mercedes s550 makes going fast feel slow
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice
Last Updated : GMT 05:17:37
Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Mercedes S550 makes going fast feel slow

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice

Emiratesvoice, emirates voice Mercedes S550 makes going fast feel slow

Frankfurt - Arabstoday

Ostensibly, the ongoing switch in the luxury segment from large, naturally aspirated engines to smaller turbocharged ones is all about increasing fuel economy. The concept is simple: reduce the displacement of the engine so that fuel consumption during everyday driving is minimised and then add a turbocharger so that, on demand, said smaller engine can produce more power. Any performance enhancement, if one listens to the corporate publicity wonks, is supposed to be secondary. In reality, the increase in performance is the most obvious difference. Take Mercedes\'s latest upgrade to the S550 as an example. Last year\'s version was powered by a 5.5L normally aspirated V8; the 2012 S550, meanwhile, sees a twice-turbocharged 4.6L V8 under the bonnet (Mercedes maintains the previous \"550\" designation because a] it prevents confusion and b] it sees the blown 4.6 as \"equivalent\" to 5.5L). One could, one supposes, try to pawn off the new car\'s 47 extra horsepower (429 in all) as a largely inconsequential advantage in a monster luxury saloon that weighs 2,075kg, but trying to relegate the new turbocharged engine\'s extra 169Nm of torque (700Nm in all), taking it to 100kph in less than five seconds as a mere by-product, stretches the credibility of even the most silver-tongued public relations hack. The real benefit to all this turbocharged muscle, however, is not in how quick the big Merc accelerates but how all that performance is dispensed. Again, the extra 47hp matters not; the big news is that extra 169Nm of torque and when and how it\'s produced. Being twice turbo\'ed - two small turbochargers are more efficient at low speeds than one large one - means there is simply bucket loads of torque at these same low speeds. In fact, low-rpm torque is so prodigious that the engine usually shifts around 2,000rpm. Three thousand rpm is seldom needed and, except for one quick burst (only for verification of performance, of course), I never took the car over 4,000rpm. By that time I was accelerating so hard that I was starting to scare Corvette drivers. And, even then, the powerful, low-revving engine seemed like it was loafing as if, despite the telephone poles blinding by, grandma was at the wheel driving to the shops for groceries. And so, despite those boasts of both five-second-flat acceleration times and frugal fuel consumption, it is this effortless ability to stay ahead of traffic that is the S550\'s most entreating character. Mercedes-Benz has always calibrated its automatic transmissions for reluctant downshifts, the theory being that kicking down a gear was an abrupt intrusion into what was supposed to be a seamlessly smooth ride. The problem was, for those of us with, er, tighter schedules, the lack of acceleration would encourage us to dig even deeper into the throttle until, when the trannie finally did downshift, the resultant flurry of revs and hard gear change really was abrupt. The new powertrain, however, is so tremendously powerful that it hardly ever needs to downshift. Indeed, I kept the engine in its \"economy\" mode (surely an oxymoron in a 429hp automobile), which deliberately restricts downshifts, and still the S550 powered relentlessly ahead like Kirstie Alley heading for the buffet table. Indeed, though the S550 gets the latest iteration of Mercedes\' seven-speed automatic transmission, it could probably restrict the big V8 to two forward gears and nobody would notice. The bottom line is that not only is the new S550 more powerful than its predecessor, it also feels much more refined. Refinement by way of technological advancement certainly fits in with the rest of the S550. Not only is the 550\'s cabin imbued with all the niceties that a luxury car should bring - leather, wood, chrome, etc - but there\'s a virtual smorgasbord of computerised gadgets to relax, coddle and protect you from the elements.

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

mercedes s550 makes going fast feel slow mercedes s550 makes going fast feel slow

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

mercedes s550 makes going fast feel slow mercedes s550 makes going fast feel slow

 



GMT 11:30 2012 Monday ,09 January

Mutah University workers demand pay raise

GMT 16:28 2011 Thursday ,29 December

Scottish universities ordered to widen access

GMT 13:14 2013 Tuesday ,19 March

Qatar’s al-Jazeera to launch UK, French channels

GMT 13:24 2014 Monday ,01 September

Pakistan anti-PM protesters storm state TV

GMT 08:54 2017 Friday ,28 July

Major terrorist plot foiled in Saudi Arabia

GMT 09:23 2017 Monday ,17 July

Tropical Storm,leaves one dead

GMT 13:02 2017 Thursday ,27 July

Iraqi army prepares for a new operation in Diyala

GMT 09:14 2012 Thursday ,16 August

Modern \'Reading Furniture\' range

GMT 05:37 2018 Monday ,08 January

Explosion at Syria jihadist base kills 23: monitor

GMT 23:00 2011 Monday ,19 December

Alessandra Ambrosio Tweets Behind The Scenes Photo

GMT 09:10 2017 Wednesday ,29 November

UN chief strongly condemns N. Korea missile launch

GMT 17:57 2016 Monday ,15 August

‘Godless’ scoops top prize at Swiss film fest

GMT 15:07 2016 Monday ,12 September

Denzel’s role in new movie makes him a kid again

GMT 11:32 2012 Thursday ,20 December

Funny film breaks box office boundaries

GMT 12:10 2011 Sunday ,19 June

Ukraine\'s Naftogaz estimates gas pipe network
 
 Emirates Voice Facebook,emirates voice facebook  Emirates Voice Twitter,emirates voice twitter Emirates Voice Rss,emirates voice rss  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube  Emirates Voice Youtube,emirates voice youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

emiratesvoieen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen emiratesvoiceen
emiratesvoice emiratesvoice emiratesvoice
emiratesvoice
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice, Emiratesvoice