JonDot
New Member
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2008
- Messages
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Went out shopping with the wife today and I put a deposit down on a 2006 Mercedes S500. Freakin' great deal on a sweet ride!! I wasn't going to do it, but my wife talked me into it. I haven't bought myself a vehicle in years. I presently own a 1998 F-150 and a 2001 Chevy Malibu. I talked the dealer down to $22,000 on the Mercedes, just have to secure financing on it this coming week, which shouldn't be a problem as I have good credit and the price is below book on the car.
Here is a write up I found on the car. The 1 I have the deposit on is the AWD model. The pic is not the actual car, but it is identical.
2006 Mercedes-Benz S500 - First Drive
S is for Substance.
By Matt DeLorenzo
November 9, 2005
Mercedes’ redesigned S-Class answers those critics who believe its flagship sedan lacks a certain gravitas expected from high-end German automobiles. The previous car was much more athletic in design, used less expensive materials and seemingly swapped places in the market with the BMW 7 Series, which, its controversial styling notwithstanding, prides itself on vaultlike construction and the manners of a high-order Autobahn express.
Mercedes-Benz has reasserted itself with a more muscular and substantial look that is bound to generate its own share of criticism in some quarters. The face of the car is unmistakably Mercedes, with a larger, more vertical grille and a prominent three-pointed star hood ornament. The large headlamps spread out into bulging front fenders, which make the car look wider than its 73.6-in. beam. The body takes up 124.6 in. between the wheels and at the rear, large fender flares protrude to balance the front arches.
Overall length of the long-wheelbase version, which is the only variant offered in the U.S., is 207.0 in. The base model will be the S450 with a 4.5-liter V-8 producing 335 bhp and 339 lb.-ft. of torque. The S500 has a 5.5-liter V-8 producing 382 bhp and 391 lb.-ft. of torque, a gain of 80 horses. Both engines share the new 4-valve heads, which replace the previous 3-valve setup. Also coming is the S600 with a twin-turbo 6.0-liter V-12 rated at 510 bhp and 612 lb.-ft. of torque. The V-8s are mated to Mercedes’ slick 7-speed automatic transmission, while the V-12 has a beefed-up 5-speed automatic.
The S-Class interior comes across as a piece of architecture. Again, there are some touches not unfamiliar to 7 Series owners, such as the twin-binnacle instrument panel and an updated COMAND system.
Wood and leather abound and the power seats are Barcalounger comfortable without being too soft. Particularly fetching is the ambient lighting that emits a soft glow under the dash and carries through the doors.
The upscale luxury appearance, however, is undercut somewhat by the electroluminescent instrumentation—the speedometer in particular. While the tach and fuel gauges have some depth to them, the speedometer is oddly one-dimensional, because that readout is projected on a screen that is used for the optional night-vision system.
Other features similar to the BMW include the stalk-mounted gearshift and starter button. Once you get past these items, however, the rest of the car’s personality is decidedly Stuttgartian as opposed to München. For those who loved the solid, tied-down feeling of the 1991 S-Class, that feeling is back. The car is substantial without feeling heavy, even though it tips the scales at 4375 lb. Part of that is the neck-snapping abilities of the V-8 and the 7-speed automatic that keep the engine in the meat of the powerband at all times.
The S500 is equipped with an adaptable air suspension system that reacts to road inputs, as well as a cockpit switch for comfort, sport and manual modes. While engineers tell us the system automatically firms up as the car is pushed, in the comfort mode on winding mountain roads in southern Switzerland, the car would wallow when pushed hard. Punch up the sport mode and a completely different personality takes over—the suspension is much tauter, the car seems smaller and tossable.
All levels of stability control are hard at work keeping things in check, but the flatter cornering and the transmission’s penchant for holding gears in the right places make the S-Class a joy to drive. If you feel even more sportive, the manual mode, which encourages the driver to select gears through rocker switches mounted on the rear of the steering-wheel spokes, provides even more aggressive engine throttle mapping. The car literally launches itself forward in midrange passing maneuvers.
The S500 goes on sale in February with prices expected in the $80,000–$90,000 range, while the S450, priced in the $70,000s, and the S600, about $130,000, are expected two months later. Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel-drive system will be available on the V-8 cars. With this new S-Class, Mercedes-Benz is pushing all the right buttons.
Here is a write up I found on the car. The 1 I have the deposit on is the AWD model. The pic is not the actual car, but it is identical.
2006 Mercedes-Benz S500 - First Drive
S is for Substance.
By Matt DeLorenzo
November 9, 2005
Mercedes’ redesigned S-Class answers those critics who believe its flagship sedan lacks a certain gravitas expected from high-end German automobiles. The previous car was much more athletic in design, used less expensive materials and seemingly swapped places in the market with the BMW 7 Series, which, its controversial styling notwithstanding, prides itself on vaultlike construction and the manners of a high-order Autobahn express.
Mercedes-Benz has reasserted itself with a more muscular and substantial look that is bound to generate its own share of criticism in some quarters. The face of the car is unmistakably Mercedes, with a larger, more vertical grille and a prominent three-pointed star hood ornament. The large headlamps spread out into bulging front fenders, which make the car look wider than its 73.6-in. beam. The body takes up 124.6 in. between the wheels and at the rear, large fender flares protrude to balance the front arches.
Overall length of the long-wheelbase version, which is the only variant offered in the U.S., is 207.0 in. The base model will be the S450 with a 4.5-liter V-8 producing 335 bhp and 339 lb.-ft. of torque. The S500 has a 5.5-liter V-8 producing 382 bhp and 391 lb.-ft. of torque, a gain of 80 horses. Both engines share the new 4-valve heads, which replace the previous 3-valve setup. Also coming is the S600 with a twin-turbo 6.0-liter V-12 rated at 510 bhp and 612 lb.-ft. of torque. The V-8s are mated to Mercedes’ slick 7-speed automatic transmission, while the V-12 has a beefed-up 5-speed automatic.
The S-Class interior comes across as a piece of architecture. Again, there are some touches not unfamiliar to 7 Series owners, such as the twin-binnacle instrument panel and an updated COMAND system.
Wood and leather abound and the power seats are Barcalounger comfortable without being too soft. Particularly fetching is the ambient lighting that emits a soft glow under the dash and carries through the doors.
The upscale luxury appearance, however, is undercut somewhat by the electroluminescent instrumentation—the speedometer in particular. While the tach and fuel gauges have some depth to them, the speedometer is oddly one-dimensional, because that readout is projected on a screen that is used for the optional night-vision system.
Other features similar to the BMW include the stalk-mounted gearshift and starter button. Once you get past these items, however, the rest of the car’s personality is decidedly Stuttgartian as opposed to München. For those who loved the solid, tied-down feeling of the 1991 S-Class, that feeling is back. The car is substantial without feeling heavy, even though it tips the scales at 4375 lb. Part of that is the neck-snapping abilities of the V-8 and the 7-speed automatic that keep the engine in the meat of the powerband at all times.
The S500 is equipped with an adaptable air suspension system that reacts to road inputs, as well as a cockpit switch for comfort, sport and manual modes. While engineers tell us the system automatically firms up as the car is pushed, in the comfort mode on winding mountain roads in southern Switzerland, the car would wallow when pushed hard. Punch up the sport mode and a completely different personality takes over—the suspension is much tauter, the car seems smaller and tossable.
All levels of stability control are hard at work keeping things in check, but the flatter cornering and the transmission’s penchant for holding gears in the right places make the S-Class a joy to drive. If you feel even more sportive, the manual mode, which encourages the driver to select gears through rocker switches mounted on the rear of the steering-wheel spokes, provides even more aggressive engine throttle mapping. The car literally launches itself forward in midrange passing maneuvers.
The S500 goes on sale in February with prices expected in the $80,000–$90,000 range, while the S450, priced in the $70,000s, and the S600, about $130,000, are expected two months later. Mercedes’ 4Matic all-wheel-drive system will be available on the V-8 cars. With this new S-Class, Mercedes-Benz is pushing all the right buttons.
