ethanwa

Hi,

New here.

I am about 2 weeks away from buying my first Mercedes in a while. My last one was a used '83 S-Class, but that was just too old for me. Since then I have had a number of other cars. I'm finally in a good income place to be able to get the exact car I want.

So the car I want is a 2007 or 2008 S550 Designo 4Matic with Panorama roof and possibly other options. Low milage and certified used.

I love the look of this interior. What is it officially called?



Also, is this the Designo Graphite? Does it have a hint of blue at all in it? I have yet to see one in person.



I love the grey/blue look for an exterior. Which color best would match that and what is it officially called?

- Was the wood steering wheel an extra option?
- Does the panorama roof let more light in the whole car? Or just the back?
- The rims on the car shown above are not what I like. Anyone know all of the different rim options at that time?

Also, for you S550 owners, what are some options you can't live without and why? I don't know how heavy I want to go on the options, as I'm trying to keep the price below $55k if possible.

Thanks! Hopefully I'll be posting here more often once I get my car. It's going to be tough to find the exact one I want somewhere in the U.S.

Ethan

lkirchner

That color on the interior on Designo cars is called porcelain with piano black wood trim. However the wood in the picture looks brownish like burl walnut. My wife has the Designo porcelain interior in her 2008 S550. Her interior is different than the picture you posted, The seats are "pleated" and the door panels are not plain as the ones in the pic. The wood wheel is standard on the Designo optioned cars. The Pano roof does make the interior seem more airy.

Em Bee Lover

I just bought off 36 month lease a 2007 "Launch". It has the identical layout pictured. The one I bought off lease was out of warr. (55k). It has the camera and other goodies. The Driver Dyamic Seats option, which is kaput, bugs me. I took a leap, due to maxed warr. I have had three weeks and the biggest issue is the the "dynamic" seat option doesn't work. I am mildly/majorly concerned about a "shudder" in the the car when it downshifts at a stop light and there's a samll tranny leak. I am still chasing that and holding my breath. My indie wrench says there's "something" going on. That was unnerving;make me really makes me sleep well.....It's a 4 Matic, which is new to me. Set aside price. Have whatever you buy inspected mightily. I am holding my breath on what I am facing. Bluetooth is cool and works well w/my mobile. Nav is cool. I am coming off an S430 220 platform. This forum has been really helpful, even as a newbie. The net is, I don't know what to expect. It's a magnificeint machine, but there are tons of things that can expensively go south. I asked dealer what a warr. would be for the future and it was $7400. That's a lot of moola. Maybe put that amount in an account and work off it. My old (Oct. 2000) S has been impeccable. Craps anyone?

Wantmy1stbenz

Hey Ethan,

No matter what make aure you take your time to find the car you want at a reasonable price because these bad boys are kind of expensive. The sport is something you should look into because it makes the car look sooooo much cooler (no offense to the people without the sport) and it comes with 18 or 19" rims that look better then the ones you don't like. Most people say that the spot pano look is AWESOME!!!!!
As far as options on the interior, I would just tell you to get what you like/need. Some people say they can live w/o the cooled seats and some people say that they help Alot. Some people say get the abc with it because it makes a difference as far as the drive and some people don't even notice the difference.

Look at every option and figure what you would like and what you need. Also there is a topic of best color combo for an s550 somewhere on this site. Atleast that way you can see the differences as far as sport vs non sport.

Ahmedito

This interior is not a designo, this is sahara beige.

cablvr

I agree with Lou's response. We have had a 2007 Launch edition since 04/07 and it is equipped exactly as the one ethanwa is contemplating. According to my selling dealer, all Launch editions were equipped exactly the same way from Germany - wheels and all. The interior and exterior colors were from the designo line-up, as well as the leather.

Still on the road with 68K+ miles. I did spring for the 100K mile/6 year warranty earlier this year. Looking forward to keeping this vehicle for another 2-3 years until the next "launch edition" is released.