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THE SCENIC ROUTE

Fast &
Fierce

A luxury car
for
the weekend
?
Why, yes!

EXPLORE 128 YEARS

OF LUXURY AT THE
MERCEDES-BENZ
MUSEUM

Above: A picturesque look at Stuttgart Square. Right: Pulling up to Villa

Honegg after a two-hour drive. Below:
Zurich is alive with cafs and shops.

PUTTING THE PEDAL TO THE METAL, OUR

JET-SETTER SPEEDS THROUGH EUROPE

or most, a trip to Europe consists of

shuffling from one ornate building to
another or a photo-snapping ride on a
double-decker bus. And while theres
nothing wrong with strapping on your
sneakers and fanny pack, once youve
followed your fair share of tour guides,
its time for something new. Ive traveled from Zambia to Thailand to Italy,
usually sticking to a mixture of public transportation, rattrap
minibuses and the occasional long-tail boat. So I jumped at
the opportunity to take in the sights, sounds and speeds of the
famous German artery by test-driving the new 2015 C-class S550
Mercedes-Benzes.
Billowing clouds spotted the bright-blue sky over Stuttgart,
Germany, as I marveled at endless, rolling green hills split by
a winding thoroughfare. Although highways are nothing new to
me, an L.A. native, this pristine, two-lane road couldnt be more
unique. Germanys Autobahn is nearly 8,000 miles of fluid, highspeed motorway, the third-longest in the world. The panoramic
views and the hairpin turns of the mountain roads are thrilling
for visitors and residents alike. On many parts of the Autobahn,
drivers are restricted to 5080 miles per hour, but approximately 60 percent of the superhighway has no official speed limit. I
found a true thrill ride pushing 105 mph breezing by dairy farms
and vibrant patches of yellow rapeseed flowers.

Car enthusiasts and dreamers

alike will enjoy viewing more than
160 vehicles, including vintage
models and the AMG Vision Gran
Turismo, the brands super sports
car. Kids can unleash their inner
engineer at the GeniusCampus,
where they build model cars and
play interactive games.
VISIT

Above: With a fabulous view of the

Swiss Alps in the distance, the Villa
Honeggs heated infinity pool is perfect for a midday dip.

models and learning about top-of-the-line features was impressive, but out of the corner of my eye I spied something more intriguing. A Nigerian-American couple, whom I had seen in my
hotel, was being taken to a shiny new silver coupe and shown all
the bells and whistles. Turns out, they flew to Germany to pick
up their new roadster and drive it through Europe before having
it shipped back to the States. Fabulous!
Following a quick tour, I was handed the keys to a new C-class
sedan and promised the ride of my life. The sporty, red-leather
seats and head-up display are luxury features I never expected in
the brands entry-level model. After a few startling moments as two
Porsches raced by me, I adjusted my speedway swag and got in
on the Autobahn fun during my three-hour drive to Switzerland.

Zipping by farms with the wind in my

curls, I realized I was built for the fast life.

ARRIVING IN ZURICH
To be honest, I didnt quite know what to
expect of Switzerlands largest city, but I
was struck by how clean the streets were
and the sidewalks lined with perfectly
even pink and purple tulips. Families
casually strolled with ice cream as a crew
of dreadlocked Rastas crossed the street.
I stopped for a quick lunch at the Gottlieb
Duttweiler Institute before hopping into
the new S550 to soak up the mini-Maybachs luxurious ride. Spotify set to Jay
Zs The Black Album. Time to go.

OFF TO STUTTGART
After an 11-hour flight to Frankfurt and a short connection to
Stuttgart, I headed to the hotel for a quick change as adventure
awaited. First stop was to the Center of Excellence, the hub of
design on the Mercedes-Benz campus. Marveling at prototype

AMAZED BY THE SWISS ALPS

SHUTTERSTOCK; YADID LEVY/CORBIS; GREG DALE/CORBIS;

As I made my way to Lake Lucerne, which

AUTO SPECS

mercedes-benz-classic.com/
museum
for more information and tickets.

was rimmed by vacation chalets and family-owned farms, I had to force myself not
to be distracted by the quaint charm. After
navigating a steep incline, I arrived at my
hotel, Villa Honegg, the ultimate lavish retreat. At nearly 3,000 feet above sea level,
I looked out from the terrace toward the
snowcapped Swiss Alps. Soon I was sitting
on the patio enjoying a glass of wine as a
cool breeze blew. Moments later, a waitress arrived with a faux-fur coat, one of
the hotels plush perks. (Selfies ensued,
naturally.) Then it was time for to head to
the restaurant on the property for dinner,
a meal filled with local fare including sole
and Swiss chocolate. As I sipped a final
glass of champagne, I dreaded my departure the next day; it had been a short but
very sweet trip. AEK

The New S550

THREE REASONS WHY DRIVING NEVER FELT SO GOOD

SPEED
LUXURY
COST

While many consider a

sedan synonymous with
slow, Mercedes flagship cars V-8 engine with
449 horsepower can turn
4.8 seconds into 60 mph;
bumps in the road, even at
115 mph, are afterthoughts.

Richly upholstered and

swathed in elegant wood,
the S-class cabin is
berbossy thanks to heated
armrests, six-speed massaging seats and specially
designed scents such as
Downtown Mood.

AUGUST 2014

To tap into its vast

array of features, be
prepared to pay well in
excess of its base price
of $92,900. The perks,
however, guarantee that
this is a splurge that will
not disappoint.

/ V I S I T E B O N Y. C O M

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