Fraser

So I'm aware of a few things like the fact the US ones were not sold as short wheelbase and until the latter years it never came in anything less than the 4.3 V8. In the UK we had the S280, S320, S320 CDI too, the latter being the best seller after the S500 in blighty.

I was looking through a few used listings for recent W220s and noticed a few odd things that I don't recall from my father's '00 S500. His had the rear heated and ventilated seats but it seems from most of the US listings I've seen that most (if not all the ones I've seen) don't have three hot and three cold levels, in the back or the front. I seem to recall on his that the ventilation wasn't that noticeable until you put it on level 3.

Anything else?

Jezza

All UK models (ive no idea about US) have 2 (not3) heating settings and 3 ventilation settings.

What do the US ones have?

jfendis430

Depends on the options package you have , but most come with the 2 level heating. The 3 level ventilation is available but was an option.

Fraser

Was looking through some used listings and it seems that the Parktronic was an option on the US W220. Is this right? I'm pretty sure that this came as standard in the UK when you bought the LWB models.

Yes, I see you're right. Looking back I remember thinking it was weird the more useful heat seater had less settings than the seat cooler.

Skylaw

COMANDs are of course different. The U.S. version does not allow for display of video, where European ones do. The frequency coverage and tuning intervals (raster) of the radios are different. You cannot use European nav discs in a U.S. model, and vice-versa.

The telephone systems are different, largely because of the different cellular frequencies used in Europe and the U.S., and also because the European cars' Bluetooth uses the SAP protocol (downloading data from the phone's SIM card and using internal car equipment for communication) and U.S. systems use the Handsfree Protocol (HFP), which downloads only the phone book, and relies on the cell phone handset itself for communication.

Pollution control equipment is different, with Euro engines developing slightly more horsepower for an engine of the same size, but emitting more pollutants.

And of course, Brits have their steering wheels on the wrong side because they drive on the wrong side of the road, and have boots and bonnets instead of trunks and hoods.

Benzene320

Not forgetting bumpers instead of fenders.

Where here a "bender" means something entirely different..

B320

Jezza

What side of the page do you read from? What is universally considered to be the "start" of something while looking at it?

Sorry, but driving on the left is simply what logical people do

I'll give you the trunk thing, what the hell is boot supposed to mean, i get the trunk analogy much better from the days where cars literally had a trunk strapped to the back....

Skylaw

Hmmmm - I usually try not to mix reading and driving.

Guess you're right about the the boot; but what of the bonnet? A ladies hat covering the engine?

Now, here's the really big question for the day - is this guy driving on the right, or on the left?

Jezza

He is operating the gearstick with his right hand, which would make the car LHD, so is driving on the right hand side of the road?