I'm biased but completely agree. I keep my W220 S600 in pretty good nick and people are amazed it's essentially a 10yr old car. With the AMG appearance package it's aged very well.

However, I'll see a pre-facelift W220 with stock 16" wheels and it looks pretty tired!

 

agreed. and yes, the sport appearance package was critical.

 

Me to. Gives it a modern look. I did not buy a sport package because I thought it would affect the ride. But if buying a W220 get 2003-2006 face lift.

 

I still think the most timeless modern M-B design to date is the W211, and the previous gen SL as well. W211's in AMG Package trim when clean are remarkably fresh to this day, and still have a nicer interior than most new M-B's from the E Class range and down.

 

Still, the W222 looks a whole lot better than a Hyundai Equas and that was a copy. You know how it is Hyundai trying to rival Mercedes?That's like saying a fish against a whale.

 

Checked out the W222 in person and was not impressed at all. It was sitting next to a W212, and you had to really know the car to not confuse the two. In fact, there was a couple there who assumed that these were same model in different colors. There was an W221 on the floor as well, and it clearly had more presence. I just cannot get past the new headlights and flat wheel arches. The car looks totally characterless.

The interior was not all that impressive either. Felt like way too many buttons in weird spots, especially the trunk opener on the driver's door. I also prefer the wood center console as on the W221. The steering wheel looked better in person, but what's with the "Mercedes Benz" engraving? I guess some buyers may have very poor memory, so they need to be constantly reminded of what they are driving.

Also noticed the same "Mercedes Benz" tags all over the car, even inside the tail- and headlights. My wife had a theory that MB wants to see if Hyundai copies them in the next Equus along with everything else.

I guess it needs to grow on me before I reconsider. The sales guy definitely did not help the impression, being the trademark MB dealer dick. Started off saying how lucky I was and that I better like a W222 in white, since this is exactly what they got. When I told him that I prefer black and don't really look to buy the first model year, he rolled his eyes and went on how they have a 5 month wait and this car is probably already sold. After unlocking the car per my request, he just left without saying a word.

 

I was driving yesterday and then saw it. W222, white, tinted, and 20in AMG rims. The guy driving looked like he leased it. I saw a GTR come out of the Nissan dealer but I seen a million of them. I wanted to go check out the silver W222 they had with my least favorite 19in AMG rims. Did not have time though. Hey I got a joke why did the Mercedes sales guy get fired?

 

Ok, I'll bite. What does a lessee look like?

 

He was driving a BMW.

 

I wasn't asking about the joke. You said the following, "I was driving yesterday and then saw it. W222, white, tinted, and 20in AMG rims. The guy driving looked like he leased it." I was asking what a lessee looks like. In other words, how would you know someone leased a car by looking at the driver? Just curious if people leasing a car part their hair a certain way or somehow look to you like they are leasing it.
Thanks

 

What is that supposed to even mean?

 

Oh yeah. Well he did not look like a typical "new" Mercedes buyer. He was one of those guys who try to look boss. I can only respect him because he drives a Mercedes. He made a good choice though.

 

This review is not helpful at all. It feels like it was biased on your and your wife`s personal preferences and not objective. Its those types of reviews make me want to buy it more.

 

How does "typical new" Mercedes buyer look?
Should I reconsider tax deductible lease payments vs finance or cash to avoid that "bossy" look?

 

How exactly can you be "objective" on design preferences? Of course it is based on personal experiences, how else would you judge whether you like the car or not. You can want and buy whatever you want as long as you like the car. This is not something you can just do based on a "review." It is those types of comments that make me wonder why some people are so susceptible to hype. I guess the same kind that supposedly drives a car from a year into the future.

 

Naturally, opinions are subjective even though I feel quite the opposite re. the W222 vs. the W221. As stated a while back, when the W221 came out people were in an uproar about these terrible fender flares and generally un-classy design. Who cares... W221 was a cool design but people come around and later defend it.

I however can't imagine how the e-class could be mistaken with the new S. There is no similarity anywhere in the front end, rear, size or anything.
Must be the kind of people looking at a Volvo and the MB and think they are the same...

 

I actually do see more of a similarity in the W222 and the face-lifted W212. It is closer than the W212 and W221. I think this bodes very well for the W213 when it is finally released. That said, there is no way that the W222 could be confused with being a W212, especially next to each other. Just the size difference alone is unmistakable. I have an invitation to go drive the new W222. I probably will at some point. Until then I will drive my lowly W221 Bluetec and enjoy slumming it for a while.

 

I know for other manufacturers people have generally preferred HID lights as they're brighter. Right now I have a Lexus loaner with LED headlights and they're not as good as the HID's on my almost 10yr old LS430. What is the verdict on the headlight intensity of the new LED headlights on the W222? Are they as bright as the W221 HID's?

 

.

 

.

 

I can't compare S HID with LED, but I can compare E HID with E LED and certainly LED are brighter with wide angle of coverage. And they are regular LED, so I assume new E lighting package provides even better light similar to new S LED.
My LS 460 is just 3 years old and I consider its HID as not very good. I will chose E LED over any time day or night. So you are lucky having old LS. I assume manufacturing cutting cost makes everything worse.

 

Exactly like me who parks Mercedes next to CEO's Toyota just to make a statement that the company CEO is more concerned about employees than for himself.

 

Just an aside, a friend used to park his W220 next to the boss's Toyota. The driver of the W220 was let go within a year. Not a good way to advance in a corporate structure.

 

Thanks for a note, I am rushing to re-park my car to a lot of a neighbor company.

 

Or buy Toyota.