XFR

So I'm about to go in for an S class, but I can't decide whether I should go for the 350L or the 500L. The car will be loaded with every feature on the option list, but I'm just not sure if I can justify the price difference for the V8 against the V6. Here in india the price difference between the two models is about $30,000.

marthyh

Since you are planning to get full-options I think personally the V8 is the most important one.
You could drop things like nightvision,drive-dynamic seats rear,entertainment system rear and climate ctrl rear.Then the price-difference becomes more realistic..
I must admit I have nightvision and barely use it;where I am almost all roads are well-lit..massage seats front are almost a must (I use it a lot) but not the drive dynamic-setting.
Massage rear-seats etc. are nice gadgets but not indispensable unless you are providing premium 'driving' services to customers in the rear.

XFR

I can't drop the options, in India they come with all options standard so there no flexibility, really. Hence the confusion.

marthyh

Suggestion:go on Holidays in Stuttgart and buy one in Germany ,then import.

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70327 Stuttgart
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70546 Stuttgart
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Tel.: +49 711 17-0
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Good luck!!

steveb9771

Is the price difference the result of import tax? Does India place a heavy tax on V8s or larger engines?

If the price difference is not caused by taxes, then you might have some better price options. Does Mercedes India participate in the European delivery plan? This is available in the US which allows you to order a vehicle through a local dealer at a reduced price, but you must go to the factory to pick it up. You can then drive it for a few weeks, or have it shipped immediately. You then drop it off at a designated shipper who then makes the arrangements to have it shipped to your local dealer where you then get your vehicle. Mercedes makes all of the arrangements including clearing customs in the destination country. The local dealer will then reconfigure the car for your country (including loading the appropriate map data into the GPS).

XFR

Thing is, the V6 S-Class models are imported to India as semi-knocked down kits, to they get assembled locally. This attracts only 50% import duty hence they are cheaper. The V8 models are not very popular in India, hence they are imported as 100% build cars that attract 110% import duty which is passed on to the customer. Being completely imported cars, they also attract a higher road tax (20% of the price of the car) which I have to pay. so we literally pay more than twice the amount for the same car that you would pay in USA and Europe.

Also, Mercedes India doesn't have the EU factory delivery route, and even if it was, I would still have to pay nearly the same amount as import duty which would make a huge difference, unless I didn't take all the options that the Indian dealers offer, at the same time adding to the hassle of having to deal with the bureaucracy of the Indian Customs.

xxGenericSNxx

Only you can answer the question for yourself if the extra power of the V8 is worth the $30,000 price premium. Is it an option to go to the dealerships and test drive both?

XFR

I can drive the V6's at the dealers, but not the V8 as they don't have them in for test drives. The V8's are incredibly rare here, I live in Mumbai, one of the 3 biggest cities in the country, and there are 4 or 5 V8's around, but hundreds of V6's.

marthyh

Then I would opt for the V6 as eventual know-how and spares in case of issues are rare as well,I guess. Its still a great car even with the 'new' V6 it has plenty of power,it is not a racecar anyway..

rene_gts

Well, if you have driven the V6, then just imagine that the V8 will be a lot more powerful! If I were you and if you can afford the V8 - go with that. Why not own a car with a rare engine as you said before?

castro69

How fast can you drive in Mumbai? I'm thinking about what good is V8. I live in Norway and running an S350. It has plenty of power for 99 percent of my driving. But of course it would be nice with a S500, and maybe an S65 :-). But it has something with the money and priorities ...

clkwork

If you have to ask, get the V8. You don't want to spend that much on a car and regret it later.

What you should be asking is whether or not to get an AMG

XFR

Well the expense is not a bar, the only question in my mind was how much more different (powerful) the V8 is compared to the V6. My daily run is in the Jag XFR, but I can't drive that fast. But I have at least one weekly journey of 200km on great highways, which I usually do in the Audi A8 W12 (with the family), and this is the car I'm looking to replace.

How much different is the S63 V8 from the S500 V8? I know I'm sort of going in circles, but I'm limited to only being able to test drive the V6's and I've never owned a Mercedes bigger than a V6 C-Class before.

marthyh

Great thread: all over the planet from India to Holland to the US to Norway back to India and vice versa.

V8 hands down or a V12.

XFR

Interesting fact: there are only 3 W221 AMGs in the country. All pre-facelift, all S63's, and two of them are in my city.

Wolfman

Well, with the new V8 Twin Turbo it is a no-brainer IMO. Get the V8. It is a dramatically better driving experience than the V6. The 350's are nice engines, but this car simply works better with the bigger TT engine.

Speed limits don't matter. It's fun going even stop and go with the kind of torque

And with the V8, you will give those three S63's a run for their money

xxGenericSNxx

If the V8 is that rare then go for it! I love having something that I won't see someone else driving when I'm out.

castro69

Do not think so many is driving a MB S-Class in India. Whatever engine