What Is It?
2007 Mercedes-Benz S600
What's Special About It?
Changing S500 to S550 was one thing, but dropping the illustrious S600 name would be quite another. And Mercedes-Benz won't be doing it for 2007.
But it's not about preserving heritage or the loyalty of the fabulously rich customers who will buy its redesigned flagship sedan. It's because the engine hasn't changed — much. Introduced for 2003, Mercedes' twin-turbo V12 returns this year with the same displacement (5.5 liters), the same amount of torque (590 lb-ft), but 17 more horsepower, which now tops out at 510.
The extra power comes by way of a revised intake and modified software, Bart Herring, S-Class product manager, told us. The V12 will continue to use a five-speed automatic transmission rather than make the switch to Mercedes' new seven-speed unit. You can expect to reach 60 mph in 5 seconds while getting comparable fuel economy to last year's S600, Herring noted.
Aside from the modest power increase, the S600 will get extra standard equipment for 2007. The elite V12 sedan has always come with more amenities and higher-quality materials than the volume-selling V8 version, but in previous years you still had to pay extra for options like Distronic adaptive cruise, Keyless Go and a heated steering wheel.
Turns out the S600 clientele was buying all of this stuff anyway, so Mercedes decided to make it all standard this year. This means you get Active Body Control, infrared Night View Assist, PreSafe and Distronic Plus, which now includes short-range radar so you can use it in stop-and-go traffic. All the 2007 S600 buyer has to do is choose a color combination.
"S600 buyers don't want to have to worry about options," said Herring, "and the price increase compared to the actual transaction price [of the typical '05 S600] will not be that big of a jump."
What's Edmunds' Take?
Given that Mercedes' bi-turbo V12 offers substantially more horsepower and torque than the 12-cylinders from BMW and Audi, the company didn't need to make many changes to get it ready for the ninth-generation S-Class sedan. And now the S600 comes with substantially more equipment than any other luxury sedan on the market. Expect it to come with a heavy price, likely upward of $130,000, when it goes on sale in the spring of 2006.
— Erin Riches
2007 Mercedes-Benz S600
What's Special About It?
Changing S500 to S550 was one thing, but dropping the illustrious S600 name would be quite another. And Mercedes-Benz won't be doing it for 2007.
But it's not about preserving heritage or the loyalty of the fabulously rich customers who will buy its redesigned flagship sedan. It's because the engine hasn't changed — much. Introduced for 2003, Mercedes' twin-turbo V12 returns this year with the same displacement (5.5 liters), the same amount of torque (590 lb-ft), but 17 more horsepower, which now tops out at 510.
The extra power comes by way of a revised intake and modified software, Bart Herring, S-Class product manager, told us. The V12 will continue to use a five-speed automatic transmission rather than make the switch to Mercedes' new seven-speed unit. You can expect to reach 60 mph in 5 seconds while getting comparable fuel economy to last year's S600, Herring noted.
Aside from the modest power increase, the S600 will get extra standard equipment for 2007. The elite V12 sedan has always come with more amenities and higher-quality materials than the volume-selling V8 version, but in previous years you still had to pay extra for options like Distronic adaptive cruise, Keyless Go and a heated steering wheel.
Turns out the S600 clientele was buying all of this stuff anyway, so Mercedes decided to make it all standard this year. This means you get Active Body Control, infrared Night View Assist, PreSafe and Distronic Plus, which now includes short-range radar so you can use it in stop-and-go traffic. All the 2007 S600 buyer has to do is choose a color combination.
"S600 buyers don't want to have to worry about options," said Herring, "and the price increase compared to the actual transaction price [of the typical '05 S600] will not be that big of a jump."
What's Edmunds' Take?
Given that Mercedes' bi-turbo V12 offers substantially more horsepower and torque than the 12-cylinders from BMW and Audi, the company didn't need to make many changes to get it ready for the ninth-generation S-Class sedan. And now the S600 comes with substantially more equipment than any other luxury sedan on the market. Expect it to come with a heavy price, likely upward of $130,000, when it goes on sale in the spring of 2006.
— Erin Riches
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