mkaresh

The AMG wheels do look nice, but I cannot fathom why the package is so pricey. No one else charges what MB does for a sport package, though Audi has recently begun charging about two-thirds as much with its S-Line.

cntlaw

I just back from the show room.
Being sitting in the S-class interior for 10 mins, I felt I had never wanted to walk out.The feeling was like the first time I walked into St. Pete Cathedeal in Rome! The 7-series interior is a piece of smelly ****.
S-class interior is priceless.

W210

No car is perfect in my eyes.

It's the overall package. The M5 I couldn't pull the trigger due to his ugly headlights and cheap interior, but the face lifted 7 series, I could. I was comparing the 7 to the last year of the S, a LS430 and a XJ. The 750Li won back in Nov as I could order the upgraded Individual package (much better than the regular 7 interior), and it was significantly cheaper than even the last model S500.

Back then, I also had an E55 and didn't want two MB in the household.

However, the S-class is probably what I would buy now, especially if I can order the designo package with piano black wood. The new V8 is sweet. The 4matic S550 will be a nice alternative over the A8. Instead of a 750Li and an E63, I would have done a S550 4matic and an M5 perhaps.

By the way, one less publicized advantage of the new S over the 7, the doors open far wider. The 7 series auto trunk does not auto close from driver's seat, and the Mercedes leather, well, at least in the AMG smells better than the 7's upgraded merino leather.

Germancar1

Ok, got it. I understand what you're saying. I guess if I were buying a car in this price range styling would be just as important anything else. I couldn't ever buy a car I thought didn't look right or was ugly.

M

W210

Yeah, I guess we all have different priorities. Some pay more attention to looks, some weigh performance, luxury and value more. I'm actually thinking of saving up for the 997TT, but those fog lights... yet its performance...

The S550 is pretty much a home-run in my opinion, except perhaps those debatable wheel fenders. One small complaint is that I find it slightly less roomy than the 7, and the fact that MB is making all goodies optional $$$.

cntlaw

Damn ! 997TT and new S-Class , both will fulfill my dreams of some kinds.
I never owned a Porsche nor a S-class.
Yes, 997TT is magnificance but first it is for DRIVING and second
it is for DRVING , and third, it is just DRIVING. With a 997TT, I would just be locked up in a tiny interior, feeling my *** on the ground, and that bumpy stiff suspensions drag my backbones, okay , bingo , fck it, it is 3.7s !
With the S-class, it is a great buy, it is a piece of jewel, touch it, feel it, and ride it. Even a S350 is now 7s and is only 10% less power than the old generation S500's 306hp. No need to go for a S500, the saving can go into all these luxury personalized PASSION leathers seats , not to say all these Airmatic, Night Vision, Paranomic Sunroof, Tiptronic buttons , Surround sound Computers! All all your friends will be happy to sit in it and as happy as like they are in Disneyland! It is so peaceful like I was in a spaceship travelling in outer space!

I will be proud and happy to own either of them.
But S-class is a much smarter buy than a 997TT , if we don't take owner's age into consideration.

Taurian

rkao - I've got a deposit on a S8...to replace my 03 S500. But, now I'm considering a S550 Sport w/Designo...uggghh. What do you think of the S8?

Nevada Jack

The S8 is an Audi...the S550 is a Mercedes Benz...and with the AMG Kit and Designo...it is really a Mercedes Benz...go with the S550!

It really is a great car...:-)

rkao

Taurian, you have a PM

mkaresh

Everyone has different priorities. That's why I don't understand why people pay so much attention to comparison tests. Unless the winning car wins in every category, it's not necessarily the best car for most people.

My complete take on this: http://www.truedelta.com/pieces/comparison_tests.php

02S430

i love benz and my friend loves bmw we always compair which is better and has more toys and vice versa. I did get him to agree about the CLS55 no one cant not love it. Id love to have the new s550 but im happy with my W220!
_______________
02 S430 67K
20% tint all around
Upgraded lights OEM

Toog4me

I don't think any car is BETTER. They just accel in different categories.

Before I got the CLK, I looked at the 3 series and the 5 series. I've owned a GS and a CLK before as well. And to me, the 3 and the 5 are both very sporty cars. They have the gadgets and the refinement that I would expect with such cars. However, the MBs have prestige and more luxury and comfort. And there's nothing wrong with that. I took the CLK over the 3 because I liked the styling and level of comfort a lot more. I love power, but I was not ready to give up luxury and styling for more power. That's not saying, though, that the CLK is better. The 3 is a great car. As is the 7. As is the S. They're just different.

Toog4me

Funny. I feel the same way about the C class.

patrick_y

Very funny. Lots of people think that the C Class is for the poor who can't afford a true Mercedes. However, it isn't a bad car at all. You don't look at a 3 series and think poor man's BMW.

Some people think the S Class is a funny car, since the US versions are all Long Wheel base (with the exception of the 300 series). Some people believe that you should have a chauffeur for such a vehicle unless you acquire the short wheel base version.

patrick_y

Keep in mind, these are German cars. You need to price them with options. Furthermore, a closer competitor to the S550 would be the 750Li, since the S550 is a long wheel base model. Gotta compare apples to apples.

Then, think another bit, BMWs receive lesser discount. In the end, they come out to be about the same. Give or take a few thousand dollars.

So, do your homework, price the car with comparable options, then make an informed decision. Statistics can lie if they are used improperly, such as in this case when we say the one car is $86k and one is only $71k. These two cars are completely different.

However, to the less empowered person, one may not know the difference.

Ted Baldwin

..............I think the car manufacturers convince you to shell out your cash for whatever image or idea their car is meant to convey. How much cash you shell out depends on how much of the manufacturer's marking talking points you have swallowed line hook and sinker. I am not exempt from this because I own an 05 G55 which is definitely a niche vehicle. My point though is that some elect not to buy S-class because they swallow less of the manfacture's marketing hype or they have other preferences. For instance younger buyers may prefer to buy an E55 AMG because it is sportier. The E55 AMG costs the same or more than an S550. And as you can see from the activity on the E55 board, these folks efinitely enjoy their E55's.

Ted

Toog4me

I was merely commenting on the kid's comment.

But let me tell you something... I never said the C class was a bad car. In fact, for an entry level Mercedes, I think it's a great car. I love the styling of it. I think it's far more attractive than ANY 3 series, whether it be the performance 330i or the 2 door 330ci. The only thing it lacks is power. But with the new C350, hopefully this can be taken care of.

It's a $30k car. Anyone who buys one isn't to say, poor, BUT, this is the entry level sedan. It's like people who buy the Boxster instead of the 911. Anyone who buys a Porsche buys it because of the name and the power. And the Boxster doesn't really fufill either of the above. So why do they buy it? Because they can't spend the big bucks on the 911. The same goes with the Benz.


Sure I do. For teenagers, NO. But for older people I do. It's for those who want the BMW experience but can't step up with the big bucks for the 5.

Toog4me

FREE MAINTENANCE FOR 4 YEARS!!! ADD THOSE SAVINGS ONTO THE BMW.

ultraseven

The perception is rooted in the two manufacturers' history. BMW built their reputation with the 2002, then went on to build larger, more luxurious cars.

MB was the vice versa, from the S eventually to the C. When MB released the 190E back in 1983 it was popularly dubbed the "Poor Man Mercedes."

patrick_y

Oh, I didn't mean anybody said it was a bad car. Don't worry, no misunderstanding there.

I have to say that I agree with your assessment. As a very young person myself, I am expected to drive a C. My family members, who are all considerably more mature, wouldn't drive a C to save their lives. For example, one family member says that she's almost embarassed to drive the C.

This same person said that she felt that if the C Class were a BMW 3 series, she'd think that she could get away with it. However, when asked about the BMW 5 series, she said that was passive and stated that those were for people who couldn't afford a Mercedes. Which I personally don't agree with.

Lastly, I will say this, no matter my age or wealth, if I lived in a congested city such as San Francisco downtown, or in some area where parking is hard to find and roads are narrower, I would consider driving the C Class or a 3 series BMW.

So, after hearing your assessment and Ultraseven's assessment. This is how I think. I still don't think a BMW 3 series is a poor man's BMW, but I do think that the C is a poor man's Mercedes, unless if you're in a city or of younger age.

patrick_y

Totally agree with you here. BMW started with small cars and worked up, while Mercedes started with large cars and worked on down.

I'm quite familiar with the history of both marques and I oddly never took this into account. Today, I realized why the 3 series is more slightly expensive than the C Class, and why the 7 series is slightly less expensive than the S (when comparably equipped).

xbondq65

How about B M TROUBLE U

mand

The 7-series is more of a bland hi end luxury car, which to me is tailored to the company execs who are like 60 or 70 years old, and the S-class is the youthful fun to drive, beauty all the while it is a beast for 15k more.

SLR N8

I agree! The 7 series looks like a normal $30,000 dollar. If you took out the BMW and 7 series sign you wouldn't know it was a luxurious car. Think about it.

carsinamerica

I'm sorry, did you say bland? The BMW 750 out-accelerates (in some tests, matches in others), out-corners, and out-stops the S550, and has the most polarizing styling in the segment, and you think it's bland? Youch. The new S is far more dynamic than the old one, but the BMW still beats it as a driver's car. To me, the Lexus LS sounds much more like the car you're describing than the 7er. Sitting in both, the S-Class feels poised and elegent, a true luxo-cruiser, grand and sweeping, but the 7-Series just feel...edgier somehow, more focused.

And I love the styling. It's not beautiful, but it strikes me as a crouching tiger, in a "cyborg killer-limo" sort of way.