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Overall: The only car in its class that can get away
with an $85,400 base price.
Overall Rating: 9/10
Recommended: Yes
The outgoing Mercedes
S-Class was still an excellent vehicle despite its age. And this redesigned
version, renamed for its larger engine, still manages to be a vast
improvement. Interior space and comfort has improved, the car is more agile
and much more powerful, the interior is of higher quality, and the ride is
even smoother and quieter. "Spooky" was the term another reviewer has used to
describe the outstanding attributes of this car.
However, the S550 costs between $10,000 and
$25,000 more than most of its competitors. When you're already paying an
exorbitant amount, it's easier to keep going, and the car's excellence does
help justify the expense. But it's not as if most other high-priced cars
aren't excellent as well.
The S550 strikes a balance between exquisite
ride comfort and impressive agility surprising in such a large car. But it
would be hard to call the handling true fun to drive; while there's nothing to
fault in the responsive steering and minimal body roll, there's no engagement
in driving the car any more than piloting it in a straight line. (Even
sport-oriented competitors don't do all that much better in that regard,
however.) The car is frighteningly quick, with a manufacturer-estimated 0-60
time of 5.4 seconds that is at least on par with many sporty coupes and
convertibles. (The tradeoff for this and for the car's weight is SUV-esque gas
mileage.) Inside, the seats, especially the optional multi-contour seats, are
large, well-shaped, and exceptionally comfortable and supportive. The rear is
vast even by the class's standards.
The instrument layout, however, is confusing at
best. Like the BMW i-Drive and the Audi MMI, the S550 uses a control knob to
maneuver through menus on a screen to perform various functions. While easier
to use than either of those systems, thanks primarily to the functions that
can be operated independently, there is still no advantage to this method over
the conventional setup, which Mercedes-Benz still has yet to master.
Overall, it's hard to fault a huge luxury car
for its fuel economy or criticize it excessively for annoying-to-use
instruments. And a high price is natural in this class. But when options push
the S550 past $100,000, it becomes a lot harder to justify it over a
competitor that stays closer to $80,000. But looking at its strengths, this
justification is still not so difficult. Just be sure to try out the
less-expensive competition first.
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