Ann Arbor - Whoever gets the Mercedes-Benz S500 that is the subject of this long-term Four Seasons test will be getting a very nice car. With about 30,000 miles on its odometer, it just seems to be coming into its own. If I were the buyer, I'd replace the tires, the brake pads, and the windshield wiper blades, check all the hoses and belts, then sit back and enjoy it for the next 150,000 miles or so. You could probably sit back and enjoy it for a while without doing all of those things, but we are car enthusiasts, and we have driven it for maximum daily pleasure. Caveat emptor. From the S500 logbook: "Love this engine. Just as wonderful today as it's been all year. Great, smooth, responsive to a big foot. Feeling of confidence passing those long lines of vacation traffic. Ride quality remains outstanding after 25,000 miles." Every passenger who ever clambered into the rear seat exclaimed over the available space and easy comfort.
This was a very important test car for Automobile Magazine. We were not fond of the very heavy, extremely complex car that preceded this one, and we said so, in no uncertain terms. Our position was a controversial one, and we were eager to learn if we could start enjoying Mercedes' S-class again. For years, members of Daimler-Benz management had speculated about the elasticity of the markets for their S-class flagships. How much would customers spend? What was the limit? Was there a stone wall out there somewhere, just over the horizon, waiting to be run into? As we now know, there was a stone wall, and the S-class sedan that was introduced in 1992 ran smack into it. Public statements were made from Stuttgart blaming the engineers for building cars to please themselves rather than the prospective buyers.... Read full article