This has puzzled me from day one.

The S430/S500 have essentially zero sporting pretensions. They have soft suspensions, quiet and smooth engines, and weigh 4400lbs. They are not fast, nor do they handle well or brake particularly well.

Yet it seems that certain owners street race, do burnouts, powerslides, drive with their right foot to the floor at all times, try to go over 100mph everywhere, etc. They also do performance mods like loud exhausts, intakes, etc.

Obviously these people are looking for a performance car. Why don't they buy one? There are many nice Porsches, BMW M3s, E55s, C55s etc for sale for about the same price. These vehicles have much better performance while retaining prestige, comfort, and luxury options.

Instead of taking a big boat luxury car and driving/modifying it like its a sports car, why not just buy a sports car instead. I wouldn't use a scalpel to cut down a tree, just like I wouldn't attempt surgery with a chainsaw.

Explain it to me...

Good questions.

Good post.

However the answer won't make much sense I think. I suppose people want luxury but sports car performance at the same time? Then again, with the other options noted, that doesn't make sense either. It's one of those thing that makes you go hmmmm.

To me the 430/500 and the 55/600/65 are 2 different cars. The 430/500 is a nice regular car to go from point A to point B, very nice, tame, and luxurious. The 55/600/65 are ridiculously faster compared to the 430/500. Just imagine more power than a ferrari (back in 2003) with all the luxurious and technology Benz could come up with.

I do not know what inspired Mercedes to start the horsepower race and I feel sad that they have decided to move away from it... I like the idea of owning a flagship sedan with one of the largest motors conceivable (V12 and 2 turbos). The car likes to go 80 mph (in stock form) whereas the 500 would probably like to go 50 mph.

A lot of former vette and porsche owners switched to Benz because in terms of raw power there is nothing like it. Just pulling out of the gas station, I smoke tires without meaning to do it. It took me a month to get used to... the power is so addicting. I really don't know what I am going to do now... I am afraid that they aren't going to make cars like this in the future.

My answer:

I like big sedans. The quality of ride given by a long wheelbase, the roominess and comfort. You are correct about their handling, they aren't made for track days. But I don't do track days, I have a 40-mile round trip commute, and big sedans just love the highway.

I did not buy a S500 or S430 because they were under-powered. I did not by an S550 because they are too new to be in my price range.

I was shopping for an Audi A8, it's lighter than the S-Class and has about 45 more HP than an S500, and is a satisfactory performer. I don't need to go 100mph, but a decent 0-60 is both helpful and fun. Before I could pull the trigger on an A8, I found my S55 quite literally by accident, and I'm extremely glad I did. It has excellent handling and braking for a car its size, and probably out-performs many cars weighing 20-30% less. And then there is the engine...

On another point you brought up, I have no idea why anyone would make an S-Class louder, brighter, blingy-er. It just makes it an S-ClassLESS.

And for your information I've only hit 90 once, demonstrating for the wife.

I agree that the 55/600/65 are different and I specifically excluded them. I think the S600 is the best of the bunch, because it offers killer acceleration and power while retaining all the quietness and luxury it should. The 55/65 are just weird to me. My neighbor has a 55, and even stock that sucker is LOUD.

I also understand that sometimes you want to give it the boot. Hell we all do it. But street racing, burnouts, constant WOT. It just doesn't make sense.

Ill tell u why at least for me. Got my 500 new in 03. 300hp back then was alot and more then most cars.

Since 2007 every car has almost 300hp and outperforms the 500 so why not update in slightly with more performance since i have no means to get rid of it. Just my $0.2

ok, that's it. pistols or sabers at dawn, your choice.

actually, my bone-stock S55 rumbles a little, tiny bit, but it's not LOUD.

Ok, fine, it's the loudest car on the block (not counting my neighbor's harley), but it's not LOUD. Whatever...

It's certainly loud enough, i see absolutely no reason to modify the exhaust just for noise. ON ANY CAR.

And I don't race, can't do burnouts with the nannies on (which mine always are), and there aren't enough gas stations around for constant WOT.

bc people cant afford both cars? idk

but that is a good question .. i dont think ive ever tryd to burn out in my sedan ... or fly down the freeway thats y i have other cars .. that is true for the same price that you can buy and s-class you can get probly the same deal as a sports car i mean insurance is probly gonna be the same price specially if your young ...

or maybe its bc they think bc they got a v12 in there car its fast .. s-classes weight a funk load compared to my mustang and 180sx even my truck i feel it ...

lol, easy tiger. You can take a saber, but I'll take a pistol.

Trust me, you're not the type I'm referring to.

Reasons posted above make sense. An S55 will run to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and can run a 12.5 - 13 second quarter depending on the driver/conditions. That's pretty good for a heavy luxury car. That is also faster than a lot of so called sports cars out there. Some of the newer AMGs run even faster.

On the other hand an S430/S500 is a cruiser. Trying to turn it into something fast is a waste of time & money . Why even bother when you can buy an AMG, M5, etc..to begin with. If an AMG isn't fast enough you can always mod it to make it even faster. But why start with an underpowered brick like an S430. I always think it's funny when people post about an old S430/S500 being fast. They don't have a clue about what a fast car is.

If it's not about luxury but just about pure performance then people should just buy a Porsche, Ferrari, or Z06 (if they're on a budget) etc....

i drive my ageing gracefully S500 because i like the way MB supports luxury sedans with enough performance to put them ahead of every other luxury car in the world for the dollar amount.and as far as 50mph being cruise speed,try 80 mph with ac set at 73 degrees and getting 24/25 mpg surrounded by luxury,safety,beautiful body lines and factory sound that will please all but the base busting rap crappers.that pretty much says it all.

Good question , and couldn't of emerged from a better person than Oliverk JK

+1, except for the sound part. I'm not a bass head, but my "premium" sound system sounds like crap. I guess they went cheap in this area.

Interesting string of opinions... My 2004 S500 is tight in sports 2 mode and pulls well with the 7 speed trans??? I often cruise at 1xx mph and do so in total silence and comfort. I believe the car feels better over 100mph than it does at 50mph, I believe it was designed for transporting 5 adults on roadways without speed limits. Ever try banking an eastern PA mountain highway at triple digit speeds in ford 500? haha, yeah, don't try it!

Thats a good question, its just different people with different tastes, as for me when i bought my car i liked it the way it was: luxury, large, and stuff, but then i put some rims on and mufflers and resonator delete, and actually i like the way it sounds cause it isnt ridiculously (idk if i spell right) loud and isnt quite either. Also mercedes-benz designers do a good job cause u can keep benz stock and it will look cool, or u can put bodykit some tint, exhaust and it still will look good. And as of racing i can say that i sometimes u just sit in ur car push gas and u feel so good, suspension is soft, car is big, and u feel like a king on a road

I definitely feel the same way. The first time I drove my father's S500 at 18yrs old he put a piece of paper over the speedo and let me drive at what I thought was 85mph, he took it off when I felt stable and we were doing about 125mph. Everything felt completely in order and just as it should be, and I'd ridden in that car for a year or so and up to 140mph on numerous occasions.

My previous cars were BMW 01' 740 and BMW 05' 745, they were in the 297-325 HP range. As you all know BMW's are sport car with luxury options, they have very good handling and is conceived to be a sport car. i always like the sleekness and refined body design of the S class but i was looking for a performance and something with power.

I was told try the mercedes S55. i said "you mean S500", because S55 is a vehicle you don't see everyday. I drove it for the first time man was it a rush it has:

-Power - compare to my other cars and a lot of cars today the power was exhilarating and addictive.

-Torque - when you hit the gas pedal it just plant you in your seat

-Looks - with the AMG kit and the Dual Dual exhaust pipes it just says "i am a luxury cruiser but don't be fooled"

-features - it has a lot of built in features hand built engines, Shift paddles on the steering wheel, active seats just to name a few.

Sound - the exhaust growls just to remind you what you are driving its not as loud like a lot of cars out there that their growl is worst than their power

bottom line is I went with the S55 for the power, looks, prestige and yet still remain classey.......timeless.

That is how it was even back in 1992 when my dad purchased our first Benz (500 SEL). 120 always felt like 70 mph.

For me it was an EASY choice:

1. I promissed the wife that I would quit road racing until I teach our kids how to race. So GOOD BY race cars, World challange seriers Stang, M Roadster, and C32

2. Still wanted to have SOME fun, hello V12 TT

3. LOVE all the goodies that MB gives you.

4. NO temptation to take her to the track, as I know the S is NOT A RACE CAR.

SO that was my choice.

Have to agree, 306 HP was a LOT in 1999, A LOT, and while its no sports car, it still out performs/keeps up with many newer cars that think theyre the ****.

Cars don't think.

Dumbass owners who think (insert crapbox) is fast are a different story.

very true

s-class???

ding ding ding!!!

its a big 4door luxury car idont see y people try to make them fast ...
but to each there own and their money..

lol +1

all the S-classes have loads of comfort, style is a personal taste (I'm still not fully won over by the 221 fender flares yet), but only the AMGs and 600s have speed and performance

the S550 might have speed, but only of not measured against the aforementioned AMGs and 600s