Perish the thought of ever giving up your S Class, but just wondering...what would beat it? (not speed-wise, but overall as a driveable enjoyable car). Some say Bentleys, with 4 wheel drive, other say a Panamera.
If you gave up yours, what would you want next?

 

The newer S-class
I mean i am not a bmw hater, but it feels like 7-series is trying to be better than an S by copying and adding some power.

 

For a sedan, I don't think so at the moment. But for the rarity, maybe a Maybach.

 

If not Maybach, perhaps an A-class or a Smart, if judged by the the parking space needed (often a factor at old city areas in Europe).

Fuel economy too would not always favour an S-class, SLS has its benefits over the S-class if other than sedan models are allowed for the comparison.

My point really is that even an S-class does not win other cars in every possible aspect. Depends which aspect is the most important one for an individual and the best car may appear to be an S-class or something else.

 

I can see that this thread is not going to go no where, or it's going to go way off....

OP need to clarify his question.

My Clasic Vespa, 50 mpg riding down the streets with my flip flops and parking? Well you can fit 4 of those in a single parking spots and then some.

 

Bently flying spur and mulsanne & rolls royce ghost

 

Lamborghini LM002 in a head-on collision.

On a serious note, I have no idea what I will replace the W221 with. After going to a few auto shows, I still see no interior design that would even come close.

 

I just test drove a 2012 A8L and think it is nicer than my car. Interior blows S away but exterior maybe not

 

That plastic button fest they call an interior doesn't belong in an executive sedan.

 

The ghost is just a BMW... no better than putting a RR badge on a 7 series

 

How about a CL?

 

I will have to second that.
We just bought a 2012 Audi A8L with lots of goodies in it. MSRP topped out over $101,000.

Everything about the car beats the S Class.

Qualty, Craftsmanship, Interior design, everything. I'll have to take some pictures....

 

Plastic?

 

the running gear and basic platform, sure.

But the rest, no way chief.

 

asking other S class owners? What did you expect?

 

Yup, the audio and climate controls down there are exactly that -- plastic. They clash terribly with the other fine materials and look completely out of place. It seems like even the designers were embarrassed of them, so they crammed them together in that awkward spot down there. Of course, you have to look there every time you need to change the cabin temperature; talk about safety! I understand that they were trying get that whole modern luxury theme going, but it just doesn't work in an executive sedan. W221 takes the prize in this department: aluminum buttons, minimalistic controls, and lots of elegance.

Yes, I do drive an S-Class, but I was actually going to buy an A8L to replace my 750. I kept an open mind going to the dealer thinking that the online pictures could be deceiving, but the car disappointed me even worse in person. I bought a Range Rover instead; yes, it was that bad!

Kidding aside, Range Rover turned out to be lot better than I expected, but it's a whole different story.

 

Will have to disagree with your opinion. I've driven the car to and from distances of 20 mi in a variety of conditions, roads, etc. I don't find the placement to be distracting - and I also thinkt he materials used feel high quality. I dont think the car loses an ounce of class here.

 

personally I feel the A8 needs more oomph then it'll beat the S Class in every catagory

obviously biased but I think the W221 holds it's own pretty well for being more than 3 years older

 

The new 2012 Chrysler 300 (redesigned) SRT-8 for 50k new looks very nice.
Looks just as good as the current S class and runs mid 4's 0-60 and mid 12's in 1/4 mile.

 

Fuel economy? You can buy S250 CDI if fuel economy is your concern

 

Who cares about the rest? I'd rather spend more and get the Phantom. That's like building a $10 million house and then putting it on a foundation made of cardboard. The ghost is a sorry excuse for a Rolls.

 

I care about the rest. Its not like the engines really matter in these cars. The reason you buy it is the opulent interior.

The 7 series platform is fantastic. Anyone who thinks otherwise is simply not well informed.

 

You have the right to your own opinion. While I'm sure the Ghost is a good car it certainly does not follow the reputation Rolls Royce is known for.

Would you buy a Rolex with a Seiko movement? The Seiko automatic movements are "fantastic" as well, but they do not hold a candle to the Swiss made masterpiece that is found in a in-house designed Rolex.

If I were to pick between an S550/S600 and a Ghost I would still pick the S class. You can still deck out an S class with Designo interiors which will be just as comfortable and luxurious. The Ghost is a way for Rolls Royce to boost sales to individuals who don't have the money to drop on a Phantom; nothing more.

 

God, I swore I wouldn't touch this thread with a 10 foot pole. It's way too subjective of a topic. But, being an S Class driver, a Rolls Royce fan, and an avid Rolex collector, I guess the temptation was too great. Gulp.
Edit: As I'm sure you know, one of the most sought-after collectible Rolex watches, the Paul Newman Daytona, has a movement made by Valjoux, which today, is part of the Swatch Group! *gasp* Various other movements including the "Zenith El Primero" have also been used in the Daytona line. Off Topic: I haven't bought a Stainless Steel Daytona yet, I'm having a hard time getting past the lack of a Date function, because I love the cyclops, but I'll probably end up with one at some point. My authorized dealer will have one in my hand within 3 weeks when I'm ready, so I've been told.

My uncle, with a net worth upwards of $750 million, owns a Ghost. He also has a W220 S500V4 among many other rides (Bentleys, Ferraris, Jaguar, Ford, etc.). It really doesn't mean anything, he likes what he likes. He didn't like the Phantom (he tried it), and he rarely drives the Ghost (deferring to the chauffeur). I think the Ghost is for special occasions only.

Also, on the subject of the Ghost versus the S Class (S65 AMG in particular), there was a recent Top Gear test in Albania of these cars which I'm sure we all have seen. Hehe.

I really, really like my S550V4. I love my M5. They're both very different, and both please me. I guess one's like a mistress (M5) and the other is the wife (S550). Haha! I certainly do struggle with picking a car to drive each morning, when the weather is nice & they're both clean (they're both always clean, but the M5 sees sunny days only). It's a nice dilemma to have.

It's a matter of opinion & taste more than a dollars thing, I guess. If I had the money to buy a Ghost, I wouldn't want it as a daily driver because I'd be paranoid. I'm already a little paranoid with the two cars I have. But they're low key enough to go under the radar.

Not sure if I made any good points here. Really just rambling...

 

It's a good platform, but it has its limits. Namely, the weight. BMW cut costs in platform development during this era, avoiding cutting edge/lightweight steels in favor of more traditional old-tech steels (forcing them to use much more of the old tech steels, in order to get optimal strength.... There goes weight and dynamics). Also, this is one of those things where "the less you know, the better you'll feel", but that platform that your $300K Rolls is riding on, is being used on $40K 5-Series', X5's, etc. (BMW uses one chassis for their larger cars, all being modified versions, in size, from the F01 7-Series). Even the interior "door chime" of the Ghost is straight from BMW, and you can even smell some BMW in there.

I'm a huge fan of the Ghost, however, less so as I've seen them on the road more. They look rather bland/uncharacteristic and don't have the presence of such an expensive car.

As for the A8, I don't think it has the regal sense-of-occasion inside as the S-Class does. The interior is more modern, more fashionable and much busier/techy/cluttered, but IMO that works against it in terms of maturity/occasional feel. Also, I don't think the interior design is harmonized, with all the avant-garde angles and array of buttons. I do find the inside to be wonderful overall, but if I'm critiquing....