I loved my 2013 W221 S550, but was a fool to think that this “glass half empty” personality of mine could deal with an Obsidian Black car, so I traded it in and made a brief detour to a 2014 ML350BT, only to find out that I am not an SUV guy. I missed my big S Class so much that I found a fellow here on MBW to take over the lease on the ML and ordered a new 2015 S550 Sedan. The 2015 was good to me, but it never really blew me away, so I wasn’t sad to see it go when I turned it in at the end of a 3 year lease with 37K on the clock and took delivery of a new S560 that I ordered.

Well, the new car has about 550 miles on it and I must say I am in LOVE! With the exception of the diminished trunk space noted in another thread here and a couple of nit-pick items, IMO, virtually everything about this car is reasonably—if not significantly better than in my 2015.

The engine is smoother and quieter. The 9-speed trans is much smoother and better suited to the big car than the old 7-speed. The MBC works significantly better and the ride & steering seem much smoother, precise and more buttoned down. The "Curve" feature on the MBC alone is worth the price of the option, as it is nothing short of SENSATIONAL! The operation of the Distronic is much improved as well and I use it constantly on the freeway, even in bumper to bumper traffic. I have not heard one word from the Panorama Roof, whereas the one in the 2015 would never shut up. To top it all off, I love the Iridium Silver—that never seems to get dirty—the new front end design and the look of the 18” wheels offered for 2018. To sum up: I can’t believe how much better this 2018 is over my 2015.

The engine sound is more muted than in my 2015, which, for me, is a welcome thing, as I like quiet sedans. I hit the Curve switch every time I start the car. The feature makes me feel way MORE connected to the road. It’s as if every street corner is banked. As for more aggressive driving, you will have to post your thoughts when you get your car, as my aggressive driving days are well behind me.

Thx Stream. How are the headlights vs your 2015?

As I understand it, the wireless charging only works with the iPhone X.

I have not noticed any appreciable difference in the headlights.

I’ve never heard of this feature-button. Is it a part of MBC? What does it do? Also, in a previous post you said that MBC is better. How is it better? Does it smooth out more than about 50% of speed bumps ( my car -2015 ) ?

The Curve feature was added to MBC, I believe in 2018. When switched on, the car “leans” slightly into corners. The feeling is somewhat like a motorcycle, or maybe like every street corner is banked. The feeling is truly phenomenal!


Driving the new car around my local area, hitting bumps and dips I am very familiar with, the MBC flattens way more of them than the 2015. It also seems to work without the need of having your foot on the accelerator, which the old one wouldn’t do. The system is greatly improved over my 2015

If you are talking about the length of time the system will remain active, after coming to a complete stop, the time has been greatly increased. I have not timed it, but on my 2015 it seemed like only 10 seconds. I would guess it is now more like a full minute or so.

When driving, the system follows the lane much better than before and you can take your hands off the wheel for a longer period, before the warning comes on. I rarely do that, so have not tested it much.