The large Mercedes S500 continues to cut a swath through the luxury sedan
market. Despite brutal competition from Audi, BMW, Infiniti and Lexus, the
Mercedes highway cruiser is still the vehicle of choice for many buyers who
want the ultimate in luxury transport.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is available in three V-8 versions. On the low end
there¹s the S430 model. A step up is our test S500. The S55 AMG offers a
pumped-up hot rod version with 355 horsepower. At the top of the current
line resides the S600 with a V-12 engine and all of the luxury amenities
possible in today¹s auto market.

A weekend trip of about 400 miles seemed to be the perfect venue to test the
mettle of the S500. This report breaks down the car¹s design and performance
relating to its ability as a long-distance road car. And with air travel
seeming to further unravel each month, long-distance motoring seems to be an
increasingly viable alternative.

Engine and transmission: The hefty V-8 offers great performance,
particularly considering the size and weight of the S500. There is lots of
power regardless of vehicle speed. And the engine delivery is both smooth
and exceptionally quiet. The automatic transmission that Mercedes utilizes
in the S-Class may be the best in the industry, offering seamless operation
as well as the feature to allow the driver to manually select gears by
moving the gear lever to the right and left.

Ride and handling: The S-Class is more than just a rolling living room. It
is as solid as an express train at high speeds, although its sheer bulk is a
bit unwieldy on really challenging mountain roads. The S500 is an adept road
car‹able to take high-speed sweeping curves with the utmost composure, yet
maintaining excellent overall ride quality. The S500 just demands to be
driven fast, so keep a close eye on the speedometer.

Safety. The S-Class deploys a host of modern safety equipment that enhances
the feeling of well-being. Smart airbags deploy with full force during a
high-speed impact, but with only partial force for a low-speed collision.
Standard equipment also includes side-impact airbags mounted in each of the
four doors as well as safety curtain airbags that drop down from the
headliner and cover the windows to protect passengers from head injuries.

Design: The Mercedes-Benz has done a wonderful job of developing a
contemporary design palate, yet one that retains important elements of the
company¹s unparallel history. The S500 presents a sleek appearance that
belies its actual size. Its aerodynamic qualities offer reasonable gas
mileage and whisper-quiet interior noise levels at highway speeds. In fact,
even at very fast highway speeds both my wife and I noted the almost
complete absence of wind noise. The interior is so quiet you can speak in a
soft voice and still be heard. The silence enhances both the experience of
recorded music as well as conversation, both necessary ingredients on a long
road trip. 

Interior: While a few years ago it seemed to be the rule that you needed to
suffer a bit to drive a Mercedes‹the seats in models of past generations
were akin to sitting on a park bench. The overall comfort in the S500 is
unimpeachable. The driver and front-passenger bucket seats have a 12-way
adjustment that seems adaptable to almost any human body imaginable. In
addition, our test S500 offered the climate comfort seats, which feature an
interior fan to draw moist air through the perforated seat leather as well
as a seat back device that offers a kind of gentle slow-motion massage.

The control unit located in the center console consists of several keypads
and a display screen that monitors and controls the voice-operated phone,
on-board navigation system and audio components. If there is one feature of
the S-Class that needs an overhaul it is the myriad of interior control
functions that are aggregated in the center console. Automotive ergonomics
still has a long way to go in mastering the man/machine interface.

 
Vehicle: Mercedes S500

Price as tested: $86,158

Engine:

         Type: 5-liter V-8

         Horsepower: 302 @ 5,600 rpm

         Torque: 339 ft. lbs. @ 2,700 rpm

Fuel economy, automatic transmission

         City - 16 mpg

         Highway - 23 mpg

Curb Weight: 4,133 lbs.