Teresa’s View
It’s no accident that the fashion-forward Mercedes-Benz S-Class shares screen time with Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in the chic new movie “The Devil Wears Prada.” But make no mistake: Mercedes’ flagship sedan isn’t just a pretty face and a terrific body. The ninth-generation S-Class is a technological wonder, featuring first-of-its-kind advancements in ride, comfort and safety.
Our tester, the S550, makes ample use of a newly engineered 5.5-liter V-8 power plant, delivering 382 horsepower. A clever seven-speed Driver-Adaptive transmission requires some driver retraining, though. Instead of a traditional shifter, a small lever clicks through three choices: Drive, Park and Reverse. The car does the rest.
Want to reduce stress during stop-‘n-go traffic? Just set the Distronic Plus, a $2,850 option on the S550. Short- and long-range radar work together to maintain a pre-set distance behind the vehicle ahead. The radar-based system even eliminates the need for those unsightly “portholes” in the bumpers.
Working with the radar system, the Brake Assist Plus system determines the distance to the vehicle ahead and automatically applies the brakes, thus preventing a collision or significantly reducing its severity. Should an accident occur, onboard computers prepare occupants for impact by cinching down seatbelts and automatically aligning the power front seats (and optional power rear seats) into the safest position. At that point, a multitude of airbags will deploy to pad the interior. New this year, the safety system will close windows and the optional sunroof prior to a rollover.
Mercedes engineers figured out that a large number of occupants remain seated for the majority of their ride. Therefore, much attention was given to seat comfort. The optional Dynamic Drive Seats ($1,800) use 11 pneumatic chambers to continuously adjust for comfort and support. I was initially startled the first time I cruised around a curve and an air bladder filled to keep me firmly in my seat, but after a while, I barely noticed it.
Need more? Check out the optional infrared Night View Assist. This system, debuting on the 2007 S-Class, extends the ability of the driver to see by nearly 500 feet. Rejecting thermal imaging used by other manufacturers, the S-Class projects invisible infrared light onto the roadway ahead from projectors located in the headlights. A special infrared camera displays the reflected images on a dashboard display.
What Is It?: The S-Class is a five-passenger, four-door premium luxury sedan. The S550 ($86K) introduced the 2007 redesign, however, two V-12-powered models are set to follow this fall. They include the reincarnation of the legendary “Grand Mercedes” S600 ($140K) and the 604-horsepower S65 AMG ($183K) — said to be the world’s quickest four-door.
Gadget Rating: 11 out of 10. Advanced technology improves comfort features too. I especially love the 14-speaker, 600-watt harman/kardon surround sound audio system and the optional DVD entertainment system that includes monitors installed in the rear of the front passengers’ headrest.
Ouch: The S-Class gets dinged with a $1K Gas Guzzler Tax.