Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W221)


The Mercedes-Benz W221 is a chassis code of the fifth generation S-Class, produced from August 2005 until June 2013. The W221 S-Class was unveiled at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show as the successor of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the predecessor of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Styling

The W221 S-Class' exterior styling is distinctly different from the W220. The W220 somewhat broke with tradition in being smaller than its W140 predecessor, whereas the W221 is larger in all dimensions than its predecessor, offers more interior space, and has improved performance. The rear styling is similar to the Mercedes-Benz Maybach – the larger saloon from Daimler AG's other flagship brand, which was presented to the public in 1997. Development began in 1999, with the design work beginning in 2000 at the Advanced Design Center in Tokyo, and the final design by Gorden Wagener at the Sindelfingen Advanced Design Center being approved in 2001, frozen for production in early 2002 and patented in Japan on May 21, 2003, under 1208488 and in Germany on December 4, 2003. A final design prototype W221 was presented in December 2002 to Autospies journalists at a consumer design clinic, 2.5 years prior to the official production model unveiling in June 2005.
Inside, the W221's interior is also significantly different from the preceding model, even more dominated by leather, wood and metal. Where the W220 still had a fair amount of plastic fascias and switches, the W221 has replaced most of these by more luxurious materials such as wood, leather and metal. The interior features an instrument cluster with two large flat panel screens, one for the hard disk based COMAND system which includes the navigation screen and one replacing the analog speedometer by a graphical representation of it, which can display a range of additional information and can also be replaced by the Night View Assist display. Below the central COMAND screen are silver effect air vents, and a square, analog clock within the vents. Below the vents are metal tab switches with a black field behind them, to control the HVAC system.
Below the HVAC button section is a panel that opens to give access to the DVD changer which also includes a CompactFlash card reader. On the center console, a metal control wheel for the COMAND system sits above a piece of wood, surrounded by metal buttons. There is no longer a central gear shift lever as in previous models, instead a stalk on the steering wheel controls the gearbox. Controls mounted on the door panels provide access to the main seat controls and to the electrical mirrors, windows and boot lid opening and closing. Additional seat controls are accessed via the standard COMAND system. Throughout the interior, many buttons are metal, with black fields above them denoting the switches' function.
The steering wheel has various control buttons for the cluster display, volume and telephone control and for the optional Linguatronic voice control system. On the electrically adjustable steering wheel column are also mounted the gearbox control lever, the stalk for controlling the speedtronic and cruise control functions, the main combination lever that operates the indicators, high beam and windscreen wipers and a stalk to adjust the steering wheel and control the optional heated steering wheel. Controls for the interior lighting and the sun roof or panoramic sun roof are mounted on the roof, near the interior rear-view mirror. This section also includes a compartment for sun glasses.
The W221 is slightly larger in all dimensions than the W220, with a longer wheelbase and more interior room.
The S-Class is available in short-wheelbase form, except in the US, Mexico, Russia, China and Indonesia, where all models are long-wheelbase.

Features

Like all other S-Class generations, the W221 introduced a number of new and improved features and systems. The standard COMAND now also controlled more of these features and/or provided access to additional settings for various functions, including the HVAC system and seat controls.

Safety

  • Electronic Stability Program : standard on the S-Class since the W220 model and similar to the systems fitted to other Mercedes vehicles, this system measures driver inputs and compares these to the vehicle's path. If these diverge, ESP brakes single wheels selectively to eliminate oversteer and understeer, and reduces engine power, if necessary. ESP includes anti-lock braking and traction control within its wider functions.
  • Brake Assist and Brake Assist Plus: a system that recognises emergency braking and increases the braking force. Brake Assist Plus uses the radar to apportion brake pressure based on sensor data and measured distance between the car and vehicles or other objects in front.
  • Speedtronic adjustable speed limiter for not exceeding a set speed on roads with speed limits.
  • Distronic Plus radar controlled cruise control, an evolution of the Distronic system introduced on the W220, which maintains a safe distance to the previous vehicle and now can bring the car to a full stop if necessary.
  • Pre-Safe and Pre-Safe Plus for vehicles with Distronic Plus: a development of the previous Pre-Safe system fitted to the W220 S-Class, which uses vehicle-dynamic sensors to predict collisions and trigger precautionary measures to protect the vehicle occupants, the W221's Pre-Safe Plus system also takes into account closing speed, as measured by the vehicle's radar. If a collision appears likely, Pre-Safe closes all windows and the sunroof, moves all passenger's seats and their head restraints to a safer position, and tightens the seatbelts. It also inflates the air chambers in the side bolsters of the optional multi-contour seats and engages Pre-Safe Brakes in order to reduce speed and therefore severity of impact.
  • Bi-Xenon headlights with Active Light Function swivelling curve light
  • Night View Assist: optional, uses two near-infrared illuminators mounted in the headlamp clusters and a camera in the windshield. The infrared beams are picked up by the camera and an image is displayed in the instrument cluster. Mercedes-Benz claims that this system provides the same viewable distance as high-beam headlights, without blinding oncoming motorists.
  • Adaptive Brake Lights
  • Automatically dimming rear-view mirror and driver's door mirror
  • Seat belt pre-tensioners, belt force limiters and automatic belt height adjustment, front and rear
The W221 also contains many other safety features, including front and rear crumple zones, eight dual-stage air bags, anti-lock brakes, collapsible steering column, and traction control.

Suspension and handling

  • Airmatic – air suspension, an evolution of the suspension system introduced on the W220, using compressed air instead of steel springs to provide a softer ride with better handling characteristics at the same time and adaptive electronic control to sense road and driving conditions and produce a sportier or softer ride. Airmatic also allows the vehicle to be raised by pressing a button in order to increase ground clearance while lowering the body at higher speeds. Airmatic is the standard suspension system for all S-Class models apart from the S 600, S 63, and S 65 AMG which are all equipped with Active Body Control as standard.
  • The hydropneumatic Active Body Control system is a more advanced suspension compared to Airmatic, based on steel springs and high pressure hydraulics. It keeps the car level even in fast corners, providing a comfort and sports setting as in the case of Airmatic. Again, the ride height can be increased by pressing a button, increasing ground clearance for driving on difficult terrain or in snow. ABC is standard on the S 600, S 63 and S 65, while optional on all other models except vehicles equipped with 4Matic all wheel drive.
  • Tele Aid, uses GPS tracking and cell phone service to provide assistance. It can be used for information, to call for roadside assistance, or to call for help in emergencies. It automatically calls for help if an airbag or seatbelt tensioner deploys. Not available in all markets.

    Comfort and convenience

  • Rain-sensing windshield wipers with two sensitivity settings.
  • Fully automatic climate control system with pollen and charcoal filters, three different ventilation modes, the ability to adjust the foot-well temperature one or two steps warmer or colder than the rest of the vehicle and an optional separate rear-seat climate control.
  • Electrically adjustable, Heated and Active-Ventilated seats, with heating elements for warming the seats and small fans to keep the seats cool and draw perspiration away from occupants. Seat memories are standard on some models, available as an option on others.
  • Speed sensitive parameter steering.
  • Electrically adjustable, folding, heated mirrors.
  • An electric park brake replaces the pedal operated system from previous generations.
  • Optional Multi-contour seats provide additional control over lumbar, shoulder and side bolster settings in the seats, using air chambers that can be inflated or deflated to better suit the occupant and which are also used to provide a four-mode massaging function.
  • Drive-Dynamic seats adds a further function to the air chamber control by inflating and deflating them dynamically to support the seat occupant during cornering.
  • Electrically operated rear-window shade and rear side window sun shades are optionally available.
  • Optional comfort head restraints are not just adjustable in height and angle, but also feature adjustable side bolsters.
  • Self-closing doors and boot-lid are standard on some models, optionally available on others. There is also an option for a powered boot lid which closes at the touch of a button.
  • Keyless Go, an optional smart key entry and startup system.
  • Optional fiber-optic ambient lighting package for the dashboard, doors, footwells, and other areas.
  • A range of parking systems are available, depending on model and model year. Parktronic is an ultrasound parking aid with visual and audible signals. A rear-view camera is available as an option and models with Distronic Plus offer radar based parking assistance.
  • Bi-xenon headlamps with Headlamp Assist and optional Active Light System with cornering function.
  • Electrically folding rear head restraints.
  • Leather upholstery.
  • Electrically adjustable steering column with easy entry function.
  • Infrared reflecting glass.
  • Long wheel base models have electrically adjustable rear seats and the front passenger seat can be adjusted from the rear.
  • A garage door opener integrated in the interior rear view mirror is also available.
  • A tyre pressure warning system is standard, optionally a tire-pressure monitoring system that displays the exact tyre pressure and warns the driver of any punctures is available.