MGPAMG

Photographers were able to snap pictures of the dash on the highly anticipated 2013 S class (W222). The man driving the prototype didn't have enough time to pull down the cover, so lucky us! Looks interesting, what are you thoughts?

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/sp...led-45530.html

ghaffar23

Cozy? That's the first word that comes to mind. Nice color scheme and the steering wheel is smaller, which could make the steering more precise? BMW-like? Who knows...only time will tell!

Super Salami

I'm digging the smaller steering wheel. I also hope the touchscreen part is implemented properly because every single rental car I've had with touch screens failed miserably. Albeit they weren't MB quality cars so I wouldn't expect much so I'm much more optimistic about this one.

skrontz

The new air vents look ugly and misplaced.

T.H.Carrera

hate the round air vents..... look so stupid....

V12toHybrid

is that Al Bundy

CarboyS

Umm I'm not sure if I'm having a good feeling about this. I just saw the new renderings and they look pretty right according to the proportions.

http://www.emercedesbenz.com/autos/m...imal-coverage/

T.H.Carrera

Man if the s class looks like that.... it will be a fail in my books......

skrontz

All I can see is high resale values for W221. No way am I buying W222 if it looks like this.

jagata

Like any new body design Mercedes introduces, people think it will fail based on the indivdual's opinion because they can't warm up to it right away. However have you ever seen any S class design fail? Really? I been on this forum a long time and seen many people say the same thing but yet every design is a hit.

T.H.Carrera

Fail in my books = fail for me = I will not get it.

Happy?

skrontz

I loved W140 at the first sight, never warmed up to W220, and was all about W221 once again. I believe it is a somewhat common opinion that W220 wasn't very successful, so it was definitely not just my money voting against it. Individuals' opinions is what defines the sales numbers.

jagata

Totally get your point, but Mercedes sold enough world wide to call it a success.

skrontz

What do you define as "enough?"

W126 was manufactured for 12 years, W140 for 8 years, and W221 will live on for at least 8 years. W220 was replaced after only 6 years which I can hardly call a success.

jagata

I really don't know, but did they lose money?

skrontz

I don't know, but if it was such a success, why did they replace it after only 6 years (see the edit to my post above)?

jagata

Like any model they just move on to something else, I think the average life span of a current design is like every 5 years for most brands. Here is a article I just found about the success of the w220.

http://www.autozine.org/Archive/Merc...w/S_class.html

skrontz

You don't move on to something else unless your current offering is not good enough. Since both W140 and W221 were manufactured for at least 8 full years, this looks like a typical expected life of a body. I am not aware of any luxury car maker who completely redesigns the body every 5 years; it is way too expensive in terms of R&D costs.

I have links too (see item 9):

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...s/#more-423451

jagata

Why does a brand have to stick to a single design longer if they don't want too, it's in our nature to have change in life. The 5 year statement is my personal observation and is my personal average number I have seen, yeah some are longer. That link you posted did'nt even have any factual numbers just one's authur's rant. I have owned a few S class and probably continue to, as long as they keep giving us new designs.

nyca

Forget the dash for a moment - the body is awfully plain, compared to the 221 which has alot of presence on the road - you always know an S class on the road.

skrontz

Because it takes a lot of time and money to develop a whole new model, so a manufacturer will try to make it for as long as possible without losing the buyers' interest. Since you make a large initial investment (R&D), you want to be selling the product to get your money back and then some. Please name one successful modern luxury sedan that was replaced with a new model after only 5 years.

Your link doesn't contain anything to back up the "success" factor either; sales numbers on W221 are already higher.

Most new luxury car buyers stick with the best car rather than simply the same model with a new design; this is what the competition between MB, BMW, and Audi is all about.

skrontz

Not to mention that those ridges will be total ding magnets. Hate to say it, but it looks like a Hyundai Equus (lots of edges and lines about nothing).

T.H.Carrera

looks like a fat pig to me .... ready to be tossed on the BBQ.

jagata

OK let me say it again, the 5 year statement was my personal average and not a exact number. And you are correct the w221 probably did sell more units, but that was'nt my argument. We were trying to define "success" in the w220 therefore I produced a article with numbers to state so.

georgl

The usual lifecycle from Mercedes is 7 years, the W140 was introduced in 1991, the W220 in 1998 and the W221 in 2005 - before that, the lifecycles were less regular but it has been the same for the past 20 years.