Styling
The W221 S-Class' exterior styling is distinctly different to the W220. The rear styling is similar to the Mercedes-Benz Maybach - the larger saloon from Daimler AG's flagship brand, which was presented to public in 1997. Development began in 1999, with the final design by Gorden Wagener being approved in 2002 and patented on December 4, 2003. A final design prototype W221 was presented in December 2002 to Autospies journalists, 2.5 years prior to the official production model unveiling in June 2005.
Inside, the W221’s interior is also significantly different from the preceding model. The interior features an instrument cluster shroud that also contains the navigation screen, with silver effect air vents below, and a square, analog clock within the vents. Below the vents are metal tab switches with a black field behind them, to control the HVAC system. On the center console, a metal control wheel for the COMAND system sits above a piece of wood, surrounded by metal buttons. Throughout the interior, many buttons are metal, with black fields above them denoting the switches' function.
The W221 is slightly larger in all dimensions than the W220, with a longer wheelbase and more interior room.
The S-Class is available in short-wheelbase form, except in the USA, Mexico, Russia, China and Indonesia, where all models are long-wheelbase.
Read more about this topic: Mercedes-Benz W221
Famous quotes containing the word styling:
“Finishing schools in the fifties were a good place to store girls for a few years before marrying them off, a satisfactory rest stop between college weekends spent husband hunting. It was a haven for those of us adept at styling each other’s hair, playing canasta, and chain smoking Pall Mall extra-long cigarettes.”
—Barbara Howar (b. 1934)