Mercedes-Benz W221

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For a complete overview of all S-Class models see Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

The W221 Mercedes-Benz S-Class is the current luxury flagship sedan produced by Mercedes-Benz, a division of Daimler-Chrysler.

Mercedes-Benz first released pictures of their new W221 S-Class sedans in June 2005 and announced that they will go on sale in Europe in autumn 2005 as the 2006 model and early in 2006 in the U.S. as the 2007 model. The North American introduction for the W221 was at the Los Angeles Auto Show in January, 2006, with the S550, followed by the S65 AMG introduced at the 2006 North American International Auto Show.

The new S-Class is slightly larger than its predecessor, the W220, in all dimensions. It will be available in two body lengths - 5076 mm or 5206 mm, which are 33 mm and 43 mm more than the previous S-Class respectively. The wheelbase has increased (by 70 mm and 80 mm) to 3035 mm and 3165 mm respectively. The body is also 16 mm wider and 29 mm higher than those of the previous model. The W221 features a more aggressive, Maybach-like appearance, this combined with the increased dimensions give the car tremendous physical presence, required in this elevated class. There are three newly developed engines with up to 26 percent more power. The interior is also completely new, all materials have been upgraded to make for a more luxurious ride (far better than the previous W220 model), also the center-mounted transmission has been replaced with a column-shifter, creating space for the new COMAND system's control wheel in the centre console.

Three of the engines available for the new S-Class are newly developed and they generate up to 26 percent more output and up to 15 percent more torque than in previous versions. Models equipped with V6 and V8 engines will feature a seven-speed automatic transmission '7G-TRONIC' as the part of standard equipment. 4MATIC four wheel drive will become available in the fourth quarter of 2006. One major mechanical change is the elimination of brake by wire technology in favor of conventional hydraulic power assist. The brakes continue to become more advanced, however, with the new Brake Assist Plus system monitoring for an impending collision and increasing braking force if needed, while the Distronic Plus cruise control can automatically bring the car to a complete stop in traffic.

The new S-Class also has an improved 'airmatic' suspension system that provides a comfortable ride without compromising on handling ability. This flagship car has also set new benchmarks in noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). Reviewers have said that the car is significantly quieter than any of its rivals (and that includes the Lexus LS model). Many different acoustic measures have resulted in the noise reduction of this car over its predecessor (which is said to be an overall of five or more decibels louder), including the use of highly efficient insulating materials which reduce vibrations. Overall Mercedes-Benz deploys some 170 fibre, fleece and foam elements for sound insulation in the new S-Class. The cars drag coefficient is also one of the lowest in the class, with a reading of 0.26.

On October 31, 2005, the British television show Fifth Gear test drove the S-Class for two days.Fifth Gear. [Behind the scenes - series 8, week 4] The reviewer suggested that it’s Distronic Plus automatic braking system works well in stop-start traffic. When making a last-minute lane change at 100 mile-per-hour, however, he braked manually because the vehicle was close to rear-ending a car in front of it. The reviewer claimed that it takes "nerves of steel" to believe that the system would have stopped in time. Later in the test drive at night, the reviewer could see the feet of a person about 150 meter ahead with Headlights on through the windscreen, but he could not see the same person on the vehicle's night vision display. As a result, the reviewer suggested that the Night View Assist option does not work, labelling it a "gimmick". On May 28, 2006, Top Gear, another British television show, showcased the W221. Jeremy Clarkson, the reviewer, suggested that the night vision was "fantastic"^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} in low-light conditions with just normal dipped headlights on, providing a non-distracting view of the road ahead. Clarkson suggested that the car was, technologically speaking, ten years ahead of the average car.

Towards the end of 2005, a video clip of a demonstration at the Mercedes' factory in Germany was being circulated on the internet, and was even broadcast by BBC's Top Gear car program. In the video an S-Class vehicle crashed into a parked car in front, the Distronic feature appeared not to be functioning in the heavy fog of the simulation. A Mercedes-Benz spokesperson later said that the Distronic Plus and Brake Assist Plus systems failed because of the test conditions: the demonstration was conducted in a ‘metal-walled room,’ and as the driver aids react to metallic objects, the system was overloaded, resulting in failure. Mercedes Benz claims that Distronic Plus and Brake Assist Plus have been thoroughly tested and scrutinized from infancy.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} When Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the vehicle on Top Gear in 2006, it effectively slowed and stopped in city traffic without the use of the brake pedal.

Contents

1 Features
2 Engines
3 AMG models
4 References
5 External links

Features

The W221 features many new or improved electronic driver aids, some of the more notable are listed here:

Brake Assist Plus (BAS Plus) with radar that increases braking force if it detects an imminent crash
Pre-Safe protection closes the sunroof and windows, adjusts the seats, inflates the seat bolsters and back rests, and tightens the front seatbelts if it detects an imminent crash
Distronic Plus cruise control can bring the vehicle to a complete stop in traffic (0 - 124mph working range)
Park Assist/Parktronic uses a rear camera and all round radar to monitor the extremities of the vehicle and assists in parking (pioneered on W140 S-Class)
Night view assist provides improved vision at night with infrared cameras and two special headlights (which use 'Near Infrared light (NIR)') to extend the driver's field of vision
Linguatronic voice control system
Standard keyless entry
Pushbutton engine start and stop button
An electronic parking brake
New COMAND control centre with colour display allows access to most of the cars functions, this is the first such system in the world to use a hard-drive rather than the usual DVD-driven arrangement

Audio: The new S-Class also features the new Harman Kardon/Becker surround sound system, and once again this ground breaking car raises the proverbial bar, this time for in-car audio equipment. Realising that for many people, the car provides their best opportunity for some serious listening the new Mercedes-Benz flagship is the first fully streamed digital in-car DVD-A system (using DTCP and MOST technologies). Whatever you play your music from (MP3, DVD, CD ...etc) the Harmon Kardon logic7 technology allows all passengers of the car to receive an astonishing audio experience, and can also reproduce 5.1 'cinema-style' surround sound with DTS or Dolby Digital decoding

In the S-Class a 13-channel Digital Processing system feeds signals to 14 strategically placed speakers through a 600-Watt amplifier; and at no point is the signal converted from digital to analogue. The 13-channel system is specially designed for the S-Class and creates a 360-degree sound-field for every passenger, and is able to move the perceived location of the sound source away from the individual speaker, so it is impossible to identify the location of a speaker from its sound.

The S-Class sound system is a revolution in, in-car sound technology because it combines familiar technology with truly cutting edge innovations (such as DTCP and MMX (Metal Matrix techonology) speakers) to provide an unparalleled audio system and maximise listening plesure. Peter Ebel, The S-Class programme's senior Electronics manager said "If you wanted such a system installed in your living room, you'd be looking at around three times the cost of an S-Class model. We like to think owners will be getting the best sound system in the world at an unbeatable price."

Engines

Years	Model	Engine type	Displacement	Fuel	Power	Torque
2006–present	S 320 CDI	Turbo Diesel V6	3.0 L	Diesel	240 PS (235 hp/170 kW)	398 ft·lbf (540 N·m)
2006–present	S 350	V6	3.5 L	Gasoline	272 PS (268 hp/200 kW)	258 ft·lbf (350 N·m)
2006–present	S 450	V8	4.6 L	Gasoline	340 PS (335 hp/250 kW)	TBD
2006–present	S 500 (S 550)	V8	5.5 L	Gasoline	388 PS (383 hp/285 kW)	391 ft·lbf (530 N·m)
2006–present	S 420 CDI	Turbo Diesel V8	4.0 L	Diesel	314 PS (310 hp/231 kW)	TBD
2006–present	S 600	Twin-turbo V12	5.5 L	Gasoline	517 PS (510 hp/380 kW)	612 ft·lbf (830 N·m)
2006–present	S 63 AMG	V8	6.2 L	Gasoline	510 PS (503 hp/375 kW)	465 ft·lbf (630 N·m)
2006–present	S 65 AMG	Twin-turbo V12	6.0 L	Gasoline	612 PS (604 hp/450 kW)	TBD

AMG models

Mercedes-Benz will sell two different AMG versions of the S-Class: The S 65 AMG will carry over the previous 6.0 L twin-turbo V12 engine, while the new S 63 AMG will share a naturally-aspirated 6.2L V8 (dubbed M156 in development) with the ML63 AMG and R63 AMG. The chassis tuning is reworked for firmer handling and stronger brakes. The W221 S 65 AMG will be introduced in January 2006 at the North American International Auto Show.

The V12 model uses the same engine as the previous generation S 65 AMG, with power of 612 PS (450 kW) and torque of 1000 N·m (738 ft·lbf) . The V8 model produces 510 PS (380 kW) from a 6208 cc displacement, and will follow later in 2006, at the same time as the equivalent version of the CLS. The AMG V8 has the advantage of using the 7G-TRONIC, while the V12 still relies on the old 5-speed Speedshift.

References

External links

[[Template:Classic Mercedes-Benz-Azubis vehicles|<- Previous]]

Mercedes-Benz road car timeline, 1980s-present [ edit]

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