Mercedes S Class - 3 Generations in Comparison ( W140, W220, W221 )
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Joined: Aug 2003
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From: Toronto
98 S320 LWB
.
yup, this is true. the maybach rides on a stretched w140 platform. makes me proud to be a w140 owner
Originally Posted by ruykava
ah, LWB vs SWB -- now that explains why the W221 looks smaller -- good call. especially since Merc specifically said they were gonna build it back to W140 proportions! as for me, it really doesn't matter as i'm pretty short, especially by caucasian standards :P
the more i see it, the worse the W220 looks -- i'd take either the W140 or W221 =) btw i heard the Maybach is actually based on the W140's platform? not sure what the source is, read it on a website, so not sure if it's reliable. but it makes sense.
can't wait for a test drive of this car. damn that guy is a lucky sod
the more i see it, the worse the W220 looks -- i'd take either the W140 or W221 =) btw i heard the Maybach is actually based on the W140's platform? not sure what the source is, read it on a website, so not sure if it's reliable. but it makes sense.
can't wait for a test drive of this car. damn that guy is a lucky sod
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Joined: Nov 2004
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From: The Earth
Mercedes all the way!
sorry if i missed this, but where did the comparo come from? they might have mentioned something in the original article regarding the LWB/SWB issue.
i like the W126 as well -- my old man used to have a 500SEL -- that was an awesome car. but i prefer the W140 for its sheer "whose the daddy" feeling :Y
i like the W126 as well -- my old man used to have a 500SEL -- that was an awesome car. but i prefer the W140 for its sheer "whose the daddy" feeling :Y
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From: Moon
marta
Originally Posted by andrewcbho
yup, this is true. the maybach rides on a stretched w140 platform. makes me proud to be a w140 owner
Really? This is interesting. Any links? I always thought the W140 ride was a little better and had a more solid feeling than the W220.
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From: Toronto
98 S320 LWB
.
The Maybach mules were tested using the bodies of the w140s as well. haha they look like pullman editions. I can't find any official links, so this is the best i've come up with...
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/S...50/maybach.htm
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/S...50/maybach.htm
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From: OC
i drive them all, fast and hard
Originally Posted by v8plus4
The 220 and 221 pictured are SWB models, the 140 is a LWB.
also, w126 beats them all
new one needs wood in the middle/center console, where beemer has it.
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W126 has the same legroom as the W140 LWB, in the rear. But the W140 has more headroom. Also it has more hiproom. The W126 has more overall legroom including both front and rear sections.
If they could find a SWB W220, then a W140 SWB would be more than easy enough locate. Logic dictates, if you are making an accurate, unbiased comparison, then steps must be taken to ensure this.
I wouldn't mind the 140 if it weren't so, um, bland and indistinguished. A car that screams "Benz", and displays that three pointed emblem so prominently is the car for me, indeed.
W126 beats them all, I agree. I wouldn't drive anything else. How many Benz drivers can say "I drive an $80K Mercedes, and I never have to worry about getting stranded on the roadside in 200K miles."
When the W126 was being produced, Mercedes ranked #1 in quality on JD Powers reports. That's right, it was head and shoulders above TOYOTA, HONDA, NISSAN, and all the rest. The Subies were the only ones close. Nobody could touch the "Sleeping Giant".
If they could find a SWB W220, then a W140 SWB would be more than easy enough locate. Logic dictates, if you are making an accurate, unbiased comparison, then steps must be taken to ensure this.
I wouldn't mind the 140 if it weren't so, um, bland and indistinguished. A car that screams "Benz", and displays that three pointed emblem so prominently is the car for me, indeed.
W126 beats them all, I agree. I wouldn't drive anything else. How many Benz drivers can say "I drive an $80K Mercedes, and I never have to worry about getting stranded on the roadside in 200K miles."
When the W126 was being produced, Mercedes ranked #1 in quality on JD Powers reports. That's right, it was head and shoulders above TOYOTA, HONDA, NISSAN, and all the rest. The Subies were the only ones close. Nobody could touch the "Sleeping Giant".
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Originally Posted by pilot20
The W140, admittedly, will probably turn out to be the best made (if not the most elegant) of the three. They say it'll last a thousand years (but the Germans have been known to be wrong about this as well).
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From: The Earth
Mercedes all the way!
I wouldn't mind the 140 if it weren't so, um, bland and indistinguished. A car that screams "Benz", and displays that three pointed emblem so prominently is the car for me, indeed.
W126 beats them all, I agree. I wouldn't drive anything else. How many Benz drivers can say "I drive an $80K Mercedes, and I never have to worry about getting stranded on the roadside in 200K miles."
W126 beats them all, I agree. I wouldn't drive anything else. How many Benz drivers can say "I drive an $80K Mercedes, and I never have to worry about getting stranded on the roadside in 200K miles."
actually, if i were driving a W140 i'd never worry about breaking down either. my grandpa's was caught in a fire which spread through the engine compartment but was successfully put out before reaching the cabin. it is still on the road, driving sweetly, today. THAT'S what i call quality. have to say the engine is friggin' loud though, at least from outside.
i've no doubt the W126 would also have survived a similar ordeal: ours crashed into the wall once, and the wall collapsed while the car didn't have a scratch on it! but i'm not so sure about the W220, what with its sensitive air suspension, computers, etc etc. ah, but such is the price of progress. remember, despite the quality Merc never sold that well because they were "sleeping" -- that's why they had to change. the trick is finding the correct balance -- if they can get the W221 to be as solid as the W126 and W140, and yet retain the "wow" factor of the W220, they've hit gold.
Last edited by ruykava; Jul 7, 2005 at 05:55 AM.
It's still my favorite S-class, although I suppose I'm a little biased... :p
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Joined: Jan 2003
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Originally Posted by phonetics
how come i cant see the gear box? where is it?
Don't be surprised that you can't see the gear box. A lot of other important driveline parts, including the engine, are hidden from plain view.
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Originally Posted by Hakk403
LOL, am I the only one that noticed that on the last set of interior pictures, one of them is distinctly from the BMW 7 series? You can tell from the center arm rest and the BMW badge on the steering wheel.
