Mercedes-Benz W220 S320: 20 years later

[@Specproof]

Shameful erratum: 4:56 The S65 displacement is 6.0L!!! Nasty-nasty type-o

[@Andersljungberg]

saw know something like that in Sweden. It didn't have the same elegant look as the one I saw

[@Pommo70]

I’ve had a 2001 s500 for six years now and spent about £1000 on repairs over that time. Simply the best ride quality and comfortable car I’ve ever driven. She’ll be with me till the end!

[@Specproof]

Wow! That's amazing! What's the milage at the moment?

[@Ummmmmkay88]

I have one 2003, it’s my weekend car. The most comfortable sedan I’ve ever driven in my life.

[@Specproof]

Nice! I'd love to have one for myself in the future! I'm not sore which one to choose: the W220 or W221.

[@ruxthedeer]

A fellow Estonian Mercedes-Benz enthusiast. Well hello to you!

[@Specproof]

Tere-Tere! I'm glad there are plenty of MB enthusiasts here :)

[@willvandeusen7130]

Wow I had no idea they offered a w220 with cloth seats, amazing

[@Specproof]

I know right! Cloth wasn't available in the USA at all. Only in Europe and probably some other markets.

[@stevenashford8029]

Now on my second W220 and loving it! Don't bother looking for anything else, except for a Bentley or an Aston.

[@Specproof]

Nice! So true!!!

[@yingwei236067]

Very comprehensive introduction.

[@Specproof]

Thanks for the kind words! It really means a lot!

[@SitChoahhDownTV]

I have a 2000 S430 rides like a dream still to this day great car most dependable car I've had in a long time

[@Specproof]

Nice! They are way better and more dependable than the general crowd on the internet likes to think. Enjoy your miles!

[@averagedev7768]

If you have a lift and a basic set of tools and original diagnosis, you will be able to fix 80% of the stuff on this car on your own. I even did repair the corosion, just sanded it down and applied premixed spray paint, clear coat and then a nice polish with a microfiber. It is noticable but if you really look into it. I got the 2002 S320 version as well, i have LPG installed and it makes way cheaper and Euro 4 instead of Euro 3. Still in Serbia they are taxed like craizy. I paid 800EUR for it, and paid 900EUR for registration. 200EUR for original DAS diagnosis, 300EUR for new airmatic pump, 50EUR of paint supplies, 300eur for service and sparkplugs. For less then 3000 i am driving in a very very nice car for very little money. Parking in city is impossible tho

[@Specproof]

Amazing! I love the fact that you saved one of those examples from potential junkyard or crusher destiny. If you respect your Mercedes, it will respect you back! Enjoy your S320 an thanks for a nice comment!

[@averagedev7768]

​@@Specproof Execatly why i feel pride in what i did. The car was destined to get crushed. There is still a lot of work, the undercoating needs to be redone. Engine needs new valve cover gaskets, its leaking oil a bit on the manifolds making theme smoke. I love how used parts for this model are dirt cheap, local junkyard literaly gives me free stuff just to get rid of theme since they are already too old and not worth keeping

[@FabienTeulieres93]

@@averagedev7768 Great job keeping your W220 on the road! They are such beautiful, timeless cars. I always take a second glance when I see one. They deserve the dedicated stewardship of car enthusiasts like you. Respect!

[@Mr.Winzland]

best documented and most accurate S/Class car review i ever saw in my entire life!

[@Specproof]

Wow! Cheers! You really made my day, Mr. Winzland! I'm trying to produce more reviews but they take so much time. Comments like this really motivate me.

[@Mr.Winzland]

@@Specproof i watch this because of nostalgic reasons and i have a chance to purchase one in near Future... the Price detail and detail to options, versions, engine details, man this is over the top as well as the overdescription of your each experience makes this type of review video top of what ever i saw and i hope you make more. Keep it going you doing a fantastic job.

[@Specproof]

Thanks man! When I have a chance to drive some other S-class model for longer period I will make a review. 100%!

[@CynicalBastard511]

I love the W220, especially the facelift model and I don't care what anyone says. In fact, to me the W220 looks much nicer than the W221.

[@Specproof]

I couldn't agree more! W220 is criminally underrated and mocked. And yea - W220 looks more timeless compared to the W221 although I would have a tough time choosing between the two :D

[@CynicalBastard511]

​@@Specproof Indeed very underrated and often overshadowed by its predecessors, which to be honest were quite overrated, especially the W140. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the W140, but I can't stand when people say that the W140 is said to be "the last over engineered Mercedes". Are they effing kidding me? If anything the W140 is more unreliable than the W220. The W140 had bio-degradable wiring, suspension that simply wasn't strong enough to withstand the sheer bulk of the body, it rusted quite badly once Mercedes started to use water based paint and people love to claim that the W140 was a "tank"... Yeah, right, good luck being inside a W140 getting sideswiped by an SUV and not getting your head knocked out by the SUV's front end, since the W140 was never equipped with side curtain airbags. In fact, good luck trying to control a W140 in an emergency manoeuvre as the electronic stability control was standard only in the late facelift S600 and optional for every other version. The W220 may have had its share of quality issues, which most of them were sorted with the facelift model, but it was superior to the W140 in every single way.

[@z3romaster]

Great video. Just got myself a 2001 S280. Beautiful car!

[@Specproof]

Thanks for the kind words! Nice - the S280! It's a shame that they didn't sell them everywhere. Congrats and happy miles!

[@tristamii]

Ahh nii tore uurida autode kohta ja näha, et kodumaalased on teinud nii hea sisuga video.

[@Specproof]

Suured tänud! Mul ülihea meel, et meeldib ja korda läheb :) Oleks vaid aega rohkem, toodaks ülevaatevideoid rohkemgi.

[@allanriches9381]

That was an extremely well put together review of an awesome cars

[@Specproof]

Cheers! I truly appreciate your kind feedback!

[@JasonFlorida]

You have a really nice Mercedes S class! Thanks for sharing

[@Specproof]

Cheers! That's not mine, I rented it via a Turo-like service. Unfortunately, this W220 is scrapped by now.

[@ukwan]

Everyone was shitting on the W140 when the electric wiring loom issues first came along and nobody valued them. Time is a good healer and nostalgia takes over, people will value the W220 again one day don't sell yours.

[@Specproof]

Well said! The nostalgia aspect will kick in eventually.

[@JohnTaylor-bd1uy]

The biodegradable wiring harness was resolved by 99 for the S320.

[@raulsavu4644]

my car is S500 4matic 5.0 V8 and i love it

[@raulsavu4644]

S500L *

[@Specproof]

Perfect! I'm very very tempted to buy a W220 at the moment. We'll see :)

[@Specproof]

@@raulsavu4644 Haha even better!

[@allanriches9381]

Great review of a beautiful car 😍

[@Specproof]

Thanks for the kind words, Allan! W220 truly is a beauty!

[@Medborgarjournalistik]

Brilliant video!!!

[@Specproof]

Thanks, Rokas!!! This means a lot to me :)

[@ananditagangwar9988]

Fantastic video. Great content and information. Wish more youtube car videos were like this.

[@Specproof]

I truly appreciate your comment! You really made my day! This was one of my first large-scale reviews and I invested a lot of time in it. I'm truly surprised that the yt algorithm still recommends it to MB enthusiasts.

[@garagenextdoor807]

Such a calm review on one of the best S klasses, the W220, great selection on the music too!

[@Specproof]

Cheers! I really really appreciate it!

[@AJK199-9]

It would be cool if you made an ownership update!

[@Specproof]

Unfortunately, it wasn't my car. I rented it from a private owner via Autolevi. You also have that service in Latvia! Check out autolevi.lv if interested. All I know about this particular W220 is that it was demolished in the summer of 2021 :( It was in rather a rough shape, I guess the owner couldn't handle the upkeep of this one.

[@fasterbiggerstronger5911]

Only issue of this car is fucking rust. The best s class ever

[@Specproof]

Yep! That's a real shame.

[@hajiaji3587]

What do you mean by rust? I dont really get it. I need to know because i own one

[@kurdline25]

Amazing video 🔥

[@Specproof]

Cheers! Thank you for kind wordss!

[@haakn]

Väga hea videokvaliteet, kindlasti väärib rohkem vaatamisi. 👍

[@Specproof]

Nice! Suured tänud! Eks see vaatamiste teema jääb youtuubi algorütmi taha, pean aktiivsemalt uut sisu looma. Sinu kommentaar aitab sellele kindlasti kaasa :)

[@Fransenn]

its a no brainer that i need a W220. its my biggest dream mercedes

[@Specproof]

Nice! They are superb value for money!

[@mrkongsimr]

Nice car , good video ! Thanks !

[@Specproof]

Cheers! Thanks for watching and very motivating comment! It means a lot to me!

[@corporatemcmahon2815]

Nice video brother. Classic car over cars of today

[@Specproof]

Thanks for your very kind words!

[@borisyurinov4822]

Very nice review

[@Specproof]

Cheers, Boris! I have a review about the CLS350 coming in few weeks :)

[@borisyurinov4822]

@@Specproof looking forward to it.

[@raufamin]

Interesting to find out that the W220 S280 was only limited to certain markets. It was fairly common when it was launched here in Singapore but not surprising considering our road tax prices. In fact any V8 S-Class is considered super rare here.

[@Specproof]

My toughts exactly! I'd imagnine the 280 would've appealed to many more markets. Did Singapore get any diesels?

[@raufamin]

@@Specproof not until maybe 10 to 11 years ago. And they were all grey imports. Premium cars and diesels don't seem to go together here and they don't have a great reputation here due to their association with lorries and vans. Plus private vehicles with diesel engines are taxed almost twice compared to a petrol equivalent. As an example, a S350D cost $3500/yr for road tax but a regular petrol S320L cost $2500/yr for road tax. You would have to drive a lot to make the difference worthwhile.

[@Andersljungberg]

Strange because in the USA you could already in the early eighties buy Mercedes E-class With hydraulically controlled windows and also sunroof. According to a KZbin video anyway

[@Specproof]

In the case of German vehicles the standard equipment has pretty much always been better in the US compared to other markets.

[@borisyurinov4822]

Feel like it's a perfect car for Spain.

[@Specproof]

Haha! Indeed. There was also ventilated seats available on the W220s. Unfortunately, this one doesn't have them.

[@gigapcet1138]

Relly nice ❤️👌

[@kevin9c1]

I had no idea that the W220 still had a power rearview mirror! I have a W221 and I assume that feature is gone.

[@Specproof]

It's a small detail but in a way super cool. And nobody knows about it. I saw it in an original owner's guide video. Different topic but does the W221 have electric seat belt height adjustment?

[@kevin9c1]

@@Specproof The belt bright adjusts with the seat but it does so mechanically. There is a cable under each front seat that pulls the seat belt up as the seat moves back. Simple system actually but also means the height is not independently adjustable.

[@kevin9c1]

@@Specproof I just checked the manual. Rear view mirror is manual only.

[@Specproof]

@@kevin9c1 Thanks for the insight! This mechanical solution is good enough I suppose. I've experienced it on the BMW E32 and E34.

[@fgf4064]

Buen vídeo

[@Specproof]

Thanks!!! It really means a lot to me!

[@tomkat2803]

06 brilliant silver with amg pkg is the best mercedes benz ever. The last of luxury interior and exterior. Current mercedes looks to racy same with bmw

[@Specproof]

Couldn't agree more! Manufacturers dropped the ball when they decided that a fragrance combined with the climate system is a thing.

[@gettingup100]

Mõnus ülevaade autost. Mul endal on 2001 aasta Audi A8, kuid see ausalt hakkab natukene tüütuks minema oma remondiarvete pärast. Osta Audi ja parandamist naudi. Igatahes, W220 Mersu tundub päris ahvatlev valik. Mine tea, äkki ostan omale ka.

[@Specproof]

Suured tänud! Eks selle ajastu luksusautode puhul on teatud kulud paratamatud ja eks vanus teeb oma töö. Aga päris äge oleks istuda ühes konkurendist teise. Järgmise auto otsinguperioodil võiks ju kõik ära proovida: Phaeton, E65 seitsmene, Lexus LS :) Kuigi tõsi - hea ajalooga W220 on väga ahvatlev valik.

[@臺灣是國家臺灣是國家]

Was enjoying your video but background (music) was so high I could hardly hear the narration, had to stop it half way through. 😥

[@Specproof]

Constructive criticism is always welcomed! This was my second ever review and I was rather new with audio levels etc at the time. You can check out my review about the CLS - the video is newer so maybe you can watch it all the way through :)

[@臺灣是國家臺灣是國家]

@@Specproof nice attitude bro, & well done. Appreciate your honesty. So so hard to please all of us arm chair critics that couldn’t make a video if our life depended on it! 🤣😂 Nothing bad meant at all, keep up the good mahi. Kia Kaha from Aotearoa. 🥰👍🏻🇳🇿☺️🙏🏻🥰👍🏻🇳🇿☺️🙏🏻

[@joshuamathew9220]

Cloth seats on an S Class!?!??!

[@Specproof]

True story! In Europe, the leather interior was an optional extra for the V6 models. In the US there was only one V6 model available for a rather short time - the 3.7L S350. And yes this came with leather as standard.

[@tommythebiker5036]

isnt a 6.3 a v8?

[@Specproof]

63 is a V12 on the w220 and C215 CL. They are ultra rare! Otherwise, new 63s are V8 as you know. Google it!

[@tommythebiker5036]

@@Specproof Oh i didnt know that, thanks for the information

[@dragonfoxsolid1308]

Bought this car for 8k. Drove it for 10 years. Someone crashed into me. Insurance paid me 8k. Literally the cheapest and coziest car I've ever owned.

[@Specproof]

How rad! Sounds like an investment! What do you drive now?

[@dragonfoxsolid1308]

@@Specproof I bought a 2004 s55 amg. Same body. Although my crashed s500 still runs (it's a tank) so I still drive it!

[@Specproof]

@DragonFoxSolid Amazing! You're officially my hero 😀

[@lostnmusique]

@@dragonfoxsolid1308 I have '02 S55....your '04 is prolly nice too

[@pawlo5904]

my parents have te W220 320 CDI from 2005 i think and this car don't have to be fast, it have to be luxurius :) (sry for my english bdw)

[@Specproof]

Haha that's so true! It feels wrong to rush this thing. It's built to cruise in a very elegant way. I suppose the W220 S320 petrol version was just a tiny bit faster than the CDI.

[@pawlo5904]

@@Specproof yea but my dad loves the diesel engine Sound and it was a little bit cheaper than the diesel engine ( i mean the Petrol price)

[@660-d1p]

このスチールホイール欲しい なんてやつだろう？

[@Specproof]

ヨーロッパのベースホイール！ 実際、それらは合金ですが、鋼のように見えます。 （グーグル訳）

[@660-d1p]

@@Specproof 日本でも買えますか？ ベンツに乗り換えたら付けたいです。

[@borisyurinov4822]

Талапские номера. Ёпта. Tervist. Krasava

[@bmwman1981]

Needs leather in that s class not nasty cheap cloth

[@Specproof]

True! That's why there are not that many cloth W220s around. On the other hand - the rarity of cloth makes them cool.

[@martinsvensson6884]

Its much nicer to sit on that cloth though compared to leather.

[@bmwman1981]

@@martinsvensson6884 no any luxury car I expect leather cloth is for cheap cars ie base c class or a class

[@martinsvensson6884]

@@bmwman1981 I know its expected. I looks nice. But its actually a pretty stupid thing. Because the cloth are much more comfortable to sit on. Leather is not very comfy. And it becomes hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Opposite of what you want.

[@bmwman1981]

@@martinsvensson6884 sorry I disagree the last 5 cars Iv owned have all had leather and none of them have been too hot in summer or too cold in winter but to be far they have all been high end cars I suppose In a cheap car that’s got leather you don’t get the same level of uv protection from the glass which would make the car seats hot

[@arts6535]

Good review but the shitiest S class l ever seen

[@vornamenachname5589]

Good video, but my goodness, this backround music is annoying.

[@Specproof]

Cheers! Thanks for the kind words! Do you prefer some other music or no music at all?

[@vornamenachname5589]

@@Specproof I would prefer no music at all. just engine sound and the environment.

[@marcellodaniel6968]

Cheers from Finland, W221 owner :) i would change the rims, but other than that looks great :)

[@Specproof]

Kiitos! You're too kind, it looks worse IRL. But it feels so nice despite ragged looks. Happy kilometres with the W221! In most aspects, the W221 is the peak modern S-class, at least in my book.

[@donaldbiden3131]

I've never seen one in America with those wheels .

[@Specproof]

In the US the base wheels were all decent. If I remember correctly, initially, the S430 was the base model in the US. Later the S350 was also available.

[@k1giant600]

Facelift versions MUCH better !!

[@Specproof]

Agreed 100% They removed plenty of hiccups and I personally like the improved design elements like taillights and clear headlights more. Wish to drive one someday.

[@matsujarvinen]

I disagree.Technically they are the same.Older and well kept car is always better than newer neglected one.Facelift cars have little bit nicer interior,though,but I don´t think that is a good reason to bypass W220 1999-2002 that is in great condition.

[@blahblah7720]

@@matsujarvinen why do you love lying?there is list all over, of the things gained by the 2003 model and 2004 model, and the feature lost.