How does the S class drive compared to other MB models?
01-09-2016, 12:10 PM
#52
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2012 CLS63
^yes, I enjoy reading you turning over turtles 
01-09-2016, 05:52 PM
#54
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2011 GL 550, 2010 MB S550, 2004 BMW 645Cic 1988 Corvette
Yeah, for that money I'd lease too. The thing about the S Class is, if you don't mind shopping a Florida car, the Clearwater/St Pete/Sarasota/Naples corridor has a huge population of older snowbirds who leave their S in the garage from around Easter to Labor Day, and you'll find tons of low mileage S Class coming out of there.
The S is a really rewarding car to own, although the 221 cabin is looking a little plain compared to the amazing stuff MB is doing with interiors now. Chassis too. I think the E is my next car if I can be patient.
The S is a really rewarding car to own, although the 221 cabin is looking a little plain compared to the amazing stuff MB is doing with interiors now. Chassis too. I think the E is my next car if I can be patient.
I just read through the thread....Wha' happened??
Last edited by The Thomas J; 01-09-2016 at 06:00 PM. Reason: WTF?
01-09-2016, 06:34 PM
#55
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I think the tranny issues were straightened out before the facelift. 10 gets you the facelift and everything in P1 that used to be P2 or higher in 07-09...massage seats, rear cam, sunshades, etc. 
11 gets you all that plus the Drivers Assistance package. (That happens when a model is ending its run and they have extra inventory of stuff. The 11 S600 got the $6400 B&O audio as standard for the same reason.
12 gets you all that plus the TTV8.
10 is out of CPO range. 11 based on its in service date is okay. Really, the car I'd be looking at is the 2011 CL 550. That was its facelift year, and it got the TTV8. Not CL63 numbers but still a lot of engine for that car.
I'd recommend CPO. And buying the extra two years of coverage. I think you'd be under 60k all in.
11 gets you all that plus the Drivers Assistance package. (That happens when a model is ending its run and they have extra inventory of stuff. The 11 S600 got the $6400 B&O audio as standard for the same reason.
12 gets you all that plus the TTV8.
10 is out of CPO range. 11 based on its in service date is okay. Really, the car I'd be looking at is the 2011 CL 550. That was its facelift year, and it got the TTV8. Not CL63 numbers but still a lot of engine for that car.
I'd recommend CPO. And buying the extra two years of coverage. I think you'd be under 60k all in.
01-10-2016, 12:57 AM
#56
Super Member
So do you think if someone who is used to the crisper handling of an E-class that want's more power and similar if not better ride and handling a 7 Series would be a better choice?
I am happy someone made this thread as I have similar questions. When I was car shopping 3 years ago I wanted a Jag XJ. An older one before the radical restyle. I wound up test driving three. The first two were regular V8's the the third was a turbo. I preferred the power of the turbo but all three lacked road feel and handling. The non turbo's felt muted. I decided to go with an E-class and have been very happy. However my warranty will end in June and I would like to move to a 2012-13 S class. I am wondering if I will experience the same reservations in the S class as I did in the XJ.
I am happy someone made this thread as I have similar questions. When I was car shopping 3 years ago I wanted a Jag XJ. An older one before the radical restyle. I wound up test driving three. The first two were regular V8's the the third was a turbo. I preferred the power of the turbo but all three lacked road feel and handling. The non turbo's felt muted. I decided to go with an E-class and have been very happy. However my warranty will end in June and I would like to move to a 2012-13 S class. I am wondering if I will experience the same reservations in the S class as I did in the XJ.
01-10-2016, 02:39 AM
#57
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2011 GL 550, 2010 MB S550, 2004 BMW 645Cic 1988 Corvette
I considered the CLS. I want a bigger car and the CLS is a sportier version of the E class. Same interior as well and I'm not a huge fan of that interior the way it's laid out aside from the steering wheel.
I looked at a couple of 7 series again this weekend and right now it's S class or bust. I'm not in a rush so I plan on taking my time. I'm going to expand my search further south as well. In addition I want to check. Out the new E class when it hits show room floors.
I looked at a couple of 7 series again this weekend and right now it's S class or bust. I'm not in a rush so I plan on taking my time. I'm going to expand my search further south as well. In addition I want to check. Out the new E class when it hits show room floors.
01-10-2016, 07:58 AM
#58
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Yeah, the 7 missed the mark again. BMW should just surrender the full sized luxury sedan market and stick to what it's good at, or used to be good at- sport sedans. The 7 is S Class money with an interior that steals a lot of design elements from the S but doesn't come off nearly as cohesive.
I'm dying to see the W213. The car itself is being revealed to early invitees (automotive press) today and it's being live streamed. Public release is tomorrow. Expected to be available starting in April. I'd wait for it. I think it's going to be a huge hit for MB.
I'm dying to see the W213. The car itself is being revealed to early invitees (automotive press) today and it's being live streamed. Public release is tomorrow. Expected to be available starting in April. I'd wait for it. I think it's going to be a huge hit for MB.
01-10-2016, 02:55 PM
#59
Super Member
I considered the CLS. I want a bigger car and the CLS is a sportier version of the E class. Same interior as well and I'm not a huge fan of that interior the way it's laid out aside from the steering wheel.
I looked at a couple of 7 series again this weekend and right now it's S class or bust. I'm not in a rush so I plan on taking my time. I'm going to expand my search further south as well. In addition I want to check. Out the new E class when it hits show room floors.
I looked at a couple of 7 series again this weekend and right now it's S class or bust. I'm not in a rush so I plan on taking my time. I'm going to expand my search further south as well. In addition I want to check. Out the new E class when it hits show room floors.
01-10-2016, 02:59 PM
#60
Super Member
Yeah, the 7 missed the mark again. BMW should just surrender the full sized luxury sedan market and stick to what it's good at, or used to be good at- sport sedans. The 7 is S Class money with an interior that steals a lot of design elements from the S but doesn't come off nearly as cohesive.
I'm dying to see the W213. The car itself is being revealed to early invitees (automotive press) today and it's being live streamed. Public release is tomorrow. Expected to be available starting in April. I'd wait for it. I think it's going to be a huge hit for MB.
I'm dying to see the W213. The car itself is being revealed to early invitees (automotive press) today and it's being live streamed. Public release is tomorrow. Expected to be available starting in April. I'd wait for it. I think it's going to be a huge hit for MB.
Last edited by wilassasin; 01-10-2016 at 10:48 PM.
01-10-2016, 05:37 PM
#61
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Yeah, couple of days ago. My BMW store has a beautiful silver and black 2012 Jag XK with 11k miles on it and I took it out. I've always admired them but never drove one. I'd say it was like banging a hooker...more fun in theory. Terrible ride quality. Are the roads all glass in England?
Anyway, sat in a 102k 7 Series. Interior design still looks disjointed. Materials were improved. Didn't like the bodywork, especially the chrome flourishes.
Anyway, sat in a 102k 7 Series. Interior design still looks disjointed. Materials were improved. Didn't like the bodywork, especially the chrome flourishes.
02-03-2016, 07:50 PM
#62
Junior Member
S W222
I can comment on W222.I previously drove a E and the first generation CLS and now have a S550 4matic for michigan weather.
WAY more luxurious than anything other than a Benley orRolls.rides great, fantastic interior and accelerates for passing if you down shift with paddles.
I cannot think about any shortfall.I am putting miles like crazy and have had no complaints even in winter even though this winter is MILD in michigan.
I am suprised that the new E is coming with 4 bangers first then a 6.The new E has a "great S interior".wonder how the new CLS 3rd generation will be.
WAY more luxurious than anything other than a Benley orRolls.rides great, fantastic interior and accelerates for passing if you down shift with paddles.
I cannot think about any shortfall.I am putting miles like crazy and have had no complaints even in winter even though this winter is MILD in michigan.
I am suprised that the new E is coming with 4 bangers first then a 6.The new E has a "great S interior".wonder how the new CLS 3rd generation will be.
02-05-2016, 04:48 PM
#63
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CL203 C220 CDI coupe & W114 203.6, W221 S500 4Matic
500's here maybe we Europeans have less to prove.
My use case, mostly commuting in city, mountain pass driving, highspeed autobahn intercity travel.
Having had a E500 (w211) and a S500 both with airmatic, the E500 was a much better drive. The engine was less suppressed. The brakes were far superior. My 4matic e500 had the old SBC brakes that car could in high speed stops cause loss of colour vision. I drove it hard with confidence in the left lane 250km with the usual hard braking.
The non AMG W221's have weak brakes for the weight of the car, you don't have anywhere near the same confidence pushing hard in the left lane. High speed stability is still good for such a large car.
Plus for the S is how it insulates you in a noisy city or from bad weather. The glass is key. It does feels safer, it does cruse well *until* you hit the brakes at 200+ km's.
My use case, mostly commuting in city, mountain pass driving, highspeed autobahn intercity travel.
Having had a E500 (w211) and a S500 both with airmatic, the E500 was a much better drive. The engine was less suppressed. The brakes were far superior. My 4matic e500 had the old SBC brakes that car could in high speed stops cause loss of colour vision. I drove it hard with confidence in the left lane 250km with the usual hard braking.
The non AMG W221's have weak brakes for the weight of the car, you don't have anywhere near the same confidence pushing hard in the left lane. High speed stability is still good for such a large car.
Plus for the S is how it insulates you in a noisy city or from bad weather. The glass is key. It does feels safer, it does cruse well *until* you hit the brakes at 200+ km's.
02-06-2016, 09:01 AM
#64
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Originally Posted by bret
500's here maybe we Europeans have less to prove.
I do most of my driving on bogs and fjords so hard braking is less important than buoyancy.
I don't think US spec E Class had AirMatic as an option, but I don't doubt that an E with a 5.5 on air would be a better Autobahn performer than a comparably equipped 221. I'd just have to close my eyes walking up to it every morning because it's such a homely looking little turd.
02-06-2016, 01:16 PM
#66
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2010 E350 4Matic
You guys seem to have less of everything. Except maybe body hair, but unfortunately it's on all the womenfolk.
I do most of my driving on bogs and fjords so hard braking is less important than buoyancy.
I don't think US spec E Class had AirMatic as an option, but I don't doubt that an E with a 5.5 on air would be a better Autobahn performer than a comparably equipped 221. I'd just have to close my eyes walking up to it every morning because it's such a homely looking little turd.
I do most of my driving on bogs and fjords so hard braking is less important than buoyancy.
I don't think US spec E Class had AirMatic as an option, but I don't doubt that an E with a 5.5 on air would be a better Autobahn performer than a comparably equipped 221. I'd just have to close my eyes walking up to it every morning because it's such a homely looking little turd.
02-06-2016, 02:29 PM
#67
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Originally Posted by MBNUT1
The US W211 V8's had airmatic standard as did the early W212 v8's
02-21-2016, 07:13 AM
#68
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2007 S550, 1996 Impala SS, 2003 GMC Envoy, 2005 toyota corolla s
S550 experience
I'm looking for some opinions on how the S (350/550) is supposed to feel when driving. I have test driven an S350 and an S550 over the past year and both have felt rather ponderous and not fun at all. I'm trying to figure out if the examples that I drove were typical of what the W221 usually feels like.
My current daily driver is a 2006 E320 CDI (diesel) and it feels sublime when I'm in it. I really love the balance of speed, comfort and handling. I bought it used with 65k miles on it and at 112k miles it still feels great. Our family car is a 2013 GL450 and it again is a great drivers car though, not quite as good as the E. The power is awesome and it handles quite well for a 5,400lb car. My only problem with it is that I have a newborn and with the rear facing carseat behind me I'm literally jammed into the dash. I haven't even tried fitting the carseat into the E yet, I fear it will be too depressing
I thought my solution would be to upgrade to an S class. They have plenty of rear leg room, much more than the GL and at 700 lbs less with more power should drive great. But the S550 that I drove felt really slow to react and the handling was OK, definitely not like the GL. Altho I will admit that I had the transmission in comfort for most of my test drive, not sure about the suspension setting. It was quite disappointing all around.
I took an S350 out for a test drive last week, thinking maybe the diesel engine held some of the key elements for me as it does in my E. While the wall of torque was nice. It too felt ponderous and not fun at all. And I had set the suspension and transmission to sport.
So now I'm perplexed and looking for opinions, thoughts,etc, which I know folks love to share
My current daily driver is a 2006 E320 CDI (diesel) and it feels sublime when I'm in it. I really love the balance of speed, comfort and handling. I bought it used with 65k miles on it and at 112k miles it still feels great. Our family car is a 2013 GL450 and it again is a great drivers car though, not quite as good as the E. The power is awesome and it handles quite well for a 5,400lb car. My only problem with it is that I have a newborn and with the rear facing carseat behind me I'm literally jammed into the dash. I haven't even tried fitting the carseat into the E yet, I fear it will be too depressing
I thought my solution would be to upgrade to an S class. They have plenty of rear leg room, much more than the GL and at 700 lbs less with more power should drive great. But the S550 that I drove felt really slow to react and the handling was OK, definitely not like the GL. Altho I will admit that I had the transmission in comfort for most of my test drive, not sure about the suspension setting. It was quite disappointing all around.
I took an S350 out for a test drive last week, thinking maybe the diesel engine held some of the key elements for me as it does in my E. While the wall of torque was nice. It too felt ponderous and not fun at all. And I had set the suspension and transmission to sport.
So now I'm perplexed and looking for opinions, thoughts,etc, which I know folks love to share
compared to my old 95 s420, this car is fast. not our grand pa's Mercedes.
02-21-2016, 11:32 PM
#71
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Really? Different models of the S Class are different? Holy crap! I had no idea this was going on. I thought Mercedes just randomly assigned numbers to S Classes as they were being made, depending on how many letter and number badges they had on hand at the moment.
Like when I saw an S55 once I just presumed they had run out of "0"s.
Like when I saw an S55 once I just presumed they had run out of "0"s.
Last edited by mercedesbenzs55; 02-21-2016 at 11:35 PM.
09-04-2016, 11:21 PM
#72
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2011 GL 550, 2010 MB S550, 2004 BMW 645Cic 1988 Corvette
After two months and 1500 miles of S class ownership here are my impressions how the E class and S class compare handling wise.
When it is in sport mode it compares very closely to how the e class handles. Has more road feel and noise. I have taken the car on several long trips. two of them were on two lane twisting roads. Comfort mode it handles ok, more body roll which was to be expected. Sport mode was more fun.
For a car so big and heavy it handles very well in either mode.
When it is in sport mode it compares very closely to how the e class handles. Has more road feel and noise. I have taken the car on several long trips. two of them were on two lane twisting roads. Comfort mode it handles ok, more body roll which was to be expected. Sport mode was more fun.
For a car so big and heavy it handles very well in either mode.
09-25-2016, 10:17 AM
#73
Junior Member
Been driving the helicopter wings for the past 27 years and have had a variety of different models (mostly E's). However, in my opinion there is nothing close to the S Class. It's like the CFL compared to the NFL or the minor leagues compared to the major league in baseball. Night and day difference in all aspects.
10-29-2016, 11:09 PM
#74
Member
Thread Starter
Revisiting this thread to say, I signed papers on a 2013 S350. In sport mode, it handles decent enough and is responsive. Probably going to leave everything in sport. Now to count the hours until Tuesday when I take delivery.
