1992 Mercedes Benz S Class | Retro Review

Did Mercedes-Benz have what it takes to stay ahead of the emerging Japanese luxury market?
Show 1107 | Original Airdate 11-08-1991
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[@omidnamin9004]

this is THE S Class. what a presence this car had

[@ke228]

It still has presence whenever I see one on the road!

[@lancetheb.m.c]

This was the STANDARD that every Manufacture should have strived for back then for Big Cars!

[@williammorris1384]

@@lancetheb.m.c Correct !!

[@pegcity4eva]

I miss them

[@mattt198654321]

Wow, what a beauty. Built like a tank, fast, quiet...this is what people think of when you hear 'Mercedes'.

[@zillsburyy1]

today its all too "sporty"

[@Ramsi-Berlin]

Yeah ❣️👍🏼 It's so sad that these times are over 😒 That was real quality build for eternity 😊

[@chuckselvage3157]

0-60 in 7.2 seconds for a car that weighs that much. Impressive.

[@PremierAutoMan86]

The last "cost no object" Benz hands down. The Bruno Sacco design is also iconic.

[@sungjerry4302]

"Every Yakuza boss liked that"

[@tonychavez2083]

ALL bosses loved these!

[@mesropmadzharyan6727]

Every boss and dictators

[@thahbx]

Don't forget about Russian equivalents

[@1UZ-FE]

Yakuza drives Toyota Century. 😁

[@rafapenson]

Lexus LS.

[@ericgiddio1259]

Got a 400SEL which looks exactly like the one in the review. Even after 32 years the car still drives as solid and powerful. A truly remarkable vehicle that will never be replicated.

[@williammorris1384]

32 years ??!! That’s amazing. Well done for looking after it, to that level! 👍

[@hellkitty1014]

Although I will never depart from my 1991 W126 560 SEL Classic(w/ only 53K on the clock), the W140 was just an immense leap in opulence and bold luxury at the time. The car had such road presence, with its wedge shape, interior advancements, and overall refinement. To be quite frank, this car was MB at its very best(as well as the R129s that were being built at the time as well).

[@jeffcicale]

@@hellkitty1014 You have a true gem! They will always have presence on the road along with the W140! Beautiful car

[@FitzArias]

@@hellkitty1014 very opulent, Well said. I wonder how a six cylinder engine made these move. Guess nothing under V8 power was adequate for these

[@za4117]

W126 proved to be the S-class closest to the "best or nothing" ethos. Yes, the W140 was a quantum leap in technology, refinement, and sophistication but that's it. 140 used cheaper materials and they just didn't hold up well to the test of time like the 126 did

[@hellkitty1014]

@@jeffcicale I try to drive it at a least twice per month around town. It never fails how someone will compliment the car with high regard. I took it to a local car meet that had everything from an "Eleanor" GT500, to a '59 Gullwing, to a modern GT3 RS, yet my "lowly" 560 received tons of attention as well. Despite the many cars that I own/have owned, there is just something about a W126 Benz!

[@hellkitty1014]

@@FitzArias those old I-6 Benzes weren't the fastest, but they were super smooth and ultra-reliable!

[@cyrilmatthew2995]

One of the perfectly engineered vehicles

[@fernandorocha-dx1wv]

Mercedes S-Class one authentic classic Mercedes

[@babyyoda8195]

I had a 93 500 SEL. What a beast!

[@user-ew6jy9mo4r]

93 was the best year too! Had a few myself.

[@1997DanielFlores]

Wow that's cool. Great taste in cars.

[@wolf1597]

Most mercedes looking mercedes

[@Sha-Ayo]

That's the W211 or R230

[@ferencmolnar6474]

in Europe this W140 was considered as one of the worst Mercedes-Benz designs -- its nickname was the fat plastic pig

[@Sha-Ayo]

Yeah it was underwhelming. People are just nostalgic that's why they elevate mediocre cars like these ​@@ferencmolnar6474

[@VideoAmericanStyle]

I’d say the W124/W126 is much more of a universally recognized MB look.

[@bennybop5387]

You can thank the ls400 for how over the top this car ended up being. 💯✅️

[@MoskusMoskiferus1611]

90s Mercedes-Benz looks really elegant

[@jeremyanderson1139]

The W140 S-Class is still a luxury car gem. Mercedes-Benz definitely doesn't make their cars like this anymore

[@williammorris1384]

Correct . How sad . Simply put, everything that was made between 1985-1995, including film , music , tv shows, etc , was the best it’s ever been. Never been such a high quality era of time , before or since.

[@BabyBugBug]

@@williammorris1384I could not agree more.

[@200hit]

When owning a Big Body meant something! I miss my S420 Big Boy!

[@ryanpatterson9526]

What a big brick of a boss car! Truly MB at their finest!

[@davidaubin3902]

4:24 John: BUT THE CONTROLS ON THE BECKER RECEIVER REMAIN AMONG OUR LEAST FAVORITES! LOL

[@nigelgoodwin6954]

Possibly & probably the best car ever made,

[@johnjones393]

MB spent 11 years with the old body style. Who knows how many more years that car would have lumbered on had Lexus not came along and shook up the luxury market with the superb LS 400.

[@stevenpower3780]

No Mercedes planed to realse the w140 in 1989 but the BMW e32 shocked them so much that Mercedes delayed the relase for two years to match the BMW e32. There is an interview of Dr. Wolgang Reitzle the project manager of the BMW e32 on KZbin about that.

[@jeffcicale]

Even though I am lucky enough to afford the car I want, I'll never get to enjoy this W140 pulling out of the dealership lot brand new. It'll always be a dream of mine and is the perfect car all around!

[@2steaksandwiches665]

Tank. This is when Mercedes built cars that sounded like bank vaults

[@chingwodapigu]

Loved our 95 S500. Mercedes hasn't come close to building a car this good since.

[@artistwithouttalent]

"$69,400? Do you have a $20 option somewhere?"

[@kevinbarry71]

The w140. A wonderful machine. It was replaced almost 10 years later by the much inferior w220.

[@VideoAmericanStyle]

MB realized it had to start cutting costs and go mainstream for protecting profit. A sad end to these over-engineered giants.

[@Simone-Bucn]

The W220 was the *first* of the under engineered (ie: built like trash) Mercedes Benzes. *Every* Mercedes after that was trash.

[@Nikola_W211]

@@Simone-Bucn w221 was good tho

[@mariolandgrave1914]

The most beautiful S class of all time.

[@surfordie82]

This is peak S-Class. No question.

[@RaacingAce]

W126 and W140 - best looking S class of all times, masterpiece from Bruno Sacco

[@whyallthefuss201]

I prefer the W126s elegant and sleek design. W140 looks little bloated compared to the W126

[@Ravensclawed]

Last of the over engineered Benz's.

[@douglasb.1203]

The merger with Chrysler IMHO taught MB how to market crap.

[@rahimi4762]

Last of the reliable over engineered. They are still over engineered

[@GS-zc4sk]

Yes there's something solid about this era MB

[@cj-fh4nx]

Other than W210.

[@AmraphelofShinar]

The end of an era.

[@cdldriver2348]

Converting 1992 cost of this Mercedes to today’s money of 2024: $69,400 = $92,100 $127,800 = $169,605 That’s expensive!!

[@hellkitty1014]

Even worse, a base S500 is now $113K stripped!

[@KartKing4ever]

The 2024 S Class starts at $120,000 so this seems right on the mark with inflation.

[@2steaksandwiches665]

@@hellkitty1014and won’t last as long by a long shot

[@Gr8thxAlot]

LS400 all day at $44k.

[@2steaksandwiches665]

@@Gr8thxAlot the ones with the V-8 before 2018

[@CorporateJetpilot]

The best of the best. Have had so many of these in my family. Love the 140

[@UZForLife]

5800 lbs my ass. That's clearly the GVWR, John Davis!

[@mattcox3373]

He read from a script but he should’ve known better

[@VideoAmericanStyle]

Yeah, I was thinking the same. These were heavy but not 3 tons. Looked it up: actual weight was around 4,800 lbs.

[@gregt8638]

I was thinking the same exact thing! ( but without the my ass part )

[@bobcoats2708]

@@gregt8638Good catch. Still a porker though 😂

[@jpadicecoffee9812]

Ultimate specs has it at 4,431 lbs. About right. Although MW rarely gives wrong info....

[@CarTestr]

The best S Class. Drove the 600 SEL more than 2000 miles over the years. My ol boss had one as an everyday car.

[@GeeEm1313]

One of my all-time favorites. I miss Mercedes quality.

[@FitzArias]

These to me are the last presidential looking Benzes. Huge outside and cavernous inside. Almost 5500 pounds. Wow.

[@nwezetx1]

Ah, perfectly inventive way to describe this car. Presidential looking...that's what it is and what changed. W222 got that look back, no? Especially in Maybach grade.

[@gedaman]

@@nwezetx1 The W222 and W223 are phenomenal automobiles for sure and worthy of heads of state. Almost every foreign leader rides in an S-Class for a reason.

[@Simone-Bucn]

​@@nwezetx1🙄

[@nwezetx1]

@@Simone-Bucn Go fall down a staircase B.

[@bghoody5665]

I wonder how many Benz sold of the V12 editions? Probably a collector car by now.

[@gedaman]

They probably sold less than 1,000 of the 600 SEL in 1992.

[@RA-wl1vt]

Back when Mercedes built a car to a standard not a budget. The last "real" Mercedes.

[@tylermacconnell217]

The greatest Mercedes ever made...

[@JayMcK-yj8ht]

I work for a car auction yard , we got a 1993 S320 , what a heavy German , I love it

[@Yormsane]

It's better than bigger, and it's bigger than better.

[@TheRealJoshW]

The good old days

[@user-sk1eh3pg6j]

This is the best Mercedes-Benz ever built. They don't make em like this anymore folks.

[@gedaman]

Mercedes-Benz really outdid themselves with the W140 Sonderklasse. Reportedly they spent over $1 billion on research and development for this. Part of that is due to the threat from the then new Lexus LS 400 which put the fright into the Germans. Mercedes-Benz has returned to quality again with their cars, but there is something uniquely vault-like about the W140 which may never be replicated. Bruno Sacco really made a timeless design here with their wedge shape of the W140, pure class.

[@siegfriedbarfuss9379]

The Toyota LS lacks in presence. Wouldn’t even mention it in context of the S class.

[@stepha5926]

​@@siegfriedbarfuss9379funny how the Lexus LS will still be working 20 years later, with basic maintenance, whereas this German pos will be DEAD after 5 years.

[@gedaman]

@@siegfriedbarfuss9379 The Lexus LS and Infiniti Q45 put the Germans on notice. Mercedes-Benz had to go back to the drawing board right before they released the W140 Sonderklasse which was very expensive I read. Throughout the 1990s Mercedes-Benz had a hard time selling the Sonderklasse due to the lower priced competition from the Lexus LS. Even when Mercedes-Benz discounted their cars by thousands of dollars it didn’t entice buyers. It really was an interesting time for luxury cars. I like both the Mercedes-Benz Sonderklasse and the Lexus LS. They’re both fine luxury automobiles.

[@stepha5926]

@@Nikola_W211 oh well, you never "seen" one you got me there. 🙄

[@matthiasbalke9089]

I once saw someone in one of these get pushed out of his lane and go head-on into a brick wall at 40 mph. He got out and walked away unhurt.

[@vojislavvukmanovic7061]

The best car ever made ...

[@ianclaudio777]

What a masterpiece car! I love the S Class!

[@texan176]

$69K entry price then on a flagship Mercedes Benz is LESS than what most 1/2 ton trucks cost these days. People always adjust for inflation as if inflation is perfectly acceptable and there is no accountability for monetary policy that destroys the purchasing power of a dollar.

[@postmodernrecycler]

You also have to adjust for how much less the average wage was back then.

[@MWBenDavis]

@@postmodernrecyclerand the cost of an average home

[@postmodernrecycler]

@@MWBenDavis Homeownership is the one that truly outpaced wages. That Benz only costs roughly twice as much today (for an inferior car), but my house for sure is 8x what it sold for at that time.

[@JacobPaul-ix7oc]

@@postmodernrecycler In 1992, the minimum wage in MN (where I live) was $4.25, which is equal to $9.52 today. In 2024, the MN minimum wage is $10.85 per hour. The difference in the minimum wage gap between 1992 and 2024 is fairly negligible.

[@johnjones393]

Inflation caused by the willful destruction of the US dollar by politicians from both sides sucks, but some things, like a new MB S-Class, will always be priced just out of reach for the vast majority of working class Americans.

[@sedona3495]

In the US the W140 was called Buffalo(...)

[@gedaman]

@@sedona3495 I’ve never heard of that. Why?

[@sedona3495]

@@gedaman Just because W140 looks fatter than W126 (and actually heavier too)

[@Cali_Lux_Cruiser]

@Motorweek knows I want one and decided to upload this video 😅❤

[@James-pl2oy]

90s Benzes were like bank vaults

[@sebaspaz0103]

Sometimes I think of trading in my New E Class for one of these babies. Thing is just beautiful. Would love in Black with black leather.

[@gedaman]

How do you like the new W214 E-Class? I’ve been lusting after that lately. If you can find a 1999 S 500 Grand Edition get it I say.

[@sebaspaz0103]

@@gedaman haha omg, sorry, I meant to write newer! I have a C207 E400 Coupe. I’m lusting for the new E class too.

[@gedaman]

@@sebaspaz0103 I used to work at a Mercedes-Benz dealership as a product specialist. I miss being around those fine German driving machines every day like what you have. What are your thoughts on the all new CLE-Class Coupe and Cabriolet?

[@sebaspaz0103]

@@gedaman very much a C-Class coupe. I’ve seen them around here in Miami and it doesn’t compare the last generation E-Class coupe.

[@zillsburyy1]

back when they were more reliable

[@schlomoubermann]

In East European countries like Poland and Russia this car has a name of BOAR.

[@ozgurmehmet4258]

Yep this car had lot of nicknames for example in Türkiye W140 call it as "Susurluk kasa"

[@YOCOSMINMAX16]

Whale, phantom, boar...many nicknames.

[@tpolerex7282]

The W126 was the pinnacle, this variant is the start of its decline of engineering prestige.

[@VideoAmericanStyle]

A huge engineering leap and the last MB to be designed with no concern for expense in R&D. Unfortunately, Lexus had also entered the market by this point - and it would push Mercedes to start cutting costs and make their next S-class less well-made.

[@Simone-Bucn]

... and *every single Mercedes after that.*

[@stephenmorrissey1254]

Looks like the 1990 Lexus LS400.

[@joserasak]

still keep my S320 since 93. 8.000 kms only !!!

[@ronsmith9251]

Peak Mercedes engineering here, it was all downhill afterwards

[@mervinprone]

This car would be expensive today. Back then it was in the stratosphere.

[@JayMartel24]

Wow i love that car Love Mercedes Benz Cars . Glad they made a Fast & Furious 164 Scale out now o the hunt for it . Great Video

[@minddrug709]

Best car ever built

[@pipolebnene]

My das had a black s320 w140 93 in 2004 with creme interior and i loved this car

[@aomar9449]

I deeply miss my S600. I'll gladly take a W140 over the current gen W223 any day. Very unfortunate to see where the brand is headed today

[@naisi]

Interesting contemporary take on that clusterfuck of a car. Nothing exemplifies this better than the visual backing-antennas that would freeze during winter while BMW at the same time already had electronic parking sensors.

[@tivodvr7276]

The dude in the sunglasses reminds me of Mr. Rooney in Ferris Bueller.

[@williammorris1384]

The best car ever made.

[@gumbie007]

Were these S Classes ever reliable? And if so, which models in particular? Thanks in advance 🤔👍

[@gulfstream7235]

I don't remember hearing anything too bad about them, it's replacement was another story.

[@Simone-Bucn]

Reliable? 😆 Don't ask a Benz fanboy (which Benz videos are full of). No, these things were absolutely *not* reliable! NO MERCEDES is reliable!

[@Nikola_W211]

@@Simone-Bucn Think what you want but looks like you know nothing about mercedes.

[@Nikola_W211]

@@gumbie007 w140s are very reliable cars m119,m104 are bulletproof engines with the 4g and 5g tronic only issues the later w140s had biodegradable engine wiring harness.

[@Simone-Bucn]

@@Nikola_W211 spread lies again hey? Go away.

[@prins_af_danmark]

I NEVER BOUGHT THIS CAR WHEN IT WAS NEW. HOW AMISS OF ME!

[@Hooligan.Residuato.Italia.90]

Hello from Italy.

[@JDMHaze]

5800 pounds!!!! sheesh That’s F150, Dodge ram territory

[@youtoobe169]

Thanks for posting this, but the 1992 diesel model was called 300SD, not 350SD as you mentioned in the video.

[@nwezetx1]

Considering this was taped in October 1991, John was probably confusing the late model 350SD/L introduced for the W126 in late 1989 shortly before this redesign was revealed in November 1990-March 1991. Probably just used to naming of previous generation cars, kinda like Camray.

[@RoadCone411]

It's impossible for me to look at this S-Class and not think about this being the car that Princess Diana (and Dodi and the driver) died in. It certainly wasn't the car's fault, no vehicle would have saved them that tragic night in Paris. This S-Class exudes style, sophistication and state of the art technology, for the 1990s and was probably peak Mercedes-Benz in my opinion. The 7-series of this time period was a great car, before the style started getting weird, but the S-Class was the boss. I would love one in good condition, there are still a surprising number of them on the road.

[@Jonathan-bk3dq]

Look at the triple pained side glass

[@rovervitesse1985]

So suprising the long wheelbase was actually still half an inch shorter than the wheelbase on my LeSabre coupe….

[@NathanArnold-sf7gx]

Still beautiful today!

[@alpaljl]

A Mercedes I would actually want...

[@randym119]

I love my 92 500sel. same color too

[@JakeobE]

There's no way the Mercedes they reviewed in this video cost $93K. That's almost $211,000 in today's money. A 2024 S class starts at like $117K. Actually insane.

[@modernworldiscrap]

Great Benz

[@Cartier_specialist]

It's a little unbelievable how similar the Mercedes S class and the Lexus LS400 and 430 look.

[@douglasb.1203]

Forever linked to Princess Diana.

[@ahmadfaisal6778]

A fan of this model from Malaysia calls it 'Anak Gajah (Baby Elephant)' and will 'pengsan berdiri' if they see this model.

[@demal1010]

Pop up backup radar? 😂.... As a kid, the single wiper doing it's dance across the screen was like looking at a swinging clock lol

[@bp2k7]

$127,800 for the SEL is the equivalent of $286,000 in 2024 money. The 2024 Mercedes-Maybach S 680 4MATIC starts at "only" $234,300. What a bargain!

[@nwezetx1]

No it doesn't. It's more than that. This is 1991, not 1992 so it's a bit more money that it would've been in 1992 vs 2024.

[@briengakaplan-b1550]

The 1990 Lexus LS400 created this car - the Germans went above and beyond on this one - the pop up back up antennae says it all lol.

[@nwezetx1]

That's not true, it's pure car magazine fallacy from 2006, spread through Wikipedia. The W140 design approval was 2 months before Toyota approved the basic design of the LS 400 in February 1987. BMW was threat and target of Mercedes-Benz with this car, not Lexus. The W220 was the response to Lexus. Try and remember how cars are developed.

[@faheemabbas3965]

And nowadays, German “luxury” is sadly dead. And probably will be forever.

[@theturtle2121]

Electric rearview mirror… That’s interesting

[@larsonmarkov1699]

How can this 5 l v8 make 322 hp but in 1992 ford's 5 l v8 was only 215

[@maz367]

$93,000 in 1992 is wild

[@nwezetx1]

1991, not 1992. Even a few months makes a difference with inflation.

[@MatrixDiscovery]

Best Mercedes ever

[@TrailBlazerSS502]

What’s cooler than a Mercedes-Benz S-Class? A 600SEL, that’s what.

[@burimfrangu8327]

A such a German Machine

[@2H2521]

Can’t stand Mercedes, but these are still great looking cars. The refresh that followed in ‘97 was so hideous, some of the ugliest cars they ever made.

[@bmstylee]

When it comes to ugly cars it's hard to compete with new BMWs.

[@MoskusMoskiferus1611]

​@@bmstylee. Or Toyotas

[@nwezetx1]

WT F are you talking about? Refresh in '97? Seems like you're lost, because the last W140 update was for the 1997 Model Year in August 1996 and it perfected everything about this car. If you meant *REDESIGN* , per the W220 in October 1998 (USA March 1999), totally different ballgame. A automotive "refresh" is not a fully redesigned, NEXT generation model with the same nameplate. It is an small intra-generational update, aka a light facelift. Happened with the W140 in mid-1994 and mid-1996. Too many of you misuse automotive terminology so much, it's so irking to me as a historian, as it confuses the next person.

[@Simone-Bucn]

​@@nwezetx1 here's how to say all that without sounding like a pretentious pseudo intellectual: What "refresh" in '97? Are you talking about the midlife *facelift* of this car, where they basically just changed the blinkers from orange to clear? That was 1994! Or are you talking about the *next* S-Class, after this one, which was a completely different car? That was 1998! Note the complete lack of pseudo intellectual terms, like "intra-generational" 🙄

[@nwezetx1]

@@Simone-Bucn Your lack of reading comprehension isn't my issue to deal with. I already made my point, as the 1997 model year refresh looked perfectly great and was universally well received by the public and automotive industry. The OP makes zero sense, that one can only think they're incorrectly referring to the W220 REDESIGN introduced in 1998 instead as a refresh. Also it's amber, not oRaNgE. FYI. For that matter, shut up and get some perspective before commenting.

[@OGStoneVegas]

I liked the previous model better… same with the SL

[@christopherconard2831]

All that size, all that room, all that money. And still couldn't figure out where to put a cupholder.

[@Simone-Bucn]

Virtually *no cars* had cupholders in the early 90s!

[@dohc1067]

As quoted by many, built to a standard, not a price point. At that time, anyway. Less emissions, more power, and greater performance.

[@clothestravel]

When Mercedes was Mercedes.

[@Popor.]

Supreme Leader

[@amazingcar2000]

mercedes w140 is legend 90s

[@nwezetx1]

MotorWeek THANK YOU so much for finally posting this! These were quite special cars, even if they weren't necessarily perfect in terms of long term reliability in many respects. One annoying fallacy I often see creep up is, that they were loaded up with untested features to best Lexus. Hint: It's not true, purely a fallacy originating from Wikipedia in the 2000s. MB knew that Toyota was trying to enter the US luxury market as early as 1987 and already knew about incoming Acura in 1985. Nothing was added last minute to best Lexus. This car was meant to best BMW and rival Rolls.

[@Marklin15]

The Euro spec W123 is still the best looking Mercedes sedan. W126 was best S class model, not too bloated and not overly complex mechanically.