LETO

Having owned a W221, I am glad that the flared wheel arches are gone. They were nice but I think they served their time well & are not required any more.

Kratos-TM

I completely agree.

AppleFan1

I posted the below post on Kratos' "My new Mercedes S 550", but I am rather unfamiliar with how these forums work. It appears that this is the main forum for the 2014 S550. I am copying and pasting what I wrote on Kratos' title:

Hello everyone! I am brand new to the "party". I have been a longtime Lexus guy and I never thought I would get to this point. In fact, I believe, one of the frequent posters (Germancar1) here, use to be a poster and known then as Merc1, on a luxury car forum through Edmunds will testify that I was all about Lexus. I was known as Cyclone4.

I still own my 2008LS460L, but not for much longer. I just got the word from the dealer in Kansas City that my brand new 2014 S550 has been built and it was at the port ready to be shipped. It looks like I will be able to pick it up during the Big 12 Basketball Tournament there between March 12-15. I have never looked forward to a car as I am this time. I love a great ride, highs tech, and comfort features. The Lexus LS, BMW 7 Series, Audi8 have been left in the dust in my opinion with this new S550. And, as Kratos stated, I can't believe the pricing on it. When I first started investigating it 2-3 months ago, I figured, it would be beyond my price range. However, I was amazed to find out that, it is not much higher at all than a fully loaded 2014 LS460L. In fact, with the deal I got from the KC dealer, I may be paying a bit less if anything. Incredible!

After researching the Mercedes brand, I came to find out that Lexus and the other luxury cars have become followers instead of leaders in terms of innovation.

My new S has an iridium silver exterior color with a black interior and burl walnut trim. I did not order it with all the "crazy" rear seat features, but it has just about everything else. Obviously, I ode red the Premium1 package and the Distronic Plus package, and 4Matic Plus. I also ordered the Air Balance, Sourround View camera, and Night Vision Plus. I did not order the Comfort package mainly because, I wanted the trunk to be as large as possible. However, I did order a heated steering wheel and heated rear seats as stand alone options. I wanted to to order heated arm rests, etc., but I could not order it as a stand alone option. The standard features alone blew me away with this car. I did not go for the larger wheels as I want the best comfortable ride.

I have a question for you Kratos. Are you by any chance Greek? The reason I'm asking is that the word Kratos in Greek means nation or country. Yes, I am Greek. You did a phenomenal job on the review. Mid March cannot get here soon enough.

MBNUT1

Went to our local car show today and sat in the S550. Beautiful interior, extraordinarily comfortable seats. The only thing I didn't like in a big way was the electronic dash. I'm aware that the W221 also had one, didn't care for it there either. The notion of an electronic needle seems hooky. Seems like lots of cars are going that way and a least the Mercedes is way more restrained than the pinball machine look in many modern dash's but I prefer the actual gages. Maybe with time I will become accustomed to the new dash's

Tjdehya

Sounds Like you need a BMW. Personally I find the BMW IC painful to look at, it looks old, outdated, and disgusting. Even the IC in my Nissan looks better than the BMW's. But I guess some people actually prefer it that way.

The S class dash is by far the industry leader. I cant think of any other car that even come close. I understant the desire for traditional gauges, but you have to admit that the S has the sexiest electronic dash in the world.

MBNUT1

I don't need a BMW. I don't need to trade one bad for another as I have never liked BMW ICs. As I said above the Mercedes is the most restrained (though I think that they would have better off leaving off the fake bezel) thereby the best implementation of an electronic dash. I just don't like any of them yet. If I was to put it in it's best light I think of it in terms of the glass cockpits in modern airliners. It's too one dimensional for me, but then I'm not the target demographic (just a guy who has loved these cars for 50 years) and the early success of the W222 indicates the the target audience is not put off by the dash.

If you had said I need an Audi or a lower rung Mercedes that would have been a valid response.

With time as this becomes more of trend I may eventually see it as a classic and really grow to like it and view the traditional dash's as antiquated.

K-A

Actually the new S has one of the less impressive faux-"real"-electro dashes out there. BMW has had a Black Panel Display that looks so sharp you can't even tell it's not the real thing. I found (and an article on CNET who look at tech above all completely echo'd) the W222's display doesn't look high-res ENOUGH, if anything. And why imitate the real thing? Why not just offer the *real* thing then? Looks cheap. The BMW display (I'm talking about the optional one, not the standard one you guys are talking about) at least looks so real you can't tell a difference.

The NEW BMW electronic display that's available on the 7 (again, also optional) does not mimic a real look at all, and is far more complex and dynamic than the W222's simplistic approach to mimicking an analogue with a "fake".

However, me, personally, considering I like the analogue look, think the new BMW "pinball machine" look to look downright goofy and gimmicky. I prefer the real analogue look the BMW display provides (the Black/Extended Panel Display) as it gives you the rich authentic look, but so precisely realistic that you can't tell its "fakery". Therefore you simply benefit from the additional merits a digital display extensively provides.

hyperion667

why don't you go buy one KA........maybe then you'll have an idea besides those from magazines

K-A

I don't need to buy one to know how it works or how I like it.

Plus, I don't like it enough to spend that kind of money on it (and it's too big).

hyperion667

just seems to me someone so critical of EVERYTHING would have some actual working knowledge/experience of what they are running down.........
not just what magazines and online articles have said

K-A

I'd never base my opinions on what magazines say. All my criticisms are my own or based on accumulated knowledge and firsthand experience. I haven't once commented on the drive of the W222 as I've yet to drive one, but I've thoroughly checked one out.

What I said is that an article stated what I had thought, i.e the digital speedo display looked a bit low-resolution, i.e noticeably "fake'. The one I'm used to seeing every day is also meant to mimic a real speedo, but most people probably couldn't even tell that because it's insanely realistic.

AMGAffalterbach

Everything Mercedes does is sub par for you... you might want to find a new hobby because clearly you've never been in a 2014 s class

K-A

Obviously I think Mercedes has declined into being subpar when compared to how high above the competition they used to be, or compared to the competition in general, hence my attitude.

However, I have been in the new S:
https://mbworld.org/forums/new-s-cla...onal-w222.html

Quadcammer

not sure if people have seen this.

I know its indicative of where we are with car assembly, but watching the whole dash just snap together made me cringe a little.

K-A

At 7:58, am I seeing that right?.... The lady takes a piercing-gun and without measuring, just quickly pierces 3 holes into the boot for the Star symbol? It'd be impossible to line and align the Star correctly, not only from right to left/top to bottom, but also to make sure it sits up straight with the way she does it. I've never noticed alignment issues of said symbol, so either these people have magical second-nature measurement abilities, or there are markings already on the trunk, telling them where to drill the holes?

SteveVukelich

It looks to me like the holes were pre-punched and she was inserting the white retaining receptacles for the three pins on the star.

K-A

Ahh, okay, that makes sense. Thanks. It'd be astonishing if she was able to punch 3 perfectly aligned holes, not to mention what kind of magical super-piercing heat gun that would have to be to do so, so seamlessly.

hyperion667

this is proof of KA's visual comprehension and that it's a bit off

K-A

I can say the same about a guy who finds the current body CLS attractive enough to actually buy.

MBNUT1

That's rich. PS I removed the quote as a favor to those of you who have him on ignor.

cookstar

MDMercedesGuy

Thank you, MBNut.

The mods really need to take the trash out around here.

AMGAffalterbach

Hahahahhaha

danielle@vossen

Click for the full set

http://www.vossenwheels.com/CarGalle...SCVT-1099.aspx

K-A

Sweet pic.