Dino333

Uploading took all my spacing off- will fix later.
Sorry this gets kinda long but hey, your just burnin some time on the internet, right?

My quest to the “grail” (That I didn’t even know I wanted LOL)- the S550 Coupe

.First I am in my upper 50’s (cant say 60’s yet- too depressing LOL) and have had some seriously good cars in my lifetime- the following cars I have owned for 2 or more years with 20k+ miles on each (some I drove over 100k) and I got all of these brand new, except for a couple marked with Asterisk.Kind of in order but not totally and only the highlights: 68 Camaro first car 327 auto trans*, 74 Triumph TR7* (LOVE LOVE LOVE- but no AC in the Texas heat, got it as a graduation present so I was young and stupid- chicks loved it- handles like no other car I have ever driven), 78 Camaro Z28 (GM was really going down hill then in Quality- but loved this car- white with white wheels), 1980 something Ford Taurus SHO with the Yamaha built engine- awesome motor- typical Ford **** quality back then- great car though, 1988? VW Scirocco 16V with 6 Speed manual- OMG I wish I still had this wonderful piece of (overheating) machinery, 1991 Audi A4000- I put 150,000 miles on it- I remember everything about this car (but the MY LOL) 1999 Audi A6 2.7T EXCELLENT car, Amazing BOSE Sound system dream machine- solar powered sunroof turned on the fan to cool the car while you weren’t in it- in the Texas heat, a Godsend. 2002 VW GTI (I had 2 of them actually) and my love for smaller cars was cemented by these wonderful things, 2004 BMW 330i ZHP model 6 speed manual. IMO one of the best BMWs ever made- put 100k miles on it. Smooth as Fn butter (I subsequently bought 2 more ZHPs- a coupe and convertible- both pre owned both excellent – the convertible not so much but the Coupe was a German “muscle” car without the racing M type stuff. The motor was tuned a bit tighter by BMW in the ZHPs and the coupe was even more so. What great “smallish” cars whose physics, power and amenities were just spot on. 2007 BMW Z4M- the last of the “unassisted” pure mechanical BMWs- hated giving it up- lots of space inside, but you wouldn’t think it looking at it from the exterior. Great car that BMW should still be making. Hard top, 6 Speed manual Racy racy! BMW 435 Gran Coupe- mentioned later and now my DD is a 2017 Golf R and the weekend machine is my new (to me) S550 Coupe.


On to my decision on the S550 and “review”- Oh and since I am new to the MB World, if I missed anything or got my “facts” wrong, please let me know.


After a year of searching and watching endless YouTube videos, like most of you have done I’m sure- my want of a GT/Sports coupe came down to the M4 (I actually like the M3 better as to me it looks better but didn’t want 4 doors), Mercedes C43/63 Coupe, Lexus LF or RC models but their nav systems have terrible interfaces and the “spindle” grills just never did it for me or the S5/RS5 with the RS5 winning out cuz it will be just an amazing car, just released- the S5 is nice but that front grill is just average and the standard S5 looks good for sure but doesn’t light my fire- the RS5 now…But I ended up buying a CPO Mercedes S550 with 20,400 miles on it pretty much perfect condition. Most of these list in the $150k range and most people that got these are executive lease or bought buy someone with some real cash- most all are garaged ( though none that I looked at online at various dealerships had any Xpel or other brand of protective film- kinda strange). So I am taking advantage of about 40-45% depreciation- but with a warranty with unlimited miles for 3.5 years! You can find many off lease S550 Coupes around the country at this time- the other night I found 14 of them – most with <25k miles.PRICE: A new RS5 will be in the 85k range topping out at 90 I assume with all options. And a real good CPO S550 Coupe is about 80k I paid 84k but that included the standard Mercedes CPO warranty of 1 year + 2 more years that I bought for $ 3500 (Discounted) , with the remaining original warranty, I have 40 months with UNLIMITED miles. And includes the extra 2 years of maintenance paid so I pay zero on the car but tires and standard maintenance until October 2021- and its all transferrable. Way better than any new car, Audi included. So for about the same price or slightly less, I bought a used car. I Added $ 3000 more for Expel film (A must IMO in Texas with all the construction between Austin and San Antonio. So I paid ~88k fully loaded covered and warranted up to the 40 months. Not too shabby IMO.And yes 88k buys some serious hardware for sure.


Its all about what you want in a car and if you are in this forum, you are all very discerning and know a lot about cars and appreciate engineering etc.. We all wanted something from our cars- tech, sport, speed, exclusivity (if it was all speed your Ford Mustang is waiting…) I wanted a sport/luxury coupe with a certain amount of exclusivity, that was a looker but not a LOOK AT ME thing. A highway crusher with a great sound system but could at least hold its own in Hill country winding roads. And quiet so I can hear an excellent sound system… the S550 is that model.The car I was getting rid of was a 2015 BMW 435 Gran Coupe-my 5th BMW in a row since 2004. It looked great in Mineral Gray with the BMW Carbon Fiber Front splitter- but 2015 was 1 year before Apple Car play (not perfect but good enough), the VR in the BMW was TERRIBLE, Maps low res and the NAV was not that accurate in finding locations, the “BMW Connect” App on Apple wouldn’t connect, that give you all kinds of goodies and remote management- the BMW “Genius” (Oh Please) - told me “sometimes they connect and sometime they don’t.. WTF?! So Mine didn’t and wouldn’t/ But the car itself, while a really good Interstate cruiser GT 300 hp 300 lb. ft was ok- and the N55 Motor was smooth no turbo lag at all. But the car was soft, dipped in the corners- (the 435 Coupe was slightly tighter and lower than the Gran Coupe) But it suffered from what so many BMWs “suffer” from- wind and road noise. Look at reviews of the 3 & 4 series after the LCI- even the new 5 which should be really quiet had reviewers complaining of excess wind noise - mine had wind noise through the left windshield louder than what I should think and the run flats on all but perfect roads was not good… Good engine noise (no drone) is one thing - wind and tires-not on a 70k car! Yes I know the run flats added to the road noise- but almost every 2-3-4 series comes with run flats so it is a problem, if you don’t like road drone in your ~70k car.


So with all that, as mentioned- the RS5 “won”. But when I started researching all of these S550s coming off of 2015 lease- I was intrigued- the car looks Fn Amazing and it is just in another stratosphere on many levels than even the mighty RS5. I have rented Mercs in the past C series and CLA (Hate). Didn’t like the tech, and the 2015 MY of Mercedes didnt come with Apple Carplay or Android Auto- a must I believe in everyone’s vehicle at any price range. KIA to Aston Martin. Of course this is just me and what I wanted and what turns me on and off, your mileage obviously will vary and in no way is meant to sway anyone- the RS5 will be epic no doubt- and I may own one day… I really likes that Sonoma Green… So the S550 just goes above and beyond on all of that stuff- some maybe a bit over engineered but for 2015 but has 2018 tech )- minus the aforementioned CarPlay- which of course is available on most MY17 and pretty much all MY18 cars. I got the “Edition 1” version.


Here are my plusses after 5 months of ownership and 5000 miles…

1> EXTERIOR LOOK: Just looks the Mac Daddy- in Darker colors. Very cool 20” AMG fan wheels, big, low (I will lower mine in the near future just a bit), wide, excellent rear “shoulders” (More pronounced than the C and even the E series) – this thing just looks solid and is a real head turner- without being a carbon fibered up wanna be “track car” . I got Magnetite Black metallic- more of a dark charcoal gray by day with a very slight dark blue-ish hue that hides dust really well and looks sleek and black at night. Under artificial light at night can even have a green-ish cast- I LOVE THE COLOR- it is me. Originally was an AMG only color. The S Coupe and AMG versions are maybe the nicest looking vehicles of the modern Mercedes design theme- IMO of course. High class and understated, powerful without the bling, slits and gills of the newer “sports” cars.… I even like the chrome trim- usually an all blacked out look is what I have liked- but the chrome adds class without it being too much. And I love that its not a “dedicated” two seater like a Porsche- nothing wrong with that but this is a much more exclusive car than the 911 and looks different than all other coupes


2> SEATS: Also has a dark Red interior 20 way adjustable seats including “real time” air adjustable side bolsters and 4 zone massage and 4 way HEADREST motor- just the best seat ever (BMWs had great, if not plain looking, seats BTW 4 series seat was really, really good and I will miss that). The seats are of course Heated and Ventilated. The seats are VERY comfortable- I really do love them. The red a bit darker than I thought it would be but that’s OK- EVERYTHING is adjustable and you can get your perfect fit. New to the Mercedes world the “Desingno” designation seems a but cheesy to me, but obviously no deal breaker.


3> MOTOR: It is a V-8, a really nice one. I could have an AMG version of this S65 $ 249,000 retail 2015 off lease $ 138 + 7k for the warrantees if you wanted them in the ~20k mile range. But while marginally faster and nicer- not worth the 50k extra. The 444hp 519 lb.ft 0-60 in 4.5 (Mfg time) – I don’t know but you press the gas- even in eco where they skip 1st gear to save gas – it goes really smooth and fast- no turbo lag from the “Bi-Turbo (s). Gas mileage I have gotten is 23 highway (rated 24) and 19-21 average- not terrible but I would like the Audis 24ish average better for sure. But not a deal breaker at all- it’s the weekend cruiser so … But I like the V8 and you can add Mercedes sanctioned exhaust from AMG (or other source of course) and make it sound AMAZING… But it is quiet in cruise and quiet-ish under stress but pulls like a train. It’s a big heavy car with mass (more on that later) but the V8 can flat out kick ***, when your right foot wants it to. Can only Imagine the 12 cylinder…dam.


4> RIDE: Maybe the most important this car drives “smaller” than it is. And even a bit lighter. The air ride suspension is just perfect for me. But lets make one thing clear- it is big and it is heavy (Especially with 4Matic all wheel drive) So your not going to make that go away. This is a highway cruising, GT, Boulevard cruiser- not a back road hooligan- BUT – its not that bad. I have taken this into the beautiful Texas Hill country outside of San Antonio and Austin- and it does a very decent job in the switchback and rolling hill roads. There are only 2 choices in suspension- Eco and Sport and in this case, less is more. Put it in Eco on bad roads and you glide over them- not WAFT over them and in “Sport” the car tightens and to me is just spot on with combination of “Road feel” and comfort. BUT with the Air suspension- this car simply doesn’t lean (much) It has great road manners for a car so big and heavy. But you can also RAISE THE CAR 2”- Awesome!! Makes me want to lower it more knowing I have control to not scrape the front splitter. I also think that the creases in the hood (love the long “bonnet” so cool when driving it) makes the outward view of the car smaller when driving- pure optical illusion but woks perfectly- congratulations to Wolfgang whoever that thought of that back in Germany. Will it be as good or better than an RS5? I don’t know, but it totally works on this model I can say that. The RS5 will be an autobahn crusher too though. And maybe even better in the real twisties- but I am lucky in that if I want to go blasting through the hills -I take the wife’s M2 (if that car and a “soft” mode I may have bought one too – but on less than great pavement- it is too rough for me- remember I had a Z4M- I like sports cars)… - the S550 is a gangsta mobile- go slower- no need to hurry.. LOL

5> VISIBILITY: It has a panoramic roof (NOT a sunroof) and no B pillars so it looks so open, its like your in a convertible- really cool and great effect. Oh and that side glass? Double paned for minimal wind noise- so anti BMW- Maybe the 7 series has that? But this is the next best thing to a convertible and still have a hard top.


6> SOUND SYSTEM- BURMESTER. I am so torn. There is NOT enough bass in this system. Period. And it DOES sound fantastic at HIGH VOLUMES- at medium volume- not impressed. The Fender sound system with only 400 watts in my VW R, kicks this sound systems ***!! A 24 speaker 1540 watt Burmester sound system with the amazing looking Aluminum CNC matte covers over all of them- just adds a look that other cars do not have however– at almost any price. But I will probably add another sub at some point. NOT worth the ridiculous $6400 price. Much of that is for the very cool Machined covers? I gave it a “Plus” but its NOT worth the upgrade IMO.



7> SWAROVSKI LIGHTS. I have the Swarovski Crystals headlights- and they sound corny but are very useful and amazingly bright. The orange ones for turn signals do look fantastic But the white ones are so bright that with the adaptive headlights light you can see your left and right turns like my adaptive on the BMW never did. Just amazing and SAFE to keep you from screwing up a turn at night at a bar or restaurant where you don’t normally drive to. And did I mention they look so cool and are mounted individually- 47 on each light- I wouldn’t have ordered it from new but again most of the coupes were just fully loaded, it being the lifestyle car that it is. I think all the “Edition 1’s” had these?


8> NIGHT VISION: Living where I live in Texas, there are deer everywhere- this has NIGHTvision- does it work well? MOST of the time – I am assuming that the gen 2 versions of this in the Audi and new Mercs will even be better than in my 2015. It absolutely spots pedestrians in the dark better than deer. But one feature I really like (maybe all night vision options in cars are like this?) but you don’t even have to turn it on for it to “work” - it will just alert you to a deee/pedestrian up ahead and the camera “turns on” between your speedo and tach to show the object, highlighted in red. I love that…when it finds said object.- is it perfect? Nope – but it is as good as any system out there, in 2015 at least, and is a FANTASTIC safety feature- once you use it.- you wont go back. It only needs to work that ONE time right?


9> OPULANCE- I HAS IT- remember my favorite commercial back 10 years ago or whatever. The interior is just opulence- side by side 12.5” screens, awesome seats- an organic shape of the all leather, no rubber anywhere, dash. When the seats heat- the ARMREST heats .BOTH of them the center and the door arm rest.. I mean this thing is just something else. All Alcantara lining- back seats are just for kids or one person sideways- but they look great! All the switches are aluminum- no plastic. Even has a cool wood and leather flat bottom wheel- really pretty. Great place to be stranded in a traffic jam- or blastin down the new Texas toll roads here with 85 MPH speed limits.…


10> TECHNOLOGY MMI Interface I will put this as a “Like” but CarPlay would be better. The all important tech from 2015. As Previously mentioned, and you all know, the mission of the S series- sedan and Coupe is to exhibit next gen technology and after 2020 will of course mean more self driving. So these are some of the last of the “manual” tech- ALL manufacturers in their next iterations will be making them more self-driving… and that’s not terrible but the “masstran pod” is just around the corner- So for 2015 tech and interface in this car is not bad at all- not perfect by any stretch but not bad. I love the dual side by side 12” srceens and Merc will be employing this on all future models I guess. The “tacked on” look of the C series is terrible IMO- but these look perfectly embedded in the dash. But knowing that ALL the German cars usually have too many clicks or rolls of that center wheel they love so much- and while all have gotten better, I am not a fan of any of them. Mercedes deploys a “3 level” bump with the scroll wheel on the screen to navigate menus. It works OK but could have been a lot easier IMO- and is very different from any menuing in other cars, or at least any I have driven. So relying on Mercedes software (Mercedes Command) and nav is not terrible- I don’t get texts in real time and use VR to answer them- a true safety feature as I am texted from work all the time. The Mercedes Nav works well for the lower res that was 2015 – and that the VR is EXCELLENT BTW and the menu system is reasonable and relatively easy to use- with the aforementioned, nothing is perfect. The night vision camera screen is bright and amazing. The use of the dual 12” screens is pretty well thought out- one thing- there is support for the DVD player on one of the 12” screens to PLAY WHILE IN MOTION- I am putting on my flame suit- Im an old geezer I’m not going stare at the damn screen- but having Speed Racer DVD- and the 3 Stooges when I’m driving my grand daughter or a DVD music video going- all DVD controls are done by the scroll wheel and work very well. All in all for ease of use I will give the system a 7.5- my wifes new BMW 2018 and her new BMW Idrive 6.0 is also a 7.5- both are easily used but could be soooo much better with just a few tweaks. But I don’t think I left much by not getting the RS5- but of course the Virtual Cockpit and Google maps is unbeatable in the Audi and is not present in the 2015 S Class.


11> IT AINT FACEBOOK BUT I GET QUITE A FEW “LIKES” getting gas with this car yields many compliments- it will age amazing well and gracefully- a car worth keeping for many years.


12> GAS MILEAGE- you wouldn’t think but I actually just got 25 MPG on a recent trip to Houston!! Wunderbar! 1


13> Pretty much a 400 mile range- holds a lot of gas and as mentioned I am averaging around 21 MPG. Combined city/highway. I have gotten 25 recently on a trip to Houston and back. I think that is fantastic, considering the V8 and the weight…


DISLIKES – None are deal breakers but could have been better or are just annoying- in no particular order:

1> HVAC system should be a little more straight forward- you have to actually go into the MMI screen to turn it off? Really- why not a…wait for it…AN OFF button? And I have not lived a full South Texas Summer yet so cant tell how good it is at cooling.


2> All that screen space and no room for actual Gauges- no sound gauge, no fuel gauge? I have learned to live with it but could have been better


3> Big heavy 4 wheel drive means tires will shred earlier- probably no more than 15k miles on them? Not just this model however- anything this heavy and fast with 4WD will shred tires.


4> These DO come with fold down rear seats but is an OPTION? How many will just think that it comes standard? No pre wiring for the inner back seat FRIDGE between the seats DOES come standard!! If the seats could fold down- this would have phenomenal space for a coupe. If you GOLF you should order (or find one- they are hard to find lemme tell ya) that have folding rear seats.


5> The Aforementioned Burmester- woulda coulda shoulda been the King it is not- just a lowly, expensive prince.


6> The Front chrome edge on the front splitter DOES seem prone to “pitting” from road grime and rocks .And Xpel film does not adhere to plastic “chrome”


7> The Driver assist buttons are set way back on the dash to the left of the steering wheel- again not a deal breaker by any stretch- pun absolutely intended- just should have been easier to press- Opulence means never leaning or straining for anything


.8> And since they thought of, and put a motor or sensor on everything- I would have like a manual mechanism to lean the seat forward- more motors to break down in the current set up- not terrible just not optional.


9> I like the panorama roof but would have LOVED a sunroof- not panorama size just a normal sun roof.


10> While I have stated I like my cars now on the quiet side as far as the interior goes- this car comes to life with a growl and then the engine noise goes away- I LOVE that however… a “sport” mode to un baffle that sound would have been FANTASTIC and the best of ALL Worlds!! This V8 can ROAR- if you pay for it too, LOL.



11> Not much of a back seat but who cares? Im in the front 😊


Did I mention that you can watch DVD movies in this car while in motion? If not you can, with optional $200 software upgrade from a coupe of guys in Houston. Works perfectly- looks great on screen- even the black and white of the Twilight Zone and 3 stooges!! Watching the Twilight Zone while driving those empty long West Texas highways at night…oh so spooky LOL



All in all I am very happy with my purchase, albeit I would have waited 4-5 months for an RS5 but I would be ordering it sight unseen and while I wouldn’t have to buy it when it arrived…its not like dealers will have any in stock in the foreseeable future. Audi should take one from dealer to dealer for test drives for perspective buyers. But be that as it may- the Excellent CPO extended warranty/service, the multitude of features (that are all covered for a long time if and when these motors and whistles go out…) the powerful V8 – excellent damping and killer good looks- to my eye at least. I do miss the smell of a brand new expensive German Sedan- this has that stupid Aromatic fluid that wafts through the car- I took the fragrance jar out, but it lingers. I want leather smell dammit!Another fun fact is the S series is being totally redesigned for 2020 model year- but I hear is dropping the Coupe and 2018 and first half of 19 will be the final COUPES of the S series. They are putting on the shelf, maybe one of the best looking cars they make. The car that birthed the new C series and the New E series- both nice looking cars – especially the coupes -. So I will probably drive this and get a 2018 off lease in 2020 and do the same thing on a version that is the final LCI tweak and will have Car Play. A couple of reviews-

First the 2015 model when it was introduced with all the futuristic features/sensors that Mercedes put in.https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...pe-test-review The latest version with LCIhttps://jalopnik.com/having-driven-t...i-n-1822204589

cda

Thanks for the thorough review - answered a lot of questions I had on the model. I am seriously considering getting a low mileage off lease CPO next year.

Dino333

My (overly) long "review" was for those like you who may buy to make a more informed decision- it IS a lot of money for these cars of course. I got mine at MB of the Woodlands- very good dealership- but it took me 4 hours to wrangle my trade in price (The BMW 435 GC) but good dealership for sure. Hope it all helped.

cda

Wow! 4 hours - you must have worn them down. Always worth fighting for the best deal. Your information was a big help - might hit you up later when I am closer to pulling the trigger. Don't hesitate to post any issues you have - I would not expect you will have many problems with this car.

Dino333

LOL Well I should have said over a 4 hour span- they were busy the night I bought it and it did kind of drag on for credit check and then making offers through my sales rep to the Mgr. and then me talking directly to the sales manager and Finance Mgr for 30 minutes after the place closed to do finalize the deal. I was a bit more proud of my 435 than they were LOL- but we met in the middle and they gave me $ 1000 off of the 2 year Extended warranty- they probably do that for everyone? Not the best experience but not terrible either.- Love the car. Will probably drive it 2 more years- it will still have some factory warranty left and get a 2018 model- they support Apple car Play which I would like. But I think the front end of the 2015/2016 models look better than the 2018 facelift. SO we will see.. so very happy I have the 550- it is sublime, in the Magnetite Gray just looks the boss, sitting still or rollin. Pure black probably very nice too but in Texas- good luck they get real dusty real fast- maybe not in Houston but San Antonio...