I'm looking to make a decision on a new car purchase over the next couple of weeks, was hoping to get some insight from the forums here.

I've more or less narrowed it down to S550, A8L, and E550. I also considered 750 (didn't like the interior, and felt that it didn't offer much above S550) and Panamera (too expensive once it's got the options I'd want). Didn't really consider anything else of the E's size -- it seems to me that the E pretty much dominates its class (please feel free to correct me if you think I'm wrong).

Of the three that are left, I think S550 is probably in 3rd place for me. Hopefully you guys can set me straight if I'm missing something. In any case, here's my thinking:

On E vs. S, seems like the main differences are interior / exterior styling (I probably slightly prefer E's exterior, slightly prefer S's interior style), and of course, size / passenger comfort. In particular, as far as I know, there are no major feature differences between an S and a fully loaded W212. Passengers are a fair bit more comfortable in the S (heated / ventilated rear, passenger massage, more leg room, etc.), but given that this car is mostly just a daily commuter for me, it's hard to justify an additional $40-45K for passenger comfort. Again though, please let me know if I'm missing something here.

On S vs. 2011 A8L: I read the A8L thread here, and more or less agree with the summary. A8L interior is great. S maybe bests it in terms of style / aesthetics (kind of a personal choice), but I think it's a tough argument that the interior feature set on the S is anywhere near that of the A8L, particularly in the back seat. Performance is probably better on the S, but A8L is respectable here. Audi lacks the cachet of MB. One thing not mentioned there: MPG is way, way better on the A8L. A8L exterior lacks flare. For me though, A8L performance is adequate, and if I'm going to get a car of this size / cost, the gap in interiors is substantial in favor of the Audi. But again, maybe I'm missing something.

Sadly, I'm sure the W222 will dominate everything here -- too bad I'm not buying in a couple of years!

Thanks for your help guys.

 

If you are comfortable with the 65k range, take a 2008 S550 from your dealer for a few days. I moved from an E500 to an A8L to an S550. Loaded E vs basic S is a different experience. The luxury, smooth and quite factor are not comparable. If you don't have an issue with size and exterior of S, you will find the drive more pleasant. I personally look forward to moving to the A8L in 2012 when the bugs are worked out. I don't care about the Audi vs MB thing. In the end the A8 now has the superior interior.

 

As I stated earlier in another thread, I was ready to sign a deal on the 2011 Audi A8L. I loved my 2006 and eagerly awaited a test drive in the D4 A8.

After the test drive I felt I really had to look at the competition more seriously.

And now I have an S550 and beleive I made the right decission.

Test drive both vehicles one right after the other if you can (as I did) and see what you think

 

Thanks guys. I'll certainly give some thought to the CPO S550. Emauss, on the A8L, what specifically did you dislike in the test?

 

Just FYI -- In the Washington DC area, a 2008 CPO S550 with <40K miles can be had for the mid to low 50s. It seems to offer a great value compared to someone shopping for a slightly newer E550.

 

The ride was far from as smooth on the A8 as it was on the S550...what I would call the subjective comfort level was really different.

 

In thinking about it, I'd guess that in going from an '11 E550 to an '08 S550 would be a reasonably big downgrade in technology, yes?

If I planned to have rear seat passengers more often, I'd lean much more heavily toward the S or A8. But 90% of the time it'll be only me, 9.5% of the time I'll have a front-seat passenger, and once in a blue moon there'll be someone in the rear seats. Given that, E seems like a more practical choice. Also, correct me if you think otherwise, but I would guess that the driver's experience is a bit better in the E550 than the S550, given that it's smaller and more nimble. (I have test driven both a couple of times, but hard to extrapolate the long-term experience with confidence from a couple of 10-minute tests.)

 

I would also look at the Jag XJ (amazing car, just blew me away) and a BMW 550i. I just traded my 2007 S550 for a 2011 550i X drive and completely love it. It is smoother than my S yet blows it away in the handling department. I also love the far more advanced technology. The power is also a huge + for me. The only downside is the smaller size, but I can live with that...

 

That didn't last long did it?

 

I'm kind of sour on the interior of the 5/7 series. Maybe I'm being unfair though?

Will certainly give a closer look to the 5.