Quadcammer

and MB may be in trouble on this one. The new siebener was fantastic to drive. Very smooth, great power delivery, quiet ride. I was really pleased. Some of the interior materials were borderline and the gas mileage is abysmal, but it felt tighter and assembled better than the 221s I've driven. There is no comparison to the previous 7 series.

Got a nice 45 minute drive and came away very impressed, especially with the ride quality.

So for you guys with your leaseas coming due, might be worth a look.

Reckless

I wonder if it is anything compareable to the S55/S600/S65 in terms of power. I was a die hard 7er until I got behind my 600. The V12TT made my 750il feel like a go cart to me. I was never a fan of the Chris Bangle bmws - they started to feel inferior in terms of build quality and materials compared to previous models.

silberrosa

Have you driven a new 221? I have spent plenty of time in the new 7er and you are right that is is a good improvement over the old 7er. HOWEVER, it just was not what I would be looking for in this vehicle class. If I am looking for a 3 series, yes, they do that as well or perhaps better than anyone. But at the S-Class level, in my opinion, it is still not even close. That's why they make them though as there is an **** for every seat.

QuadBenz

I really like the new 7, interior and out. I've never driven one, but something I've grown accustomed to with the S is the level of prestige this car has. IMO, the S is much more prestigious and I think it's an important factor when looking into purchasing a company's flagship vehicle. That said, I do think the new 7 is a great car though.

JonMBZ

dont move over to the dark side oliver

cjf_moraga

I find the new 7-series interior somewhat disappointing... Too fussy, flimsy in places... (it did not fare that well on the "press trim" test) plastic not metallic buttons and surrounds... I admit my personal preference is for the more elegant and minimalist 221 interior, but as a place to spend time in, the 7-series did not feel obviously tighter or better assembled when I tested one. It was nice to drive of course but so is an S-Class.

Chris

Quadcammer

Hard to say. The 400bhp/450tq twin turbo v8 felt very nice with minimal turbo lag and good grunt down low. It won't have v12tt power, but thats why they make a 760.

Bangle sevens sucked. This does not.

I have not driven a facelift 220, but I was inside one, and there is no question that the S is more luxurious. The BMW looks a bit like a modern minimalist apartment, with the wood and the silver accents. Nice, but not the old school library feel of the 221. However, I did like that you feel like you sit lower in the 7 and the center console is higher. I'm a slim guy, so I did not feel cramped. Others might.

I love BMW and MB, so I went into it pretty neutral and came away impressed. I thought the ride quality was as good or better than the S class, and this is over nyc streets.

What specific attributes did you feel were "not even close"?

S has more prestige and imho looks better, especially with the sport package. Just driving feel, its a tough call though.

Haha, I just bought the Porsche, so my ability to pick up new 90k vehicles is a bit reduced. That said, they are an attractive lease. I was offered $3800 initial payment, and then like $14XX per month. Thats about what a new E550 leases for.

Chris, thats interesting. Some aspects I didn't love like the center stack and integrated door pulls (I swear it took some time to find the way to close the door). Yes, there was some plastic and the wood looked a bit cheesy in the example I drove, but I thought it was VERY well screwed together. No squeaks, rattles, or creaks, and minimal if any suspension noise into the cabin. In fact, the brand new 09 S550 I drove had a creak or two over uneven pavement. I was impressed here especially since I'm such a stickler on this.

Agreed, both are very nice to drive. Cars these days are at such a high level its almost impossible to find a "bad" driving car.

WSH

For S-Class, the presence of latest-software ABC, choice of wheels/tires (esp perf vs all-season) and caliber of brakes play major roles in its ride comfort, steering precision, chassis stability (esp on bumpy city streets or fwys) and braking confidence/precision...big differences btwn an S550 w/Airmatic and all (or no)-season tires vs S600 w/18" wheels vs S65 w/20" wheels and perf tires

When traveling, often am driven in S550 w/Airmatic and ?18" wheels and no-season tires around Manhattan or to/fro airport and, even as passenger, can sense poor ride comfort and chassis stability/control on bumpy stretches (even on slow NYC fwys)...ABC is far more advanced in balancing superior ride comfort with chassis stability

Ironically, even perf car mfrs are slowly realizing that need smart, active chassis systems for optimal precision/stability on public rds...and even on many tracks...I'd argue PASM and Fiat's Magnaride tech are both still primitive vs latest ABC in varying real-world settings

And an overly soft, poorly controlled chassis offers little comfort or confidence to an informed passenger or driver who understands that such cars are compromised and dangerous in any emergent maneuver

Quadcammer

Please go away. Your ignorance continues to be mindblowing.

cjf_moraga

All good comments Oliverk. I am with you on the cheesy wood and integrated door pulls - it almost feels unnatural to have to raise your hand so high to open the door! (And that adjacent wood trim is going to get covered in thumbprints) My main build quality criticism centered on the way it had been screwed together around the glove box area and center console, (some parts gave way under pressure and creaked) but perhaps the car was a bad example or as a demo had been abused by too many gawkers. There were some creaks when driving but this newer car may still have been working them out.

I would love to see a 760 which I believe has a full leather dash and better interior appointments... the v12 engine will certainly be interesting to compare. I have not seen any V12 comparisons yet, though there was that mis-matched S63 v 760 Top gear comparison last month.

Certainly happy with my S600 but if it did not exist I am sure I would be quite happy with a 760. There is though a wonderful "mercedes-ness" of the S-Class in the way it drives and looks... must be having that 3-pointed hood star always in front of you.

Chris

skrontz

My BMW dealer had tried convincing me to upgrade the 750Li to the new model. However, I can say that I absolutely hate the new exterior and interior. The whole deal with the front bumper integration into the grill is terrible. I don't like the idea of the transmission shifter going back between the front seats either.

Having said that, I'm simply amazed at my new S550. I had high expectations to begin with, but I could never think that I would be that ecstatic. I was literally standing in the parking lot like an idiot and looking at my own car for good 10 minutes. The perfection of the design and the quality of materials are stunning. The 7-series just doesn't do it for me anymore.

jprescott

Skrontz, I agree. Had the 750 Li for a day and then drove the s550. Different rides but if you are looking for luxury s550 is king. When I get into my A8L it's pretty and fun but a definite step down from the S.

QuadBenz

The only car able to beat an S-Class is the next gen S-Class. I remember reading that somewhere.

gyzmo123

WSH, you are

CL55_Serge

"I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany."

- Ron Burgundy (Anchorman)

Jan AMG

Thanks for sharing your experience. I was considering the new 7 for a week before I got the S. MB is just better and delivers best what we like - the right drivers' nirvana
As I said earlier, I was a die hard BMW fan and I still got my old BMW which is great but for different kind of emotions.

TDwayne69

I agree with Armadillo888, I was a die-hard BMW fan as well, but BMW doesn't really treat the 7 Series as the flagship. One ting always ticked me off was the fact that the 3, 5, and 6 Series would always have more technological advance than the 7 Series. When I had my 07 750Li, didn't have real-time traffic capabilities whereas it was standard on the 5 and 6 Series. It makes me wonder which series is actually the flagship and I'm sure there are still issues of neglect going on with the new year model. Both the S-Class and the 7 Series are great cars, but the choice of which to drive and own totally depends on your style of driving and definition of quality.

13pauls

Come on Man!!!!, you know you would miss WSH more than anyone if he were to go away. BTW, test drove 7 xdrive it is a POS compared to s 4matic, would never consider it. It feels cheap and unrefined, of course this comes from someone who only buys Benz.

Quadcammer

I'm really confused what differences make the 221 feel so high quality compared to the 7 series. The materials are comparable (except the wood), and the assembly is hardly "pos" worthy.

I think this may be a bit of "love the one you have", so I get that, but if there is a difference in build quality, I didn't notice it, and I'm pretty picky about that.

skrontz

Bear in mind that when I bought my 750Li back in 2006, it was a choice between that one and a W221. Unfortunately, the MB sales associate turned out to be a complete jerk seemingly not caring about my business (I guess W221s just came out and were in high demand already), so I went with the bimmer. Don't get me wrong, I love the 750, but now I'm completely in love with the S550 as I can compare them side-by-side on everyday basis.

As far as build quality, it's just a general feeling that is hard to measure. Maybe I'm using the term too loosely, but let me give you some examples. I'm extremely pissed with the plastic silver-painted buttons on the center console of the 750. The pretend aluminum panels looks just too fake to my taste. Same story with the seat controls. Now, I agree that while it's plastic, it's the "good" plastic, but the build quality -- at least to me -- covers material and design choices as well. Also, I recall the light cover under the rear right seat falling off three days after delivery (nobody was sitting there). It may be all little things, but this is what separates an awesome car from just a very good car.

Quadcammer

that is the older bodystyle though right?

skrontz

Correct. I don't like the new exterior at all and would've had never purchased the bimmer looking like that. The new interior has just as much (or maybe even more) plastic. The only change I like is the new gauges; the 2006's cluster looks like crap.

cjf_moraga

I would agree with this - it is the details that matter... small details such as metallic buttons that make the interior feel more luxurious without being "over designed"... that strip of material that stops items falling between the seat and center console.. you don't always notice touches like this at first acquaintance but they all add to the total effect as the car grows on you.

Compared to the new 7-series the interior of the S600 is less busy, less complicated, and simpler... so there are fewer items to interface together at the highest quality levels and less things to be critical of... Conversely the more restrained design of the S-Class places higher demands on the build quality and integrity of what is visible.

Having said that we are not talking about massive differences - more a matter of style and design philosophy. The 7-Series is an excellent car and comments that suggest it is crap or a POS are stupid.

Chris

K-A

I always though of the 3-Series as BMW's flagship, and the S-Class as M-B's.

I love the new 7, and think the exterior design is one of the nicest to come out in a while, in terms of car design, save for the front end, which is fumbled due to BMW not yet finding a way to work properly with the new EU Pedestrian restrictions. I love the smooth and cohesive approach of the design. It doesn't excite me as much as the 221 does though.

The interior was very nice to me, for a BMW especially. However I noticed some areas that didn't match up to a good M-B, some of the little details, and the flimsy "opening" wood panel in the passenger side drove me crazy. As well, the wood doesn't seem as sturdy and authentic as the Benzes.

All in all I personally love the 7 and am a big fan of it, I thought it would "de-throne" the S-Class to me without a doubt, however it looks like that hasn't happened yet, which is another testament to the 221 being an all around very well executed car.

I do think when these cars get 5-10+ years old though, the 7 will age far more gracefully, not as eye catching a design, but that will work for it more-so when they both become car-geezers.

I gotta say, one thing BMW has been flawless at with it's newest designs (at least the F01 and F10) are proportions, this outline of both cars (don't mind the fugly X6) shows just how precise and perfectly proportioned the F01 is IMO.

soldier2304

Test drove the new 7 series before going into the S. Handles amazing for the size and... Thats it! Sorry but there is simply too many things not even worth mentioning to why the S (when looking at a car in this price range) overtake the 7 series in literally evertything... Except handling of course...