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Mercedes S Class - 3 Generations in Comparison ( W140, W220, W221 )

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Old 06-29-2005, 12:23 PM
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Mercedes S Class - 3 Generations in Comparison ( W140, W220, W221 )



Old 06-29-2005, 12:24 PM
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Seat Adjustments




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Old 06-29-2005, 12:24 PM
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Old 06-29-2005, 12:34 PM
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Notice how the driver looks happiest behind the wheel of the W140...

I guess seeing them all side by side now that the interior and front end look like simple evolution. I'm not sure about the back, though.
Old 06-29-2005, 12:43 PM
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I vote for the W140!!!!
Old 06-29-2005, 01:26 PM
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Long Rule the W140!! The best benz! I think the new one will be a nice reflection of the 1990s benz.
Old 06-29-2005, 08:32 PM
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It seems with each new S-Class, the amount of space in the rear in every dimension gets less and less.

That fella looks crammed into that 221 S-Class!

I agree...Long live the W140.
Old 06-29-2005, 09:00 PM
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You don't know that the front seat is in the same position in all three cars, though.
Old 06-29-2005, 09:21 PM
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Originally Posted by pilot20
You don't know that the front seat is in the same position in all three cars, though.
Exactly, the one thing we can tell for sure is that the w221 does not have very much rear headroom.
Old 06-29-2005, 10:24 PM
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Mercedes all the way!
heh, i still preferred the W140 to the W220. but lets see how the W221 will stack up =) i think the person at the backseat of the W221 is sitting straight up, and the chair seems all the way back -- notice how his legs almost hit the rear and his shoulders seem to be straighter (unless it's an optical illusion) -- that may explain why there seems to be less headroom.

the more i see the dash, the more i like it! looks less and less like the 7's, now that you realise it's one big binnacle instead of two conventional ones. it's (the dash) lower and sleeker too.
Old 06-30-2005, 01:51 AM
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W140 nothing to add
Old 06-30-2005, 12:04 PM
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w140!!!!!
Old 06-30-2005, 02:30 PM
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Exactly, the one thing we can tell for sure is that the w221 does not have very much rear headroom.
Agree.

Any idea, how tall that guy is?
Old 06-30-2005, 02:42 PM
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a Few Nice cars.
I dunno how tall he is but the w140 fits him ALOT better..seem to me that the New w221 Front Seats are cramped a little bit with him behind the wheel??? Still like it more then the w220..but overall the W140 is still the best!!!
Old 06-30-2005, 06:30 PM
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I see the gentleman when sitting in the rear looks to be in the same identical position in each seperate picture. The W221 seems to have a seat that is more erect, and a sloping rear glass. This would account for the lack of headroom.
Old 07-01-2005, 12:45 PM
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Doesn't look that bad.

Awesome post, I love seeing comparo's like this!
Old 07-01-2005, 02:55 PM
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And notice that the only picture that the guy is at least cracking a little smile is when he is in the W140.

I love comparisons like this. You can at least track a certain lineage of the cars in this perspective. But the one thing that they can not show in pictures that we all know is how vault solid the W140 was.
Old 07-01-2005, 06:12 PM
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The 140 holds up well, like a proper Mercedes should. The 221 and 220 don't look as durable. They should have based the 221 on the 140!
Old 07-01-2005, 06:23 PM
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Originally Posted by DslBnz
It seems with each new S-Class, the amount of space in the rear in every dimension gets less and less.

That fella looks crammed into that 221 S-Class!

I agree...Long live the W140.
The 220 and 221 pictured are SWB models, the 140 is a LWB.
Old 07-01-2005, 06:57 PM
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Originally Posted by v8plus4
The 220 and 221 pictured are SWB models, the 140 is a LWB.
That's what I was going to say. The W140 does look larger than the W220 and W221. I am sure Mercedes would not do such a thing to a car like the S class which is its bread and butter.
Old 07-01-2005, 10:36 PM
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Mercedes all the way!
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
Old 07-01-2005, 10:43 PM
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A bucket on wheels
not only is the w140 a LWB but the W221 also has reclining rear seats. Notice by the door handle. Meaning the seat could very well have not been in the same position as the other two.
Old 07-02-2005, 03:15 AM
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Look at the 221 from the side (1st and 2nd picture). Its got that weird sloping look of the CLS. This car simply does not look good from ANY angle.

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).
Old 07-02-2005, 05:27 PM
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Beautiful pics. Second pic is my background right now. I wish they added the W126 though. It is becoming one of my favorites. As far as looks go, I rate it like this.

W220
W126
W140
W221
Attached Thumbnails Mercedes S Class - 3 Generations in Comparison ( W140, W220, W221 )-w126.jpg  

Last edited by Guest0001; 07-02-2005 at 05:32 PM.
Old 07-02-2005, 06:09 PM
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Originally Posted by v8plus4
The 220 and 221 pictured are SWB models, the 140 is a LWB.
If that's true, then why would the comparison be made? It is obviously unfair.


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