Mercedes S550 Black on Black

The S550 4MATIC’s dash has two 12.3-inch TFT screens, as do other S-class vehicles. While the entertainment system is displayed on the second screen in the dash’s center, the digital instrument cluster on the screen directly in front of the driver may also display other important vehicle data. A rotary knob on the console that is flanked by buttons for quick access to the main infotainment functions on Mercedes-COMAND Benz’s interface controls it.

S is for “Super quick”
The ability to conduct the 449-hp orchestra played by the twin-turbocharged 4.7-liter V-8 in the S550, however, is what truly sets the driver’s seat apart from the passenger seats. A new nine-speed automatic gearbox, which replaces the seven-speed one from the previous year, supports that engine and provides shifts that are as smooth as fine scotch. When you step on the gas, the 5025-pound Benz launches like a bottle rocket. The all-wheel-drive, two-and-a-half-ton vehicle that measured 206.5 inches long torched our test track as it accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and reached the century mark in 10.7 seconds. The S-class finished the quarter-mile at 110 mph 2.2 seconds later.