1995 Mercedes-Benz S-Class 420 V8 5AT RWD (279 HP)

Vehicle Overview

The German automaker introduced a subtle facelift for its flagship model, the W140, trying to conceal the car’s dimensions and proportions.

Mercedes-Benz introduced the W140 lineup in 1991, and soon it discovered that its flagship model was not as much appreciated as its predecessor, the beautiful W126 lineup. While the car was technologically advanced, its design was not on par with its main competitors and not even with its predecessor or with the smaller E Class from the same era. Things had to be changed quickly.

Usually, the German automaker didn’t change design cues quickly, but this time it had to. As a result, it didn’t wait for four years to apply them and introduced the facelifted version of the S-Class at the 1994 Geneva Motor Show in March. Thus, the amber turn signals and other elements that were easy to replace were upgraded. In addition, the front bumper and the side sills sported horizontal stripes that visually reduced the car’s height.

Inside, the car remained as luxurious as ever, with leather upholstery and wood trims on the dash and door cards. Moreover, since it was the carmaker’s flagship model, it was offered exclusively with a five-speed automatic gearbox (5G-Tronic). To help drivers park the car, starting with 1995, the S-Class could’ve been ordered with an ultrasonic parking system with sensors mounted into the front and rear bumpers instead of two retractable antennas on the rear quarter fenders.

Under the hood, the car offered a wide engine range, from inline-six to V12 powerplants for the gasoline versions. In addition, Europeans also received a choice of two turbo-diesel units.