2011 Mercedes-Benz S-class Consumer Reviews

I bought this car with 73,000 miles from a Mercedes dealership in February of 2012. It had been ridden hard and poorly maintained. I have repaired, replaced or refurbished everything that needed work, including work recommended by non-mandatory manufacturer TSB's. Repairs and maintenance are quite expensive. I budget about $3000 per year for upkeep and use a qualified independent mechanic to control the cost and quality of repairs. The dealership is astronomically pricey and not very competent except for trivial repairs. I follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule. As a result, the car continues to be reliable. A bluetooth OBD-II scanner installed in the automobile enables me to monitor, record and compare engine performance periodically. The car is comfortable and effortlessly rewarding to drive. I use it for solo trips of up to 9 hours per day as well as for my short (2.4 mile) daily commute. Long trips are not at all tiring largely because of the adaptive cruise control and the excellent seats. Gas mileage is only fair. My average mileage over 54,000 miles has been 17.6 mpg. EPA combined mileage is 16 mpg. My trip mileage is about 26 mpg Acceleration is awe inspiring. Handling is excellent and tight. All wheel drive (4Matic) is very good in upstate New York winters. The car was very technologically advanced at its debut, but its dashboard software is dated now by comparison with my wife's 2015 luxury SUV. The mechanical engineering and performance of the normally aspirated 382 horsepower, 5.5 liter M273 engine and the 7-speed automatic transmission is far superior to the newer SUV, however. The Airmatic suspension is the least reliable major system in the car, and I have had to replace both the front and rear level detection systems. The original air shocks are still intact, but the compressor and the compressor relay were replaced prior to my purchase at about 45,000 miles. The original camshaft position sensor design was defective on this car, and all four have been replaced. I replaced one of them at about 80,000 miles. The other three failed and were replaced prior to my purchase. The transmission fluid had not been replaced prior to my purchase even though the manufacturer recommends replacement every 40,000 mile, but no apparent damage occurred to the transmission. The car will easily cruise at over 100 mph and feel and sound like it is traveling at half that speed. Oil consumption is within expected limits. This by now venerable chariot is a lot more comfortable and rewarding to drive than any of the other luxury vehicles I have owned or driven. I expect to replace it with the next model S550 if that model is self-driving. I would recommend the 2007 to any aficionado of beautiful automobiles who has the money and the interest to maintain it in top condition. It will reward that kind of owner with exhilarating and reliable service.