THE ROVING EYE.

CONSIDERING some of the high-tech Mercedes-Benz models selling out at local showrooms, a Jetsons-style flying car doesn't seem like such a fanciful notion anymore.

Loaded with fiber-optic wiring and almost too many gadgets to enumerate, the redesigned S430 and S500 have top-of-the-line features and price tags to match -- the S430 starts at $69,700 and the S500 starts at $77,850.

There's a two- to six-month backorder for the S-class models at Rusnak Pasadena Mercedes-Benz, said sales manager Jason Cardiff.

A unique feature of the new S-class cars is an indash command center, where drivers and passengers can punch a button and change the radio station, cassette or CD track, make a cell phone call, or access the car's navigation system.

The car also talks. A digital voice gives directions so drivers don't have to deal with pesky maps. And drivers don't even have to dial to make cellular phone calls; they can simply say, "Dial home" or "Dial my broker."

Many of the car's advanced features don't need the driver to activate them, because they're automatically performed by the car. For example, the cars include sensors that measure where the sun is beating and automatically adjust the climate in those parts of the car. And Global Positioning System satellites pinpoint the exact location of each car.

"The really advanced part of this system is if you get into an accident, they know that an airbag has gone off and, with GPS, (Mercedes-Benz emergency operators) know where you're at," Cardiff said. "They'll call and say, 'Are you OK?' and if there's no answer after 30 seconds, they'll automatically dispatch emergency services."