K-A

Thoroughly checked out the car today, unfortunately didn't drive it but I'll trust the many reviews and experienced S drivers who say that it feels like a W221 just further refined (as is typically the case with new VS old M-B's).

Impressions (Keep in mind this is the Demo spec model which seems VERY loaded [?], I don't know how much less impressive a basic spec may or may not be):

-Exterior- I think it looked nice but as expected a little underwhelming to me. On one hand it's an elegant, graceful and beautiful design yet on the other, fussy details like the disjointed side character line and thus empty rear quarter panel "ruined" what could have been perfectly timeless to me. Even then, I find it far less offensive than the details on the CLS nor do they literally "ruin" the car as overall I find it quite nice. The headlights aren't as nicely shaped as on the W221, IMO (maybe that'll change as I see it more), as I don't like M-B's new headlight trend of boxy/clunky shapes and squared/dulled angles but the whole front of the car as usual with modern M-B's is by far its most characteristic and focal point, being the most boastful angle in an otherwise very understated design. I'm a sucker for M-B's with the AMG style bumper and NON-corporate-Star grille, i.e the classic Luxury grille with the standup Star, so I definitely mostly found the front great looking. As I've said before, the proportions are literally about identical to the W221, as the wheelbase unfortunately stayed identical in dimensions. You easily mistake the presence of this car to the W221. I wish they would have extended the wheelbase and shrunk the overhangs to give the car a more athletic and "sprawled out" proportional look, instead they did the opposite: Kept the wheelbase the same as the outgoing model and just enlarged the overhangs (regressive, technically).

-Interior- This is where I went into an M-B with a sour taste in my mouth, initially frowning, and for the first time in a while literally left smiling and giddy as hell. The car literally sold me and morphed my impression of it as my entire mood changed the more I sat in it. The design not being totally my thing I really didn't appreciate until I just sat in the car and took it all in. That steering wheel I still felt added about 20-30 years to my life but I guess if that "style" can work anywhere, it would be an S Class. It's unique, I'll give it that.

Make no mistake, the interior is fundamentally an awkward mating of old-world "elder" Country-Club styling and nu-age tech, however somehow it just works in this car I think (in reality the former is what Mercedes is about and I think they should never abandon old-world values and virtues, though I would wish the interior would embrace its "classic-ness" more confidently and abandon the obvious "raver tech" pandering vibe additions, or just design it more heavily on one side or the other as a singular theme). The ambient lighting was set to blue and it was a glorious environment. The attention to detail surrounding the interior is superb, and the more details I found Mercedes put focus into, the more I felt "FINALLY!", that Mercedes was again focusing on the tidbits along with the big picture (not saying the W221 was lacking in attention to detail, however, the W222 just continues it, I'm sure adds more and probably loses some in certain areas as well, as is typically the case).

Interior wise, there isn't a car in Class that matches the overall ambiance of the S Class. HOWEVER, if you're looking for something a little more "youthful" or "sporty" then the interior won't be your thing.... Even then, you'll have to appreciate what it has to offer, as it is unapologetically S Class, and "Mercedes" in the classic sense. I like that they kept the interior luxury-themed and avoided pandering to the "sport" sensibilities, that's not what the S nor Mercedes should be about.

My only interior material gripes were: The headliner. It's basically the same scratchy stuff that's inside the E Class and other M-B's. It feels very downmarket for a car of this class, and I find the texture and material on my 5 Series M Sport headliner to be more upscale. Good news is that on the W222, they padded crucial areas like the A Pillar so over there the material feels more "plush" and fluffy. These are the details I'm talking about, i.e who FEELS the A Pillar material? Well I did, and I was happy that it was padded, and THAT is the attention to detail that I'm glad to see M-B putting forth after cost cutting it so heavily during the W204/W212 generation.

I also found a select few of the interior materials a little "cheap" or at least questionable. Namely some of the stitched M-B tex on the vertical dashboard, the material behind it felt extremely rock-hard, much more so than that same portion on my 5 Series which has softer, more squishy "plush" plastic, per-se. Some of the flat plastic around the center console was a little basic and thin, and almost "rubbery" in places, and the interior door pulls/armrests look a little "cheap" by way of being too large of a rubbery-plastic substance with no texture to it.

The LCD gauges which are meant to mimic analogue mechanical gauges to me looked cheesy. They're not as high class as the real mechanical thing and the graphics aren't all that great, not nearly as sharp, crisp and "looks identical to the real thing" as BMW's Extended Panel Display gauges.

Aside from that, the interior was truly world class and I think Dr. Z was spot on when he called the car "Wellness on wheels". It's a masterclass in purely-Luxury Sedan interior.

Other notes: The interior hides its size very well, which I like. In fact, it almost feels "cramped" for such a large car, which is a good design trait. It makes it feel less like a "Couch" or "Limo" than the W221 did. Everything feels more "cockpit"-y, not as much as BMW but it fuses that ideal with the open-aired "Limo" M-B trademark nicely. The car feels much smaller than it is, which is the way a car like this should feel, at least if you drive by yourself a lot and don't need to feel like you're supposed to be chauffeuring someone around (which is how the W221 feels to me).

Also, the SEATS are absolutely sublime. I've never seen or sat in such great seats. They're the seats that come on the Demo models, which I'm not sure are standard or optional (?).

Of course, the worst or best part about the W222 is how you aren't TRULY getting the most out of the car unless you're in the BACK seat. The back seat is an incredible environment. The W222 is clearly not intended to be a Drivers Car as much as a "Being Driven In" car, and the further back you sit, the more benefit you get out of that.

-Trunk- The trunk reminds me a lot of my F10 5 Series. I.e it's very small and narrow for a car of its size. Which is odd for M-B as they're always known to make super wide, hugely spacious trunks. The W212 even seems to have a larger trunk space than the W222.

Overall I kind of fell in love with the car. In one year when my lease is up (if I for once actually kept a car until the end of its lease), if it was smaller it would be in the top running for cars I'd aspire to.

aypues

why am I not surprised. hah.

K-A

For the record, I never said I hated the W222 or anything near that. My gripes have been with M-B direction in general, exterior design (which although better than most recent models still not the most major attraction of the W222 to me), and somewhat on the W222 interior which is where the car really did convert me into understanding and appreciating what it does have to offer.

Drive-wise I already know the car will drive like an S Class should, as every S has before it and it clearly evolves on.

hyperion667

can you paraphrase all that?

Kratos-TM

If you like the standard interior, then I know I'm gonna go nuts over my Exclusive interior. I know one of your gripes has been that they marketed the exlcusive as if it were standard. So I'm glad you found the lower grade interior acceptable. Though it has it's downfalls, overall it seems you give it a passing grade.

sam9187

I think K-A's review is good. He stated his opinion and is mostly positive. Lets not jump down his throat.

sam9187

Exclusive interior is going to be awesome especially with the 3D audio. My car is released to the carrier and hopefully on its way to the dealer.

Kratos-TM

That's awesome man. I can't wait to get my Exclusive interior benz.

LETO

Congrats sam9187. Very exciting indeed

K-A

Very much so. I noticed it didn't have the "Diamond stitched" dash but it did have the rear entertainment system. I'm still having a hard time believing those seats were standard on the Demo spec models (which is an especially good thing if they are).

Sam and those of you getting this car will be very fortunate to drive in it.

Kratos-TM

Thanks for your insight.

Trip

I saw the standard leather option in the Silk Beige today and really liked it. It was much better than I originally anticipated.

My name is on an S63, but I am considering waiting for an ordered S550 4 mattic. Only problem my dealer does not know exactly when the 550 will arrive. I know the S63 in on the ship. SO I expect it early November. Sounds like I will be waiting for an ordered 550 until March or April... decisions, decisions.

hyperion667

I know what you mean about the 4M, I want 4M too and might just wait and see if they get any in stock that I like......versus ordering one again and waiting.....like you said decisions.....
really do want the exclusive leather though because that stitching is so nice!

Trip

I really want the 3D sound. The S63 has a bunch of options I would not have ordered myself... I may just wait for my originally spec'ed S550 with the 3D sound...

Hope you find what you want!

Kratos-TM

I have a couple of dealers who could get me a car next week with the standard silk beige, but I think I'm gonna hold out till my exclusive silk gets here next year.

Trip

I love in NJ, so I am waiting on 4mattic...

I think I am also going to pass on the S63 and get the S550 4mattic the way I ordered it...

TomS

Just so I am clear, the exclusive interior being discussed is the Exclusive Nappa Leather right (code P34)? I ask as I have these line items related to this in my order:

515 Porcelain/Black Exclusive Nappa Leather $4450
P34 Exclusive Nappa Interior
735 Exclusive Trim Package $950

Tom

Trip

I believe you are correct sir. But I also believe you need to add 445 Package (heat and comfort package) or option 223 (adjustable rear seats).

TomS

Thanks! I only listed the interior ones but I should have included 445 too. I had 445 in the mix. Here are the options added:

998 Anthracite Blue
P01Pkg Premium 1 Pkg
997pkg Driver Assistance Pkg
501pkg Surround View Camera
585pkg Air Balance Pkg
487 Magic Body Control
610 Night View Assist
445pkg Warmth & Comfort 223/276
P34 Exclusive Leather Nappa
735 Exclusive Trim
515 Porcelain - Black

325pkg Rear Seat Package
53R 20" 5-Spoke Wheel

I wanted the 20 inch wheels but not the sport package.

K-A

Are the STANDARD seats Nappa? I know the dash trimmings and all that stuff are MB Tex but I assume the standard seats must be Nappa, yeah? My W220 had standard Nappa and you can now get it as a free upgrade on the 5 Series when you select a line.

The seats reminded me of those super expensive seats you sit in at like a Brookstone store or something.

Kratos-TM

I know this is gonna sound ridiculous, lol, but here is what I concluded......If the seat leather had no designs, it was standard. If it had horizontal lines in it, it was nappa. And if it had diamonds, it was exclusive nappa.

Yeah that sounds like my wife posting, but that's my take. LOL!

sam9187

Standard seats are NOT Nappa. Nappa is a step above standard leather seats.

sam9187

Thats exactly the rule I follow when determining different kinds of leather in S550

Kratos-TM

LOL.....so my post wasn't as retarded as I thought it was in my head.

K-A

Ahhhh, okay thanks, so the seats I sat in WERE the highest seats. They had Diamond patterns on them, and they were unreal.

So the standard seats AREN'T Nappa?! That's kind of upsetting seeing as to how the W220 generation S500 had standard Nappa and like I said, the 2014 5 Series when selected with a "Line" have a free Nappa option.

If I were to get an S Class I would assume the most standard seats would be good enough for me considering the price/class of the car, but those "diamond pattern" seats are probably worth whatever high price tag they have on them.... especially if the standard seats aren't even Nappa.