CLFREAK

Figuring same price for both (approx. $160K), let's rate them:


*Style and "street presence"
*Prestige
*Performance
*Fit and Finish
*Future Value

Wintermute

Here is a flamewar waiting to happen!

slvrstar

just one word to end all arguments.

BENTLEY!!

v8plus4

The S600 is probably better suited for this comparison. W12 vs. V12. Without having seen either car in person, I would say the Benz takes the Bentley/VW :v in all categories except for "Future Value".

JackStraw

The S63 will cost nowhere near $160K-- more like $120K.

benzmodz

Its not even sold yet and already it has lost $40K in value.

CLFREAK

The current S65 costs $165K, so the S63 should be about the same; the S600, however, will be around $120K, same as current.

CE750

The last of the real bentleys was the Azure, a 6700lbs 690ft/lbs torque V8 powered beast... this new VW is just a fancy Patheon.

I'll take the benz.

CLFREAK

I forgot to mention that there's a possibility that Maybach will introduce a slightly smaller series (53?), about the size of the news S-class, and at a cost similar to the S63. This will just confuse us all that much more!

v8plus4

The S63 will be the V8 replacement of the S55. A loaded S600 will likely sticker for closer to the price of the Bentley than the V8 AMG car.

v8plus4

Current S600, fully loaded, stickers for $147k, add about $10k for designo.
Current S55 AMG, fully loaded, stickers for $133k (also without designo).

If there is a W221 replacement for the S65 planned, that may be the car to compare to the Conti Flying Spur.

athlon70

Even german engineering can't buy what the name Bentley represents, the same as Aston MArtin.

Class and Heritage.

ruykava

*Style and "street presence": both will be good. but i think the Flying Spur looks unbalanced - it was designed as a coupe, and everything has carried over except the stretch. not enough effort made at all. also, as the XJ shows, there isn't a very big market for retro looking cars, no matter how high tech underneath. and the Bentley is very retro to my eyes. yet somehow it doesn't have the elegance of the usual Continental.

*Prestige: the Bentley name wins, always. but the Flying Spur, as mentioned by CE750, is nothing more than a styling exercise. i can see the entertainment system from the Phaeton, the gearbox from the Phaeton, engines from the Phaeton, keys from the Golf. so the brand value may slowly be diluted.
having said that, the technology in the S-class will filter down to the rest of the Merc range as well. but at least it'll be within one brand.

*Performance: the Merc will drive better for sure. the Bentley is solid and smooth and fast, but it can never corner like a Merc.

*Fit and Finish: about the same. of course, there's a lot more wood and leather in the Bentley.

*Future Value: i'm guessing the Bentley, being more unique, will hold its value better.

absent

The first AMG S-Class will be S65 (April '06) with more power and torque then the current one.
According to Rob Allen (MBNA AMG Manager) it will be priced below the Bentley (slightly less then the current S65)

ruykava

btw, will Bentley ever try to enter the "normal" S-class market? i mean, they could easily get an engine from the VW workshop, fit it in, and enter the $100k+ price range. do you think people would buy an S500 if they could get a Continental Flying Spur W8 instead? at least initially, it would surely be an option people at least check out when they go shopping.

i read somewhere that they are thinking of a smaller car to target the E55AMG - apparently the esgment is hugely profitable.

ano0oj

FThornton666

Sorry incorrect, you are looking for a sentence actually.


170K Volkswagen Phaeton with 2 seats in the back instead of 3.

CLFREAK

But, will it be a $170K Volkswagen Phaeton with 2 seats in the back instead of 3 that will get the best valet spot over the S-class since everyone and their mother will own the S-class, as is the case with the current one???

RawAMGpower

Uh sorry the W220 S-class may be common on the high-end car market but its not a Toyota Camery. Unless you do all your taveling through wealthy areas you will rarely see them. Bentley's like the Continental GT have been becoming slowly more common in wealthy areas. Not as much as a S-class, but the W220 has been available much longer. If Bentley continues this cheap-in down trend to make more of there cars affordable trust me IMO you will start to see a flood of them hit the streets. Enough where road sightings of them and the S-class will be pretty much even.

CLFREAK

I hope you're right and I'm wrong, but I live in Vegas and every time I'm out, I see at least a half dozen S500s and maybe 1 out of 10 times do I see the Bentley GT, as the Flying Spur hasn't hit the streets yet. It's not fair to compare a $80-90K car with a $160K car. Of course, there will be many more S500s than any Bentley; the lower priced the car, the more you'll see. If Bentley was to produce a series that was comparable in price to the S500, then you'd have a level playing field, but then Bentley wouldn't be as exclusive. It's also not fair that you see just as few 12-cylinder Benzes as Bentleys, but the 12-cylinder Benzes are the same body style as the cheaper models and no one can tell the difference unless you look at the badges, so perhaps they go unappreciated? Even worse, someone might have a V-8 but replace it with V12 badges! It's too bad that the V12s can't have their own body style separate from the under $100K Benzes, but I guess that's where the Maybach comes in.

Ted Baldwin

............since I own a G55, my next statement may not seem credible. I sometimes shy away from grand displays of wealth and opulence for myself. It is almost as it is okay to drive a W220 or W221 daily, but driving a Bentley daily takes on the air of too grand a display of wealth an opulence for myself. If I own a Bentley, I will almost restrict my driving to affluent areas. I do not always feel this way, but sometimes I do. So there may be more W220/W221's on the road partly because some folks just choose not to buy them, not neccessarily because they are more expensive and more out of reach.

Ted

termigni

I saw Bentley Flying Spur on the street one day and it was not a good looking car. it does have the badge that says BENTLY but I'll take the S class.

CE750

Exactly...

As I said, the Azure, and possibly the Arnage are the last real Bentleys. Thus their prices.

v8plus4

IMHO, the Bentley Continental GT and the Arnage are two of the nicest looking cars on the road, but from the pictures I've seen, the Flying Spur doesn't really do it for me. It's profile reminds me of the Lincoln Town Car. Haven't seen it in the flesh yet, though, so I'll reserve final judgement.

New S looks good so far...

JD

FThornton666

The new Azure is very very sexy indeed. THe Arnage is a true bentley too. How ever VW needs to slow its roll with its Phaeton platform. It now underpins, 4 vehicles. The GT, the Phaeton, the A8, and now the Flying Spur. There are rumors a GT Convertible too.