rstone

It would be nice if MB would confirm if/or when this will be available. I would love to order one with RSE, but that is a deal breaker for me.

Mrkhan347

looks terrific i cant wait until this is available, this is the biggest option for me IMO....if it isnt out before next years model im gonna go with te ls460L

rgbyhkr

It will be available as an option on US vehicles later this year.

SydBenz

Do you mind sharing where you got this info. I asked someone at MB Manhattan recently and they said they hadn't heard a thing about it yet?

rgbyhkr

I got it from an MBUSA regional manager and it was later confirmed by an S-Class product manager in the head office (NJ) when I was trying to get an answer on having both the iPod kit and the RSE on the W221 at the same time (by the way, you will be able to get both once they both are available).

Jeff

rstone

Thats good to hear, I think I'm going to hold off ordering a new S550 until the IPOD kit, RSE and Night View Assist are available. No reason to order 110k+ vehicle if I can't get everything I want on it. Can't wait to see one!.

Ryan

Jayhawk

What is RSE?

rgbyhkr

Rear Seat Entertainment

silberrosa

I can confrim RSE will NOT be available this MY. I understand it is being considered for MY08 but this is not yet confirmed.

rgbyhkr

Unfortunately, I now have the same info from S-class product managers. The RSE system shown here needs to be modified to to work in US 221s (I don't have any details on what specifically needs to be changed). So, MBUSA is apparently working on that but the delay will prevent them from offering it as an option on US 2007 MY vehicles. No promises for 2008 MY or any other additional info.

Jeff

clsamg

georgous

johnlovescar

This is nice. I wonder if you can buy the 2 DVD Screen/Player and add into the current S-Class from MB. Anybody know (how much/when)?

amgme

wow, that looks great! neeeeed....

rgbyhkr

John,

If you mean the W220 S-Class, then the system shown here for the W221 probably wouldn't work. Over in Europe, AMG was offering a special option for the W220 when it was still in production that added a system similar to this one. It was called "AMG Advanced Mobile Media" and unfortunately was never offered as an orderable option for new vehicles through MBUSA. It's possible that you could still get the parts from AMG Germany for that system on a W220, but maybe not since they've moved on to the W221. There used to be a page on the AMG site where they showed it, but the site only shows current vehicles so the old stuff is now gone.

Of course, you have a variety of aftermarket options...

Jeff

galleryvw

in the second picture with the grey interior - what is that in the hollow of the armrest? it looks like a window to a wine cooler or something!

vraa

Man RSE looks like cheap aftermarket quality.
It should look seemless, not cheap. Offer a decent remote and make it distinctive, cover it with leather or match it with the wood in the car, heck make it aluminum? Make it look like you paid 100k$ for the car, not 10k$ and then another 200$ for some 'screenz'.

Just for comparison (I'm not saying the Lexus method is any better)
LS460


Another piece of crap plastic remote.

I dunno about you guys, but another 20$ tacked on to the sticker price wouldn't make or break a deal, but it sure would spice up the quality of a remote. I'm down for it.

It better be a wine cooler or something. My moms 2005 LS430 UL has a drink cooler in the back as well. It'd be a shame for the W221 not to have one...

rgbyhkr

And for every interrior wood trim color, you'd have to have matching components for the RSE system. That's a lot of extra component stocking for an option that probably isn't ordered regularly. So, they make it able to fit in to all interior colors. I've seen quite a few factory and after-market rear seat systems and this one really isn't all that bad. In my opinion, the best ones have the screen inste into the headrest with little else showing. MB couldn't do that in the W221 because of the PRESAFE headrest functionality - hence the major modification of the seat back.

Just out of curiosity, what do you think $20 gets you for a remote? I have previously and currently own several high end remotes. NONE of them go for less than $100 and most are several hundred. That includes more exotic remotes with LCDs or touchscreen displays as well as machined aluminum remotes that you see with higher end home theater components. Of course, since we all know how MB marks things up, you could be talking about someting that adds close to $1K to teh cost. Beyond that, since vehicles aren't always in our posession (valets, etc) and are often occupied by people who don't take great care of things (young children), an expensive remote that can get broken, lost or stolen doesn't make much sense to me.

It is a cooler box.

Jeff

vraa

Jeff, my previous post was very harsh. I was just mad after seeing the W216 and it's massive panel gaps on the hood.

gbahri

Are you kidding? Except for the remote, the Mercedes one looks 1000X better than the lexus. Plus it doesn't take away head room.

skd

be careful when ordering the system always order option code 810 surround sound system so the sound will play through the cars main speakers

cmcjo

Anyone have any suggestions for a rear video package for the new S600? Its comming in 3 weeks and I have an Xbox 360 that I plan to include in it.

Thanks

rgbyhkr

Man, there are a ton of options. Have you checked wth your dealer's aftermarket install guys or any aftermaret specialty shops? They both can give you all kinds of options from a variety of manufacturers that include rear screens with DVD playback, external AV inputs, iPod integration, etc. One of the coolest ones I've seen for the W221 is this one from Brabus:





This is supposedly one of the only aftermarket headrest systems that doesn't interfere with headrest PRESAFE functionality. However, according to the specialty guys at my dealer, even though they are also and authorized dealer for Brabus, that kind of mod has to be done by Brabus themselves in California. We were talking about it and he was saying that should the MB RSE system not be available for the 08 model year and I decided to go with this system, they could arrange to have the vehicle sent directly to Brabus from the VPC and thus only have to pay for it's transport back here to Atlanta rather than both ways.

Jeff

Jayhawk

900X anyway!

rgbyhkr

Yeah, and I feel like the choice probably was to possibly compromise the headrest PRESAFE functionality by doing it another way, disable it altogether for vehicles with an RSE option, seriosuly redesign the headrest PRESAFE functionality for all W221s to accommodate the option (assembly line considerations) or do this. This really seems like the most logical compromise. Besides which, pictures never tell a full story so in real life it might look better or worse.

In the end, the choice is yours (of course not yet here in the US since it isn't available) and you don't have to get it. Aftermarket options are available and it's pretty common for people to go with those in lieu of the factory option for RSE. When I checked out Lexus, BMW, and MB, they all "advised" me to go with aftermarket options for RSE in part by ******* the factory one. Of course, the dealerships make more money off of a dealer installable but they don't mention that point...

Again, given the losability of an item from a vehicle, the cheap remote makes sense to me. But hey, don't like it, why don't you BYO? It appears to only be a simple IR remote, so it's codes can be learned by 100s of universal remotes out there. Go crazy and replace it with whatever remote you want. As for OLED, I don't think anyone in the AV remote industry is using OLED display technology for screens on remotes. On the issue of a remote holder, I could be wrong, but I believe that the leather top of the rear armrest behind the controller wheel lifts up to reveal a storage area. The picture o fthe MB remote looks like it is pretty small so it would probably fit there just like the Lexus one does.

By the way Ricky, none of this is a personal shot at you and while seemingly sounding agressive, this is just my reaction to what I see as knitpicking. I for one am just glad that we might see a factory RSE option offered in the US market. the system has a few omissions but is much better than that sungle monitor in between the seat crap. MBUSA is still working on the compatability issue and there's no assurance that this system will be available for the 2008 model year. However, I have my fingers crossed since I'm #1 on my dealer's list for an 08 S. I should get final word on that early next year and will post here when I do.

Jeff

rgbyhkr

Can't miss that familiar nickname. Nice to see you here as well as AVS and the K owners forum. You gonna mount one of the new K 1U servers in the trunk too?

Jeff