Just In: Mercedes-Benz S550
Just when you thought that the best and most exclusive cars in the world couldn't get any better, along comes another top-tier performer that threatens to rewrite the rules for automotive dominance. Actually, that sounds a bit too much like car-company PR nonsense or "buff book" magazine enthusiasm. Let's put it this way: We've got a brand-new 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550 in our parking lot. It cost a hedge-fund-manager-friendly $90,200. Our exhaustive test program will reveal how this promising model truly performs.
The new S-Class is following in some pretty heady footsteps. Here's what we said about the S430 we tested: "The cushy ride was extremely comfortable, the best we've ever tested." It's not often CR goes out on a limb and proclaims something "...the best we've ever tested."
One of the more interesting options it has is the "Night View Assist" feature. According to Mercedes PR babble, Night View "... can extend the driver's ability to see ahead to nearly 500 feet." It uses "invisible infra-red light from two projector beams mounted in the headlights," which then projects the images on the windshield and "displays them in a high-resolution display in the instrument cluster...akin to a highly detailed black & white video image." Years ago we tried GM's infrared Night Vision system on a Cadillac DeVille, which was designed to help a driver see people, animals, and cars in the road beyond the range of the headlights. Our testing showed that it was somewhat distracting and hard to interpret.
So, will the new S-Class set new standards for luxury car ride and handling? Will its Night View Assist pick up where Night Vision left off--or will it simply leave us in the dark?
Keep checking back with this blog as we pile on the miles and get a better idea if a new industry benchmark has arrived. Plus, we'll be pitting the S-Class against another top-notch model that cost us a boatload of money, the Lexus LS460.
Posted by: John | May 3, 2007 2:57:52 PM
wows, did you buy the car, or is it a loaner?
its a great lookin ride!
Posted by: anthony | May 17, 2007 6:49:05 AM
My dream car and interested to have one if it has a high quality parts like of clutch kit- http://www.pitstopautoparts.com/parts/clutch-kit.html
- , this is another vehicle to watch out for.
Posted by: Mercedes Blog | May 29, 2007 11:44:08 PM
Very nice indeed!!!
Posted by: Wim van Acker | Jun 8, 2007 4:03:59 PM
I own a 2007 S550 4Matic, delivered first week of November 2006. Summary: great ride, but many major quality problems during the 10,000 miles, I have owned the car up to now.
I have experienced major quality problems, causing many visits to the dealer:
1 the engine had been wrongly mounted, causing vibrations in the powertrain. Mind you, the front axle and steering column had to be decoupled and the engine mounts had to be replaced.
2 engine oil sensor was defective, requiring two stops at the dealer and exchange of the sensor in the engine
3 the premium leather of the front seats had been improperly stitched and wrongly put over the seats. Result: the seats had to be redone.
4 the anti-lock brakes have locked twice. The dealer has not been able to find out, what happened.
5 the wiper/washer system at times wipes, when there is no water on the windshield, and at times does not wipe, when the windshield is full of rain water.
Posted by: Rich Guys... | Jun 11, 2007 12:59:20 PM
Nice car. I hope that Wim Van Acker experience is isolated. I'm thinking about purchasing the S550. Presently, I'm surfing several consumer sites to see if owners are having similar problems with it. I expect to make my decision within the next two weeks. So, if anyone owns the new S550 and can give me a performance update, please post it here.
Posted by: Clinton T. Pye | Jun 17, 2007 11:38:58 PM
MY S550 has been the nicest car however the worst automobile I have ever owned. I have had the car in for over 100 days since I purchased it June 2006. The random electronics are now repaired as of today, however I have noticed that the car has always hydroplaned in any kind of water to a point of constant fear for the driver in rain. I finally lost control of the vehicle yesterday June 16, 2007 on Hwy 114 in Grapevine, TX. The car was damaged but no airbags deployed. It was almost like something mechanical or electronic failed and took the car out of control. Has anyone experienced such a catastrophe exper in their S550?
Posted by: C Ziesing | Jun 26, 2007 3:25:25 PM
I know your talking about the S550, but let me tell you about another mercedes benz.
I have a CLK430. From the begining it has been in the shop for the leaking brake light assembly, the radio, the plasic clips, the adjustable seats, etc. I have had problems with the antilock brakes, automatic wipers, lighted mirrors. I believe these great cars need some attention to detail. The sales staff worked hard to sell, the engineers worked hard to design, what we need it some validation that assembly of the auto is done and done right. Why should we pay for cheep plastic, bad batteries, and lousy service from the dealer. I would feel better about the car if the dealer did more than change the oil 4 times and check a few things under warranty. I believe these problems transend across all mercedes benz models.
Posted by: JOSEF ZINSI | Jul 3, 2007 3:31:02 PM
I owned a 2001 C320 which required 16!!! visits to the repair shop including to be towed twice. I also own a 2006 ML350 with 6 visits to the repair shop. It took 4 visits just to get the 7-speed automatic transmission working right. I'm done with Mercedes. I now own a Audi Q7 with 8,000 miles so far one of the best cars i ever had, I hope it stays this way.
Posted by: JOhn | Jul 8, 2007 11:30:06 AM
I want to share with you that I had an experience with the Mercedes dealer here in SF who egregiously tried a bait and switch with me in their service department. It was clear out and out fraud and the service writer even admitted it but claimed he was just doint what he was told. What really flipped me out was that when I wrote to Dr. Zetsche who is the CEO or MD at Mercedes in Germany, his team and the North American team essentially said they saw nothing wrong here and besides they can't control the dealers. Huh? Doesn't the brand belong to the shareholders and doesn't this trash the breand? Feel free to ask for a PDF of all the letters back and forth. They are unbelievable and very sad. I was schocked at what I received back from both Mercedes Corp offices.
Posted by: Tony Perez | Jul 18, 2007 11:59:31 PM
I wonder if anyone else had my problem. My 2007 S550 sedan engine blew while going over standing rain water that was apparently injested by the engine causing to brake a connecting rod that blew thru the cylinder wall and ruined the engine. This incident happen after going thru a parking lot with 6" to 8" of standing rain water during a brief storm in Florida. The warranty refused to cover the $48,000 engine replacement and is passing it over to my insurance co.
I have heard this happens quite often to these cars as well as the BMW 750I. Please post your blog I'd like to know if my case was just a fluke.
Posted by: Sir Corey | Jul 25, 2007 10:21:03 PM
I just bought an 2007 S550 4matic, I need help from some one, I want to figure out how to put the seats on massage...I NEED HELP! i spent a ton of cash like 100000ish. does anyone know how? Ive read the 500 doller manual and well...its difficult. thanks,
Posted by: John Stephens | Aug 3, 2007 3:54:57 PM
I've had this car for almost a year and bought it new in Nov '06. I took the car to [the dealer] for it's routine service. The dealer told me that the front brakes and rotors need to be replaced.
I only have 20k miles...
Sounds like the dealer is trying to rip me off...
Has anyone else heard of this issue before?
Posted by: Malcolm | Aug 7, 2007 11:57:16 AM
I have had a Mercedes S550 since last August 2006. The ride has been like a truck. I have tried to have all faults fixed and nothing happens. I have 66000 miles and many problems. Vibration in the front, shuddering in the transmission, cd player replaced, drivers seat creaks all the time, knocking in front right wheel and the suspension nas dropped 6 times. They keep on replacing the sensors. The pump is faulty but they deny that. The dealer still has not fixed the problem. I have had 8 S classes over the past 6 years and this is the worst car I have had. The SF dealer and service department are very difficult to deal with. I have compained about the transmission from the beginning and now it is out of warranty they suddenly say the problem is new. Mercedes Benz pass me around to and back to the dealer.
Posted by: Joseph | Aug 19, 2007 3:33:24 PM
Has anyone had continuous brake squeeking. I have had it in 3 times now and still sqeeeks.
Posted by: Ralph | Aug 22, 2007 3:39:47 PM
It appears from all these comments that Mercedes still has NOT corrected their manufacturing problem as reported in the automotive press. After 25 years and 8 vehicles (two were returned via lemon laws) that were progressively inferior, I finally gave up and defected to Lexus. Although I still prefer the looks and ride of Mercedes, they are simply not worth the headache and expense of unreliability, in my opinion.
Posted by: mike kohli | Oct 10, 2007 6:48:30 PM
I own a 2007 CLK 500 and has been riding pretty good, 4 days ago I drove 1/2 a block from my house thru standing water where all the other cars were going thru, I tell you, my car stopped and blew the engine and BMW does not cover that under warranty so I had to file claim with my insurance, for a car that costs $65,000.00 to crumble in 10 seconds is unbelievable.
Mike
Posted by: will smith | Oct 13, 2007 2:07:18 PM
2007 S550 HAS ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, INFO DISPLAY BLACKS OUT RANDOMLY, I LOVE MY CAR BUT HATE THIS ONGOING PROBLEM.
Posted by: Wim van Acker | Nov 18, 2007 11:14:11 PM
Continuation from my June 8 posting (see above)
The technical problems with my 2007 S550 4Matic have continued.
The brake system has been defective, although it had been declared safe by the dealer at 10,000 miles: the front wheels were locking, when braking hard. I had a specialist from one of the world's largest brake suppliers assess the brake system. Conclusion: front wheel speed sensors not operating well. MB USA has had a technical specialist test drive my car. His assessment: "The brake system is doing, what it shoudl be doing." Since I had an expert opinion confirming my own experiences, I insisted and ... they found irregularities on teh front brake rotors, which interfered with the front wheel speed sensors.
This means, that just by pushing hard, with support by an expert opinion, the defect in my brake system has been acknowledged and found. It also means, that I have been driving around with a defective brake system for thousands of miles due to the technical incompetence of MB USA and its dealer. In fact, I would still be driving around with a defective brake system.
Moreover, several technical problems returned, or have never been solved. Example: two different types of vibrations inside the vehicle, caused by the engine and the rest of the driveline.
MB USA seems to be overwhelmed with this situation. I have received twice in writing promises to send me an explanation and a plan of action, how to solve the technical problems of my car. However, I have still not received a reply to my requests from October 1.
This is poor service after technical incompetence has not been able to take care of the problems with a USD 115,000 vehicle of poor quality.
Posted by: Tom R | Dec 5, 2007 9:07:05 AM
I drive a 2007 S550, the transmission failed (I started hearing a loud high pitched sound and it took the dealer a few days to figure out where the sound was coming from) the car has 11,000 miles.
The transmission is being replaced. Anyone else have this problem?
Posted by: James Panayoton | Dec 17, 2007 4:41:51 PM
My S550 has 15000 miles on it and the rotors are warped. The rotors and brake pads need replacing. The dealer told me I was an agressive driver. I drive all my vechiles the same way and for these brakes to fail doesn't say much for Mercedes.
Posted by: ART | Feb 25, 2008 3:54:31 PM
I have reviewed all the comments of all the S550 BENZ customers,I have been trying for about six months to decide on a S550 or a ls460 lexus my mind is now made up as an owner of two lexus cars i have never experienced any of the horific stories on this site with a lexus i will never buy a mercedes benz thank you all you have made a difference and mercrdes benz has just lost a customer.
Posted by: gabriel robles | Mar 22, 2008 12:33:01 PM
My spectacular, wine colored MB S550 has been absolutely perfect. With the exception of the GPS system which sometimes leaves us a block or two from our destination, there is absolutley nothing wrong with our car.
I understand it the most successful and problem-free car MB has ever introduced.
g
Posted by: Kent | Mar 24, 2008 10:00:53 PM
I have owned a 2007 S 550 4matic for 9 months and so far ZERO problems. i love the car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Shah | Apr 2, 2008 4:04:49 PM
Have a 07 S 550 4matic.There was a shudder in the front brakes around 12000 mile and my dealer told me it was the rotors and it was not covered under warranty.I payed $1200 to get it fixed and now at 17000 the same problem has recurred.Also I too had to have the engine mounts replaced.That is not acceptable in a car costing so much.
Posted by: Joe P. | May 8, 2008 7:09:58 PM
Im am about to buy a new car and i wanted a S550 so bad because i've always wanted a mercedes especially an S class. I have owned two lexus so far with no problems, the only time i ever go to the shop is for my regular scheduled maintenance.I've been asking around and looking online for problems with the S550 because i have heard some bad things about them. I know like every review says and from driving them both myself the S550 drives better and has better road feel then the Lexus LS 460L my other car option but the LS is better in every other way and has a good reliability record. I think the main reason everyone including myself wants a mercedes especially the S class is because of the status and image people think they get from it. So i think after reading all these problems with the S550 and mercedes in general i have made up my mind and am going with the Lexus LS 460L. Maybe the next generation S class will be better and reliable,maintenance free like a lexus and i will get that one.