S-Class (W221/C216) Mercedes-Benz S-Class W221 Picture Thread

[Kowalski]

Now, How does he leave?

It's an S-class so all he has to do is to ram the poor people around him.

 

[Rolf]

Launch pics of the W221 S class from the issue of AMuS 14-2005. The car on the cover looks fantastic with the deep ruby red.

I have always liked the W221, it still has a brilliant interior with the finest materials on any modern S-class in the last 20 years.

 

[Design FIRST]

Launch pics of the W221 S class from the issue of AMuS 14-2005. The car on the cover looks fantastic with the deep ruby red.

I have always liked the W221, it still has a brilliant interior with the finest materials on any modern S-class in the last 20 years.

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The "Focus Blisters" really bugged me at first. But I got used to them quickly and soon began actually appreciating them. All in all, the W221 was one of the genuinely fine S-Class generations. And the C216 knocked me dead from the very beginning.

 

[Esp5]

I never really understood those giant bulges on the wheel arches; to this day they still feel out of place, not fitting for a luxury car. I think they could have done it in several other ways and it would have looked better.

 

[Swissbob]

Mine was a Lemon, otherwise a lovely car.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

The "Focus Blisters" really bugged me at first. But I got used to them quickly and soon began actually appreciating them. All in all, the W221 was one of the genuinely fine S-Class generations. And the C216 knocked me dead from the very beginning.

I was the opposite. Initially, I did not mind the bulges, but I disliked them more and more as time went on. Also, I really disliked the gauges.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

I never really understood those giant bulges on the wheel arches; to this day they still feel out of place, not fitting for a luxury car. I think they could have done it in several other ways and it would have looked better.

Agreed.

I never loved the exterior of the W221 and, in my opinion, it is not only the weakest in terms of design maturity, but also the least attractive in silhouette.

It was a bizarre era for Mercedes-Benz design. Pfeiffer, without the guidance of Sacco, seemed to have no real answer to BMW’s design revolution, and we ended up with one of the most fragmented and aesthetically displeasing periods of MB design in decades. We went from the beautiful organic forms of the early 2000s to an awkward mix of organic and angular in some models, and almost completely angular in others.

It seems like Wagner was content to follow Pfeiffer’s direction at the time, and we can all say what we like about his recent work, but once Pfeiffer was out of the picture and Wagner took full control of Mercedes design, the brand produced some of its most compelling and cohesive work since the early 2000s.

As far as I understand, the EQ concept models, I’m not sure about the production models, were in fact the work of current Mercedes-Benz design director, Bastian Baudi, while Robert Lesnik can be 'credited' with the light bar. The disastrous execution of both of these themes occurred under Gorden Wagener, so at the moment, God only knows whether Mercedes will be able to re-establish its design credibility. However, if rumours are to be believed, the electric E-Class is supposed to mark a turning point for their EV design, and the next S-Class riding on a platform similar to the current 7, is apparently quite impressive.

The little I’ve heard about the E-EV:

• The silhouette is somewhat reminiscent of the boxiness of the W212
• No rear light bar, but rather a modern interpretation of previous E's (W212- I may have misheard the exact model reference)
• Both classic and sport grilles will be offered, with availability depending on the market

Don't shoot the messenger though. I'm definitely no MB insider, nor do I know any lol.

 

[Design FIRST]

As far as I understand, the EQ concept models, I’m not sure about the production models, were in fact the work of current Mercedes-Benz design director, Bastian Baudi, while Robert Lesnik can be 'credited' with the light bar. The disastrous execution of both of these themes occurred under Gorden Wagener, so at the moment, God only knows whether Mercedes will be able to re-establish its design credibility.

I personally sincerely hope that M-B will be able to stage a formidable rebound in the context of genuinely cohesive, enduringly attractive design. Most certainly, the intellectual, sound instinctual and creative capacities are there, lurking somewhere in the corporate department heirarchies. Should the future E-Class (EQ) provide evidence of such prevailing, that would be great IMHO. But make no mistake, BMW and soon Audi will not make the task an easy one.