I'd be interested if anyone knew of any reviews comparing Audi's A8L or W12 to S 550 4Matic - naturally, should anyone have considered this issue please share thoughts. I currently have a '06 S500 4Matic with which I am very happy but am considering replacing. I had an A8 in '98 which was good but a recent test drive of a '08 A8L was very impressive. I have yet to test the S. Thank you

 

Would encourage to test-drive S550 4Matic (w/std Airmatic; ABC not avail) vs S550 (w/optional ABC) vs S600 (ABC std)....

IMO, ABC is dynamically vastly superior to Airmatic and offers an important element of active safety; 600 brakes are notably superior vs 550's (better pedal feel and emergent stability) and offer additional active safety....and 600's legendary tq is simply a daily-enjoyable addiction....

And consider value of 4Matic (w/std all-seasons tires) vs a 600 (w/winter tires) for winter driving in your region....

Have a couple of colleagues in Greenwich who initially obtained S550 4Matic for winter commuting, and each, within wks, traded-in for a new 600, equipped w/proper winter tires.....they much prefer 600's ABC/superior brakes/winter tires for optimal emergent braking/avoidance dynamics in winter, urban driving...

And the interior of 600 is arguably most elegant/ergonomic (the fine-grained leather and Alcantara creates signif aesthetic diffces vs 550) of any car today, only beaten by 65....

Good luck w/your decision process....any of the S-Classes will prob convince best in a back-to-back drive vs any other car today....

 

I totally agree with WSH in full. I have an S600 myself and of all the cars I've owned/leased/borrowed/gazed at/dreamed of, this car is truly my favorite of all time. Now as far as the Audi, I test drove one about 2 months ago and was fully impressed with it as well. It is , as of now, my second choice of automobile. I hate to say it, but I think I would choose the Audi A8 over the S550 when considering price, features, exclusivity, etc. Once you cross over to the S63, S600, S65 , nothing comes close. The 550 is a great car but the Audi has a lot of the interior quality standards that I expect similar to an S600 and upwards. Alcantara headliner, tight build quality in the doors , dash, just to name a couple. Just my opinion of course.

 

thank you for your thoughtful and thorough replies - part of my winter driving includes an area far snowier and with rougher roads than NYC metro area such as Greenwich. S 600 is very appealing from the torque and superior interior but my sense is that four wheel drive necessary - also my drive of A 8 seemed tighter than my S 500 .

Audi's A 8 is also appealing as its appearance is somewhat understated - though accompanied by a tighter ride - tough decision- I haven't had it confirmed but apparently Audi has a $650 option covering maintenance for first ownership period of car.

A8's and S's each have blind assist which is appealing option Audi does have a genuine spare tire - which is a nice statement

 

Go for the S class. You've already owned one so you would appreciate all the changes all that much more. An Audi would be a comprimise imo. The S class is so much improved, that it is hard to beat.
I agree fully with the comments above. I too have an S 600 after 4 years of a 4 matic S 500.
I live in Ontario with lots of snow and 4 snow tires work well. There is a difference though in that from a standing start the 4 matic will take off nicely. Especially on a hill (where I live). There have only been a couple of occasions where I had to turn off the ESP and let the wheels spin on the 600 in order to move forward. For the most part though, as our comrades have pointed out the 600 is best by far and the occasional scenario as delineated above is worth putting up with. Second choice: S550 4matic.
Pass on the Audi!

 

Car & Driver did the following comparison: 2006 Jaguar Super V-8 vs. 2007 M-B S550, 2006 Audi A8L, 2007 Lexus LS460L, 2006 BMW 750Li at the link below. Not the S550 4Matic, just the plain S550.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...omparison_test

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A8 is a great car but W221 S Class arrived as a 2007 model so is a far newer chassis. The big Audi is destined for replacement over the next couple of years so get the MB.

 

Indeed, always an interesting analysis of AWD/all-season (or winter) tires vs RWD/winter tires/smarter chassis set-up/better brakes....my suspicion is AWD is over-rated, except for deep snow on exurban, poorly plowed, hilly rds....

Need to also consider one's daily commute patterns, e.g., NYC has mild winters, but region struggles to properly plow rds in any snow...and Greenwich corridor tends to have a few hilly areas.....vs Chic, which has harsher winter weather, but relatively excellent ability to plow relevant rds and topography is rather flat (and most homes/dvwys in LkForest/Winnetka sit on <1-2 ac lots w/short, often heated, dvwys, unlike Greenwich's 4ac+ backcountry lots).....

Left NYC yrs back but always intrigued by latest solution to most effective/safest winter commuter car....my inclement weather dynamic stress-test for cars is assessing braking/chassis stability in an emergent maneuver on a wet, bumpy, busy CA fwy....unfortunately/fortunately, it only rains in CA in winter, so hard to stress-test this scenario 8-9 mos/yr....

 

The A8 is due for a overhaul as it recived a facelift 1-2 years ago?

If I were getting the A8 , my choice of trim would be the S8. The W12 is 20K more for the same 450hp and +30 torque (compared to the S8). Either the W12 or S8 are no match for the MB AMG V8 or 600's V12

If the S8 was out when i purchased my S550 it would have been a tough choice to make. I still like the curb appeal of the S. But the S8 is a better value with more power.