All Entries Tagged With: "mercedes S550"
Keeping It “Low Key”: New S550 In Lieu of a Phantom?
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG RR NA and MBUSA
APPEARANCES, it would appear, still matter.
And in such times when the public’s hatred toward banks takes on visceral tones, those loved ones at home who benefit from such banking largesse (read: bonuses) are keen on moderating their former flamboyance.
Take, for example this tasty tidbit from McClatchy that hit the web today:
With many formerly high-flying residents still out of work, there are signs that the financial crisis has chastened Greenwich, but they’re subtle.
“Modesty is in, for the first time in a while,” said Ron Arbusman, who runs Viggi, one of about a dozen jewelry shops along the avenue.
One of Arbusman’s clients buys his wife a Rolls-Royce every few years, and she was angling for a new one. “But he did not want to be flashy,” Arbusman said. The woman settled for a Mercedes S550 sedan, which starts at $91,600
“Settling” never sounded so good.
Changing of the Guard: W221 and W220
Apples and Pears: LWB W221 S-Class and SWB W220 S-Class pictured.
By Gunnar Heinrich | IMG Daimler, AG
COMPANIES always run the risk of upstaging themselves when they introduce one product alongside its successor. And while it is commendable that Mercedes in the last few years has been trumping its new line’s connection with the company’s yesteryear, they do run the risk of a cross-comparo that doesn’t necessarily favor the successor.
The above photo that was shot for Mercedes-Benz PR purposes is a case in point.
To be sure the W220 (the predecessor S-Class) leaves a checkered legacy of approximate build quality and the many pitfalls of putting here-today, outdated-tomorrow technology over timeless class and engineering. That said when compared to the current, bulbous Sonderklasse (W221), it’s readily apparent that visually the W220 strikes as the more elegant form.
It seems as though whoever took this promotional image understood the older car’s strength over the new model. Pictured above is the standard wheelbase predecessor next to the long-wheelbase version of the new flagship. The difference is easily detected in the size of the rear door.
The point, of course, is to emphasize the fact that the W221 is the bigger (and therefore better) car. But in terms of bumper to bumper footprint, the generational difference LWB to LWB is only a matter of two inches.
The W221 is the better car. Having driven a current gen. S550 4-Matic and a predecessor S500 4-Matic, the difference in quality is easily identifiable. That said the predecessor, particularly the post-2003 refit, is still the better looking car. No amount of staged trickery can disguise that.
