Germancar1

A lot of misinformation in here again:

A Rolls-Royce, no matter how technically inferior or superior to a Benz, has a more status, clout, cache, prestige etc. than anything Mercedes-Benz or anything else in the luxury market. Mercedes as much as I love them, doesn't have this level of status anymore, that is what the Maybach was supposed to do, but failed miserably. Mercedes is older than anyone else and has built some great cars, but Mercedes is also mass-market now, Rolls is not...and now, now, now a Rolls is actually a supremely well built and engineered car, unlike those highly questionable cars of the 80's and early 90's. Mercedes may be right there with them in overall status, but car for car they aren't. As a brand its close, but Maybach needed to take off in order this to be unquestionable. For the working-rich Mercedes is still the standard, money no object its Rolls or Bentley.

Rolls-Royce's weren't half the car a Benz was until BMW bought them, from a technical standpoint. They had 3 and 4 speed automatics and their interiors looked like old TV's from the 70s' as far as their controls were concerned. Same goes for Bentley. Both of them lived off their glory days when they were the best, but by the 80s Vickers had let them rot. Now under BMW the Phantom is state of the art and the tech matches the price.

The S-Class, with each redesign up to the W221 was created anew from the ground up. You can google several Mercedes executives stating this when the car was introduced. In fact the W221 will be the last all-new from the ground up S-Class, because Mercedes found this to be too expensive to do every 7 years or so.


You guys are way too focused (and IMO lost) in this platform nonsense. No one here could tell that the Ghose is based on a BMW 7-Series beyond being told that. Who has driven a Ghost or looked under it to see what it rides on? Can you even tell? If so how?

You're in dreamland if you think cars are truly bespoke nowadays, only the most expensive and rarest cars are. Everything else shares something with its brand siblings in some way. Even the Phantom used BMW tech throughout its interior, all controls are just re-faced to look Rolls-Royce specific.

Whats so wrong when a company does it right, as in the case of BMW and Rolls? This isn't a simple re-badge like a Tahoe to Escalade or Land Crusier to LX540.


M

lboudreau

Not by looking at it?

Germancar1

So cars with similar lines are sharing platforms? This is nonsense.

M

skrontz

Quadcammer

obviously that has a lot to do with it, but also due to rarity, hand craft appeal, zero cheap models, etc.

I disagree completely, but there is no point in arguing because you and i will never see eye to eye.

Quadcammer

This was a joke right?

Not to mention the ghost is approximately 8" longer than the LWB 7 series.

K-A

OliverK: Of course I realize that RR/Bentley out-status M-B. But my point is, M-B's name will and can always be welcome in, and even dominate the Clubs of the highest elite, RR, Ferrari, etc. You hear M-B used as an analogy in more bombastic Rap Songs, where Rappers try and convey an image of infinite wealth, than you do any other cars, etc. Benzes are still used in Pop Culture to reference ultimate status. Why? Because they have that cache that can compete with cars priced much higher than them, but their mass-popularity and tangibility makes them more relatable and instantly recognizable.

Now, in terms of the automotive world, RR/Bentley have contributed nothing but gluttony and shoddy engineering, up until they were bought by Germans, where they became subject to the capabilities of their German landlords. M-B is of vast value to the automotive world.

But if we want to keep things simple: If I'm looking for the ultimate boastful luxury car, to make people snap their necks in "Wow, who is that rich and extremely handsome (sexy) young man" mode, and make people ultimately jealous, show off pure gluttony and flash, brag endlessly about my wealth and status, then yes, I will choose an RR over any Merc. Realistically, however, I feel that Mercedes offers a much better balance of status VS understatedness.

If someone were to give me either of my choice, I am taking a RR Sedan and not looking back, no question, and I'm laughing myself to every destination behind that velvety smooth steering wheel. However, if I'm buying, then Mercedes does the job just as well, if not better for my personal tastes, for a better price.

AsianML

This is a joke right? I could pull up a million cars that have the same window triangle and a belt line and a fender badge similar to everything. Ever occur to you the Ghost styling...you know the baby Phantom...was you know...based on the Phantom?

K-A

Holy crap is that Phantom ugly.

One reason that I like the Ghost is that since it's the "cheap" one, it looks more.... I guess, clean, realistic. I feel it lacks the road presence of a usual Rolls, and is a bit bland, unless spiced up a bit, but DAMN does that Phantom look ghastly in that pic. The Maybach is another car that's been hit with an ugly stick. I'd take a Ghost or S-Class over either of their more expensive Sisters.

lboudreau

If you look carefully at the lines on both the RR and the 7 they are close enough that you might think they were both designed in the same firm. They are too close to dismiss that easily. The Chrysler 300 response was the biggest joke of all. I never said you could determine chasis sharing based on looks... It was simply in response to the fact you can't tell that one company was responsible for making both. What chasis/platform does the s class share it's roots with? What parts does it use from other brands? I'd love to know since "every" car company uses parts from each other.

skrontz

Who said it was a joke?

Why would I want to drive a $400K car that looks like a $30K Chrysler to an untrained eye?

lboudreau

Sure... I guess the outline of the phantom resembles the outline of the 300... But the actual design of the 300 doesn't look anything like the phantom.

That said I also wouldn't purchase a $400K car that resembles something cheap.

lboudreau

The only reason the ghost is 8" longer is so that the owner's ego and wallet will fit in.

Quadcammer

this has really degraded into insane BS.

I give up.

lboudreau

Off topic, but did you just replace your 2010 E with a 2011? New one every year eh?

And to OliverK, I think the point of this thread is still on track. If you want something overall better than an S class, then Rolls Royce is an option. At the end of the day, I guess platform has nothing to do with it. I think the discussion blew out of proportion because many of us look at it from a technical point of view rather then a prestige and herritage point of view.

K-A

Lol, yeah, the Dealer swindled me into a new model. It made sense as I was able to negotiate a $50 less payment a month, for a higher MSRP car, so it worked out well for me.

Now, I just got a call today from another M-B Dealer (I've given my business to a few in the recent years) telling me that they want me to come in and check out the 2012 E350, with the new powerplants, as I told them I might be interested in switching, only if they drop my payments from this car.

hyperion667

LOL, saw that coming last month

lboudreau

Ha! That's awesome.

CakeDaddy

The inside of the A8 is A+. I'd drive it!



I wouldn’t be caught dead driving a Maybach, Rolls Phanthom/Ghost,Flying Spur, etc…. unless I was a chauffeur I see guys driving these and they look ridiculous(sp) but, thats my poinion

IDriveAnM5

Somebody please make this stop.....

lboudreau

Why stop it... it's still good conversation... even if the facts are a bit messed up.

Sher Judge

With a highly refined product line-up of (S250CDI) S320/350CDI to the S550 and ofcourse the S63 AMG & S65 AMG, The amazing Gaurd range and the Pullman S-class W221.

So vast and so exclusive.

No one can touch the S-Class Mercedes Benz.

absent

Besides using the similar architecture floor pan and having the powertrain based on 760i thare is nothing similar between the two.
Ghost is definitely not "just a rebagged 7 series"...
Even if it was,it would still blow ANY S Class to the weeds in the refinement,quality and overall luxury departments.
Dislaimer:
I drive as daily '11 S63 TT and my brother has '11 S65

K-A

A good article on the similarities and differences between the Ghost and 7-Series (and yes, there are quite a few similarities, and quite a many differences).

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...695367824.html

absent

As for comparing Ghost to Phantom,the latter is truly a chauffeur driven only affair.
Ghost (much more dynamic,superior performance and practical size for parking) is the ultimate luxury for those for whose money is no object and they enjoy driving themselves.
Btw,the real cost (as those who had a chance to really price on of them,not just read in a magazine) of these 2 cars is very similar,since most Ghost are optioned from low to mid $300k and most Phantoms drop to that level with their usual heavy discounts.