Makes no owner sense and very unappealing.

I'll just strap it down with duct tape.

Yep I concur with the MB failed decision on an otherwise great car. My 221 runs like a supersonic brick on glass. However,

i would pay extra for a spare.

If I need extra trunk space, my Landcruiser is ready and able.

if I was after performance, any number of cars rip a S550.

As to champagne or single malt, I would gladly share with a speedy tow truck operator, but they don't exist except in an engineers mind.

I'll just settle for duct tape and a junk yard spare.

MB wins. We lose.

This is the very first time anyone has mentioned this......

Ha!

Im sure MB is very worried, too.

Might as well take the tail gate off a pickup and use net wire instead.

The net tailgate on the MB pickup is not the problem. The problem is the steering wheel is off center to the seat by 1mm! The Mercedes X Truck Concept.....
https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/mer...ncept-x-class/

Did someone call my name?:D

For the benefit of newcomers to this topic, here goes: Driving much of anywhere outside of a metro area without a spare is just plain NUTS! OK, run flat tires will get you to a shop IF you pick up a nail. However, if you encounter some sort of a road hazard that results in a blow out, you are up the proverbial excrement creek. AND, you better start paddling with your hands, ‘cause you ain’t got a paddle!

So, you take the wife & kids to see Mt. Rushmore or Yellowstone and you hit an unseen hazard, which blows your 20” tire and cracks your AMG wheel. You call MBRACE and they send a tow truck. You are taken to Earl’s Fillin’ Station where Earl peers at the tire, belches and says “I ain’t naer seen a tar like dat. I’ll have to call Omaha in da mornin’ & see if them fellers can send one out double quick.” So you, your wife, your kids & luggage get to spend a night OR TWO, at the No-Tell Motel “down the road a piece,” and Earl will let you know.

Meanwhile, a fellow in his nice, new Genesis G90 happens down the same road and hits the same road hazard and blows his tire. He calmly opens his cavernous trunk, lifts up the cover and sitting there is a gorgeous, spare, jack & tool kit, top photo. He makes the change and 20 minutes later he and his family are on their way. As they pass the No-Tell Motel, the wife says “what a sleazy dump, I can’t imagine who would stay there.”

I know, I know, this HARDLY ever happens, but why should we ever be put in such a situation? In my S560, I carry a brand new W221 compact spare and a W222 jack & tool kit. The spare sits on top of the trunk floor, bottom photo, which is ridiculous, but it gives me great peace of mind, especially when driving out of town. AND, there is nearly enough room to put a spare under the trunk floor and I’m sure the MB designers COULD have left room for one, but THEY have decided that we no longer need one. Idiots.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...a498c9379.jpeg

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...edf9411e5.jpeg

Nothing wrong with the latest series of Run Flat Tires. Not as smooth riding as non-RFT, but way better than earlier versions. However, what happens when the tire—conventional or RFT—gets SHREDDED by a road hazard, or the wheel gets cracked hitting a pot hole? It doesn’t happen often, but if it ever does, if there is a spare in the trunk, you are on your way in less than an hour. If not, you are going for a ride in the cab of a tow truck. At the very least, MB should make a spare optional and let buyers decide.

In most cases, that’s exactly what I would do. However, when one of those services arrives, but you have no spare for THEM to put on, you will be going for a ride in the tow truck. There is a good chance you will have to leave your car wherever it is towed to, rent a car and come back in the next day or two. RFT are one issue and I have no problem with them, as I can easily swap them out. But having no spare and no good place to put one, should an owner wish to provide their own, is just insane, IMO.