2011 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Review

Even as BMW, Audi and Jaguar throw new cars into the luxury-flagship ring, Mercedes-Benz has kept its S-Class sedan competitive, with sedans that start below $90,000 and top out at more than double that.

The S-Class is still a spectacle of refinement — though it's dinged in small part by an inconsistent accelerator pedal.

While the S-Class is four years into the current generation, new for 2010 is the V-6-powered S400 Hybrid, which we cover in greater detail here. It anchors the bottom of the S-Class lineup. In order of ascending price, the rest of the lineup includes the S550, S63 AMG, S600 and S65 AMG. Click here to compare the group. All five models employ rear-wheel drive, but the S550 also offers all-wheel drive. I evaluated an all-wheel-drive S550.

See also:

Active Blind Spot Assist
Important safety notes Active Blind Spot Assist uses a radar sensor system to monitor the side areas of your vehicle which are in back of the driver. A warning display in the exterior mirrors d ...

Upshifting
Vehicles with the dynamic handling package: if the maximum engine speed for the shift range is reached and you continue to accelerate, the automatic transmission shifts up, except when manu ...

Cleaning the wiper blades
WARNING Before cleaning the windshield or wiper blades, switch off the windshield wipers and remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock. On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, press the Start/Stop butt ...