PHYBENZ

Well I finally got a chance to see and sit in but not drive the new S. Let me tell you though I came back very impressed.

To start the fender flares, maybe because it was a black car, did not show at all and I thought the exterior design was just beautiful. The grill is large again and I love the star on the grill also. The rear lights I though were very nice almost like jewelry with the chrome accents.

I thought the trunk was still not that big but had some nice storage on the side and underneath. I also didn't find the antenna on the boot lid to be that bad, but I do agree everything should be integrated.

Now to the interior. Absolutely stunning I thought. It felt really well put together. A definete notch up from the past W220 and the current R's and ML's. The buttons are definetly metal, and no flimsy at all, as I played with them a lot. They have a great tactile feel to them. The lighting under the strip of wood is a very nice touch, and the speedo screen is just so crisp.

I can definetly see how the window switches will take some getting used to as they are pretty flush. The steering wheel was OK not great but not bad either, and this one did not have the wood option. I couldn't tell whether the door panels were leather or not because they were the ones without the seam, but I wouldn't be suprised if they weren't leather.

I thought there was a decent amount of storage spaces in the car, but did find the pockets in the armrests of the doors, the little door that opens up did not seem to open wide enough...

This car is deifnetly a step up in quality and materials over the W220 and seems to be back to the old Mercedes ways... Can't wait for a test drive...

Enjoy the pics, and CLICK HERE for more pictures!

ClayJ

Great Pics. Thanks. Appreciated the write-up and your website pics too.
You did gooooood.
And I agree, from the pics, the fender flares didn't look so overly-large or out of place on the black car.

SSL

Thanks for your views. Like every previous generation of S Class the W221 is going to look best in dark colours. I was about to say that I cannot understand why anyone would buy an S in silver but that is clearly rude and we each have our own tastes.

For my part the very details of the car get lost in silver. Chromework and detailing disappear within an amorphous mass of metal which I find blurs what the designers have worked hard on to to achieve.

As you say, in a darker colour, in this instance black, those flared wheelarches meld into the design giving the car an overall presence. In silver I fear it is the wheelarches that have the immediate presence not the totality of the design.

Sounds like good news on the internal materials. Cannot wait to see the car in the flesh. In the UK we are still waiting.