Facelift

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Changes introduced in Facelift Models

First version of W220 was introduced in 1999 (29/07/1999).

A facelifted version of the S-Class was designed in late 2000 and introduced in September 2002 (starting from 30/09/2002), offering a more aerodynamic front-end and redesigned taillights, though the exterior style remained largely analogous to the previous W220 models. Although the facelift only made minor changes to the exterior, it addressed several of the issues in the COMAND system and other interior features. Exterior updates included a more upright grille angle, new transparent housing for the headlamps (replacing the earlier translucent versions), and restyled lower air intakes on the front bumper.

Visible Changes

Here are visual changes which you can spot by taking a quick look.

Exterior

Pre-facelift	Facelift	Description
		Facelift introduced clear lense headlamps.
		Facelift introduced taillights with 4 stripes.
		Facelift introduced a redesigned mirror cover and turn signal LED module.
		Facelift has different hood and grill.
		Facelift has smaller parking sensors.
		Facelift has different front bumper.

Interior

Pre-facelift	Facelift	Description
		Facelift introduced widescreen COMAND. Note that in late 2003 similarly looking widescreen MOST-based COMAND-APS was introduced. While it is easy to upgrade narrow-screen COMAND (shown on the left) to facelifted widescreen COMAND (shown on the right), installing MOST-based widescreen COMAND-APS requires too significant changes.
		Facelift introduced square-form buttons in center switches of dashboard.
		Facelift introduced square-form buttons for window control buttons in all doors.
		Facelift models have different seat design.
		In facelift models DARK ORION GREY color used for interior (e.g., steering wheel, dashboard) is updated to slightly lighter DARK ALPACA GRAY color.