2006_750Li_ED

I have owned my 750Li for 6 months now, and I recently test drove the S550.
here are my impressions and I will be as objective as I can.
The S550 looks a lot smaller than I expected, and feels narrower inside.
the seats are very comfortable, but not even close to the BMW 750.
The iterrior looked familiar at first glance, but the similarities ended right there.
When the 745 was first rolled out in 2002 it was being judged as a very complex car, and it was mostly due to ordinary people not taking the time to grasp new technologies and read the book. I think that the S550 will suffer from similar criticism.
I did not find the line of buttons and the ,million items on the screen intuitive from first glace, and unfortunately a first glance is all I got (30 minutes)
I found the cruise control where the turn signal should be, and all Mercedes cars suffer from that.
the drive was nice, very disconnected from the road, but not too disconnected to lose control. the car did not accelerate as fast as the 360 H.P 750Li I walked out of 10 minutes earlier.
I must say that my initial impression was mixed, The car is very good looking, however looks smaller (perhaps an illusion), it reminded me of the Lexus LS430 in its drive, if you like to drive fast and feel the road, the BMW is your car, if you like to forget about the road and remain in your cauch, the S550 delivers amazing comfort.
I loved the air suspension, something my BMW is lacking when driving over a bump.
I still like my BMW better, but I will spend more time in the future to do a more detailed comparison.
There is one thing that I really did not like, the Infinity clock in the center. It is tacky and an attempt to be classical, but it is a cheap imitation of the Infinity, a feature I never liked, it does not look good in my opinion to place in a space age state of the art top sedan an analogue $20 clock.
One thing I hate about the BMW is the cheap plastic all around, the ceiling the silver band , the rear vanity miror, the plastic parts of the dash board.
The Alumunum look of the buttons looks high end... however someone here mentioned that they are plastic, so they fooled me, but if they are plastic then I am disappointed.

What I am really looking for is to drive the new 2007 LS460 from Lexus, I think that it will be better than the S class and the BMW 7 series.

one weired thing was the parktronic circles on the bumpers, I thought that they had a new technology that did not have the circles... the rear camera did not engage in reverse.... I did like the location of the phone keypad, and I did not like the side shades, they were not power like in my 750Li.

So far I am not impressed, and I think that this car will have a lot of electrical mechanical problems judging by owners on this site, and Knowing Mercedes, their last new models have too many quality issues.
I would wait at least 2 years to buy one and by 2008 the new BMW 7 series is due.... so I will keep my car till then i think, at least until the Lexus comes out.

MB Fanatic

I drove the new S550 and can honestly say that the S550 was faster than my 750li. Also, I found the car to be far more intuitive than the 750li not to mention more comfortable and easier to maneuver about.

The buttons in the S class are a composite alloy and are not plastic. Also did you play with the Airmatic suspension settings since I was able to firm it quite a bit and get it to handle almost on par with the 7er.

I don't know I just feel very diffeent about the new S from your review. Also, all mercedes of the old days have had analogue clocks.

naadp

and the first post, too... is BMW so scared that their Banglized Turd will loose the competition that they must get on these boards and spread FUD? :p

2006_750Li_ED

I don't know how BMW feels, all I know was that I had plans on buying the S550 and my fiirst impression was not overwhelming.
I will definitely get a second impression, to be totally honest the dealer did not let me floor the accelerator, he did not want me to ruin the car.... I had the 1st test drive at the dealership, the car literally just arrived, and the mechanic just finished testing it.
I was planning on a European Delivery, but they told me it was not available.... although someone posted that they had one scheduled or May.
I will post a much more delailed 2nd impression as soon as I can book at least 1 hour on this car.
and no the seats were NOT more comfortable and I am very picky about seats, the car I drove did not have the highest seat package, perhaps that accounts for the difference. I did not play with the Aimatic suspension, however I did like how the car hopped over road imperfections.
Just because you did not like the 750i better does not mean that I like the S550 better. My car does not have the Sports package because I don't like a too firm ride. I do have however the sports wheels.
To me a car is just a car and I am NOT loyal to any company, I will however wait till I drive the Lexus LS460 before I buy my next car

Mean-Benz

IMO you should keep you 7ers, but get an S550, too...

The S has a much more harmonic design than the 7. The BMW just doesn't look as sporty as the S and if you have an image of youself then fit it with your ride, it shows that your not skin deep. lol

shoes

I also own a 750, with the short wheelbase. I agree with your comparison of the two cars (I started a similar thread last week).

In particular, I agree that the interior of the 7 is a disappointment- there is way too much obvious plastic trim on the dash. Everytime I get in the car I feel let down by this. I have still not gotten used to the transmission stalk and I still turn on the windshield wipers instead of shifting the car into drive. Also, I agree that BMW comfort seats are outstanding. I drove the S550 in Germany with the active seats (their best) and while they are an improvement over the outgoing seats, they are still not quite as good as BMW's.

In fact, when I drove the Mercedes in Germany for 5 hours, I came away with the impression that the car was too soft and isolated. I had picked up my 7 series in Europe and was able to compare those two cars head to head.

To my surprise, when I drove the S550 again here in the US, on our rough roads, my conclusions changed. Now I prefer the way the S550 drives and I like the superior isolation from road surface noise and impacts versus the BMW. I still feel that the BMW is the more sporty ride of the two, but this is not the role I imagine for a large sedan. When I want to have a spirited drive, I will take my Porsche. My sedan is meant to be luxurious and isolated and for this reason, I prefer the Mercedes.

By the way, European delivery is possible if you are insistent enough.

2006_750Li_ED

I thought that the guys at the BMW site were fanatic and hostile, boy are they nice in comparison to here....
All I did was post my opinion and people can't take it.
I enjoy test driving cars and I expect to drive the S550 a few times in the near future, so I will report.
The only thing bothering me a lot is the quality of M.B lately has detirriorated, and this being such a complex car could take years for them to learn how to fix it, and I bet that there will be several bugs, just like BMW had. complex cars have complex problems.

athlon70

If you want build quality by an AUDI A8 or a Phaeton.

If you want build quality and class By a Bentley or a Jag.

ClayJ

Uh, yeah. Sure. OK. -- That's why we're all on a MBZ enthusiasts and owners site....

Helmut430

ok,,we all know that if you want a nice car that you can Really drive , you buy a BMW,,,if you want a luxury car that you can really drive , you buy a Mercedes. The new S is everything it needs to be and more. I drove it and found it to be far more than the car it replaces. A little softer than I wanted ,, but i didnt activate the "ABC Sport" function either. It is definiatly on my list for the car to replace my E430. And BTW,, whats up with all the cheap plastic inside the BMW750's. I detail cars as a hobby/living now that I'm retired . All the BMWs I've done have had the same problem with peeling vinyl from door sills and leather that isnt well dyed. Thanks , but I'll stick with my Mercedes

BoBcanada

troll.

Richard / E320

Hey, hey, hey... I can take it! Your entitled to your opinion and it doesn't matter to me in the slightest if you like BMW's better...

I'm such a good sport I'm not even going to make fun of your spelling and grammar... I won't even joke about how can someone with those writing skills be able to have the money to actually buy a BMW 750Li or Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

The main thing is to buy an automobile that you will enjoy to own and not worry about what others post. Maybe someone who buys one brand and then has to go to other forums to bash that particular brand has *****-envy... not that they would ever admit it, even to themselves...

95AccordV6

The new S-class wins hands down. The 7 looks like something designed in the mid-90s. I am not the kind of people who like big cars, but this new S-class, appealed to me the first time I saw it. I don't care how good the 7 is handling-wise, the first job of a luxury sedan is providing comfort to its passengers. If I want good handling sports sedan, M5/550i would be a much much better choice. If I pay more than $75k for a sedan, extreme comfort and ultra-quietness are the essential requirements, M-B and Lexus are the only brands that could get the job done so far.

zam2000

This sounds so much like the damn Oprah fan club (bunch of fat & pathetic housewifes ???): anyone that have opinion different than hers will be stoned, trashed, ridiculed, name calling....blablabla....

sprink49

I have owned 3 BMW automobiles ('88 735, '99 740 & '00 528) My S500 is our first Mercedes. It is driven primarily by my wife.

We drove a new 750 LI & I liked it...she prefers the smoothness of the S500.

The things I noticed that are major differences are: 1.) The BMW in more connected to the driver as opposed to the S500 isolating the driver. 2.)The passenger comfort is higher in the Mercedes than in the BMW and 3.) It is next to impossible to make a seamless "limo" start and stop in the BMW. I think it has something to do with the throttle tip in and the brake/hydraulic design.

Of the big three in this field I call it as follows: If you want a car that makes your trip an exciting invigorating experience...choose BMW, If you want to get from point A to point B and not remember how you got there...choose Lexus. If you want some of each...choose Mercedes.

Richard / E320

Actually, not true... no problem with me with different opinions, just not a fan of 'trolls'. With a user name of 2006_750Li_ED I'm not so sure that I can expect anything except 'pro' BMW. He supposedly drives a 2006 750Li, so is he really going to admit that he made a mistake and should have bought a S-Class? It could happen, but not likely!! And he may truly feel that his BMW is superior. Great, go post that on BMW forums and I will go to those forums if I want to hear about how great BMW's are as opposed to M-B's... I certainly don't post negative comments against BMW's at the BMW forums.

I'm not going to feel bad because I don't reaffirm his buying decision of a BMW; this IS a Mercedes-Benz forum, so I feel my bias towards M-B is posted in the right forum...

2006_750Li_ED

Actually, my nick is 2006_750Li_ED because I did a European Delivery = ED
I bought this car last May to get me through until the S550 came out and I was planning on selling my car as soon as I can get a European Delivery on an S550.
i do change my cars every year if I can buy them for the right price. So far M.B is only offering a Euro delivery without the 7% discount.
I did have a 2nd test drive today and I am not overwhelmed, however if M.B had the program I would do it as planned, perhaps in a couple months they will offer the discount.
As far as the car goes here is my 2nd impression:
The car looks much more simple to operate than the first impression I had, I still prefer the BMW i-drive of the 2006 BMW as it has been significantly improved, but I find it easier to enter adresses with the S550 as the curser moves faster. it takes time to get used to it, and 30 minutes are not enough to get used to anything. Switching modes is much faster on the BMW, once in the mode the S550 is easier to use.
I like the BMW seat better, it has many more controls and I can shape the seat exactly like my back in the BMW, however it is very comfortable on the S550. the steering wheel is smaller and feels more comfortable than the BMW and I prefer it. The cabin space is a little smaller and narrower on the S550, the windshield is closer to the driver too, smaller dashboard.
The buttons feel a little cheap, not sure what they are made of but I would not rule out plastic as the material, but BMW has too much plastic also, whats wrong with these Germans can't they spend some of our money and finish the car right? the S550 has less plastic though, and feels a little more luxuriouse.
The drive:
The car has a 7 gear transmission and feels a little quicker when starting, but otherwise has comprable power, perhaps I could feel the extra 22 H.P on the S550, but it could be the transmission. The transmission was NOT smooth, it was a little jerky at times, but the 750Li had the same problem and they fixed it with software (car starting at 2nd gear in D mode fixed it)
as far as the ride goes the S550 had definitely more wind noise than my 750Li, the suspension is more comfortable than the BMW, the 750Li I have does not have EDC (Electronic Damping Control) and I miss it. the S550 had a better suspension, however, when cornering and manouvering, the BMW has a better road grip, I test drove my BMW on the same county road immediately after the test drive to have an accurate comparison.
The BMW can drive like a limmmo if driven soft, if put in Sports mode it will not drive like a Limmo.

Conclusion:
I am not ovewhelmed, nothing I saw made me feel that the S550 is much better than the BMW, there is a clear style differnce between them and I could see how someone might choose one over the other depending on their driving style and expectations. I would say that both cars look equally good to my taste, but I could see angles where the S550 is better looking, and others where the 750Li is better looking, but in conclusion I think that the new S550 is a comprable car to the 750Li, they did not do one up on BMW, they matched them. so the choice is tougher now, and there is no clear winner that sticks out. I could drive either cars and not really care which one, I am not loyal to BMW. As a matter of fact I hate their service, but if Service is what one is looking for, wait for the new Lexus.
I have a feeling that the 2007 LS460 has a potential to be a seriouse contender.
So do I like the S550? what is there not to like about it? it is a great car. Do I like it over the 750Li? not really, they are both great cars, and I prefer to feel the road better, however I would buy the 2007 S550 if the 7% European Delivery was available as a 2007 replacement I was going to make anyway. I am not planning on keeping my 750Li past July/August and an S550 is a great transition, so I will wait.
One concern that I have about the S550 is that being such a high tech car, I know that it might have a lot of problems, and BMW had a million of them when introducing in 2002 their current 7 series. so perhpas the S550 has not proven itself yet as a reliable car, judging by other 2006 Mercedes cars that friends of mine own, they have way too many problems, I am not expecting the S550 to be trouble free.
I tried to compare the cars without bias, and I hope that people would understand that this is only one mans opinion without getting too jumpy, but then I don't care about rude people anyway.

sprink49

Honestly....you have made an objective and fair comparison. I have not driven the '07 S550 and enjoyed your description. You obviously have no brand bias and seem to be the type of individual that will buy the automobile that fits your needs at the time. Thank you for your contribution.

jasonb8293

I had the BMW 750 for a day, then the computer crashed. The car happens to have a great ride, but it is nothing compared to the S550. The 550 has much better acceleration in sport mode. Driving the BMW is much tighter ride, the steering is not as responsive as the S550. BMW still can't fix a lot of the computer issues on the 750, I ended up giving the car back as a Lemon after 3 months. So far, so good with the mercedes, its everything it claims.

AsianML

Did the S550 you drove have the Night Vision?

Nas

2006 750Li ED, I am happy to read your posts. I think it's great to be loyal to a brand, BUT if you are open to other brands.

The S, LS, and 7 all have their own strengths. They cater to the same group of customers, but to different people. The one thing I wonder is how MB and BMW will react when the LS goes hybrid. Rumors say it will have a V12 like performance.

I have driven a 745, S550, and the current LS. I would say the S is in between the LS and 7 in performance. All were so damn fast, that I could not really tell who is the fastest. I just know that all would get me to 60mph in less than 6 secs. I personally don't care if one is at 5.5 secs or 5.8 secs.

I am eagerly waiting a car comparo between these three sedans. I wonder how BMW will respond to the new S and LS. It should be interesting.

2006_750Li_ED

The car I drove had night vision, but it was not night and it would not turn on.

AsianML

About the Parktroniv circles. Here's what I was told:

georgl

It's not wise to buy a car from the very beginning, not with MB, Lexus or Rolls-Royce, the more complex and innovative it gets, the more problems are likely to occur!
I've got the chance to look behind the plastic and have to say that the 221-Mercedes is far from having a perfect build-quality but still the best you can get underneath Maybach and Rolls-Royce! It starts with the self-manufactured transmission, the typical MB-engines (with Duplex-Steuerkette) the highly sophisticated technology to assemble (hybrid-laser-welding) and adjust (nearly full-automatically) the doors and doesn't end with the nicely made interior-parts.
Interior-design, amount of wood, haptics... are a different story.
But when you order Designo you get leather-quality like in a Maybach or a Rolls-Royce, no difference here.

Maybe sportier drivers (in luxury-sedan?) are happier with the lighter Audi, people who are willing to save money (again: in this class?) instead of getting the best technology available (I'm not talking about surveys or gimmicks, I'm talking about real-world-driving) are happy with a Lexus - those who are looking for a powerful and comfortable sedan with the highest safety-standards on this planet and the smallest amount of cheap-crap made by cost-reduction should wait as long as possible to avoid problems with all the technology and should take the 221 and enjoy it while others are still debating on design...

@AsianML
That's right, with Distronic Plus you get one 77GHz-radar in the middle front for long-range and four 24GHz-radars (invisible) in the front bumper and two backwards - these six radars also work for the parktronic instead of the ugly ultrasonic-sensors!

Benzrider

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w221/139247-video-ams-comparison.html

Check out the video in this forum and see the results of the comparison of the BMW7 series A8 and 07 S class (these are V6 engines being compared in europe).