W220S430

What are the exact differences between them besides the healights,tailights, interior?????...I've heard that the design of the hood changed slightly but i do not know what to look for...i would love to know what the differences are so please help me out here i havent been able to find a pre-facelift W220 so that i could put mine next to to compare so

thankz for the help!

kadafone

front and rear bumper changed a bit.

QuadBenz

http://www.pbase.com/9146gt/image/49762359

http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/cro...-17_460x0w.jpg

Lights, grille, bumper, hood...

W220S430

ohhh ok..... Thanks guys!!

ssonss1

i dont believe the rear changed

Robertpel99

I was just about to buy a 2002 S500 but saw right down the road a 2003 S500 with AMG Sprt Package. The difference between the appearance of the two cars was amazing. I was trading my 03 E320 at the time and i actually decided that If i could not have the post facelift car i was keeping the E. There was that much of a difference.

I am not generally a post facelift guy when it comes to cars, typically the original design of a particular model is the best executed to me. In the case of the W220 I cannot imagine being happy with the 02 after having been exposed to the 03. They both had the sporst package but the 03 is just so much more aggresive and clean looking

QuadBenz

I think it was just the lights. The bumper remained the same.

my06clk

Actually it was a bit more than that..

2003 began the option changes, widescreen nav, new hood, bumper, rear apron some electrical changes...

2004+ was even more.

Widescreen DVD nav,

VCF available on all cars ( voice control )

dvd mp3 capability standard

12 speaker bose system

17" wheels standard ( bye bye 16" on the 430 )

7 speed tranny,

many previous 500 only options availabe on 430, many of the standard items that were only available for the 500+ were also standard on the 430. like carpet, seats, electronic options ect.Bi-zenons, heated steering, headlamp washers, rear window shades etc. so there is more of a standard for what was optional and what was standard between the cars.

MOST began in 2004 deleting D2B

Pre safe system standard on all cars

Suspension system and electronics updated in 2004

heated windscreens standard with cold weather package in 2004 for all cars

Folding mirrors when parking option available on all cars

the 430 ad 500 engines were updated and gave a few (very few ) more mpg than the previous models..

Gear ratios got a little better giving a little better perfomance in the city and highway ( newer tranny ).

Sat radio, bluetooth, and a different phone system also came with the facelifts after 2004.

can;t remember what else.

W220S430

ohhh wow thankz!! hehe very informative....but ppl keep saying that the hood changed but i can't tell what it is ...I'm no car expert but i've been around the block a couple times and i can't tell the difference...could someone just saying what exactly changed on the hood

Oxygen

Oxygen

kadafone

Look at the pics Oxygen posted......check out the difference in the grill and the space between the grill and the headlamps. That will answer your question.

W220S430

omg wow... i canot believe that i've never noticed that before...its funny because i notice everything on other cars but i never to the time to actually look at my car... sorry guys i'm an idiot hehehe

lacasteve

I still think its not worth paying the extra $ for the 2003 I have a 2000 s500 very happy with it .

corkshoppe

it really was just bumper and hood, i changed mine no problem, that was it but the electronics were major. the 03 are a better car since they keep on working out the kinks.

IDFWU

super old thread.
but did the grill change from pre-facelift w220 to a 2003-2006 w220?

invent

So, old thread or not, people are still looking for these answers. The hood, grille, and bumper changed shape. It's very subtle but the 2002's had a frame around the lower part of the grille. The hood ends short in the 2003+ and the bumper comes up to meet it. The 2003 bumper fills the space of the old hood that wrapped around the grille. As far as I can tell the shape and mounting of the headlights didn't change but it seems that the electronics did if they were xenon but didn't if they were Hid. Can anyone confirm that?
- I

tusabes

Zenon and hid are the same thing

its either halogen or Zenon /hid

wallyp

Not to the marketing weasels. They specialize in making confusing and misleading statements, so it is very difficult to learn anything useful from their "marketing" about the subject.

There are thousands of "xenon" halogen incandescent bulbs of all types for sale.

trustz

If you can get the 03 to 06 instead of 00-02. less problem, but from 2004 and up the transmission is become 7 speed which is very expensive to repair. unless you are getting S55, S600 or S65, they are still use 5 speed.

cmpcpro

Look at the bottom of the grill on the cars. The newer cars look way better because the grill is bigger and goes into the bumper.

ottomann

Guy, some of you are confusing the w220 facelift with w221. The actual changes (except the clear headlights, stop lights and turn signals on mirrors) are minor. After changing these 3 the car looks very similar to the facelift model. I've done this multiple times on different 2001 w220 models.

Now, the biggest difference in driving is the 7 speed shifter. It is smoother for sure but you are not missing anything if you have the 5 speed. That 5 speed is more reliable and cheaper to fix as well.

But either way, both w220 variants are good cars with some chronic problems, definitely better suited for DIY type people since it requires some troubleshooting and repairs which would cost A LOT MORE if you take it to a repair shop.

I think w220 is the last S Class that the owner can (and should) do proper repairs and maintenance without much hassle.

The second hand values to these cars compared to a new S Class (yes they are very different cars) is nearly 10x (at least in Germany). It gives the opportunity for the rest of us to drive an as class which still does not look outdated.

amstel78

Besides the price of used 220's, my S65 can still hang with the newer crowd. Went on a drive last week with a 2012 X5M and 2014 Audi S6. Both owners talked a lot of trash before the run. Afterwards, the conversation was a bit more contrite.

DrDoe

Is your S65 tuned? It seems the S6 is faster 0-60

amstel78

The S6 is just a few tenths faster from a dig due to its quattro system being able to transfer power to the ground better. But from a roll, the S65 can catch it. As for a tune, no - my car is stock.

We did a few 3rd gear rolls from 45-100 on the highway. The S65 was able to keep up with the lighter S6 while the X5M was usually left in the rearview by both. Impressive for an old, heavy car to say the least.