guru

I am a little surprised that the new S class is almost 15 K more expensive than the 750 (86 k vs 71 K). 71 K seems like a bargain price for a hi-end large sedan. I am sure you get more bells and whistles with the S class but still....

PHXATC

I don't know about the S having more bells and whistles...have you sat in one lately? I recently sat in a 750iL and whoa nelly! That thing was hip! Then again, I have not sat in an S class either, so I can't fairly compare.

Personally, I would get the BMW for the 15K less. That's just me though.

EKaru

There's one thing you guys are forgetting... It's that the 7-series is absolutely hideous compared with the S-class.....





BMW 7-series:

akburton

Yeah BMW is marketed as the ultimate driving machine at 15k less. BUT it's NOT a BENZ.

rkao

I agree, a BMW is not a Mercedes-Benz and vice versa - but isn't that what choice is all about? We are fortunate enough to be spoilt for choice in this market segment with different products, and not necessarily bad products.

For me, shopping for a replacement for my A8L is half to fun to see what's out there, and all the cars I'm evaluating are different and wonderful in their own way.

The list includes to usual suspects like the upcoming S8 and the M5, but also products like the just announced for the U.S. B7 (if I can find one at that time), the S550 or S63 (not sure the AMG will arrive in time to be considered), and a Cayenne Turbo S...and on the farther reaches of the scale of possibility: a Maserati Quattroporte. See? That's a pretty varied list and choosing which one to live with for 24-36 months is part of the fun IMHO.

Richard / E320

Agreed! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and speaking only for myself, I would rather behold the new S-Class (or even the W220 chassis) than the current BMW 7-Series.

mkaresh

Once you adjust for feature levels, and select the Li for similar rear seat space, the prices aren't nearly as far apart.

My site makes it very easy to do this:

http://www.truedelta.com/input.php

Select the features you want, and it'll simultaneously configure both cars as closely as possible. Again, you have to manually select the extended length for the BMW.

PHXATC

Dude, that site rocks!!!

Thanks, I've something to do now while I'm at work.








Not in the upstairs arena though!

95AccordV6

These are my favorite choices of sedans on different price ranges:

Upper luxury sedan: Mercedes-Benz S550
Mid-luxury sedan: BMW 550i/530i
Near-luxury sedan: Lexus IS350/IS250, Infiniti G35 sedan, BMW 330i/325i

shoes

In addition to difference in base prices between the S550 and BMW750, there is a critical option that is standard in the BMW, active roll stabilization, that costs $3800 in the S550. The real world price difference between the 750 that I own and the S500 I considered, was $20K. On top of that, the lease rates on the Mercedes are much worse than the BMW. Sure, I know that the BMW factory underwrites these high residuals, but good for me.

Bottom line- the S550 was 38% more expensive than the 750. I think both cars are pretty nice rides, but have a hard time spending that much more for a vitually equivalent driving experience.

c240 kid

bmw = poor mans mercedes

so what do you think my opinion is?

S550 all the way!

ruykava

of course, everyone's perception of what is more important will affect the value proposition: as someone said above, that's why we've choice =)

shoes: it comes to about a US$10k difference if we compare the LWB versions. for that you get an extra 22hp, better speaker system (200 watts v 600 watts), 1 more speed on the auto, rear side airbag, laminated side glass, in-dash CD changer, among others, as standard. though of course as you said, there are other things which come standard on the 7 but not the S.

for me, looks are important and so the S gets an automatic win - you can never change that drastically - but again, that's just me!

shoes

Despite the fact that I currently own 3 BMW's and no Mercedes, I am a fan of Mercedes automobiles and have owned more of them than any other brand.

I cannot say that I am in love with the way BMW's look anymore, they are definately too edgy for my taste. I think the new S Class looks fantastic, I really wish I enjoyed driving it as much as the 7 series.

There are clear differences in the way these two manufacturers tailor their products to their uses's tastes. The Mercedes has the better ride quality of the two- I cannot think of a car that rides better than the new S Class. BMW's tend to have more involved steering, braking and handling feel, less aloof, which is why the ride quality is too stiff for my luxury taste.

Strange as this may sound, I cannot get comfortable in Mercedes seats- this includes the CL, SL and S Class. The C and E Class are fine. The comfort seats available in the 5 and 7 series BMW's have an articulated seat back that conforms to my body and makes my choice an easy one.

Frankly, if I liked the S Class seats and driving characteristics better, I would not care about the price difference at all.

Nevada Jack

Have you tried one with the multicontour adjustable seats, and if so did it feel any better with their adjustments?

shoes

Yup, the launch edition has their best seats and this is what I drove. Have you ever tried a BMW with the comfort seats?

Nevada Jack

The last BMW I was in was my '98 Z3. I am not a fan of BMW sedans...don't favor the look inside or out. I loved everything about the Z but the sedans just do nothing for me. Reviews so far have really said great things about the MB seats and they won some kind of German Award for the best seating in the industry just recently.

lorinserbenz

Spell BMW backwards WMB>>> Wanted Mercedes Benz..

The 7 is a great value in comparison to the benz... but its ugly.

shoes

I agree that Mercedes cars are much better looking, on average than BMW. I have completely enjoyed the 22 Mercedes I have owned. As soon as they deep six the SBC braking system from the E Class and drop in the new 6.3 engine for the AMG version, I will be back in the fold.

I had expected the S Class to woo me back, but was not meant to be.

mkaresh

In the future I hope to enable lease comparisons, but that will be very tricky. Cars with similar stickers can come out very far apart when a lease is subsidized.

I can set up the price comparison program to require the ABC if the other vehicle has active stabilizer bars. I didn't do this because ABC appears to be a more aggressive system, and costs about $3,000 more.

But is the general feeling that the functionality of the two systems is roughly equivalent? If so I can easily make this change.

TREZ63

This is only my second Benz and to be honest I never even looked at BMW and had no idea I could have had a fully loaded 5-series for the same price if not less. And to me it doesn't matter.

There is no reason in my mind to compare these cars other than the fact that they're at the top of the mass-produced car market. Now that doesn't make the equivalent in anyway, it just makes them the top two players in quality, performance, and looks.

Pricing is based on a lot of things, but when it comes to the S-Class its certainly not meant to appeal to the value buyer. Its the flagship of Mercedes as its always been, and it should remain somewhat unaffordable and a status symbol for the few fortunate enough to afford spending money without hesitation. Its their way of keeping the S out of the hands of teens like the E has fallen into. You kids are just making too much money
I think the S-class really should be looked at differently and not compared from the value angle. The rest of the cars however I could certainly see that with.

ORK1

I agree with you competely. Mercedes is considered to be more prestigius car with so much more history, why should they cost the same? It's supposed to be more expensive than BMW, and others...

mkaresh

Mercedes used to be much more expensive than BMWs.

The S still is, but the 3 and 5 have pretty much caught up with the C and E, respectively, and the X5 costs more than the ML.

The gap between the two in prestige also isn't what it once was.

I remember when BMW was mostly known for the 320; the 7 sold in very low volumes. The current 7 outsold the old S-Class in the U.S.--despite the iDrive and styling, it finally achieved the goal of matching and even exceeding the S-Class in public perceptions and demand.

The new S vaults past the BMW in many ways. But the days when the 7 wasn't a serious contender are over.

W210

I recently compared the old S500 with the BMW750Li and the 750 was significantly cheaper. We got an additional $7k discount on top of the killer BMW lease rate.

I found the 750 of excellent value and decided not to bother waiting for the new S550 (which is VERY nice and it would be a very tough one if I have to choose again).

In addition, I can get a very light interior (creamy beige with piano black wood) which I just love:

https://mbworld.org/forums/showpost....0&postcount=12

To match that I probably have to spend thousands more and find the NM Designo launch addition.

I'm not a fan of iDrive but for a luxury comfortable car, one should cross shop the 750Li. Even if one decides on the S550, it's fun to know what the competition is.

Yes, I agree the BMW is ugly on the outside. And that is why it's significantly cheaper!

Germancar1

I guess I don't see how one could buy a car that they thought was ugly and didn't like the driver interface???

M

eagleeye

OMG! I just opened this thread and saw those pics of the black S550 with the sport package....that is just.......what.......I........................... ....................................

.........................................orderrrrr rrrrrrrrrrED.............eeeehhhhhh





i need a tissue.