder into the new Lexus LS 460) sounds impressive over a martini at the country club, but out on the road you can become aware of the transmission constantly shuffling through the ratios to find the optimum one. The night-vision system works in a technical sense, but is essentially useless because you have to take your eyes off the road and stare at where the speedo used to be to see what's going on. And our MT figure-eight testing found the car is actually a more-predictable handler with the suspension set in comfort rather than sport modes.
Form used to follow function at M-B, but only when the engineers ran the company. Now that the marketing guys are in charge, the S-Class makes a fashion statement. Bulging fenders and a Maybach-style clamshell trunklid give the new S-Class a much more muscular presence on the road than the previous model. The interior is gorgeous; a clever amalgam of high-tech and art-deco. You pay for that style, however: Not all the switchgear, most notably the power-window buttons, is easy to find or use.
The new S-Class is expensive, though if you can afford the down payment, it's a good value because of its blue-chip residuals. But you can't help but wonder if you're paying for technology you can't use.
| 2007 Mercedes-Benz S-Class |
| Base price range | $86,175-$182,275 |
| Price as tested | $97,775 (S550) |
| Vehicle layout | Front engine, RWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan |
| Engine | 5.5L/382-hp/391-lb-ft DOHC 32-valve V-8 |
| Transmission | 7-speed automatic |
| Curb weight (f/r dist) | 4712 lb (52/48%) |
| Wheelbase | 124.5 in |
| Length x width x height | 205.0 x 73.7 x 58.0 in |
| 0-60 mph | 5.6 sec |
| Quarter mile | 14.2 sec @ 100.4 mph |
| Braking, 60-0 mph | 127 ft |
| 600-foot slalom | 58.6 mph, avg |
| Lateral acceleration | 0.83 g, avg |
| MT figure eight | 27.2 sec @ 0.64 g, avg |
| EPA city/hwy fuel econ | 16/24 mpg |
| Sum Up | Fast, refined, and elegant, the new S-Class was a strong contender for COTY this year. |
| Bet you didn't know | In Europe and other markets, the S550 is speed limited to 155 mph, but in the U.S., it's limited to a paltry 130 mph. |
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