History: It would be interesting to hear what Bertha Benz would have to say about Mercedes-Benz as they approach the new century. Bertha drove one of the world's first cars (a tiller-controlled auto built by her husband Karl) on the world's first long-distance auto trip, a fifty-mile journey from Mannheim to Pforzheim, Germany, in August, 1888. The purpose of the trip was to visit her mother, but the pragmatic (and wily) Bertha also used it prove a point to her husband, who was more interested in tinkering than marketing.

"People only buy what they know," Bertha told him. "First you must show them your wares, then they will jump at the opportunity." Wouldn't Bertha be fascinated by the marketing Mercedes-Benz is doing today, 112 years after her pep-talk and historic road trip. Talk about showing their wares! The company presented their all-new steeped-in-heritage S-Class flagship to the auto press in an elegant, historic Arizona setting. The Royal Palms Inn, nestled at the base of Camelback Mountain, has hosted the rich and famous since the early days of Phoenix. Its recent renovation did nothing to dispel the smell of "old money" that permeates the flower-strewn grounds and handsome rooms. The roads north and west of Phoenix Mercedes chose for the "ride-and-drive" provided plenty of opportunity to test the performance of both models of the new S-Class while enjoying a luxurious ride through Arizona history.

Press reports resulting from the introductory event are now being generated. The company, however, had been showing off their new S-Class to dealers and current Mercedes owners around the country as well as to visitors of their Web site [http://www.mbusa.com/] for several months prior to the press preview. Showing their wares to the people paid off. March 1999 sales for the S-Class (it was first available on March 2) report 2,403 sold. Bertha would be proud.

Test Vehicle: S430 and S500

Vehicle Type: five-passenger, four-door premium luxury sedan, rear-wheel drive

Vehicle Price: S430: $69,700; S500; $77,850

Engine: S430: 4.3-liter V8, 275 horsepower; S500: 5.0-liter V8, 302 hp

Transmission: 5-speed adaptive automatic transmission with one-touch shifting

Fuel Economy: 17 mpg city/24 mpg highway