Agent001
Agent001
Dis is your ninety eight vatchamacalit?
View My AgentSpace

Print this Page | Digg It | del.icio.us

Review: New Mercedes-Benz S350


He had just taken delivery of this rather splendid Mercedes-Benz S350 and was excited to be driving it, he said, but following the short drive home his mood changed dramatically. He became pensive and quiet, his wife told me. Later in the day he began mumbling to himself and repeatedly going to his front room window to look at the car, then going outside, walking round it, sitting in it and then disappearing off on drives lasting some hours.

Upon returning home the mumbling would be punctuated by key words and phrases: "Perfect!" "Never in all my years..." "Is there nothing wrong with it?" and, latterly, "**** me that thing is unbelievable!" He grew despondent, depressed. "What the hell am I going to write? I can't find a single fault with the thing! It's just too good," he exclaimed, out of the blue, during dinner that night.

Full review here



Comments:

Images hosted in your AgentSpace can now be posted in the comments section using the following syntax (case matters):
[img]IMAGE URL[/img]
Example: [img]http://agent004.myautospies.com/users/150/Sample-Gallery/sample1.JPG[/img]
xryderxryder - 4/20/2006 7:14:36 AM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
This is the kind of insult that Mercedes gets time and time again. I have never seen anyone ever suggest that a smaller engine is adequate in a BMW, Rolls, or Bentley. Can you imagine someone suggesting a v6 in a RR Phantom??? Imagine a v6 in a 7-series bimmer. I dont think so.

The horses under the hood (and design) is what separates this beautiful masterpiece from other equally large and luxurius rides. If you want a 3-liter v6 under the hood of this beast, then you should be driving Japanese... and i dont mean Lexus or Infiniti, I mean Hyundai Azera.

Show mercedes some respect...please.

reply to this comment
TauronB2GTauronB2G - 4/20/2006 1:16:25 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
In Europe they have always had 6 cylinder S Classes and even in the last two generation S Classes they have been sold here in the US. The BMW 7 Series also has had Inline 6's. Anyone remember the 735i? Its far from insulting to think that a 268hp V6 engine would not be able to motivate an S Class. True it won't do it as well as the 5.5 liter V8 but the car will still do just fine. Its not insulting at all.
T

reply to this comment
ThwartedEffortsThwartedEfforts - 4/20/2006 3:38:16 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
Can you really argue with a top speed of 155mph, a 0-60mph time of 7.3 seconds, and in the case of the diesel, almost 40mpg and a 660 mile tank range? If you're really set on equating HP with desirability, go buy a Porsche. Strange as it may seem, luxury cars major on luxury, not on power.

reply to this comment
AudioseAudiose - 4/20/2006 5:34:38 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
To ThwartedEfforts, yes I cna argue with a 0-60 time of 7.3 seconds. In an age where even Hyundais have the ability to do that time, would you really feel like you got your extensive money's worth to be constantly blown away and passed by by lesser cars? I would think it might be difficult to feel good about you expensive new car with even econoboxes walking off an leaving you. And it is Mercedes themselve that spin the S Class as the epitomee of automobile engineering. Plus they quite clearly participat in the horsepower race as much if not more than other manufacturers. So your argument doesn't seem to hold much water.

And to "scwolf". Are you serious? If you wanted to be environmentally friendly, you woudln't drive an S Class. You woudl drive a hybrid of some sort. And with the new Lexus, you can even have unquestioned luxury to boot. Plus the mileage difference between the V6 and the V8 in a heavy vehicle is nearly indistinguishable in normal driving (you can forget the EPA/dyno fuel economy numbers as they are not real and are not reproducible in any normal driving scenario).


reply to this comment
Ben55Ben55 - 4/20/2006 5:53:04 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
Great post scwolf. Keyword here is CHOICE.

I'm tired of the Europeans having all the fun. They even had a version of the V8 in the previous S that can shut down cylinders when not in use, similar to the V12.

For those that think the S350 is underpowered I hope you know the previous S430 had about 275hp and the S500 had 302hp. Those cars were no slouches.

I've driven the ML350 (268) and ML500 (302).
There is a difference, but it's not very big and it certainly doesn't justify the price difference. I actually feel sorry for people that bought the new ML500. They don't even know the engine was designed almost 10 years ago. Oh well they can always trade it in for the ML550.

90% of S class owners with their driving style would do just fine with a S350 or one with the new Bluetec diesel.


reply to this comment
Ben55Ben55 - 4/20/2006 6:10:58 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
You make some good points, but there should still be a CHOICE. Not many 60 year olds will drag race their S class.

I just feel like there should be a choice for everybody. Whether you want to do 600-800 miles on a tank with a Bluetec or you want the car to go 0-60 in 4 sec with the S65.




reply to this comment
porsche993porsche993 - 4/21/2006 8:22:52 AM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
I like the new S class, a V6 only means that it will be more available.

reply to this comment
Ben55Ben55 - 4/21/2006 2:58:50 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
MB never brought the previous S (short base) to the US. But they had the 92-99 W140 S320 short base. I think it sold pretty well since I see a bunch of them on the road. However, that generation was underpowered with 220hp.

Don't just look at the legroom. You need to consider the whole volume. The interior and trunk space is much bigger than E.






reply to this comment
xryderxryder - 4/21/2006 6:24:05 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
Mercedes DID have a S350 for sale here in the US starting last year. It didnt do well for two reasons: 1. Americans dont want or care about v6 S-classes and 2. Buyers held off in anticipation of the 2007 S-class. 3. The 2006 S430 AMG was being leased for 599/mo for 12-24 months and therefore smart buyers did not want to shell ot 60-70K for a dumbed-down, hollowed-out v6 shell of an automobile.

ok. i guess thats three reasons.

reply to this comment
Ben55Ben55 - 4/21/2006 8:16:35 PM
+1 BoostDrop the Boost Up the Boost
I stand corrected. Maybe we don't care much for the S350 now, but we will when gas prices start hitting $5-$6 a gal.

It would be nice if they brought the CDI.


reply to this comment
To post a comment for this story, you must first Login.

If you do not have an account, you will need to Register (It's Free!).

Most Recent Stories
GM Says It Will Sacrific SAAB, Saturn, Hummer, And Hobble Pontiac For Federal FundsNissan Sales Sour By 44.4% In November: Infiniti Drops 28.0% UPDATED: Audi Sales Ends The Free Ride By Skidding 25.4% In NovemberDETROIT AUTO SHOW: Audi Flexes It's Muscle And Is Set To Debut V10 R8 Sports-CarHonda Civic sales down nearly 30%, Toyota Highlander sales up nearly 50%Chrysler Outpaces GM To The Bottom Of The Heap: November Sales Fall 47%Ford Asks Congress For $9 Billion In Stand By Credit But Has No Plans To Use ItGM Sales Out Does Them All In A Bad Way: Sales Implode 41.3% In November2010 Nissan GT-R Spec V Reportedly Will Cost $160,000 but Not Get More hpJaguar and Land Rover in Big Trouble as Tata on the BubbleMercedes Benz Sales Crumble 38.2% In NovemberMazda Sales Tank 31.3% For NovemberHyundai Makes Everyone Else Look Good In November By Falling 40%Porsche and BMW to Halt Production Honda Sales Falter 30.6% In November: Acura Freefalls 38.9%The World Bids Farewell to the YugoBMW Sales Plummet 36.1% Mini Sales Explode 43.1% In NovemberGM Ceases All Corporate Jet Flights: To Sell Remaining JetsToyota Sales Spiral In November Down 33.9%: Lexus Basement Bound Down 34.7%FOMOCO Sales Continue To Flatline: Down 30.6% In NovemberVolkswagen Finally Fumbles In 2008: November Sales Drop 19.2%Japanese and South Korean Car Sales Plummet in NovemberComparison Test: 2008 BMW M5 vs. 2009 Cadillac CTS-V vs. 2009 Mercedes-Benz C63The Big Three Bailout According to SNLNissan 370Z goes from 0 to 60 in the same time as the BMW M3Mulally chooses Escape Hybrid for D.C. road tripFisker to unveil production Karma Hybrid in DetroitToyota Halts Production And Cuts Management Bonuses To Maintain Positive CashflowChrysler says 2011 Charger and 300 will pass fuel-economy standards2009 GMC Yukon XL DenaliFORD CEO Alan Mulally Will Drive to Washington D.C. To BEG For Money - But What Car Will He Drive To D.C.? His Lexus, OR Perhaps Maybe a Ford Product?Industry Sales Likely To Be Down 28% In November GM May Fare WorseLotus Evora order list includes 007 and Top Gear hostsEveryone Is On A Budget, But Are These 5 Your Choice To Keep Living Large?Could The Detroit Recovery Plan Really As Simple As Merging In To One?Fiat Abarth 500 receives Top Gear’s “Best Hot Hatch” awardDetroit Tells UAW They Can No Longer Pay For Idled Workers To Play Checkers2010 Porsche Panamera auto show debut delayedSwedish Government Confirms Discussions With Volvo and SAABBMW not putting MINI E into mass-productionTop Gear Car of the Year 2008 award goes to VW SciroccoNew Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X FQ-400: Limited Edition with 405HP2009 Nissan 370Z Driven in Japan2010 Jaguar XF-R spotted nearly finishedUAW wants limits on carmakers' executive payDoes It Hurt The BMW Brand Image When They Are Being Sold At Costco?2008 Essen Motor Show: Vw unveils Touareg North Sails EditionCarlsson releases limited edition automatic watchVideo: 2009 Mini Cooper Cabrio in actionPorsche Museum to open its gates on 31 January 2009