OnWIieels
’ T
W
a new 7-spccd automatic
transmission, showcasing a
Direct Select lever (similar to
the one round in the BMW
7-Series). The transmission
also provides 'louch Shift,
allowing for manual gear
changes at the touch of but­
tons on the back of the steer­
ing wliecl.
Obsidian Black metallic
paint encased our test car.
while a Savanna cashmere
leather interior delighted
occupants. T he base price
was set at $85,400 while
optional extras elevated
the final tally to $103.895
- considerably more than ■
the Bimnier. A wealth of
features and amenities com­
prise the standard menu.
An equally impressive list
of available options arc
offered, designed to meet
individual needs and satiate
desires for personalization.
Mercedes-Benz's 4MATIC
all-wheel drive system will
appear as an option later
in tire Fall on V8 powered
models, with an AMG S-
Klassc bowing later as well.
While the major emphasis
is on enveloping inhabitants
in plush surroundings that
pamper the senses, the 2007
Mercedes-Benz S550 luxury
flagship sedan behaves and
performs more on die level
of a highly tuned sports
car dian its predecessor.
Acceleration is very impres­
sive. accompanied by a
sweet engine and exhaust
tone. The new 5.5-liter V8
engine delivers 26 percent
more output dian before,
generating 382 horsepower
and 391 foot-pounds of
torque, capable of accelerat­
ing die S550 from 0-60 mph
in 5.4 seconds. Transmission
activity is so refined, it is
barely discernible.
Handling response and
characteristics are superb,
but not as definitive and
planted as those exhib­
ited by the BMW 750i.
It remains flat and stable,
even under the most severe
scenarios, such as attack­
ing the twists, turns and
elevation changes offered
by the most challenging
roads, wliile the active side
bolsters automatically hold
both driver and front pas­
senger supportively and
firmly in place. T he Direct
Shift, with Touch shift fea­
ture allows driver induced
gear changes at will.
'Die S-Class is not a
sports sedan per se, but
rather focuses on comfort
and luxury. It is however,
capable of turning in per­
formance on par with die
best, while transporting one
in surroundings that ate
superlative indeed.
2006 BMW 7501
T he esteemed Mr. Voss is
not to be disputed in his
overall assessment of the
2007 Mercedes-Benz S550.
'Hie car is a technological
tour dc force, the likes of
which ltave not been seen
since, well, the last S-Class.
Mercedes has long incorpo­
rated all of the latest auto­
motive features into one
car and slapped a dim m ed
alphanumeric on its butt
that begins with an S.
'D ie content level of the
Mercedes is so deep that
even the staunchest owner's
manual thumbing gadget
fiend will still be finding
new features two to three
years into ownership of this
car. However, the same can
be said of the 2006 BMW
750i that we drove in this
comparison test.
BMWs 750i and
Mercedes' S550 are the two
pinnacles of German auto­
motive engineering. T hat
thev arc Ixith endowed with
an extraordinary array of
luxury features all designed
to get you there in supreme
comfort is prerequisite to
their positions at the top.
To coin a well worn market­
ing phrase, ‘‘when you
absolutely have to
Ire there over­
night." an open
highway and
a high speed
run in either
one of these
will get you
there - both
relaxed and
refreshed.
For my money thougli,
I'd prefer to go in the
BMW.
If that highway has some
twists and turns to it, the
BM W will flat run off and
leave the Mercedes. The
handling of the BM W
enables you to forget you're
piloting a five-passenger
luxury sedan and rip along
as if you were behind the
wheel of one of BM W 's
much vaunted 3-Scrics cars.
T he Mercedes on the other
hand, while it definitely has
chops in this area, is much
more prone to undcrstcer
when it's time to dive
deeply into a comer before
changing direction quickly.
Many of you might be
saying, well who would
want to do that in one of
these cars?
My response to that is for
the money they're d u n g ­
ing, you should
be able
to do
/
_„
ITT
It
!»
I
pretty much whatever you
want to do liehind the
wheel. European manufac­
turers long ago established
the fact that a car has to
do more than demonstrate
competence in a straight
line. It has to have excellent
dynamics when the art of
driving becomes an issue
too.
In the BM W 750i, you
can attack nearly any cir­
cumstance with ease, just
drive right into the situation
and “git ‘er done”. In the
Mercedes, you can attack
too - after you’ve paused
to select the sport setting
for the adjustable suspen­
sion system, switched on
the active bolstering in the
seats, made sure the ESP is
properly set...and etc...etc....
T hat the BMW’ goes on
to provide palatial accom­
modations and a comfort­
able ride to accompany its
stellar dynamic capabilities
is for me, what a German
luxury sedan should be all
about. W hen you wish to
be thoroughly engaged,
there should be superla­
tive execution at your beck
and call, without having to
adjust anything. And when
you're just going down the
road, the car should fade
into the background.
T he S550 relics heavily
on driver-selected electronic
aids to provide its over the
road competence, where the
BMW is more “just hop in
and drive” in its approach.
Ultimately, the overall
quality of the 2007 S550
(when compared to the
750i) is well, soft. In terms
of driving dynamics, in the
S550, we have a car dial is
working hard to occupy the
upper ground and is relying
on a battalion of program­
mable software crutches to
make it happen.
Bottom line, the BM W
750i and the Mercedes
S550 - while technically
in the same category, are
really aimed at two very
different drivers. If they
were movie stars, die 750i
would be the “action hero”,
while the S550 captures the
“matinee idol” role.
Like Jackie Chan, the
BM W does all its own
stunts, while the Mercedes,
like Denzel Washington,
captivates with its sophis­
ticated good looks and
charming mannerisms.
Yes, both do really well
at die box office, but you’ll
definitely find a different set
of fans out in front of the
theater. I
JS 5.5-llter, 32-valve V-8
382 @ 6,000 rptn
381 @ 2,800 rpm
Seven-speed automatic
Front engine / Rear-wheel drive
18 city / 24 highway
2006 BMW 7501
IT
$71.800
5.0-liter, 32-valve V-8
360 @ 6,300 rpm
380 @ 3,400 rpm
Six-speed automatic
Front engine / Rear-wheel drive
17 city / 25 highway
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