***Testdrove a 1993 Mercedes S500 Coupe (W140)***

[cawimmer430]

I was a real pimp for a couple of hours with this car! The car belonged to a customer who lived outside of the city of Trostberg. My job was to return it to the man and drive back with the loaner car, a C220 CDI. I was really excited to see how such a big old coupe from the early ?90s felt. The W140 S-Class was never a favorite of mine, and I always considered the coupe to be one of the worst looking cars Mercedes has ever made.







The S500 Coupe here was a 1993 model and almost had 180,000 km (112,500 miles) on the odometer. The silver color on it looked typical from that era as I remember it on R129 SL?s and W140 S-Classes. The owner appeared to be a bit of a sporty driver since he had Brabus rims on the car. But as soon as I got going, I knew that this thing wasn?t sporty at all. The car was humongous for European standards and wouldn?t cope well on local roads, I could tell you that without even driving it first! That?s one reason why the W140 wasn?t very popular here: too big!







I didn?t like the exterior design at all of this car. It?s really ugly in my opinion. The cool stuff appeared once you opened the door to the interior. The doors felt heavy and closed with a nice ?thud? sound. Once the doors were closed, the seat belt harness was brought to you by an electronically controlled mechanism found where the B-pillar would have been had this car had one. The interior was cheap looking by today?s standards. The plastics used couldn?t compare to the plastics found in the outgoing facelifted W220 S-Class: same deal with the wood. There you have it, I honestly think the outgoing facelifted W220 S-Class had better interior materials. Even the new A-Class or improved C-Class have better interiors. A sign of how times have changed.



The V8 under the hood was the same engine found in my dad?s ?89 500SL with 326-horsepower and 450 Nm (332 lb/ft) of torque. Like in my dad?s car, it fired up with a nice throaty V8 roar, but then settled into a smooth purr. Early on, it moved the big coupe along effortlessly on my way out of the city to the roads leading to Trostberg. Right away, this car felt like a tank in terms of build quality.







I wish I could say the car was comfortable, but it wasn?t. The black leather seats were plush and cushy, but lacked side support: understandable since this is a luxury cruiser. But it was really the 18? Brabus rims on low profile tires which ruined the cars comfort in my opinion. On smooth roads, the suspension and comfort were fine. But as soon as rough roads appeared, the suspension was loud and felt bumpy. I attribute much it to the Brabus rims and tires! I could still sense that the suspension was very soft since the car floated on smooth roads.



Part of the journey to Trostberg took place on roads that were relatively wide and straight. Here, I hammered the car a few times. The S500 coupe was a big and heavy car, and the acceleration was pretty disappointing, especially since the same engine is a monster in my dad?s 500SL. The coupe wasn?t slow, but it wasn?t particularly quick either. A testimony as to how heavy and big this car was. My dad?s 500SL is no lightweight either, but it?s not as heavy as this car and can thus accelerate quicker.







This car still used an old 4-speed automatic transmission with a P-R-N-D-3-2-2B layout. It couldn?t really be felt and seemed to be in the correct gear most of the times. Or maybe that?s because the engine was torquey and powerful so it mattered little if the A/T selected a wrong gear. Then again, MB has always made kick ass automatics. []



The steering was outright scary. It was so light and disconnected, I had trouble keeping the car pointing forward even on straight roads! Of all the Mercedes? I?ve driven, this S500 coupe had by far the most vague steering I?ve ever experienced: my ?85 300SE has a more responsive steering feel. This told me that this car couldn?t be pushed much since the main control function, the steering wheel, was almost worthless! [:P]







It took awhile to find the owners house, which was a farm somewhere out in the countryside. The roads here resemble a racetrack with long straightaways, uphill and downhill slopes and sharp curves etc. Needless to say that it was a pain to drive this car on these types of roads. The light steering and width of the car on these narrow roads was hell on wheels. Also, in curves, there was a ton of body roll. Anyway, eventually found the place in the middle of nowhere, dropped off the car and picked up the loaner C220 CDI. The owner of the S500 coupe was a guy in his late 70s I estimate. Well what can I say? It felt and drove like an old man?s car. I guess it even drove ok for an old mans car. The current C215 CL-Class is a much ?sportier? drive. Times have changed big time.



Now the drive back in a facelifted C220 CDI, that was something else compared to this coupe. [:bigsmile:]



PHOTO ALBUM: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=2122422480

[BMWDave]

Nice writeup :)  I might have a Porsche test drive coming up, since my friend is buying one.  B)

[Raza]

You are way off on the materials of the W140.

[cawimmer430]

Nice writeup :)  I might have a Porsche test drive coming up, since my friend is buying one.  B)

You know what to do right?

-VIDEOS
-PICTURES
-OWNERS VIEW
-INSURANCE RATES
-MAINTENANCE COSTS
-etc...

We all want to know that.  

[cawimmer430]

You are way off on the materials of the W140.

Honestly, compared to the materials used in current MB's like the CLS, W221 S-Class, even the A-Class and facelifted C-Class, the materials here look "cheap". IMO, MB has never made "great interior" until now. IMHO, the W140 interior materials aren't that good.    

[Raza]

You are way off on the materials of the W140.

Honestly, compared to the materials used in current MB's like the CLS, W221 S-Class, even the A-Class and facelifted C-Class, the materials here look "cheap". IMO, MB has never made "great interior" until now. IMHO, the W140 interior materials aren't that good.  

I'm in a W140 and a W220 almost everyday.  And, considering we've had the W140 for almost 10 years and the W220 for only three, I can already tell you that the W140's a better put together car with better materials, as well as a more attractive design.  

.  The W140 still has the old Benz design?a warm but stoic design with gorgeous wood, good plastics, and everything in reach.  The legroom in the back is enough for a basketball player to stretch out.  The model in my garage is an S320 Long Wheelbase that I?ve had since it was new in 1996.  For being nearly ten years old, most of the car doesn?t show its age.  It?s had its share of accidents to avoid, it?s even been involved in a rear end shunt or two.  Once, the tank-like Mercedes was sitting at a stoplight as a Toyota Corolla rammed its backside.  The Corolla was totaled; the Mercedes needed the bumper and the trunk locking mechanism replaced...

Driving the W140 reminds you of driving an old style car?not an old one.  Almost ten years have gone by and the car feels brand new...

.  The materials of the W220 are about the same as the W140, but aesthetically is where the W220 fails.  You are cosseted in luxury, yes, but not exactly in the same way as the W140 goes about it.  The W220 is a more outlandish and outgoing car?it attracts stares from people standing at the side of the road and woeful glances from would-be rappers dreaming of their cash, cars, and jewelry.  The W220 speaks to other people, but the W140 speaks to you.

[cawimmer430]

You are way off on the materials of the W140.

Honestly, compared to the materials used in current MB's like the CLS, W221 S-Class, even the A-Class and facelifted C-Class, the materials here look "cheap". IMO, MB has never made "great interior" until now. IMHO, the W140 interior materials aren't that good.  

I'm in a W140 and a W220 almost everyday.  And, considering we've had the W140 for almost 10 years and the W220 for only three, I can already tell you that the W140's a better put together car with better materials, as well as a more attractive design.  

.? The W140 still has the old Benz design?a warm but stoic design with gorgeous wood, good plastics, and everything in reach.? The legroom in the back is enough for a basketball player to stretch out.? The model in my garage is an S320 Long Wheelbase that I?ve had since it was new in 1996.? For being nearly ten years old, most of the car doesn?t show its age.? It?s had its share of accidents to avoid, it?s even been involved in a rear end shunt or two.? Once, the tank-like Mercedes was sitting at a stoplight as a Toyota Corolla rammed its backside.? The Corolla was totaled; the Mercedes needed the bumper and the trunk locking mechanism replaced...

Driving the W140 reminds you of driving an old style car?not an old one.? Almost ten years have gone by and the car feels brand new...

.? The materials of the W220 are about the same as the W140, but aesthetically is where the W220 fails.? You are cosseted in luxury, yes, but not exactly in the same way as the W140 goes about it.? The W220 is a more outlandish and outgoing car?it attracts stares from people standing at the side of the road and woeful glances from would-be rappers dreaming of their cash, cars, and jewelry.? The W220 speaks to other people, but the W140 speaks to you.

I know and I don't deny that the W140 is the better built car than the W220, but the materials to me "appeared" cheap compared to the facelifted W220 S-Class and newer MB's like the CLS etc.  

Relax, it's just MY OPINION.

[Tom]

It's funny what the Euros consider a huge car.  I drive a car everyday that would be considered gigantic.  To me, it handles well and manuevers just fine.  Huge sedans really died out in the 90s- the kind that actually did handle like a boat.

[thewizard16]

It's funny what the Euros consider a huge car.  I drive a car everyday that would be considered gigantic.  To me, it handles well and manuevers just fine.  Huge sedans really died out in the 90s- the kind that actually did handle like a boat.

You have to consider though that they've dealt with high fuel costs much longer than we have. True, they make more money, overall, but with parking space such as it is, streets like they are, and highways getting really narrow when they go through villages, you really don't want a big car unless you really need it, or are wealthy and want to show it off.

[giant_mtb]

It's funny what the Euros consider a huge car.  I drive a car everyday that would be considered gigantic.  To me, it handles well and manuevers just fine.  Huge sedans really died out in the 90s- the kind that actually did handle like a boat.

Trust me...you don't want a big car in Europe.  The bus drivers there are absolutely amazing to be able to drive on some of those streets and never put passengers in danger...

[Colonel Cadillac]

Hey Raza, since you have such cool cars in the garage at the residence, can you take some pics. I would love to see what the S320 looks like. Is the W220 a facelifted version or pre-facelift, I assume its an S500.  

[Raghavan]

That car is fugly.

[Secret Chimp]

I've never seen one of those before. I've seen my share of early 90s S-class boat sedans, though, but S-class coupe? Why isn't this a CL?

[BMWDave]

I've never seen one of those before. I've seen my share of early 90s S-class boat sedans, though, but S-class coupe? Why isn't this a CL?

I've seen a few of them around.

I saw this around the other day I looked on the internet, and this is pretty close to what I saw (this isnt the acual car, its just pictures I took from the internet of a 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Sunroof Coupe).







Wimmer would have been proud, but I'm sorry that I couldnt stop to take pictures, since it was on the side of the highway.

[TBR]

Hey Raza, since you have such cool cars in the garage at the residence, can you take some pics. I would love to see what the S320 looks like. Is the W220 a facelifted version or pre-facelift, I assume its an S500.

Let me answer for him, it is a 2002 S500 (prefacelift).

[Raza]

It's funny what the Euros consider a huge car.  I drive a car everyday that would be considered gigantic.  To me, it handles well and manuevers just fine.  Huge sedans really died out in the 90s- the kind that actually did handle like a boat.

Your Buick is a boat, man.  And they still have cars that handle like boats.  Lincoln Town Cars, Lexus LSs, Toyota Camrys.  They're still around.

[Raza]

Hey Raza, since you have such cool cars in the garage at the residence, can you take some pics. I would love to see what the S320 looks like. Is the W220 a facelifted version or pre-facelift, I assume its an S500.

It's a pre facelift.  I think I've got some pics of the S320 on my hard drive, let me look.

[Raza]

[cawimmer430]

Hey Raza, that interiors DOES LOOK HQ.  

Must have been the darker colors that gave me a cheaper impression. I still maintain however that newer MB's use better interior materials.  

[BMWDave]

Hey Raza, that interiors DOES LOOK HQ.  

Must have been the darker colors that gave me a cheaper impression. I still maintain however that newer MB's use better interior materials.

Yea, Raza's interior definitely looks better than the one you testdrove.

Did you see my post a few posts up?  

[cawimmer430]

It's funny what the Euros consider a huge car.  I drive a car everyday that would be considered gigantic.  To me, it handles well and manuevers just fine.  Huge sedans really died out in the 90s- the kind that actually did handle like a boat.

The W140 was heavily criticized in Europe for being "too big". The outgoing W220 was "ok" in terms of size, but the W140 was just big. It can still drive through most towns here and on most roads, but parking will be a big problem: especially in the cities.    

[cawimmer430]

I've never seen one of those before. I've seen my share of early 90s S-class boat sedans, though, but S-class coupe? Why isn't this a CL?

The S-Class coupe has a history of being called different things.

I'll start with the W116 S-Class. The coupe was called "SLC".

The W126 S-Class coupe version was called "SEC".

The W140 S-Class coupe was first refered to as a 500S Coupe, then S500 and later CL500.

The outgoing C215 coupe (W220 S-Class) was called CL from the beginning.    

[BMWDave]

I've never seen one of those before. I've seen my share of early 90s S-class boat sedans, though, but S-class coupe? Why isn't this a CL?

I've seen a few of them around.

I saw this around the other day I looked on the internet, and this is pretty close to what I saw (this isnt the acual car, its just pictures I took from the internet of a 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Sunroof Coupe).







Wimmer would have been proud, but I'm sorry that I couldnt stop to take pictures, since it was on the side of the highway.

I want to make sure wimmer sees this, so I am bumping it.

[cawimmer430]

I've never seen one of those before. I've seen my share of early 90s S-class boat sedans, though, but S-class coupe? Why isn't this a CL?

I've seen a few of them around.

I saw this around the other day I looked on the internet, and this is pretty close to what I saw (this isnt the acual car, its just pictures I took from the internet of a 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Sunroof Coupe).







Wimmer would have been proud, but I'm sorry that I couldnt stop to take pictures, since it was on the side of the highway.

^ :o  :o  :o ^

THAT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PAST MB's! The 280SE 3.5....mmmmm...I saw one in a museum a few days ago (took pics but don't have them with me right now)...gorgeous. I love that car. Paul Bracq's best design and just classy and timeless. Those were the days when a 3.5 V8 with 200-hp was considered "powerful".    

[cawimmer430]

Relax Dave, I saw it and replied to it.    

[BMWDave]

The thing is that I cant really stop and take pictures, since its in a body shop thats on the side of the highway, and I've seen it there a couple of times, but it would be hard, since the body shop needs the room, and its very crowded around it.  I'll see what I can do-maybe I'll take a moving movie of it, and then cut out the parts with the car and post them :)

Stay tuned.

[BMWDave]

Relax Dave, I saw it and replied to it.  

You were replying to everything but my post, so I felt the need for a bump

I wanted to make sure you saw it B)  

[Raza]

I've never seen one of those before. I've seen my share of early 90s S-class boat sedans, though, but S-class coupe? Why isn't this a CL?

The S-Class coupe has a history of being called different things.

I'll start with the W116 S-Class. The coupe was called "SLC".

The W126 S-Class coupe version was called "SEC".

The W140 S-Class coupe was first refered to as a 500S Coupe, then S500 and later CL500.

The outgoing C215 coupe (W220 S-Class) was called CL from the beginning.  

If you pay attention to it, the price of an S500 coupe was nearly 10 grand lower than the CL500 of the next year (all W140 models).  

[Colonel Cadillac]

Still looks new, WOW:

[cawimmer430]

I've never seen one of those before. I've seen my share of early 90s S-class boat sedans, though, but S-class coupe? Why isn't this a CL?

The S-Class coupe has a history of being called different things.

I'll start with the W116 S-Class. The coupe was called "SLC".

The W126 S-Class coupe version was called "SEC".

The W140 S-Class coupe was first refered to as a 500S Coupe, then S500 and later CL500.

The outgoing C215 coupe (W220 S-Class) was called CL from the beginning.  

If you pay attention to it, the price of an S500 coupe was nearly 10 grand lower than the CL500 of the next year (all W140 models).

Current W221 S-Class in Europe should be Euros 9,000 more expensive than the W220!  :o

At least the W221 S500 compared with the W220 S500.