Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan (W220) · S-Class
W220
Lighter, faster and far more electronic — the S-Class enters the digital age.
- Production
- 1998–2005
- Built
- 478,689
- Body
- Sedan
- Chassis
- W220
After the monumental W140, Mercedes-Benz went the other way — the W220 was shorter, lighter and shaped by the wind rather than by authority, the first S-Class designed to be driven as much as to be driven in.
Launched in autumn 1998, it made AIRMATIC air suspension standard across the range and brought DISTRONIC radar cruise control and COMAND to a production car, with Active Body Control on the V8 and V12 flagships. The line-up ran from the M112 V6 of the S 280 to the M275 twin-turbo V12 of the S 600, with the supercharged S 55 AMG above them, while OM613, OM648 and OM628 diesels made the big saloon genuinely economical in Europe.
A 2002 facelift added 4MATIC, revised lamps and the first 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic. Production ran to July 2005, and the W220 outsold the W140 comfortably — the generation that taught the S-Class to carry its technology lightly.
Every model.
10 model designations across 1998–2005 — engines, transmissions and series codes for the W220.
| Modello | Model year | Telaio | Motore | Cambio | Totale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S 280 | 1998–2005 | 220 | M 112 | 5G-TRONIC | — |
| S 320 | 1998–2005 | 220 | M 112 | 5G-TRONIC | — |
| S 350 | 2002–2005 | 220 | M 112 | 5G-TRONIC | — |
| S 430 | 1998–2005 | 220 | M 113 | 5G-TRONIC | — |
| S 500 | 1998–2005 | 220 | M 113 | 5G-TRONIC | — |
| S 600 | 1998–2005 | 220 | M 137 / M 275 | 5G-TRONIC | — |
| S 320 CDI | 1998–2005 | 220 | OM 613 / OM 648 | 5G-TRONIC | — |
| S 400 CDI | 1998–2005 | 220 | OM 628 | 5G-TRONIC | — |
| S 55 AMG | 1998–2005 | 220 | M 113 | 5G-TRONIC | — |
| S 65 AMG | 2004–2005 | 220 | M 275 | 5G-TRONIC | — |
