What Is It?
2003 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
What's Special About It?
The year 2003 is unlike any other in recent memory when it comes to super luxury sedans. Two new sedans — the Jaguar XJ Series and Audi A8 — showed up at this year's Paris auto show. Volkswagen will have its Phaeton, and the new BMW 7 Series debuted last year. Call us simple-minded folk with equally simple paychecks, but just how many buyers are there to purchase these cars? Hasn't anyone seen the latest stock market figures?
Regardless, almost certainly in response to these new cars, Mercedes has freshened up its S-Class sedan for 2003. Topping the list is a new safety feature called Pre-Safe. Six years in the making, Pre-Safe is a response to the company's observation that in many vehicular accidents, there is a "window" of opportunity between the driver's recognition of the impending accident and the actual accident itself.
Pre-Safe determines accident probability by using sensors belonging to the stability control system and the BrakeAssist feature. Should an accident seem imminent, the system applies split-second tensioning of the seatbelts, moves the front passenger seat and power-adjustable individual seats in the rear to the most favorable position and closes the sunroof (if the vehicle is skidding). If the accident is averted at the last moment, the seatbelt tensioning is cancelled and the seats reset to their original positions.
Besides Pre-Safe, there are a few other improvements worth noting. Under the S 600 luxury sedan's hood is a new V12 engine. Displacing 5.5 liters (no word as to why the name of the car is now not "S 550"), this engine features twin turbochargers and a number of other high-tech innovations. It develops a rather stunning 500 horsepower and 585 pound-feet of torque. Mercedes says 0-to-60 mph acceleration happens in less than 4.8 seconds. For those buying a V8-powered S-Class, look for a 4MATIC four-wheel-drive system to become available later in 2003.
On the inside, more than 40 features have been redesigned for improved quality and comfort. There's an exclusive "designo couture" interior trim package which includes the "finest-quality" leather and wood, newly contoured seats and optional dynamic multicontour front seats. Lastly, the COMAND system is now standard on all cars (considering its befuddling nature, we're not sure if this is really an improvement) and S 600s have a standard navigation system.
Why Should You Care?
There's more to choose from in this segment than ever before. The S-Class is still competitive, but only sharp eyes will detect that you've parked a 2003 model in your driveway. This might be important to potential owners simply wanting to show off the latest and greatest hardware. — Brent Romans
2003 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
What's Special About It?
The year 2003 is unlike any other in recent memory when it comes to super luxury sedans. Two new sedans — the Jaguar XJ Series and Audi A8 — showed up at this year's Paris auto show. Volkswagen will have its Phaeton, and the new BMW 7 Series debuted last year. Call us simple-minded folk with equally simple paychecks, but just how many buyers are there to purchase these cars? Hasn't anyone seen the latest stock market figures?
Regardless, almost certainly in response to these new cars, Mercedes has freshened up its S-Class sedan for 2003. Topping the list is a new safety feature called Pre-Safe. Six years in the making, Pre-Safe is a response to the company's observation that in many vehicular accidents, there is a "window" of opportunity between the driver's recognition of the impending accident and the actual accident itself.
Pre-Safe determines accident probability by using sensors belonging to the stability control system and the BrakeAssist feature. Should an accident seem imminent, the system applies split-second tensioning of the seatbelts, moves the front passenger seat and power-adjustable individual seats in the rear to the most favorable position and closes the sunroof (if the vehicle is skidding). If the accident is averted at the last moment, the seatbelt tensioning is cancelled and the seats reset to their original positions.
Besides Pre-Safe, there are a few other improvements worth noting. Under the S 600 luxury sedan's hood is a new V12 engine. Displacing 5.5 liters (no word as to why the name of the car is now not "S 550"), this engine features twin turbochargers and a number of other high-tech innovations. It develops a rather stunning 500 horsepower and 585 pound-feet of torque. Mercedes says 0-to-60 mph acceleration happens in less than 4.8 seconds. For those buying a V8-powered S-Class, look for a 4MATIC four-wheel-drive system to become available later in 2003.
On the inside, more than 40 features have been redesigned for improved quality and comfort. There's an exclusive "designo couture" interior trim package which includes the "finest-quality" leather and wood, newly contoured seats and optional dynamic multicontour front seats. Lastly, the COMAND system is now standard on all cars (considering its befuddling nature, we're not sure if this is really an improvement) and S 600s have a standard navigation system.
Why Should You Care?
There's more to choose from in this segment than ever before. The S-Class is still competitive, but only sharp eyes will detect that you've parked a 2003 model in your driveway. This might be important to potential owners simply wanting to show off the latest and greatest hardware. — Brent Romans
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