HOWEVER, with that said, I really have a hard time believing that the E38 7 series lags behind the Benz S in safety. First of all, even my short wheelbase 740 sport weighs in at over 4,200 lbs.! The E38 is not that much lighter than the S. In fact, if anything, it is about similar or even heavier than the new 2000-2001 S Class.

The safety features are actually more advanced than the previous generation S600 which Diana died in. So the comment that they would have had zero chance of survival in a 7 series is totally ridiculous!

Look at the 7's smaller brother, the E39 5 series. It was the best pick in crash testing by the IIHS and other agencies-- even more so than the E-Class. The E-Class is good, but mediocre compared to the 540 for safety.

So if the 7 is a bigger car with more weight than the E39, how can it NOT be safe?

If you look at sites such as crashtest.com, the 7 scores the highest marks possible across the rated categories. The overall death rate is also rated EXCELLENT, meaning exceptionally low fatalities!

All this, and not to mention the 7 is MUCH MORE of a driver's car than the S Class, which feels like a Lincoln Town Car by comparison! The only benzes that are actually decent are the RennTech or Brabus ones, or maybe the S55. The rest are for old farts....

My two cents.