2007 Mercedes-Benz S500

In various guises, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been in production since America was listening to Ike--that's Eisenhower, not Turner. The current version, code-named W220 and introduced in 1998, has sold nearly 500,000 copies worldwide, making it the best-selling premium sedan of all time. Yet of late the W220's three-pointed star has begun to flicker. In the first eight months of 2005, BMW's 7 Series outsold the S-Class in the U.S.--11,564 cars to 10,280. Then there's the issue of Mercedes-Benz quality, which in recent years has seemed more Swatch than Rolex. Pass the Pepto, please.

Now for the really queasy part: In February, Mercedes-Benz will begin shipping an all-new 2007 S-Class to our shores. Will America's buying public swoon? It had better. At stake is nothing less than the reputation of one of the world's premier luxury brands--and the star power of one of the auto kingdom's most renowned status symbols.

Immediately following the S-Class's world debut at September's Frankfurt Motor Show, we climbed behind the wheel of the new car for first-hand evaluations on the highways and mountain roads of northern Italy and Switzerland. First impression: The new S is a staggeringly advanced automobile, boasting some of the most innovative and useful safety features in recent memory. Second impression: Mercedes has been studying the BMW 7 Series under an electron microscope. Mercedes execs deny this, of course, arguing that any similarities to the work of their Bavarian rivals is due simply to natural product evolution. But the parallels between the two cars are too conspicuous to ignore (see sidebar).

The new S is appreciably bigger than the outgoing W220. Wheelbase on the long-wheelbase version has grown by more than three inches over the long W220 (unlike the previous model, Mercedes will sell only long-wheelbase versions of the new S-Class in the U.S.), overall length is up nearly two inches, and width has increased nearly an inch. Interior room has expanded in almost every dimension, most notably rear-seat legroom and cargo capacity. According to Mercedes figures, curb weight also has climbed--by more than 200 pounds, despite the use of aluminum for the hood, doors, front fenders, and trunklid.

The look is dramatically new. Like the 7 Series, the new S is an overtly "styled" car, with more curves and "surface excitement" than the clean, simple S-Classes of yore. Compared with the outgoing model, Mercedes has expanded the new car's grille and diminished its headlamps. Bold wheel arches add "shoulders" to the front and reappear in back. And...isn't that a 7 Series bustle on the rear deck?