Andrew280SEL
New Member
My dad has had his eye on a particular black W140 S420 (4.2 L V8) Mercedes.
He'd already test driven it but wanted me to do so as well, just for the fun of it and so he could also observe things as a passenger (which pays off, he noticed some imperfections he otherwise wouldn't have, such as a less than perfect roof headliner).
The first thing I noticed even as I was just taking off is... the weight. IMO you can feel how heavy these W140s are, which is a good two tonne or so. What also adds to this is when sitting inside the car, you feel pretty insulated from the outside world as some of these more modern big cars do and I thought it really felt like being in a luxury tank. This isn't a bad thing, it's something that you would almost expect from a big S-Class Mercedes.
The performance was a bit lackluster if I may say. It's a heavy car, so I'm not surprised that the smallest engine these models came with is a six cylinders, because a 4 banger would probably barely move it
Still, I was a bit surprised the 4.2L V8 didn't have a bit more pep. Certainly takes a bit of encouragement to get the car moving, but in general I was surprised enough that I actually pulled over and looked under the bonnet to check it was actually a V8 and not an incorrectly badged six... because honestly it felt like a decently powerful six. Sure enough though, the V8 is there. However further playing around with the loud pedal certainly revealed that you stamped on it really enthusiastically it would kick down a gear or two and would start to really take off in the mid-range speeds, but still, I was a little surprised.
The funny thing is after the W140, I actually test drove a W116 280SE that was also there. I had/have no intention of buying that one as it stands, but I was curious to see how that W116 went, especially being a D-Jet M110. That thing, at least off the mark and low speeds, actually felt more peppy and responsive than the S420 Of course beyond that, the performance comparison would end, but I found that rather surprising indeed.
Anyway this post isnt to bag the S420's rather sedate performance, the W140 certainly seems a nice car and a very smooth ride. For those wanting a more modern Benz without going too modern and getting into the Naughties era of Benz, they certainly seem a decent value option.
Personally though, I still find myself leaning to the older models. It's just a personal preference of what I like when it comes to driving I think - for example that W116 280SE I mentioned was rather rough around the edges and had noisy brakes etc, but I actually felt more at home driving that than I did the W140.
A case of just being more familiar? Perhaps. But I tend to appreciate how the older cars actually let you "feel" the road and what's happening underneath your wheels. Plus I find there's a look and feel to the interior of a W116 and even a W123 etc that is hard to match elsewhere, even if they aren't perfect.
Anyway that's just my little ramble. I imagine, regardless of weight, the V12 S600 version would be a lot of fun
He'd already test driven it but wanted me to do so as well, just for the fun of it and so he could also observe things as a passenger (which pays off, he noticed some imperfections he otherwise wouldn't have, such as a less than perfect roof headliner).
The first thing I noticed even as I was just taking off is... the weight. IMO you can feel how heavy these W140s are, which is a good two tonne or so. What also adds to this is when sitting inside the car, you feel pretty insulated from the outside world as some of these more modern big cars do and I thought it really felt like being in a luxury tank. This isn't a bad thing, it's something that you would almost expect from a big S-Class Mercedes.
The performance was a bit lackluster if I may say. It's a heavy car, so I'm not surprised that the smallest engine these models came with is a six cylinders, because a 4 banger would probably barely move it
Still, I was a bit surprised the 4.2L V8 didn't have a bit more pep. Certainly takes a bit of encouragement to get the car moving, but in general I was surprised enough that I actually pulled over and looked under the bonnet to check it was actually a V8 and not an incorrectly badged six... because honestly it felt like a decently powerful six. Sure enough though, the V8 is there. However further playing around with the loud pedal certainly revealed that you stamped on it really enthusiastically it would kick down a gear or two and would start to really take off in the mid-range speeds, but still, I was a little surprised.
The funny thing is after the W140, I actually test drove a W116 280SE that was also there. I had/have no intention of buying that one as it stands, but I was curious to see how that W116 went, especially being a D-Jet M110. That thing, at least off the mark and low speeds, actually felt more peppy and responsive than the S420
Of course beyond that, the performance comparison would end, but I found that rather surprising indeed.Anyway this post isnt to bag the S420's rather sedate performance, the W140 certainly seems a nice car and a very smooth ride. For those wanting a more modern Benz without going too modern and getting into the Naughties era of Benz, they certainly seem a decent value option.
Personally though, I still find myself leaning to the older models. It's just a personal preference of what I like when it comes to driving I think - for example that W116 280SE I mentioned was rather rough around the edges and had noisy brakes etc, but I actually felt more at home driving that than I did the W140.
A case of just being more familiar? Perhaps. But I tend to appreciate how the older cars actually let you "feel" the road and what's happening underneath your wheels. Plus I find there's a look and feel to the interior of a W116 and even a W123 etc that is hard to match elsewhere, even if they aren't perfect.
Anyway that's just my little ramble. I imagine, regardless of weight, the V12 S600 version would be a lot of fun
