MB S-Class In Depth

MB S-Class

Four years on from its world debut the S-Class remains one of the most fresh and modern-looking luxury-class cars in the world

45 new photos attached

Page 1 - At a glance Page 2 - Design & equipment Page 3 - Safety Page 4 - Engines Page 5 - 4Matic Page 6 - Suspension Page 7 - Technical glossary Page 8 - Technical data At a glance
S-Class 2003: The most important facelift features Exterior

New-look front bumpers with extended rub strips.
Larger radiator grille with steeper angle and redesigned ribs.
State-of-the-art headlamp design with clear lenses.
Redesigned exterior mirror casings with integral ambient lighting feature; direction indicators with clear lenses.
Tail lights redesigned for a more brilliant appearance.
Boot lid with new, dirt protected handle.
New look alloy wheels with lighter paint finish. 17-inch wheels and tyres for 4MATIC V8 models,18-inch wheels and mixed-width tyres for S 600 models.
New cubanite silver metallic paint finish.

Interior

Twin door sill panels of chrome plated steel.
Instrument panel with redesigned switches.
Centre console with larger COMAND display (6.5").
Leather-trimmed centre armrest with split lid; new-design handset bracket underneath.
Front seats modified for enhanced comfort and lateral support.
Wood trim strips with subtle chrome embellishment.
Door panel trim incorporating softer armrests and redesigned grab handles.
Luxurious designo couture interior trim package.
New upholstery colours: pebble grey, alpaca grey and royal blue.

Engineering

PRE-SAFE pre-crash occupant protection system.
Up-front sensors for adaptive actuation of passenger airbag and belt tensioners.
Rollover sensor for windowbag actuation.
Front passenger weight classification for more adaptive deployment of two-stage air-bag.
New twin-turbo V12 engine (368 kW/500 hp).
Further improved V6 engine developing 180 kW/245 hp and eleven per cent more torque.
S 320 CDI featuring second-generation common-rail engine with increased maximum output (150 kW/ 204 hp) and reduced fuel consumption (7.7 litres NEDC).
Modified five-speed auto-matic transmission with programme selector.
4MATIC full-time four-wheel drive optionally available for S 350 (from beginning of 2003), S 430 and S 500.
Active Body Control (stan-dard on S 600) with new load-adaptive design.
Bi-xenon headlamps optionally available, standard on S 600.
Heated steering wheel optionally available.
New dynamic multicontour seat as optional equipment.
Standard-fitted COMAND sys-tem with 6.5-inch display and CD player.
COMAND APS (optional equipment, standard on S 600) with navigation module and CD player.