Drives550

Decided to take my 2008 S550 to the dealer for its monthly wash (bonus, whatever's broken gets fixed at the same time!).

And what do they give lowly 'ol me, the dreg with the bought-used w221? A brand new S550. Sticker price of $107,945.

Clearly a mistake was made.

Only able to drive it about 10 miles to the train station so far. Few impressions yet. Nice car. Drives smooooth. Power wants to come on easier; less molasses in the bucket the accelerator pedal sits in. Steering is tad quicker, which goes an appreciable way in reducing the "barge-ish" feeling of the w221. Tranny shifts less perceptibly. But, it's got 64000 less miles than my car. So, variables are many.

Heated center console and armrest. Ice-cold center console COMMAND controller. Juxtaposition makes it worse?

Fun though. More thoughts to follow. So far, wouldn't pay the price for it as it does not seem like 4x's my car.

Jason B

Yep, well actually my one dealer gives you a brand new version of what you have. If you give them an S, you get a new S. You give them an E, you get a new E, etc. That dealer is about 30 miles further away then the dealer I normally go to, but I'll try them next just so I can get a new S for fun.

DaveW68

I sure wouldn't mind if my local dealer handed me the keys to a new S-class when my S600 goes in for service. Unfortunately those are not in their fleet....which currently includes E's, GLE's, C's, and CLA's. I absolutely refuse to take a heinous E class, so now I grab the keys to the GLE, which is the direct replacement/facelift to last year's ML. That GLE350 is torquey as hell. It takes quite an adjustment after hopping out of my 600 which has a much more gradual throttle response, even in sport mode.

Regarding the power wanting to come on quicker in the new S, 2 turbo's and a much torquier engine will do that for you. For me, I just couldn't see making the move to the new S as it still looks too plain jane and feminine to me. If they kept the bulges and more aggressive looks of the W221, I have a feeling more people would be jumping out of the 221 and into the 222 sooner.

Jason B

Yes, agree, and it drives nearly identical if you close your eyes.

DaveW68

Yes....exact same motor as the 2012-13 S550 and almost identical interior & exterior dimensions. Interestingly, when I sat in a 2015 S550 in the dealer showroom last year, it actually felt more snug than my 2007 S600.

Interestingly, MB is still using the same engine in the new S600 as they used back in 2003. The only difference is a minuscule bump in power and going from the 5 speed bullet-proof trans to the 7 speed.

Jason B

There's a post somewhere that the w222 is so similiar to the w221 that it's not truly a new model below the skin.

DaveW68

The body is so dumbed down and the tech so upgraded that I'm sure Benz felt an all new model designation was appropriate. But I definitely see your point as the 2 previous model changes (140 to 220 and 220 to 221) were very drastic compared to this one.

Jason B

Yep, you hit the nail on the head. I also think the airmatic stuff is identical. There comes a point where you can't improve the ride anymore... I think they reached that with the w221.

The exterior of the new one is so plain jane and looks like everything else on the road and just blends in. The people that don't know these cars, don't look twice as them. But, people that don't know cars and see a w221 want to know them.

Drives550

Personally, I like the look of the w222.

Assuming the payment on a w222 would be felt by me only as much as the payments on the used w221 (which is an incorrect assumption), I still don't think I'd do it. It's a nice car, but it doesn't feel that different from the w221 (not drastic like the leap from w140 to w220, or w220 to w221). As well, it doesn't surprise me like the new C-class cars (unexpectedly quality fit and finish; surprisingly satisfying to drive). And, I feel like there's a bit more plastic inside the w222 then the w221.

That said, interior feels more spacious. Seems Mercedes is pushing back the lower portion of the dashboards (based on my experience with this and the new C), moving away from the "curve into your space" thing they've been doing. Opens it up. My wife likes it (all 5'2" of her). Feels more like the w140 in terms of "I sit here; the dash is up there; we meet only should I choose to walk up that way".

And it does feel smooth. I wonder though - would my car have felt that smooth when it had 600 miles on it? Is it age and wear, or improved dynamics and drive-train isolation?

Mike5215

How's the steering feel? I think the W222 got electromechanical steering like the new C and E. I guess the true test will be how you feel about the W221 when you get back in it. If it's "ahh" you're all set. If it's "ugh" you're screwed.

Agree the new C is a blast to drive. Mine's scheduled for a build 3/2. Should have it before the end of March.

Drives550

I've not had enough seat time to really opine. Figures that when they give the S loaner, they've magically repaired my car in record time. So, returning the S after 2 days, both of which I've spent working after driving 1 mile to the train, and 1 mile from the train. I've got 10 miles to the dealership. I'll report back after that. I can say though, it's "sharper", feels more 1:1, reduces the perceived driving size of the car. But "feel" isn't really something I've taken in yet.

I saw your threads on the your new C. I dig it; cool looking car, well spec'd. Congrats. You'll have to report back on ride with the airmatic.

Drives550

All-in, I think the W222 drives much smaller. The steering holds the line better (am I the only one that has to correct more than I think I should to hold the corner line in the w221?). And, steering is both lighter and has more feel. The extra power (compared to my '08) seems sufficient to make the car accelerate in a "sporty" or "sprightly" manner, as opposed to the locomotive like accumulation of speed from my '08. Body motions seem more controlled as well, feels to lumber less. So, all-in it just comes across a bit smaller, bit more agile, but quicker reflexed (but with a nice view of a lot of hood as you drive, providing a more Bentley-esque sense of occassion). Having driven the w205, almost seems like Benz is doing a bottom->top gene sharing, instead to top->bottom (excepting for interior pizzaz, which seems to have started with the w222).

Just makes me think more that the new E could be a uniquely satisfying car at a price I could maybe talk myself into.

Wolfman

Looks are subjective. To me, a W221 without a sport package is as plain jane as I can imagine. Much worse than the non-sport W222 IMO.
On a W221, the sport package makes the car and I like seeing them on the road.

I am biased of course having a W222 and think they make a statement on the road, that said i found that nobody really pays much attention to sedans.
Not the W222, our BMW 7 series, prior S-Classes or even the Maybach 57 when we had one for a week (in 2003 when they were new!).
On the other hand I always get thumbs up/comments when driving convertibles. Or they are trying to race me

Wolfman

Really? Early W221's were full of plastic unless you have a Designo. Nothing like a W222

Drives550

The button surrounds, center console, adjacent/around the command controler - it's a matte plastic. Comes across as more noticeably plastic than the high-gloss surrounds in the W221.

Also, seat heater/cooler/memory controls - same plastic surround, and buttons (instead of the faux-metal buttons of the w221).

Top console/ceiling buttons, similar thing.

And the LED bulbs in the overhead, each individually poking out there functional little heads. I like a diffuser over all interior lights. I don't want to see how the sausage is made...

I do have a Designo. So, I'm not comparing the headliner and things like that.

Oh, and the steering wheel heater - there's no part of the steering wheel that is completely heated (the entire circumference has some amount of wood). So, in this mornings 15 degree weather, I had to actively keep my hands on fingers on the warm spots.

And the command contoller took to the cold like an eskimo - loved it! Still ice cold 15 minutes later. Had to actively avoid touching it.

But of course, none of this to say the w222 is not a lovely car and ultimately a measurably positive evolution of the W221. Just aiming for objective. I've already said that the drive/handling seems a significant improvement.

Mike5215

The 221 by comparison to the C300 RWD steers more vaguely and heavier, and being electromechanical in the 205 you can play around with the weighting and ratios to find whatever balance you prefer. The E will be the same way. I noticed on the highway the W221 requires constant little inputs because there's a numb spot dead center that I never noticed before I had a couple of weeks in the C. Could just be my car pushing 90k miles.

The AWD cars (C300/450) were not as agile or fluid feeling as the RWD C300, probably due to the AWD and the extra weight in the nose. The C300's T4 is a blast with plenty of low end grunt. The only peeve I had was the exhaust note under load. Not horrible but you definitely know it's a T4. If you can live with the size (it's pretty tight in the cabin) you can load up a RWD C300 AMG Sport for $60k and leave no option box unchecked. Tuscaloosa spits them out so fast I had no trouble getting 10% off MSRP on the build. I did a national search and there were 17,000 unsold W205 yesterday.

The E, I think, is going to be a different story both in terms of availability and pricing. Closer to $75k with AirMatic and the up-level Avant Garde or Designo trims and the full glass dash. Still a solid $40k less than a mildly optioned W222 though. If it's got the ride of a 222 with the agility of a 205 it's a no brainer.

Jason B

The option is sort of a gimmick. The only portions that are heated is the LEATHER only. So you have to put your hands on the sides to warm them, only the leather is heated. I wanted that option super bad on the w221, but then found out the truth of how it works.

I don't understand why they can't heat the wood. Everyone likes their WOOD WARM!

Mike5215

Agree. The 222 is the first S since the 220 that I would not spend the money on for an AMG package. I prefer the understated lines of the base car, but I think the 20" Multispoke wheel is by far the best choice regardless of body style.

And yeah, the 221 interior, especially the door panels, are a sea of hard plastics in the standard trim.

Drives550

On the 221 there is a portion of the wheel fully wrapped in the heated leather; keep your hands at 3 and 9 and they'll be heated all the way around. Heats up fast and is a nice-to-have on cold mornings.

On the 222 there is no portion of the wheel that is fully wrapped (except for the thumb indents at 3 and 9), so your thumbs are warm, but the rest of the hand will be against something cold.

Jason B

Yep, w221 wheel is better. I then realized I only drive like this anyway. Hard to break habit.

Wolfman

Because it will crack

Mike5215

Did you try rubbing it briskly? That usually works for me. And watching college gymnastics.

Wolfman

I am no fan of the W222 steering wheel but this statement makes no sense to me.

First off, the steering wheel at 3 and 9 is fully wrapped. The whole lower half has more heated leather that the W221 (wood/leather version) wheel.

Since the wood on the lower half only covers 1/4 of the diameter, 3/4 is heated.

We have single digits here and the steering wheel is heats both hands nicely and completely. But naturally I use the 11 clock position so it doesn't matter

DaveW68

You guys need to get behind the wheel of a W221 S600 or S65. It's difficult to find any plastic in the interior. Almost everything is covered in soft Napa leather, wood, or polished metal. The very essence of pure luxury.

wilassasin

Congrats Mike!!