Magnificent

by Marc Schulhof

The 2010 Mercedes S550 could be summed up as the automotive equivalent of a Rolex Submariner watch. Buy one, and everyone will know you made it—even people who don't know the first thing about cars. That's the benefit of driving an icon.

But unlike the Rolex, which just tells the time (more or less like every other watch you can buy), the S550 does its automotive duties so much better than so many other cars—more comfortably, faster, smoother, safer—that the joke is on anyone who thinks that you drive it just for the status it confers.

It does confer status, of course. That goes without saying. At more than 16 feet long with luminous paint, well-placed shiny bits and exquisite exterior detail work, the S550 has presence. The imposing grille and proud hood ornament help in that regard, too. In most circumstances, this is a car that gets noticed.

Inside, where the lucky few perch (and valet parkers, perchance, come to dream), the S550 offers executive-class leather and wood-trimmed furnishings fit for this rarefied price point. The seats seem infinitely adjustable, both in position and temperature, and there appears to be a control for virtually any type of personal comfort or convenience the driver may desire. The cabin makes good use of the S550's substantial length and width, too. Inside, it translates into enough space front and rear—leg room, head room, hip room, shoulder room—to make even the tightest traffic jam feel less confining.

Driving the S550 is a subtle pleasure, combining as it does an almost obsequious effort to shield you from the indignities of road conditions (the dreaded triumvirate of noise, vibration and harshness) with an ability to really haul when called upon to do so.

An all-wheel-drive model, the S550 4Matic, is available, though on dry roads the standard rear-wheel-drive version, ably supported by traction and stability control systems, delivers a confidence-inspiring dose of grip. Both models come with 382 horsepower and a seven-speed automatic transmission that gets it all to the road.

And while luxury sedans generally sell themselves based on their sybaritic comforts and prodigious road-going capabilities, the S550 does that heady mix one better by adding a potent blend of safety equipment. The functions are simply too numerous and complex to get full airing here, but if you've ever watched a futuristic movie depicting a time when cars drive themselves, well, you're getting close. With cameras and radar, and grandly named systems covering your braking and your steering, your speed and your level of awareness behind the wheel, the S550 seems to project an electronic safety net around itself whenever it starts to move. (Note from the Common Sense Department: It should go without saying that a safety net is reassuring, but it doesn't make you immune to the laws of physics. Nor does it make texting while driving any safer or more acceptable.)

Ironically, given the many superlatives that it can rightly claim, the 2010 Mercedes S550 is essentially the "entry level" S-Class; Mercedes also offers a more powerful V8 version and two 12-cylinder variants, as well as a slightly less expensive gas-electric hybrid—the S400—which debuted this model year. If you decide that the S550 is the model for you, your table stakes will be $92,475. (Opting for the S550 4Matic adds only $3,000 to that base price, which is probably a good investment given Naperville's winters.) And unless you have ironclad will power, expect your final tab to be at least $10,000 to $20,000 higher. Because while the "base" car is quite splendid, Mercedes' long list of optional extras and upgrades make it even more so.

You might also consider a pre-owned S550; it's true that the 2010 model received some improvements, but the car's basic look dates back to the 2007 model—a nice example of which will now cost you just $60,000 or so.