LSM777

I picked up last months EVO magazine and they were talking about the S6/S7 and said the driving experience as a whole was disconnected and it never felt as fast as it was. They also mentioned that it lacked the torque and power on its S8 sibling. So looks like the overboosted steering and so so handling carrried over to the S model as well.

vdubpower

yeah its weird how s6, s8, rs6 all have the same engines, just different boosted variants, it doesnt really help give each car its own character, i know mercs is kinda like that but i dont think to the same extent.

BarrettF77

Simply put. Buy a VW/Audi product and you will regret it. The sales experience with an Audi is enough to make most people turn away and the residuals on their cars are terrible. I've gone along with VW/Audi for the last 4 cars. I can say without reservation, I should have jumped long ago after dealing with the major safety issues I have been over the last year.

Both cars companies make nice looking vehicles. Only one in my assessment will give you a smile and not make you feel any regret.

Post what you ended up doing.

vdubpower

wouldnt go that far, the family has had 2 Mk 3 jetta/golfs , 2 mk4 golfs, new gti and 2008 rs4

been better than buying toyota corollas, i think

BarrettF77

I would have agreed with you a couple of years ago. However, I feel as though I am driving a toyota carolla with the level of dealer support as well as assistance from the manufacturer. Just like with any car company, everyone has good and bad experiences. Mine have been so bad recently I have concerns over the vehicle, my safety, and especially when I have my son in the car. The responses I've received from the manufacturer have been absurd and poorly thought out.

It's great you have had great luck as I did on my last car from VW. It was an Eos and I loved that car to death. I simply couldn't keep going as my 3 year old was becoming too heavy to get in and out of that car. That was the only reason I ever parted company with it.

I do stand by my assertion though on the interiors though. Mercedes has a much nicer use of materials inside than VW. And the Audis just look about like a VW on the inside which is really not very impressive. Especially since the last time I went to an Audi dealer the sales manager said their cars sell themselves. To which I asked, why do I need you then? Very arrogant and horrible residuals on their cars. I let that be a statement in and of itself.

Not to mention a friend had her tranny go out on her Jetta. VW evidently engineered the tranny to be built into the car frame or something. So because they were unable to repair the tranny without breaking the car apart, they totaled the car out. I've never heard of such a thing being done until now and I wasn't surprised either. Which is sad.

threeMBs

So now we're comparing VW to S7? Topic was CLS vs. S7. Audi is a high end of VW group. So is Lambo. Is Lambo a crap too? Does A8 have a VW interior? Give me a break, please. What safety issues you're talking about? Audi? VW? Both? Bad Audi sales experience? I had both great and realy bad buying experiences from both brands. Its not Audi specific. Its a dealer (which are mostly/all independent/franchises) issue, not manufacturer.

BarrettF77

Dealers represent a brand. If the brand doesn't do anything about it, it also is further taints the brand. This applies to any company.

vdubpower

agree with all of above

A-M?

audi n bmw r for beginners then once they advanced it's mercedes.

A-M?

plus only people w money can afford to drive a Mercedes cuz it doesn't have free maintenance up to 50k miles.

LETO

"plus only people w money can afford to drive a Mercedes cuz it doesn't have free maintenance up to 50k miles."
well in that case the truly rich drive Jags

nizzle

Oh how I wish this statement was true for EVERYONE that drives a Jag

vdubpower

So i test drove another potential car today

behold....Cadillac XTS

yeah , its different and yeah, different. Nice car, big car, but drove like a typical american fwd car. Boring as heck......and i know , thats what it was made for. Nice big floaty smooth car, thats what it is, and thats what is does

CUE is ok, i personally dont like any of that gizmo gadgetry, i personally think the most elegant dash is that of a w140 and my w126, and not im not 68 yr old guy.....half that...but i did drive a caddy eldorado 1983 in HS. lol

bottom line the car we are looking for is for my old man, and welll he is around the above stated age.
He has had the old caddy, 87 xj6, caddy sts, the 98, 01 and 10 benzs

loved the 98 , likes the 01 and hated the 10, so my mom has to drive that one

he wants another new S or even a late model 2006 w220

i think go with cls, but he wants something comfortable, like an S, but he doesnt need S size.

threeMBs

Then its E. Period.

vdubpower

adding a little coolness factor,= cls right

Dabigkaluna

Then yes on that note. Though, I still think the W212 looks pretty damn mean.

As far as the truly rich driving Jags, they had some Platinum Protection plan that gave you the free maintenance and wear items through the base warranty the last two model years... As I almost bought an XF, until I ( literally) stumbled across the new CLS.

vdubpower

yeah that is the tempting thing about bmw with their maintenance plans, 550 not too shabby, and the new 6 coupe im sure will be pretty good

vdubpower

drove the cls today, wow, that engine is almost as nice as the amg, it more than suffices too .

K-A

This is a tough one. I personally am not a fan of the A7's looks, and am not big on Audi's, so the Merc wins by brand-attraction and heritage to me. However, the A7's design is antithesis to the CLS's, and many people find the A7's clean and smooth sheetmetal to be a breathe of fresh air next to the highly decorated and waywardly lined CLS. It just depends on your tastes.... i.e the A7 could make the CLS appear "messy" or fuzzy, or the CLS can make the A7/S7 appear bland, soulless and boring.

I'd personally go with the CLS, though again, I have prejudices against the A7's rear and some of its Audi design cues.

The S7 must drive really incredibly. I drove the A7 and the 300 HP S/C 6er feels MUCH faster than it is, the chassis is dialed and everything just works together so well, making the car perform more "efficiently" than most of its competitors (think "Porsche magic", i.e less HP, less on-paper stats, but in the real world, it does more with less). It reminds me of how BMW used to feel.

I don't think it's as luxurious, grand, or as classy on the interior side in that true "old world panache" Benz way, however.

nyca

I agree with the MB have the edge over Audi in the dealer network, and also on the engineering/mechanicals over Audi. However, the rear seat in the A7 is alot more functional than the CLS, by far. Its so hard to get into the back seat of the CLS compared to the A7. Also, MB really isn't trying to move many units in this segment if they don't bring the CLS350 to the US.

vdubpower

well the s500 blew another front airmatic, time to dump it, and get the new car asap...tired ofthe repairs