ANy comparo's between the S class and any other vehicles such as the 7 series, LS, or A8?

 

Their is no comparison between the Mercedes S class and the others. The Mercedes whips all of them by a long stretch. You might could compare the others against each other but leave the Mercedes out of the comparison. It would embarrass them.

 

See this:
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...bmw-750li.html

 

In AMS (Auto Motor Sport) were some comparisons! The S-Class won every test...followed by Audi A8 etc...but it's AMS - normally every Mercedes will win the test (except for the last C 220 CDI vs. Passat 2.0 TDI)!

 

Test 1:

 

Based on the C & D comparison, the S550 only beat the model-year-older Audi by 1 point--hardly embarassing for the Audi.

 

It's 6 points if you ignore the cost and discount/rebate categories. For some purchasers, paying more for the MB strengths is assumed.

 

those tests are all bogus, they factor in price and the mercedes always gets hurt bc it costs more than a 7 series and rightfully so it is the ultimate car. There is no car that can compare with the S in terms of luxury/appeal for 85-100K. Even the 200K Bentleys aren't as luxurious as an optioned out S class

 

I say this having just traded a W220 S500 sport w/ distronic and ABC for an A8. I test drove the new S550 and LS430 before making my decision.

First of all, the C&D comparison didn't compare similar model years. The comparable model year for the A8 has a larger engine which would have addressed their biggest complaint. Secondly, they had a huge "gotta have it" slush pool of points which more than offset the price of the Benz.

I had wanted a Mercedes since I was in junior high. I saved until I could afford one with a sticker over 100k and ended up being very disappointed. I found that a Mercedes is definately different and competent, but not better than other high-end cars. Once you get past the huge arrogance factor, I think it's obvious that they're losing their cutting edge.

I think the fact that a state-of-the-art Mercedes can barely beat out a 4 year old Audi design in the C & D test and that the readers of AutoWeek picked the A8 over the new Benz as the Best Luxury Car reinforce this point.

My 2001 S500 ended up being very unreliable, and it sounded like a piece of crap when crossing speed bumps. The electronics are generally a generation behind the Japanese, and the mechanical systems have grown so sophisticated that a $100 sensor can lead to a $10,000 repair bill.

My sense of the new S550 is that it didn't really improve much over the previous generation. There were definately tweaks and improvements, but it's still a big, cold, hard car. I hope reliability has improved, and I'm glad you're so proud of yours, but to say there's no comparison is silly.

 

I get many more compliments on my Audi than I ever got with my Benz.

 

This is what I consider most important on cars. Have to start looking for an Audi

 

I test drove the Audi also and it had squeaks and rattles right off the showroom floor. It bounced around on back roads badly. I like the heavy and sturdy feel of the Benz.
I also don't care for the large, single beaver-tooth grille on the new Audis.

 

Rowlie. likewise you should feel proud to be driving a nice vehicle like the Audi. You do sound a bit sour yourself, you also did not mention your price savings which is fine if it was a factor for you. However, your inference that you bought a maximun reliability, low maintenance cost vehicle is just wrong. I have also owned them and parts, service, etc. were all very poor experiences from a failure. cost, and dealer treatment standpoint (I'm sure dealer stuff varies widely for all brands). Throw resale in there as well, although the new A8 will probably do better than the previous models which you were lucky if you saw one a month on the road and looked dated much too soon. Glad you like your purchase.

 

You're right here on most things, but to say that the S550 didn't improve much over the S500 is ridiculous. The build quality and features alone trouce the S500 in every way possible. So far the S550 has been the most reliable 2007 model year car in America according to JD Powers. You're right to say that there is no comparision between the S550 and the A8 is silly, but it is just as silly and unfounded to say the S550 didn't improve dramatically over the S500 also. The W220 S500 was a flimsly car, especially the year you had, but this new S is right from the start, in fact is better than the W220 ever was right from the start.

Also, Audis have plenty of issues, especially the A8. Or at least they have had plenty in the past and an Audi is in no way going to show up a Benz, especially the W221, this time around. Whether it be reliability, resale etc. etc. Audi still struggles for the most part. It is a helluva a car though.

You simply can't judge all of Mercedes-Benz based on the W220, things have changed since.

M

 

Thanks for your thoughtful posts.
Obviously, the S550 does have substantial improvements over my old S500. My comments should have been more clearly articulated as improvements to the driving experience.

The S550 is quicker and stops better than my S500 did, but it still felt very big to me and was very isolating. I rarely shifted my S500 manually because it was difficult to hear the engine and, even with the active body control on sport, was somewhat cumbersome in the corners. I didn't get a sense that that has improved much on the S550. (can it even be shifted manually anymore?) I did not drive one with ABC, so it's not a completely equal comparison. My A8 is more engaging, so I do tend to drop the suspension, roll down the windows, shift manually and charge into the corners more often.

It was also my sense that while the COMAND interface has improved, the new silver buttons everywhere are challenging from an ergonomic standpoint. It's still difficult to turn on my wife's seat heater from the driver's seat.

I also remember the MB dealer telling me that Mercedes really wasn't designing cars to go hundreds of thousands of miles anymore. I was coming from an Audi 200 quattro with 289k on it, so I like to buy a car and keep it for a while. I hope that's not true, but it certainly seemed to bear out with my experience.

I haven't completely soured on the brand and hope to have an SL in my garage at some point. I think that S550 drivers just have slightly different desires for their car than A8 drivers do. The new MB is a wonderful car and I hope you all enjoy them thoroughly. I think I was just in the wrong camp.

 

I'm sorry but i absolutely disagree with this statement.

Bmw 335 won CLK350 in AMS .. Also GL lost to Q7 (and to X5 i believe). A4 3.2 FSI won over C320, Also, in big A6 2.0 vs Bmw520 and E200 compartive test they put E class on last place, also M5 won over CLS55 AMG compressor, just as RS6 won over E55 AMG compressor and so on and so on.

How can you say that 'normally Mercedes wins in AMS'??

 

The S550 is briefly mentioned in this review of the A8:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...opanel..1.*#16