I know this is a Bens forum so don't be too partial, but please vent as much as you like on this comparison!!

I am thinking of buying either one of these cars. I was pretty much set on buying an S500 until I drove my friends ‘95 740il. I was taken away by the amazing road manners of the 740. He put the 18" Sport rims on the car, which improved handling a good deal. I recently test drove a 97 S420, but it was raining and the test drive was very short and not enough for a good comparison. First impression was that the S did not have the same road manners as the 740. The steering did not seem to provide the feedback that the 740 provided. However, the S had the stock rims (I would intend to change to 18" AMG) compared to the 740. As I am not expecting the car to handle as well as the 740 should it handle much better than my 2000 RL? It may not have seemed to handle as well as the 740 but ride quality was much better. I have always loved the W140, but do not want a sloppy boat since I like to drive fast. I want to be confident if I happen to break the 100mph barrier and a turn comes up. There will be times when I race (highway) that 740 – anyone know who would win?

I have not driven the S500 yet. Can someone let me know if the difference between the 420 and 500 is noticeable?

Any suggestions/comments that anyone has would be greatly appreciated.

I have done some research on what to look out for with the S, namely the A/C systems, pneumatic locks, rear window regulators, etc. From what I have found from 97 and up most of these problems were corrected or improved. Anything else I should look out for?

Also, I know the 740 has about 5 computers throughout the car, which control different systems. The dealer can access these systems and change/adjust certain settings in the car. Some of these settings include: turning on/off the auto up/down feature on the doors, adjusting the auto lock when the car is in taken out of park*, changing the alarm system chirps, adjusting the way the transmission shifts**, etc. Does anyone know if any of this is available on the S-Class?

*The owner can choose between different time intervals to lock all doors or different speed settings.

** The owner can adjust how the car shifts. Either more sporty shifts or a more refined shift, hold the lower gear while acsending/decending a steep hill, even adjust the trans not to shift until 3000 rpms when the engin is cold to help warm things up.

I would like to know some of the finer advantages of the S-Class that make the S-Class so great.

Thanks,

Michael