No more rear wheel drive 550's
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 200
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From: Vancouver BC Canada
'95 S500 '93 500 SEL
No more rear wheel drive 550's
To my dismay you can no longer buy a new rear wheel drive S550 or even CL550 or E550 anymore in Canada, they are all 4Matic.
If you want the balanced handling of rear wheel drive you have to step up the a 600, 63 or 65.
To me this is sacrilege, how do you guys feel?
Is this the same is USA?
If you want the balanced handling of rear wheel drive you have to step up the a 600, 63 or 65.
To me this is sacrilege, how do you guys feel?
Is this the same is USA?
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 562
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From: East Bay Area, CA
2013 SL 550 (Previously 2012 Porsche Panamera Turbo-S, 2015 Tesla P85D, 2007 S600, 2005 E55 AMG)
To my dismay you can no longer buy a new rear wheel drive S550 or even CL550 or E550 anymore in Canada, they are all 4Matic.
If you want the balanced handling of rear wheel drive you have to step up the a 600, 63 or 65.
To me this is sacrilege, how do you guys feel?
Is this the same is USA?
If you want the balanced handling of rear wheel drive you have to step up the a 600, 63 or 65.
To me this is sacrilege, how do you guys feel?
Is this the same is USA?
Chris
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From: Europe
223.168 & 213.012 & 906.633 & 214.005
Don't know how it is in the US but I'm surprised that you feel the RWD model having a more balanced handling than the 4Matic.
I live in a place where we have snow at winter, probably similarly to many places in Canada (I know, not an accurate definition) and would love to have a 4-Matic but then again would not buy it for a W221 body because it already does quite well at winter and I don't want the drop in mileage. But we just got a 204.089 to the family, a second 4-Matic since the S124 series.
The freedom to pick up the combination you like is something we can enjoy in Europe. But we do pay for it.
I live in a place where we have snow at winter, probably similarly to many places in Canada (I know, not an accurate definition) and would love to have a 4-Matic but then again would not buy it for a W221 body because it already does quite well at winter and I don't want the drop in mileage. But we just got a 204.089 to the family, a second 4-Matic since the S124 series.
The freedom to pick up the combination you like is something we can enjoy in Europe. But we do pay for it.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Vancouver BC Canada
'95 S500 '93 500 SEL
Yes I think the freedom to pick was perfect.
I got my W140 when I was 16, Im now 20 and maby because of my age drove my S more aggressive.
Do you guys not enjoy being able to turn off TC and get the back end out!
I belvie there are few things in life more fun then 2 tons of S Class going sideways.
I have never wanted to own a 220 so my next car will be a 221, but the fact that I can not have 2 wheel drive is a huge turn off.
Maby i said it wrong in my first tread by saying 2WD is more blanced, I think I should have said it is more natural feeling.
Does anyone eles feel the same about 4wd?
I got my W140 when I was 16, Im now 20 and maby because of my age drove my S more aggressive.
Do you guys not enjoy being able to turn off TC and get the back end out!
I belvie there are few things in life more fun then 2 tons of S Class going sideways.
I have never wanted to own a 220 so my next car will be a 221, but the fact that I can not have 2 wheel drive is a huge turn off.
Maby i said it wrong in my first tread by saying 2WD is more blanced, I think I should have said it is more natural feeling.
Does anyone eles feel the same about 4wd?
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From: Clifton, NJ
96 and 08 911 turbos
I would say that about 85% of S/CL/E550 drivers do not treat their cars as sports cars. therefore, aside from a marginal weight increase and the elimination of burnouts, there is no really nothing to get up in arms about here.
If you're really that concerned about the balance of vehicle, you probably shouldn't be driving these 4000+lb sedan/coupes.
If you're really that concerned about the balance of vehicle, you probably shouldn't be driving these 4000+lb sedan/coupes.
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From: Clifton, NJ
96 and 08 911 turbos
If I wanted to do that sort of thing, I wouldn't have bought a mercedes. These are not sports cars in the slightest bit.
I love my AWD
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From: Vancouver BC Canada
'95 S500 '93 500 SEL
S-Class's from the very beggining have been disigned with performance in mind.
I understand S class's are not sport cars but for their size and weight they are SUPERB.
Im not saying 4wd is bad, if i lived some where with allot of annual snowfall I would deff. choose 4Matic, it is a very inteligent / efficent system.
I feel that buy forcing the option of 4wd Mercedes may be upseting a percentage of SClass owners like myslef who enjoy the handling aspecs of rear wheels drive.
What I would like to find out is how many other owners enjoy their 2wd?
I understand S class's are not sport cars but for their size and weight they are SUPERB.
Im not saying 4wd is bad, if i lived some where with allot of annual snowfall I would deff. choose 4Matic, it is a very inteligent / efficent system.
I feel that buy forcing the option of 4wd Mercedes may be upseting a percentage of SClass owners like myslef who enjoy the handling aspecs of rear wheels drive.
What I would like to find out is how many other owners enjoy their 2wd?
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From: pittsburgh
'25 740i; '15 targa4s; '24 cayenne
i've had a number of rear whell drive benzos and my s550 is the first 4matic i've owned ,,, and i'm hooked. i live in chicago where 2m-3m of the year the weather is bad enough that i need the security of the 4matic system. my rear wheel drive cars were absolute shiite in the winter time, and i would always get them sideways - unintentionally! this 4matic will climb trees and that's why i bought it. so - you will not find any love from me on the 2wd option; 4matic all the way for me. but then again - i bought a large sedan for purposes of cruising the motorways. not for tracking it around the neighborhood.
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Joined: Jun 2005
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From: Oakville, ON
'12 ML350
I wonder if this would apply to the U.S. market as well, given the number of non-4matic W221s I've seen.
When I had first ordered an S550 before I decided on the E63, my dealer tried for almost two months to get a RWD S550 with the ABC option here in the NY area but were unable to do so, as the supply seemed to have been cornered by dealer(s) in the southern California market.
Frustrated, I decided to get the 4matic since I couldn't get the ABC anyway - but my first choice was RWD. I like AWD, had an '04 Audi A8L before my move to Mercedes-Benz for this round but I definitely prefer, if a choice was available, a RWD platform.
When the E63 lease is up in 13 months, I'd consider another S550 4matic - if the ABC option is still not available to me. But if I can get the RWD with ABC, that would be the car for me!
When I had first ordered an S550 before I decided on the E63, my dealer tried for almost two months to get a RWD S550 with the ABC option here in the NY area but were unable to do so, as the supply seemed to have been cornered by dealer(s) in the southern California market.
Frustrated, I decided to get the 4matic since I couldn't get the ABC anyway - but my first choice was RWD. I like AWD, had an '04 Audi A8L before my move to Mercedes-Benz for this round but I definitely prefer, if a choice was available, a RWD platform.
When the E63 lease is up in 13 months, I'd consider another S550 4matic - if the ABC option is still not available to me. But if I can get the RWD with ABC, that would be the car for me!
Thread Starter
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Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Vancouver BC Canada
'95 S500 '93 500 SEL
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Joined: Jun 2005
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From: Oakville, ON
'12 ML350
As far as weight, handling or fuel mileage, I have no illusions that the RWD S550 isn't going to be appreciably superior than the 4matic version in day to day driving - especially with my family in the car.
So, it really is just down to personal preference for RWD versus the 4matic.
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From: Clifton, NJ
96 and 08 911 turbos
Not a soul on earth can convince me that a 5200lb brick was designed for performance.
I think the S-Class was designed with passenger comfort in mind, with a decent engine, and a soft ride.
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From: Paradise (a.k.a. Austin, TX)
'09 S63 AMG
Sorry, but I disagree. You can't tell me that MB designed the 126 or the 140 to handle well.
Not a soul on earth can convince me that a 5200lb brick was designed for performance.
I think the S-Class was designed with passenger comfort in mind, with a decent engine, and a soft ride.
Not a soul on earth can convince me that a 5200lb brick was designed for performance.
I think the S-Class was designed with passenger comfort in mind, with a decent engine, and a soft ride.
They pretty much redefine the concept of a "5200lb brick designed for performance".
Thread Starter
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Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Vancouver BC Canada
'95 S500 '93 500 SEL
and as for the 126 and 140's not being designed with performance in mind
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDAcMFdIA6c
MBWorld Fanatic!
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From: Clifton, NJ
96 and 08 911 turbos
That said, I have driven an S65, and while the car was seriously quick, you can absolutely feel the heft in the turns. Even with ABC in its firmest setting, the car still feels like it weighs 4500lbs.
and as for the 126 and 140's not being designed with performance in mind
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDAcMFdIA6c
Not to mention, that thing rolls like a schooner around those bends.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 200
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From: Vancouver BC Canada
'95 S500 '93 500 SEL
No one ever said they are sport cars. If you have ever drove the 126's and 140's competition in the 80's and 90's you will see that they had FAR better handling, breaking and performance then all with the exception of the 7 series. So obviously it was in the minds of Mercedes when they were developing them.
btw this is not what this thread was about
btw this is not what this thread was about
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I can't afford
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2007 S550 AMG with ABC
If you check the Canadian Mercedes Benz web site
http://www.mercedes-benz.ca/index.cfm?id=309
The S450, S550 and CL550 are only listed as available in 4 Matic.
The one thing I didn't realise is that the S63 and the S550 both use the same gear box , the 7G-TRONIC. The S63 adds a manual mode and has a modified program to allow for faster gear changes at different RPMs, something that should be possible on the S550 with a software update.
http://www.mercedes-benz.ca/index.cfm?id=309
The S450, S550 and CL550 are only listed as available in 4 Matic.
The one thing I didn't realise is that the S63 and the S550 both use the same gear box , the 7G-TRONIC. The S63 adds a manual mode and has a modified program to allow for faster gear changes at different RPMs, something that should be possible on the S550 with a software update.
