WSH

In US, 600/65 have a notably finer-grained leather than 63 or 550

And leather is more extensively applied throughout in V12s, incl more subtle areas like shelf behind rear seat headrests, etc (and Alcantara roof lining unlike 550)

CLs have more leather applied than comparable S, esp in areas like upper doors (e.g., area above the seat controls near base of window)

pmb600

Correct, the V12s have Exclusive Leather standard (same quality leather as Premium option on a 550) but there is more of it as you mention. Believe it or not, the stitched dash in a CL550 and 63 is not actually leather, it is artificial. Only the V12s or designo packages on a 550/63 will add leather covered dash.

dbtk

I was hoping that the newly facelifted "S" (non-V12s) would include a full leather option a la BMW's 7-series. For the price one would expect more than just plastic interior door panels. At least the C and E classes have more than just leather on the armrest.

Quadcammer

Designo will get your what your looking for.

Not only do you get full leather, you also get really nice color combinations. The only trouble is that the option is almost $12,000.

vdubpower

so 65/600 leather is the same as th e premuim upgrade on 550

the other question is to do sports or not

is there any othe changes besides the body kit ( which is pretty mild- the w220 sport non sport kit was better) and the wheels/tires

suspension or anything?

the ride should be about the same, thats a concern cuz pops is driving it, daily, and he deosnt really care about that

is the non sport car a staggerered setup. or same all 4

Quadcammer

not sure about the specific differences, but the wheel and bodykit differences are huge to me.

The non-sport wheels/bumpers look a bit too plain for my tastes.

Quadcammer

Another thing I will say is that the full leather really spoils you. I don't think I could ever go back to vinyl/plastic on a big benz. Makes future choices more limited and more expensive for sure.

skrontz

There're no differences besides the body kit and the bigger rims. Personally, I find the body kit quite unattractive (especially the side criss-crossed panels); the only two somewhat visually nice features in the pre-2010 cars were the fog lamps and the exhaust pipe setup. As of 2010, these two are same between both standard and sport, which made it a no-brainer for me. The ride with the bigger rims is less smooth, so there's a difference. Make sure to factor in more wear on the tires as well (I made the mistake of getting the "sport" tires on the 750Li; had to replace them after ~15k miles which the dealer said was "normal").

The truly amazing (and often overlooked) feature is ABC; get it if you're actually looking for a sporty ride and not just the plastic show. The word is that non-ABC 2010 cars get electric rather than hydraulically-assisted steering which is a huge difference on the road.

Part of the reason why I had to special order my '10 S550 is that it's impossible to find a stock car with ABC and Rear Seat Package and no Sports Package. However, according to my dealer, there will be very limited stock of '10 S-Class anyway; everything will go through special order.

pmb600

I guess the Sport Package is just preference...I really love the look of the AMG bodystyling on any Mercedes. Have driven both cars for extended periods, I don't think the extra 1" on the wheels makes any difference in ride quality--not with the great Airmatic or ABC suspensions. I also had the chance to drive an S550 with ABC and was really impressed. Even though it can be extremely sporty and kill any body roll when in "ABC Sport" mode, it has a very smooth, comfortable ride in the standard mode--it is no compromises, best of both worlds.

skrontz

It's definitely very personal; I could absolutely feel the difference even after a short test drive. These tires also appear much noisier on the 7-Series. Most of all, it's the looks to me; unlike many fans here, I don't like large rims ;-)