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Spy Shots: 06 Mercedes S-Class
Nearly three and a half years before its official introduction at the 2005 Frankfort Motor Show, the first W221 S-Class prototype has been spotted here in Germany.
According to our sources in Stuttgart, the upcoming S-Class wont grow in length or width, but will have a longer wheelbase with the front and rear wheels pushed further to the edges. This will give the car shorter overhangs than the current model.
Larger rear side doors will make access to the rear bench even easier. Although still very elegant, the new S-class will feature a design quite different from the current car. In fact, some design elements of the upcoming GST sport wagon will be carried over to the new S‑Class. The car will be given a prominent waistline underneath the side windows, reaching from the hood straight through to the trunk lid a simple trick to disguise the true height of the trunk without destroying the overall elegance. A very flat and wide grille, and yet another interpretation of the double round headlights a strong relation to the headlamps on the new Maybach will dominate the front.
Its still too early for concrete information about chassis and electronics. However, air suspension and huge 19- or 20-inch wheels are likely. Other expected features include Night Vision, intelligent airbags and a crash avoidance system with brakes triggered by radar.
The engine range will be radically modernized before production of the new S-class starts in late 2005, and almost all Benz engines will by then be adapted to the new direct-injection technology. The top of the engine range, though, will be available earlier: the V-12 Bi-Turbo with about 495 hp (a variant of the Maybach engine) will debut this autumn in the facelifted version of the current S-Class.
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Props To Huby
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01-02-2003 03:01 AM
