Mercedes-Benz S-Class (2006 – 2014) Review
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Mercedes-Benz S-Class (2006 – 2014) At A Glance
Wonderfully luxurious. High-class cabin. Superb refinement on the move. The best looking saloon this size. Improved again from 2010.
Feels as big as it looks. Sophisticated systems expensive to maintain and replace. Costly servicing and tyres.
The old W220 S-Class was to most eyes a beautiful looking car, the svelte lines of which belie its bulk. It was a great favourite, selling 17,852 in the UK alone, the most common car parked kerbside outside the embassies and consulates of Kensington. Now you can pick one up used for around £12,000 they are even gracing the station taxi ranks of posh suburbs like Walton-on-Thames.
I liked the car very much. Always felt at ease behind the wheel of a big Benz, especially the twin-turbo S600 and the LHD only S500 4-Matic that cornered in the wet as you might imagine a Mitsubishi Evo limousine.
But the car had its critics. Not enough boot room was one complaint. Quite a lot of niggles. And a perception that quality of build and materials used was progressively downgraded. Add to that extremely high servicing and repair costs and there had to be another reason why 70% - 90% of owners stayed loyal to the model rather than desert to Audi, BMW, Lexus or Jaguar.
The looks? The 3 pointed star? The way the car drives? What it says about them? Make your up own mind if you aren't already an S-Class owner and know.
Reviews for Mercedes-Benz S-Class (2006 – 2014)'s top 3 rivals
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Mercedes-Benz S-Class (2006 – 2014) handling and engines
- Engines range from S320 CDI to S63 AMG L
- Readers report Real MPG to be between 16–48 mpg
On to driving impressions, we tried an S500 first. It proves to be a serenely capable car, very quiet and unruffled at normal speeds and a superb motorway cruiser, as you would expect. All S-Class apart from the S-600 are fitted with Mercedes relatively new 7G-TRONIC automatic transmission that gives you seven ratios to play with on the buttons if you want to and also greatly lessens the undesirable trait of autoboxes to change down at the wrong part of the corner. But it's not infallible, on the S500, at least. Its 388bhp and 530NM torque can still come in with a thump on mountain roads when you're trying to press on. Apparently, this is much less of a problem with the S350, but made me wonder why the S320CDI, the most popular engine in the S-Class, was not available to drive at the launch.
For the not inconsiderable sum of £73,770, the S500L is a good car, but it isn't a great car. That accolade goes to the S600, a 2,690kg, 517bhp leviathan that takes off from zero to 60mph in 4.4 seconds, about the same as a Mitsubishi Evo IX FQ340. It's a luxurious limousine when you want it to be. And a snarling tiger of a car when you need to press on. The speed at which it catapults past slower traffic (including slower driven S600s) is simply astonishing. At one point I had accelerated to 200kph, with an open, clear-sited bend ahead only to exit the bend at 220kph. It's simply staggeringly quick. Yet when you're stuck in traffic, and I mean really stuck, it's as docile as a pussycat. Just press the P-for-park button and you're not even blinding the guy behind with your blinking brakelights. Then when the van in front starts to move again, touch the brake pedal, slip it into ‘D' and off you glide again.
It's a very wide car, and part of the test run was via narrow streets with oncoming trucks, but the front-side park distance control makes sure you don't collide with any walls or parked vehicles. And even if a kerb does suddenly leap out at you, as one did to me following traffic in a badly-lit tunnel, the 19" tyres sit sufficiently proud of the alloys for no damage to ensue.
So, if you have £100,000 burning a hole in your bank balance, and perhaps another £10,000 or so for the more desirable accessories (almost Bentley Continental money), the S600 is still a contender for ‘Best Car in the World'.
Mercedes claims to have addressed its quality problems by the use of extremely high quality components, plastics, materials, skins, and woods. And also by thorough testing of the new model during which the cars were driven a total of 8,000,000 kilometres by a total of 2,000 test drivers, including members of the public. Instead of relying on them to describe faults, the cars were fitted with ‘black boxes', like aircraft flight recorders, so any blip could be pinpointed and the relevant electronics stabilised. Also, after some management changes, cost-cutting is no longer king at Mercedes and quality throughout the company is now back where it should be. The C Class has recently been nominated top of the most recent American J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Survey, beating even Lexus.
Has it all worked? From the cars I drove I'd say yes. The materials do look and feel extremely high rent, especially the dark grey Alcantara headlining. I searched hard for bad welds and screw-heads, but found none. The door-shuts are particularly smooth. All I could see was a crude bit of crimping at the inside bottom front edge of the front doors.
Be one of the first to buy a new S-Class and you won't be a quality control guinea pig. But we won't really know for sure how reliable they will prove to be until the cars have been out there on the roads for a year or so.
Back in the UK 4 months later I got a chance to drive the S350, S320CDI and actually check out Night Vision Assist at night.
Night Vision is a bit eerie. You see the road ahead in a kind of Blair Witch Project black and white on a screen in front of you where the speedometer would usually be. And it does pick out people, dogs and anything else far better than headlights do. But unless you learned to drive on ‘Grand Theft Auto', you cannot actually drive by it or you will hit every kerb in Oxfordshire. So you have to treat it like a mirror or a satnav, or a speedometer for that matter, constantly looking from it to the real road and back again.
The S350 is the weakest S Class but still a smooth and efficient limo, best driven like a limo, and will probably have a fuel consumption benefit against the mush more satisfying S500 when driven in town.
But the S Class most people will buy is the S320CDI, seemingly at a power disadvantage with only 235bhp, yet also with a torque advantage of no less than 540Nm. With only 4,500rpm to play with you can't use the gears as long as other S Class. 2nd, for example, only takes you to 49mph. But the torque makes up for it. And though the S320CDI is bigger than other Mercedes sharing the same engine, it actually handles better than the E-Class and CLS. So a short wheelbase S320CDI with a few extras does the job for the right side of £60,000. And is the slowest depreciating S Class. Which is why it will remain the best seller.
| Engine | MPG | 0-62 | CO2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| S350 | 28 mpg | 7.3 s | 234 g/km |
| S350 BlueEfficiency | 37 mpg | 6.9 s | 177 g/km |
| S350 BlueEfficiency L | 37 mpg | 7.1 s | 179 g/km |
| S350 BlueTec | 46 mpg | 7.1 s | 164 g/km |
| S350 CDI BlueEfficiency | 37 mpg | 7.8 s | 199 g/km |
| S350 CDI BlueEfficiency L | 37 mpg | 7.8 s | 204 g/km |
| S350 L | 28 mpg | 7.3 s | 234 g/km |
| S500 BlueEfficiency L | 30 mpg | 5.0 s | 219 g/km |
| S500 L | 25 mpg | 5.4 s | 260 g/km |
| S600 L | 20 mpg | 4.6 s | 329 g/km |
| S63 AMG L | 20–27 mpg | 4.5–4.6 s | 244–347 g/km |
| S65 AMG L | 20–20 mpg | 4.4 s | 334–346 g/km |
Real MPG average for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (2006 – 2014)
Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.
Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.
Average performance
91%
Real MPG
16–48 mpg
MPGs submitted
165
Mercedes-Benz S-Class (2006 – 2014) interior
- Boot space is 560 litres
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Length | 5079–5226 mm |
| Width | 1871–1872 mm |
| Height | 1473–1485 mm |
| Wheelbase | 3035–3165 mm |
Behind its voluptuous Mazda RX8-like wheel-arches, the new S-Class offers more interior space than its predecessor and a bigger boot. Though if you covet rear legroom I'd better advise you to cough up the extra £4,000 for the five inches longer LWB (£800 an inch). The interior is a mix of familiar and unfamiliar. You still get the seat-shaped seat adjustment buttons, and other buttons for essential functions. But for more complex adjustments you have to go into the new hard-drive backed Command system, which is a bit like BMW's I-Drive, though easier to acclimatise to.
A slight culture shock is the absence of a central quadrant for the transmission selector. Instead you get a fat ‘Direct Shift' column stalk like the new ML's by which you select ‘D', ‘R', or ‘P' and which is so logical you wonder why they didn't do it before. You can choose Comfort, Sport or Manual gearchange settings (which also make appropriate changes to the suspension), and manually change up or down by means of rocker buttons behind the steering wheel. Unlike the ML where both buttons change up and down, on the S Class, left changes down, right changes up.
You still get the World's simplest to use cruise-control selector with speed-limiter. And, as an option, a new version of Distronic braking combining wide and narrow radar beams which does the braking for you in traffic and reduces the chance or rear-ending someone by 75%. It required a change in EU law, as did the very sensible flashing red LED brakelights. Yet another optional innovation is Night View Assist, which uses projected infra-red beams (undetectable to oncoming drivers) and an infra-red camera to display a view of the road ahead up to 3 times further than the headlights onto a screen that replaces the speedometer. (Speed is then shown by a ribbon display.)
This really is a good thing because it avoids dazzling oncoming drivers with powerful Xenon headlights. PRE-SAFE, which prepares you and the car for a crash if it judges one to be inevitable, is standard on all new S Class. A more amusing accessory is the ‘dynamic multicontour seat', which, besides allowing twelve-way adjustment allows you to select four different types of massage that feel like someone walking up and down your back.
Mercedes-Benz S-Class (2006 – 2014) models and specs
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Length | 5079–5226 mm |
| Width | 1871–1872 mm |
| Height | 1473–1485 mm |
| Wheelbase | 3035–3165 mm |
| Miscellaneous | |
|---|---|
| Kerb Weight | 1880–2260 kg |
| Boot Space | 560 L |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Servicing | - |
| Costs | |
|---|---|
| List Price | £54,317–£165,120 |
| Insurance Groups | 46–50 |
| Road Tax Bands | G–M |
| Official MPG | 19.4–45.6 mpg |
| Euro NCAP Safety Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Adult | - |
| Child | - |
| Pedestrian | - |
| Overall | - |
On sale until September 2013
| Saloon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
| 350 BlueEFFICIENCY 4dr Auto | £63,125 | 37.2 mpg | 6.9 s |
| 350 BlueEFFICIENCY L 4dr Auto | £67,125 | 36.7 mpg | 7.1 s |
| 350 BlueTEC 4dr Auto | £61,440 | 45.6 mpg | 7.1 s |
| 350 BlueTEC L 4dr Auto | £65,440 | 45.6 mpg | 7.1 s |
| 500 BlueEFFICIENCY L 4dr Auto | £83,405 | 30.1 mpg | 5.0 s |
| 600 L 4dr Auto | £115,615 | 20.0 mpg | 4.6 s |
| 63 AMG L 4dr Auto | £113,765 | 26.9 mpg | 4.5 s |
| 65 AMG L 4dr Auto | £165,120 | 19.8 mpg | 4.4 s |
On sale until January 2011
| Saloon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
| 350 4dr Auto | £60,380 | 28.2 mpg | 7.3 s |
| 350 L 4dr Auto | £64,380 | 28.2 mpg | 7.3 s |
| 500 L 4dr Auto | £79,810 | 25.4 mpg | 5.4 s |
On sale until April 2010
| Saloon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
| 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY 4dr Auto | £57,815 | 37.2 mpg | 7.8 s |
| 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY L 4dr Auto | £61,940 | 36.7 mpg | 7.8 s |
| 63 AMG L 4dr Auto | £105,080 | 19.5 mpg | 4.6 s |
| 65 AMG L 4dr Auto | £154,390 | 19.5 mpg | 4.4 s |
On sale until May 2009
| Saloon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
| 320 CDI 4dr Auto | £55,595 | - | - |
| 320 CDI Limousine 4dr Auto | £59,595 | - | - |
| 500 4dr Auto | £70,710 | - | - |
| 63 AMG Auto | £96,030 | - | - |
On sale until July 2007
| Saloon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Version | List Price | MPG | 0-62 |
| 280 4dr Auto | £54,317 | - | - |
Model History
March 2006
New S Class in UK from March 2006. New features include infra red night vision 'sees' three times as far as headlights at night. Flashing LED stoplights. Improved everything over previous S Class. especially high speed body control. S600 once again a contender for 'Best Car in the World'.
Innovations
- ADAPTIVE BRAKE with additional functions
- Adaptive brake light
- Brake Assist PLUS with radar sensors
- COMAND with COMAND controller
- Crash-responsive high-comfort head restraints
- DISTRONIC PLUS
- Electric parking brake
- Dynamic multicontour seat with new massage function
- Night view assist based on infra-red technology
- Panoramic sliding roof (for long-wheelbase version)
- Second-generation PRE-SAFE®
- Reversing camera
March 2006
S65AMG announced with 612bhp, 1,000Nm torque, 0-60 in 4.2 seconds.
October 2008
S 600 Pullman Guard state limousine announced With the new S 600 Pullman state limousine intended for governments, business and crowned heads, the world’s oldest automaker is continuing its unique tradition of building large, armoured, prestige limousines.
The very first Mercedes-Benz automobile produced as a special-protection vehicle ex factory was a Pullman limousine from the Nürburg 460 series (W08) introduced in 1928. Ever since, special protection vehicles from Mercedes-Benz have served the heads of state of numerous countries, as well as royalty, as automobiles worthy of their standing.
Like the famous Pullman railway coaches, the new S 600 Pullman Guard is luxuriously spacious and outstandingly comfortable. To ensure this spaciousness, the wheelbase of the special protection long-wheelbase S-Class was extended by 115 centimetres, making it 4,315 millimetres in total. With an overall length of 6,356 millimetres, this means that the S 600 Pullman Guard has truly majestic proportions.
April 2009
Revamp announced for autumn 2009. Innovations in comfort and drive engineering combined with state-of-the-art technology for enhanced safety.
Engine range includes six modern petrol and diesel engines that all benefit from improved fuel consumption and lower emissions. With an average fuel consumption of 37.2 mpg, the S 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY is one of the most efficient models in the luxury segment. S-Class safety enhanced with combination of innovative camera and radar-based driver assistance systems. These include Adaptive Highbeam Assist, Lane Keeping Assist and the advanced Night View Assist PLUS facility. Other innovations include the ATTENTION ASSIST drowsiness detection function and automatic crosswind stabilisation.
S350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY (235 hp) offers fuel econimy of 37.2mpg combines and emissions of 199-201g/km CO2. BlueEFFICIENCY package includes closed underbody panelling and decoupling of the 7G-TRONIC automatic transmission at standstill.
The range of petrol engines comprises the six-cylinder S350 (272 hp) with a displacement of 3.5 litres and S500 5.5 litre V8 (388 hp). Flagship remains S600 with 517hp 5.5 litre V12 biturbo, which accelerates the luxury saloon from 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Mercedes-AMG high-performance contributions to the range are the S63 AMG with its 525hp 6.2 litre V8 and the S65 AMG with a 612hp 6.0 litre V12.
New assistance systems turn S-Class into "intelligent" partners for their drivers. The car is able to "see", "feel", to respond "instinctively" to detected dangers and to act "on its own initiative" in order to avoid accidents or to reduce the severity of accidents. Similar to the established Mercedes inventions ABS, ESP®, Brake Assist and PRE-SAFE®, the new assistance systems are also geared to the realities of how accidents occur and what consequences they entail.
The aim in developing these systems was to prevent particularly common and serious collisions. With this concept, the S-Class not only protects its own occupants but also plays a key role in enhancing safety for other motorists. To this end, Mercedes-Benz also deploys cameras which scan the road far ahead of the vehicle, monitor the surrounding area and interpret typical critical situations. Such cameras are employed as standard on the Adaptive Highbeam Assist system, for example. This system detects vehicles with their lights on which are travelling towards or ahead of the car in which the system is fitted and controls the headlamps such as to ensure the largest possible range without dazzling other drivers.
Night View Assist is now equipped with a special pedestrian detection function: as soon as the system detects pedestrians ahead of the car, they are highlighted on the display to make them more readily noticeable.
Lane Keeping Assist is another system that "looks ahead" for even safer driving. The system's computer is able to recognise lane markings by evaluating the contrasting images of the road surface and the markings. If the vehicle leaves the lane identified by the Assist function unintentionally, the driver is warned by short vibrations of the steering wheel.
Detailed fine-tuning has also given the 2009 S-Class better driving dynamics and agility. This is in large due to the new Direct-Steer system, where the ratio varies with the steering angle.
Mercedes-Benz has also added a crosswind stabilisation function (standard for S 600) to Active Body Control (ABC). For this purpose ABC uses the yaw rates and lateral acceleration sensors of the Electronic Stability Program ESP® to vary the wheel load distribution via the ABC spring struts, depending on the direction and intensity of the crosswind. This enables the effects of crosswinds to be compensated, or reduced to a minimum in the case of strong gusts.
The Torque Vectoring Brake provides the 2009 S-Class with added safety in critical conditions and even greater agility by specifically braking the inner rear wheel in bends so as to enable precise cornering by the saloon without compromising on driving dynamics.
As a world first, on request, Mercedes-Benz will equip its flagship model with the new SPLITVIEW technology for the COMAND control and display system centrally located in the centre console. This innovative display concept allows the driver and front passenger to view different content simultaneously on one and the same screen. While the driver uses the map-based navigation system, for example, the front passenger can be watching the latest film on DVD.
Mercedes-Benz has also extended the standard control and display system COMAND with additional functions, for example an SD memory card slot. Other new features include a modified Bluetooth® interface, which provides for a wireless link between a mobile phone and the standard onboard hands-free system, and a USB interface.
These enable customers to export saved data and import them into any other S-Class. It is also possible to transfer navigation data. As an optional extra Mercedes-Benz also offers a Media Interface – a universal interface in the glove compartment for mobile audio devices such as an iPod® and USB stick (standard for S 600).
The standard COMAND system is additionally equipped with a Europe-wide navigation system whose data are stored on a 40 GB hard disc. This allows particularly fast route calculation. The high level of navigating convenience is also aided by the detailed three-dimensional city map mode.
Musical entertainment is provided by a radio, a CD/DVD player with MP3 function, an equalizer with speed-dependent volume control and the Music Register with a 7.2 GB hard disc which stores around 2500 digital music files in MP3, AAC or WMA format.
The system recognises music files played on CD, DVD or from the Music Register using its stored Gracenote® database, and shows the title, album and performer in the colour display. The new Music Search function enables S-Class drivers and passengers to search SD memory cards, USB sticks, CDs and DVDs for specific music titles and performers. COMAND also includes the latest-generation LINGUATRONIC voice-operated control system, which operates the navigation, telephone and audio devices by whole-word commands. This has the advantage that the driver no longer has to spell out their commands.
What to watch out for
Readers report problems with Command system and squeaks and rattles.
Problems with a suspension pump, dash warning car must not be driven.
One instance of not engaging Drive. The display showed “Pre Safe Inoperative” and would not engage D. Reader turned engine off, locked car and tried again and the car would not start and message read: “Please engage P on N to start” despite being in Park.
Problem of premature wear of timing chain sprocket for balancer shaft of M272 and M273 V6 petrol engines. Mercedes Star bulletin about this. Big job. Can cost £4,000.
09-05-2013:Operation of the parking brake is not entirely clear and is counter intuitive. This has led to accidents involving new owners inadequately briefed on hand-over of the car. Please ensure you fully understand the operation of the parking brake.
31-05-2013:In July 2012 a 2005 CLS350 with the M272 V6 engine was diagnosed with worn timing mechanism, which was replaced at a cost of £3,000 , after a 75% discount on parts. Then in January 2013, car back with MB workshops displaying the same problem. This time a worn balance shaft was replaced at a cost of £2,000 again after a 75% discount on parts. Same problem has occurred in Europe and in the USA with M272 V6s built from 2004-2006.
01-07-2016:Report of 2007 Mercedes S221 S320CDI developing erratic gearchanges and failure to shift from default or move into reverse. After restart it would be OK then start again. Gearbox torque converter and valve body were all reconditioned and are under warranty. After repair it worked well for a week then restarted. Now they say it is the TCU or Mechatronic.
28-02-2017:Engine light came on in 18,500 mile 2013 Mercedes S350 and went into limp mode. MB roadside assistance did a diagnostic showing a P220101 general electrical problem with the cylinder bank 1 NOx sensor, although the detailed readings suggest a voltage problem with an oxygen sensor.
24-04-2017:Report of 2008 W221 S320 needing 3 new doors and a wing due to rust.
04-09-2017:Report of failing automatic transmission on 2006 Mercedes S320CDI at 120,000 miles. Car will only drive in auto for about 50 /100 yards and then the engine revs. Seems like it's not staying in any gear. Cannot hold it in gear manually.
07-09-2018:Report of non-availability of FL ABC strut replacement for a 2006 Mercedes Benz W221 S600 with 117,000 miles.
