cjf_moraga

Well I picked up my new S600 today! Here are some quick pictures... I originally expected to get a S63 but went for the S600 for the reasons stated in this thread in the AMG section...

https://mbworld.org/forums/s55-amg-s65-amg-s63-amg-w220-w221/210927-s63-s600-my-choice.html

Guess I belong here now!

Note the rear pipes for model year 2008 seem different... the ridged alcantara in the headliner... (which seems thicker and more sumptuous than on the 63)...also note the ridged leather on the doors... I also like the visual illusion that in silver the car looks/feels smaller than in black or darker colors... I was looking for a more understated look... My teenage sons figured out all the rear seat options pretty quickly! Some early impressions...

Coming out of an E55, the S600 definitely has a similar feel in acceleration with the V12's wonderful low down torque... it's a little more civilized, though admittedly at under 100 miles on the clock I was not pushing the engine to far, but it definitely pins you to the seat... despite the extra V12 engine weight up front I was not really aware of it.... the car felt easy to handle... Switching to S mode in the curves immediately showed how the ABC does a great job... The S600 does not feel a slouch on the curves at all... Still early days of course but impressed so far...

For the first 15 minutes on the freeway the A/C did not seem to be working for some odd reason... Eventually I figured out that you actually have got to turn the A/C ON in COMMAND first... then you can turn it up and down... No doubt lots of things to find out like this as we become acquainted... As they say in the software industry... RTFM!

Cheers!

Chris

AdamG@NorCal

Congrats Chris, bring her by sometimes!

JRAMGV8

Nice.. where in the Bay Area are you located, im in South Bay

AsianML

She's a beauty! I love the 2008 changes for the interior. It also looks like the Incenio Denebola wheels are standard for 2008 (other 2008 S600s I've seen had those).

trumpet1

Great looking car. I've not seen a 2008 model S600 yet so I have to ask what is printed on the seat logo?


OOps! I just saw one on ebay. I now realize it says V12 on that logo

cjf_moraga

Thanks Guys,

Trumpet1 - the seat logos are little silver V12 embossed plates... the S600 is rather gratuitous with its V12's... (Just so you don't forget) There is a silver V12 logo on the front dash, 2 outside behind the front wheel arch, on each of the 4 seats, and even the floormats have the same silver v12 logo each also!

AsianML - the wheels are not a standard part of the S600 price yet - they were an "optional extras" that were included on the pre-built cars coming in. I am glad they included though as they do look great... the spoke pattern is about dense enough to cover the fact that the brake calipers don't look anything like as good as the AMG ones though... (minor niggle) though they seem plemty powerful enough..

JRAMGV8 - I am in the East Bay... look out for me on the 580 and the 24!

Chris

pmb600

Beautiful! But that shopping cart just hanging out near your car is was making me nervous!

shadowgriffen

Such a STUNNING automobile!

No nonsense what-so-ever!

Ormond2004

Very elegant. Drive it in good health!!

srice

cjf:

I like the color combo. It looks vaguely familiar. From the pictures, I can see what you mean about the brakes. I'm sure they work fine, but the AMG's brakes work great and look like they can stop a freight train (I think they can!)

The wheels are better than the ugly disc-looking-things, but for me, and after liviing with the AMG's 20's for so long, the 19's look small.

As I said before, how bad can it be choosing between these two awesome automobiles.

Enjoy your ride!

02S430

MercPlease

I love the exhaust pipes!

Ferri

Is that the exhaust it came from the factory? It has the quad look, although the only addition seems to be that vertical partition in the middle.

The extra quilted look on the interior leather is a welcome addition in America, but it was available in Europe since the beginning. It was my major gripe with the S600 that we did not have it available. I like the pattern of the leather even more than the S65's, actually. Also, I hear we will see the sport package make a return on the 600s now.

pmb600

That is the factory exhaust on the S and CL 600 for MY 2008.

I don't think that what you wrote is correct about the Euro S600s having that leather from the beginning. There is a member on this forum with a 2007 S600 in Europe who did not have this leather design. The design on the 2008 S600s was on all designo models in 2007 and the 2007 CL600.

cjf_moraga

Hello Feri,

Yes that is indeed the factory exhaust that came with my 2008 S600... Here are some close up shots... you can see it actually is not a quad exhaust, but rather each pipe has a kind of splitter in the center.... I loved and prefered the look of the quads on my old E55 but this design is growing on me...

Very interesting if the sport package really is coming to the S600 - that might influence prospective S63 v S600 purchase decisions... Much as I like the AMG 6.3 V8, I find the V12 engine is something else again... who cares if it is older and has SOHC... the feel of a 2.5 ton car pulling like a locomotive at only 3000 RPM with so little effort is amazing! Its my first V12 and as an ex E55 driver I am feeling quite at home...

Its all good! As srice has mentioned these are great choices to have...

Chris

Ferri

I may be wrong, but I saw S600s sitting at the dealers in Frankfurt and Paris that had the trim in non-designo packages, where the embossed emblem read "V12". That is where my claim is based. You may be right, however, packaging of options is very confusing in Europe for us American consumers, i.e. much more flexible.

Ferri

Thanks for the close-ups, indeed it is a far more interesting look. May I add that your car looks phenomenal? What size are those wheels? Are the old-look ones, with the new engraved lines splitting the spokes no longer available? I liked those (first debuted in the CL 600 with the groove on the spoke).

pmb600

Is is possible. In Europe they have dozens of designo colors and can order them outside of the limited package selection we get in the US. It is possible they just had designo interiors. But I guess then they might have designo seat badges.

Ormond2004

Thanks for the photos. How is the new car doing? Any update?

cjf_moraga

Hi Ormond2004, Guys,

I have had my S600 for almost 2 weeks now... My biggest impression so far is a sense of relief that I chose it over an S63... Why? The following comments are purely subjective and *personal* preferences and absolutely not a criticism of the fine qualities of the S63 which I also took home before choosing the S600... and I am sure S63 drivers (srice) have their own opinions!

It has though been nagging me what did not feel quite right about the S63... I had just come off of an E55 so an S63 seemed a natural move up... but the S600 increasingly seems to have more "depth".. not just as the flagship S-class with a tangible feeling that this model above all has been singled out for exceptional treatment and quality control, or that it is fully loaded and the FY08 interior trim is more sumptuous than an S550 or S63.. (or even an 2007 S600) ... or that the V12 engine (my first) feels, sounds, and drives so beautifully... The whole vehicle feels more composed, rounded, and coherent... The V12 engine and 5 speed transmission alone has a lot of unused potential (especially with an ECU upgrade) whereas the NA S63 and 7 speed is more "maxed out" from an HP and torque perspective...

..and torque! 612 lb/foot low rev torque is incredible... the TT V12 power delivery is MUCH more like my old E55.. Sure it's a bit more civilized (and insulated) and I am treating the engine gently as I am only just over 500 miles, but its pulling power at low revs (for a 2.5 ton car) is the similar physical kick in the back excitement you get from an E55... In fact it feels a little unreal that a car this big/heavy can accelerate so fast! ...and neither in Sport setting do I find the ABC suspension floaty, barge like, or any other sin in the handling department that S600's (perhaps previous models) have been accused of... At least not in my normal driving conditions.

I accept of course that the tuned S63 AMG suspension is likely superior in more extreme/dynamic situations, but when it comes to point and shoot acceleration on California roads within legal (or reasonable!) speed limits the S600 can outrun anything I have encountered so far... In this months Car and Driver review of the S63 (if you believe it) they state the S600 0-60 as low as 4.2 seconds against the S63's 4.5 seconds... Not sure how many here have actually driven a new S600 - and that is the lowest figure I have ever seen, but even before fully wringing out the engine from experience I can believe it might be possible... as stated the engine/vehicle just feels possessed of unexplored depth and potential...

Now obviously a TT V12 is not the same as a NA V8... but there is the rub... the price/value of a loaded S63 against an S600 just does not feel in balance... To get a fully loaded S63 costs almost as much as a good deal on an S600... Seems only if you do not want all the S class technology/options (But then why buy an S Class?) and the AMG value proposition is REALLY important does an S63 make sense price wise at least... My personal summary is that the S63 does not feel quite as extreme in its performance and dynamics (in its size/weight category) as an AMG should be... In the way that the E55 in its size/weight category is so over the top... An AMG should be top of the performance chain... (As the S65 certainly is) The present model line feels equivalent to having an E550 that is as fast or faster than the E55/E63... The current price/value structure of the S-Class product is not quite coherent..

Nothing that has not been said on this forum before I know, but I do think that if or when AMG brings out a TT version of their V8 then the S63 will possess a much stronger identity and will become a true inheritor to the 55K engined S55. This was also part of my worry concerning the S63... that if or when this happens the S63 will quickly go the way of the old non-kompressor S55's in its devaluation... whereas an ECU upgrade in the V12TT will keep the engine competitive for some years to come...

(Advance bias warning: The S600 and I are still on honeymoon!)

I think Mercedes hit the ball out of the park with the current model S600... it's expensive yes, but with so much depth and quality... I do believe the S600 is under-estimated by many in the performance/handling department compared to the AMG's... I don't really have any negative comments so far except that the trunk lid shape makes it easy to whack my head on it and it is thirsty in stop/go traffic... (No surprise!) There again 1 tank of premium gas is currently costing me about $65-$70 here in Northern CA and the trip computer gives a (freeway) range of 300+ miles... which is not too bad!

Chris

WSH

Interesting observations....

Have had CL550/600 (and S550 at launch) and have CL63 (and just passed on getting CL65 (lame steering precision/wheels vs 63 030))....my issues w/600 (though one of world's 3-4 greatest cars today IMO).....are weak brake pedal feel/stopping capab vs 63 (even in fwy driving on SF Peninsula); rather lackluster steering precision, feel and aesthetics vs 63 (combo of 250lb heavier motor over front wheels and that silly wood steering wheel...even annoying in CA fwy driving)....

And, in case of '08 600, what's w/those ghetto exhaust pipes??? Looks like a >70yo Atherton/Woodside codger's 600 got mugged in Oakland/EastBay.....but still has the codgerly brake calipers/steering wheel/body kit....

Agree, despite 4 different SKUs each for S and CL (?!?!), MBUSA managed to bungle each of these cars in different ways in terms of body kit/interior trim&finishes, etc....all in a recessionary environment.....the inventory levels of new, unsold S/CL600/63/65 across US prob say it best....

pmb600

In this case, I don't know that MBUSA is to blame. The only thing they did is that the S600 is not available with an AMG Sport package, which is a real loss in my opinion. I do like their strategy of having all options standard on the S/CL 600 unlike the W220 and W215.

Interesting your comments on the 600's brakes. I drove a 2007 S600 last year and felt that they were a little too unresponsive for such a large vehicle. Not bad, just surprised me a bit.

06CLK350

Congrats on the car! It is very nice.

KINGofRIDES

Congratulations. Great car

Infamous Jiggs

I have a 2007 S600 and I think it is the greatest car I have ever owned. I absolutely love it. I traded in my Flying Spur for it and have never looked back.