A stately luxury sedan with silky driving dynamics that’s more than the sum of its premium parts.
For telegraphing accomplishment driving or being driven in a mercedes-benz s550 tells the world you’re not trying to eke out a living as a journalist i’m tom volk with driven for the new york times even without the obvious clue the mercedes flagship is a stately piece of transportation seldom do so few lines convey so much success as you might imagine they’re not
Giving these away in cereal boxes as tested this one goes for just under one hundred and twenty nine thousand dollars it is well option the price can climb considerably higher but let’s see what 129 large buys a one thing you won’t find are any light bulbs instead nearly 500 leds handle illumination including the lustrous ambient lighting that flows through the
Entire cabin the seats heat cool massage and actively move while driving to hold you securely during cornering oh and the arm rests there heated to an interior perfume system keeps things fresh i’ll assumes sport mood does not smell like a locker room the 4.7 liter v8 sports two turbochargers there’s a nice bit of theatre as 455 horsepower come to life a classic
Mercedes joystick controls the 7-speed gearbox rear drive is standard all four wheels get motivation on this one zero to sixty glides up in just under five seconds s-class is deceptively light fifty percent of the body shell is aluminum i could say the ride quality is buttery smooth but i have not had butter this silky throw it into a curve and the body does not
Wallow it’s remarkably stable that’s courtesy of an adaptive suspension the s is boardroom quiet i need a half hour to cover the safety technology so i’ll just touch on the night vision it automatically switches on when animals or pedestrians too busy to look up from their phones appear at speeds under 31 miles an hour s-class can automatically brake to keep from
Hitting humans or cars in its path you would expect this sedan to be luxurious but there’s something more here much like a stay in a four seasons resort it’s easy to linger and fawn over the craftsmanship while soaking in the powerful burmaster audio system even though it’s improved i’m still lukewarm on the command user interface part of its complexity has to do
With the seemingly endless features packed into this car the middle position is raised up at headroom is still okay space really not an issue with the s-class there are some option packages that allow the seats to recline nearly 45 degrees also available are folding tables for working executives and cupholders that maintain hot and cold beverage temperatures down
Headrests are the softest i’ve ever experienced s-class is a large sedan you would expect the trunk to be enormous i think you know where this is going the chauffeur could keep his lunch in this space i suppose all those features in the backseat rob room back here most mid-size sedans hold up to seven packs s-class tops out at an easy it’s difficult to understand
The depth of s550 without experiencing it doors that finish closing for you are a clue mercedes calls this car the essence of luxury for 125 grand it should be wealth is only one measure of success the s is not the most expensive status symbol on wheels but it can be considered a benchmark oh
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2015 Mercedes-Benz S550 4Matic | Driven: Car Review | The New York Times By The New York Times
