Back in the early 1980s the "big Mercedes" was widely acknowledged to be the best sedan available. A Rolls was more expensive, and had a finer interior, but was technologically antiquated. Few took the BMW 7-Series seriously; that company was mostly known for the 3-Series. Audi emerged as a styling leader, but its top cars were powered by five-cylinder engines. Jaguars were known for their unreliability, and were nearly as far behind the technological curve as Olds. And the American makers? Right.

The late-1980s 7-Series mounted the first serious challenge to the S-Class. In response, Mercedes introduced a thoroughly redesigned, tank-like S-Class whose size, power, and extensive feature list put it out of synch with those recessionary times. Widely criticized for being too big and simply too much, Mercedes redesigned the car to appear smaller in the mid-1990s, and then replaced it with a trimmer, much more sleekly styled model in 2000.

I personally liked the trimmer, sleeker eighth-generation sedan. But it was once again out of synch with where the market was going. In 2002 BMW introduced an overwrought, gadget-laden new 7-Series, and Audi followed with a more stylish yet almost equally gadget-laden new A8. Compared to these cars the big Mercedes seemed plain, technologically backward, and simply "less car." Though criticized for its iDrive control system and frumpy styling, the new 7 was widely copied by other manufacturers and passed the S-Class in sales.

We now have Mercedes' response, the ninth-generation 2007 S-Class. I like to evaluate this sort of car with my father, as he unlike me is the intended consumer, so the first time he, I, and the new sedan were in the same place we took a test drive.

Styling

To my eye, the previous S-Class was the most attractive luxury sedan on the market. I especially liked the graceful arch that extended the length of the bodyside. Apparently the market wanted something fancier, or at least Mercedes thought it did. The car's fuselage remains cleanly styled; subtle surfacing disguises its height. But the rear end is patterned after the fussily styled Maybach ultra-lux sedan, and thus also somewhat resembles that of the 7, while RX-8-like bulges adorn the wheel arches. (Come to think of it--the sheer bodysides are also much like those of Mazda's sports car.) The wheel bulges strike me as an excessively trendy touch. The rear one in particular appears tacked-on. They neither suit such a large, expensive sedan--is it pretending to be a sports car?--nor will they stand the test of time. Past Mercedes designs have been touted for their timelessness. The new styling is anything but. It will age quickly.

Ironically, the front end--where Mercedes first broke with its tradition of non-trendy styling with the 1996 E-Class--is the most conventional and most forgettable aspect of the car. You know you're looking at a Mercedes, though, which is the main task that it must accomplish.

The interior is finished in leather, finely crafted wood, and premium polymers, but to my eye generally lacks style. The influence of the BMW 7-Series is readily apparent in the horizontal emphasis of the instrument panel's design and in the use of a column-mounted electronic shifter. What's next, a three-pass split bench? An American manufacturer could never get away with something as unsporting as this. Both the steering wheel hub and the wood trim that spans the dash have a vague T shape that does nothing for me. The basic design theme would not be out of place in a Chevy Impala or Toyota Camry.

The binnacle for the nav system screen has been integrated into the overall design a bit better than that in the 7, but not as well as those in the 5 and the Japanese premium sedans. "Integrated" is perhaps too strong a word.

Unlike in the BMW, the lower part of the center stack is not trimmed in wood--or in anything, for that matter. I recently criticized a similar design in the Hyundai Azera for putting too large an expanse of plain plastic front and center. In the Mercedes the material is of a considerably higher grade. But why can't the center stack cleanly flow into the center console? It used to be only hopeless American car interiors that seemed to join the center console and the instrument panel as an afterthought.

In the end, I found only one truly artful part of the interior: the square chrome framed analog clock that sits in the middle of the instrument panel.

This said, I doubt many people will reject the new S because of the artlessness of its interior design. To begin with, the materials and workmanship are first rate, with chrome trimmed wood, solid aluminum control surrounds, and ambient light strips running the perimeter. The overhead sunglass holder even has a cloth cover--every other I've seen is simply hard plastic. Take a mediocre design and execute it with the finest workmanship, exquisite detailing, and premium materials and it almost looks good. It's the Toyota method, squared.

But more than this there are just so many controls and displays sprinkled about that the senses are overwhelmed. With so much to distract, it's not easy to attend to the overall design.

The big BMW is much the same way. So if you want tasteful, thoroughly up-to-date styling inside and out, among large, semi-affordable luxury sedans the Audi A8 is pretty much your only choice.

Accommodations

I started out in the rear seat. Getting in, I noted an abundance of legroom. Then my father and the salesperson positioned the front seats where they were most comfortable--and rear legroom increased by a good half-foot. Mercedes doesn't appear to have plans to offer the short wheelbase version of the new S in the U.S., but it would usefully fill a huge gap in interior space between the midsize E and the long wheelbase car. For my father, this much rarely used space seemed excessive. He'd prefer a merely spacious rear seat in a tidier exterior.

The rear seat itself is comfortably shaped and high enough off the floor to provide good thigh support--especially since even very tall people can stretch their legs waaaay out. The car we drove lacked the rear seat package, which includes a number of power adjustments, including lumbar, as well as heating and ventilation.

In front I found just as much room and a very large seat. We drove an Audi A6 afterwards, and its seats look downright tiny in comparison. Both front and rear the seats aren't as rock hard as Mercedes' seats used to be, but they're still firmer than most. I did not find the front seats as comfortably shaped as those in the big BMW. While seat length is adjustable, lumbar only adjusts in and out.

For additional adjustments, a somewhat better shape, and more lateral support I'd prefer the optional multicontour seats. These also automatically inflate the outside bolster for additional support in turns and have a massage feature. Even compared to these very good seats, though, BMW's "comfort seats" are better.

The driving position falls between that of the previous S-Class, where you sat well above the instrument panel, and the big BMW. So the view forward is more open than I expected given the imposing instrument panel. The view rearward is less open owing to a high rear and thick pillars, but both obstacle detection and a rearview camera are available.

Mercedes touts an enlarged trunk, but at 16 cubic feet it is still only about average for the class. Definitely serviceable, but hardly worth bragging about. As in other cars in this class, the rear seat does not fold; unlike in others, a pass-through does not appear to be available. In the trunk's favor, there are some storage compartments beneath its floor.

Mercedes has scattered a large number of useful storage compartments throughout the interior, even under the front door armrests and beneath each front seat. You should be able to find a place to tuck just about everything.

Gadgetry

The iDrive-like controller supposedly minimizes the number of buttons. However, it seems that Mercedes engineers took advantage of the space opened up by adding buttons for functions I've personally never even considered. Want to adjust the passenger seat using controls on the driver's door? Want to lower the left rear window from the right rear seat, or vice-versa? Well, now you can do these things, and much, much more. At least all of the shiny metal buttons feel of very high quality.

I am very happy to see at least two buttons. Unlike in the Audi A8 and Cadillac STS, you don't have to search through the on-screen menus to switch between "comfort" and "sport" modes. There's still a handy button provides for this. The lumbar adjustments are made through the iDrive-like knob, but at least there is a dedicated button for summoning up the appropriate screen.

I was not able to test the latest gee-whiz features. "Night assist" was on the car, but we drove it during the daytime. In this system, the headlights project infrared light in addition to the normal sort. An infrared video camera reads the results, which are then displayed in a high-resolution black-and-white image in the same space that the speedometer dial usually resides. So that you'll still know how fast you're going the speedometer takes the form of a bar below the night assist image. Isn't it amazing what you can do with a digital display? The regular speedometer is only a convincing representation of an actual gauge, non-existent needle and all.

"Distronic plus," which was not on the car, improves upon previous adaptive cruise control systems by working at all speeds, even in stop-and-go traffic, and by automatically hitting the brakes when it senses an impeding collision.

On the Road

Like the car itself, the engine of the previous S-Class was out of step with the times. Fitted with a single overhead cam per bank and three valves per cylinder to minimize emissions, it couldn't match the power-per-liter of the competition's DOHC four-valve mills. The 5.0-liter version put out 302 horsepower. Not shabby, but Audi's 4.2 and BMW's 4.4 were more powerful despite their smaller size.

The new S-Class sees the first use of Mercedes' latest, all-new V8. With dual overhead cames and four variably timed valves and 5.5 liters of displacement, it kicks out 382 horsepower. BMW went to a 4.6 for 2006, but it puts out "only" 360 horses despite a trick throttle-less control system.

Though the new S weighs 4,500 pounds, the new engine accelerates it effortlessly at any semi-legal speed. Merecedes claims the car can get to sixty in 5.4 seconds. Equally noteworthy, the new engine is much smoother and quieter than the old one, and what noise it does produce is considerably more sophisticated. Even with the pedal to the floor near the power peak it's possible to turn to the front passenger and quietly remark, "Can you believe the engine is turning 5,500 RPM?" Lexus might well have been the benchmark in this regard, though the BMW engine in the 5 and 7 is similarly smooth and quiet. The Audi V8 lags the other two in terms of both midrange thrust and refinement.

The transmission is Mercedes' seven-speed manually-shiftable automatic. In even moderately aggressive driving shifts can be abrupt or include hesitation, with a bit of lurching. Easing off the throttle after a putting it to the floor was especially difficult to smoothly accomplish. I'll give the unit the benefit of the doubt and assume it had been confused by having a number of different drivers, and would settle down once it had learned a particular driver's style.

Fuel economy, at 16/24, is a bit lower than that of most competitors but remains marginally acceptable.

The steering feels loose and numb at parking lot speeds, and like that of other luxury sedans never feels terribly tight on-center, but once out of the parking lot feels nicely weighted and precise. Underway, the 205-inch-long sedan steers and handles like a much smaller car. Though not quite as sporting as the 7-Series--it reacts a bit more slowly and doesn't feel quite as sharp--the big Benz has none of the boat-like character of the big Audi. Lean in turns falls between minimal and moderate.

Like that of the previous generation S-Class, the standard suspension pairs semi-active air springs with auto-adjusting shocks. Driving the car in both "comfort" and "sport" modes, I could tell very little difference between the two. A smidge of squish when the steering wheel is first turned in "comfort," and slightly quicker responses in "sport." But if pressed I don't think I could tell them apart in a blind test. Maybe on a very challenging road or the track? When I drove the 2001 I noted a large difference among its three (rather than two) modes.

For truly top-notch handling, an optional "Active Body Control" system uses high-pressure hydraulics to virtually eliminate roll in turns. This system is not yet available on the new S550.

Even in "sport" ride comfort is excellent. Potholes and bumps are almost entirely absorbed, and the "bump thump" that has traditionally afflicted Mercedes is nearly absent. Aided by laminated side glass, noise levels remain very low even at highway speeds. Yet you don't feel totally isolated from what is going on, as you can in a Lexus. Instead, there's still the slightest sense of precision machinery at work.

In comparison, the Audi A6 4.2 we drove afterwards was loud and rode roughly. True, the Mercedes is nearly twice as expensive, but in return for the extra cash you're clearly getting a much higher class of car.

Mercedes-Benz S550 Price Comparisons and Pricing

The two most popular comparisons (base to base, without rebates, adjusted for feature differences):

BMW 750Li: $6,800 less at MSRP, $7,800 less at invoice (with Premium Sound).

Lexus LS 430 (with 18s): $23,300 less at MSRP, $25,200 less at invoice. Equip the Lexus to the standard feature level of the Mercedes, and the difference drops to $17,600 at MSRP and $21,600 at invoice--like most luxury brands, Lexus charges dearly for options.

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.)

TrueDelta's page for the Mercedes S-Class:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/S-Class.php

Last Words

Though I don't care for the new styling, I must admire the new S-Class' workmanship, feature list, and all-around excellent performance. The Audi is prettier, but does not accelerate, handle, or ride nearly as well. The BMW 7-Series is a much close match, and offers more comfortable seats and sportier handling, but cannot quite match the big Benz for ride quality, interior space, or features. So while the new S-Class isn't far and away the best luxury sedan, it can without too much argument reclaim this title.

That said, a new large Lexus is coming this fall. That's the car my father is truly looking forward to. I'll post a review as soon as we can get our hands on one.

Mercedes S550 Reliability

With so many high-tech features, will the new S-Class maintain Mercedes' currently poor reputation for reliability? Quite likely, though I'd be happy to be proved wrong.

My website, www.truedelta.com, recently began collecting reliability data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy an S-Class rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Merecedes S550 reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the S-Class--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. For non-participants, this access will cost $24.95.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

If you're an Epinions member, and you want to receive an email when I post a new review, click here.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Audi A8 review
BMW 7-Series review
Lexus LS 460 review
Mercedes S-Class review (2001)