Oops... I guess I have to clarify WHICH car magazines I was referring my comments from: CAR (England), Auto Motor und Sport (Germany), and Automobile (France).

If I were basing my thoughts from sources like Motor Trend, Road & Track and/or Consumer Reports, I would have totally agree with you. But, most writers from the European magazines I suscribe to do either own or drive daily such vehicles as S-classes and Porches.

I also agree that the W140 errors on design such as the evaporator or the engine long block on the 3.5 diesel are just plain horrible on a car with such a price tag and pedigree. But, everything else is so well executed and unique (at the time) that it really made the car special.

Besides, nothing is perfect. I bought a brand new Lincoln Mark VII LSC in 1986 which in less than eight months and under 6,000 miles had the entire electrical system failed. The warranty repair runned up to US$4,500.00 at the time and of course I sold the car before the warranty expired.

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A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

Yes indeed, I was speaking about US car magazines such as those listed. But even the crazy Euro magazines aren't so accurate. The W220 may have faced criticisms but that's because MB actually got realistic, reduced prices, made the car on a budget and delivered a product far more efficient, sporty and friendly than any W140. The sales are a great indicator of the success of the model. It was the kind of product people wanted. The oversize, "overengineered" S-Class had become a sign of excess and even the S-Class buyers wanted something different. Additionally, to attract a new generation of now ageing people who are hitting their wealth highs in the USA, it was time to present something they'd like. Even in Europe, the W140's size meant it wasn't as popular as the W126. With the W220, MB aimed to get that popularity back.

People keep saying that this new S-Class is returning to aspects of the W140. May be true, but look at how it is being done. The new design looks more Italian than German from the sides, it is still an electronic house one wheels, is much sportier and handles way better than it would be expected of a vehicle of its size, etc. All attributes carried over from the W220. Aspects such as increased dimensions and weight may seem more like going back towards the W140 but then again, every new car today grows in those aspects.

Your problems with your Lincoln aren't shocking... it is a Lincoln! Not a benchmark for anything so, well, it is more acceptable than in a Benz. Hell, any form of flawed work is unacceptable in a Benz.

Let me speak to you frankly here. I know you're a big time lover of the W140, especially the S500 you own. Yes, this thread is over 18 pages long and you've mostly kept it alive by posting once in a while bashing the W220 and singing the praises for the W140. Many people have come and gone on it but you're still here thanks to your love for the car/chassis. The W220 was also very unique when it came out. It brought several new features along with it. Some cost cutting is visible in the interior but that's ok for a company that for over 90 years was building cars without strict budgets and all of a sudden had to quit doing that and start doing the opposite. Not to mention that several of the new features more than made up for it. Overall, I say the W220 is a better car actually when everything is put together. I wish we could create a table and assign points for each aspect of the cars and see which one ends up with the most points. Hey, maybe we should try that!

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1999 Mercedes-Benz S600, 103K miles - garage queen
1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL, 89K miles - daily driver
2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited, 31K - daily driver

the mb w140 is more & gain more points in this field but if anyone want to get the w140 it will be very used and tired.the w220 has more technological advances which increase fixnig rates and viruses.but I prefer the w220

Is the front end vibration issue a problem for all W140's orjust certain models /years. What I am asking is are there any W140's which I could be assured would not have the vibration problem?

As Mr. ibeaver correctly stated, pre-95 higher end W140s came standard with the rear power bench seat. This set up included electric folding and raising headrests.

Lower end S-class W140s (S420/S320/S350) had only the regular folding rear headrests. This is the type, to save costs again, that was made standard for the whole line up post 95.

You could always order the rear power bench seat, or if you had money to give away, you could even order the rear independent powered bucket seats, which also came standard with rising and folding powered headrests.

The rear independent bucket seats could also be ordered with a convinience switch that lets you control the right front bucket seat from the back (to provide more space), a pair of wooden tables that folded into the front seat backs (a la Rolls Royce), and even a refrigerator that could accomodate a six-pack or two bottles of wine, accessible through the opening that the rear armrest leaves when in the down position.

In the W140s, the rear independent buckets could be ordered either for the short wheelbase or the long wheelbase version (enough space was available in both versions). In the W220, you can still get the rear independent buckets, but only for the long wheelbase version.

Note: the aformentioned icebox could also be installed in any car using the regular rear bench seast (powered or not), and if you are the type that really likes to entertain, you could order a bigger icebox that was factory installed in the trunk (swallowing eight bottles of wine at once), although it ate up almost 40% of trunk space). M.B. refers to both iceboxes in the Option List Catalog as convenience items to provide cool drinks to the driver and passengers, or as a safety item to keep heat-sensitive medication in the car.


A. Rosich
S320, 1998
E320T, 1995

[Edited by A. Rosich on 06-27-2001 at 12:33 AM]

I have seen a 2000 S320 SWB with the rear electric seats. It's an option available in Germany if I'm not wrong. I really, really regret selling the S320L as it was a car I loved very much which stills stands out from other cars.

As I understand, the full rear electric bench seat can be ordered for the W220 on some markets for the short wheel base model, the independent electric rear bucket seats can only be ordered for the long wheel base models.

In the W140, as said before, you could order (although for a nice premium of about $8,000.00) the independent rear electric bucket seats for the short wheel base.

A. Rosich
S320, 1998
E320T, 1995

For those of us who own a W140: Model? Year? Options? How many miles? Comments? I'll start:

Year/model: '94 S500
Color combo: Smoke Silver/Parchment
Mileage: 106,110 miles
Options: Power rear window sunshade/manual rear side shades, integrated mobile phone w/deluxe handset, 6 disc cd changer
Comments: Probably the best Mercedes-Benz I have ever owned. It runs perfectly and aside from a few minor issues over the years the car is still a joy to drive! As far as I'm concerned it's barely broken in. . .

Did you or have you had any squeaking or creaking from the front end?

I just got the squeaking and mine has 90,000miles, I ;m not sure what it is

I think the W221 S300L is awesome.

Am trying to find out more facts and figures other than this provided for: http://www.motortrader.com.my/NUS/articles/article_963/page_m.asp

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... Kerry

126 tailed by a 203, 129 leading the pack.

Just as an observation to this whole thread:
Y'know, when the 140 came out, everybody weeped openly and said the 126 was "the last REAL Mercedes". My, how times change. Or do they? I think everyone just needs to chill and give the 220 a chance to prove itself. Not all cars are "instant" classics. The 140 was a primo POS for at least the first 2 years, wasn't really ironed out for more like 3 or 4.
Gilly

1995 S420
White/Grey
7200 miles
6 Disc CD Changer
Clear Euro Blinkers
Clear/red 97+ Taillights
Wood/Leather Steering Wheel
Wood/Leather Gear Knob

This car has been perfect so far, the ride is very smooth and stable. No anoying problems and defects that are found in todays MBs. Overall this is one of the most solid cars on the road. The ultimate Luxury Benz

I don't have this car anymore. It was sold around a year ago. The following were it's specifications.
Model = S320L
Year = 1998
Colour = Brilliant Silver
Options = Two tone leather (black on grey interior), black bird's eye maple wood trim, sunroof, PTS, rear elec. bench seats(not the individual bucket type seats, vacumm doors, xenons.

I do remember when I first saw the W140. I thought it wasn't as good looking as the W126, and I still think so. The W126 is a timeless piece of machinery, particuarly the post '86 big V8-engined models (420SEL/500SEL/560SEL). The W140 took some time to grow on me (design wise).

But, in terms of size, comfort, features (real ones, not electronic gadgets) the W140 is the real King of the Road.

The W220, being smaller and much much character-less does not stand a chance to compete with the excellence of the W116/W126/W140 classics. It is sad, but it is true.

A. Rosich
S320, 1998
E320T, 1995

I definitely agree with A. Rosich with respect to the W140 and W220's. The W220 is a veritable electronic wonder car, It has a huge amount of features. However, the GPS system is counterintuitive to use and is much less user friendly than those systems from other car companies. MB still uses CD-ROMs (which can only hold one region of the country) to store the maps when other companies are using DVD's for storage. Also, the quality of the interior materials feels "cheap." Yes, people can argue that the newer materials are more durable but when one pays anywhere between $70k-130k for an automobile, they expect better than that.

Now, I must agree that the new cars are much better in terms of fuel economy and performance but overall, in this case, newer is not better. Hopefully the 2003 facelift will address these issues.