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:

Maximum load rating
WARNING Do not overload the tires by exceeding the specified load limit as indicated on the Tire and Loading Information placard on the driver's door B-pillar. Overloading the tires can o ...

First-aid kit
Depending on the vehicle's equipment, the first-aid kit is located either in an open stowage space or behind the cover on the left side.   Open the trunk lid. Example: first-aid kit beh ...

Activating/deactivating the residual heat function
The residual heat function is only available in vehicles for Canada with automatic climate control. It is possible to make use of the residual heat of the engine to continue heating the stati ...