Impressions after a 2 day, 1900 mi road trip
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S 550
Impressions after a 2 day, 1900 mi road trip
We have driven a variety of cars/SUVs on trips, but this is our first S-Class.
After driving 1900 miles in 2 days and spending 29 hrs "on the road" last weekend these are my impressions:
The S-Class is overall the best traveling vehicle we have ever had. IMO, the overall package cannot be surpassed by any competitor yet; seating adjustment, seating comfort, quietness, ease of driving, ride comfort and creature comforts all combine to be the best road trip vehicle we have ever had.
Other observations:
- I am not a fan of factory navigation systems, have typically found them to be archaic and not user friendly. However, the nav system in the S-Class grew on me during this trip and I ended up NOT using my phone nav like I usually do. This is a huge win for MB in my book! It was easy to use, well integrated into the command system and the large screen was easy to read. However, I did learn that the traffic info and re-routing needs to be taken with the proverbial "grain of salt" since traffic conditions can improve dramatically and the nav system is still trying to re-route you around an incident that no longer exists. The MBrace phone app, though basic, was convenient and easy to use for sending destinations to the car - really liked this feature as I could take care of setting up the nav while in the house/hotel when I had my info in front of me.
- Voice commands are useful, though there is room for improvement. Commands are too structured, needs to be better at understanding natural language. Requires that I both put the command system in the correct mode so it knows what type of command to expect and it requires that I conform my communication to be structured in a particular order/sequence. Needs to be more "Siri like" in understanding natural language.
- Overall noise is very good, very quiet. If I lived in an area that had bad roads (Midwest or north east) I would probably want to change wheels to the 19" and use non run flat tires. But since the roads in my area are much better that some if the Midwest roads we will stick with the 20" wheels and the security of the run flat tires. The 20" wheels do give a slight sport feel, meaning more sense of the road surface, but the suspension still gives a good floating feeling at the same time. Strange to read that you can feel the road yet still have some sense of being isolated from the road. Very unique feel, overall made for a great sense of comfort and also being in command and knowing what the road was like.
- Fuel economy was good, especially considering the amount of power available under the hood. For the entire trip, according to the computer, averaged 27.1 mpg with an average speed of 67. Love the effortlessness in how the S just moves without complaining or "screaming" to make sure that you and everyone around you knows what it is doing.
- The MBrace app with valet mode gave an extra sense of security while staying at hotels. Was nice to know we would be notified by text if the car was moved beyond a perimeter or if it was driven after a "curfew".
- Distronic plus with the driving assist is absolutely great for road trips! Makes the drive so much more relaxing. The "kid" in me had fun seeing the car drive for 10 seconds at a time, watching the car come to complete stops on its own and automatically accelerate when the turn signal was activated when passing a slower vehicle. The lane keeping assist was nice too, it made me improve my sometimes sloppy driving habit of not signaling an exit!
We love this car and look forward to more road trips!
After driving 1900 miles in 2 days and spending 29 hrs "on the road" last weekend these are my impressions:
The S-Class is overall the best traveling vehicle we have ever had. IMO, the overall package cannot be surpassed by any competitor yet; seating adjustment, seating comfort, quietness, ease of driving, ride comfort and creature comforts all combine to be the best road trip vehicle we have ever had.
Other observations:
- I am not a fan of factory navigation systems, have typically found them to be archaic and not user friendly. However, the nav system in the S-Class grew on me during this trip and I ended up NOT using my phone nav like I usually do. This is a huge win for MB in my book! It was easy to use, well integrated into the command system and the large screen was easy to read. However, I did learn that the traffic info and re-routing needs to be taken with the proverbial "grain of salt" since traffic conditions can improve dramatically and the nav system is still trying to re-route you around an incident that no longer exists. The MBrace phone app, though basic, was convenient and easy to use for sending destinations to the car - really liked this feature as I could take care of setting up the nav while in the house/hotel when I had my info in front of me.
- Voice commands are useful, though there is room for improvement. Commands are too structured, needs to be better at understanding natural language. Requires that I both put the command system in the correct mode so it knows what type of command to expect and it requires that I conform my communication to be structured in a particular order/sequence. Needs to be more "Siri like" in understanding natural language.
- Overall noise is very good, very quiet. If I lived in an area that had bad roads (Midwest or north east) I would probably want to change wheels to the 19" and use non run flat tires. But since the roads in my area are much better that some if the Midwest roads we will stick with the 20" wheels and the security of the run flat tires. The 20" wheels do give a slight sport feel, meaning more sense of the road surface, but the suspension still gives a good floating feeling at the same time. Strange to read that you can feel the road yet still have some sense of being isolated from the road. Very unique feel, overall made for a great sense of comfort and also being in command and knowing what the road was like.
- Fuel economy was good, especially considering the amount of power available under the hood. For the entire trip, according to the computer, averaged 27.1 mpg with an average speed of 67. Love the effortlessness in how the S just moves without complaining or "screaming" to make sure that you and everyone around you knows what it is doing.
- The MBrace app with valet mode gave an extra sense of security while staying at hotels. Was nice to know we would be notified by text if the car was moved beyond a perimeter or if it was driven after a "curfew".
- Distronic plus with the driving assist is absolutely great for road trips! Makes the drive so much more relaxing. The "kid" in me had fun seeing the car drive for 10 seconds at a time, watching the car come to complete stops on its own and automatically accelerate when the turn signal was activated when passing a slower vehicle. The lane keeping assist was nice too, it made me improve my sometimes sloppy driving habit of not signaling an exit!
We love this car and look forward to more road trips!
Last edited by DaveVY; Apr 4, 2014 at 05:04 AM.
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W211 w221
We have driven a variety of cars/SUVs on trips, but this is our first S-Class.
After driving 1900 miles in 2 days and spending 29 hrs "on the road" last weekend these are my impressions:
The S-Class is overall the best traveling vehicle we have ever had. IMO, the overall package cannot be surpassed by any competitor yet; seating adjustment, seating comfort, quietness, ease of driving, ride comfort and creature comforts all combine to be the best road trip vehicle we have ever had.
Other observations:
- I am not a fan of factory navigation systems, have typically found them to be archaic and not user friendly. However, the nav system in the S-Class grew on me during this trip and I ended up NOT using my phone nav like I usually do. This is a huge win for MB in my book! It was easy to use, well integrated into the command system and the large screen was easy to read. However, I did learn that the traffic info and re-routing needs to be taken with the proverbial "grain of salt" since traffic conditions can improve dramatically and the nav system is still trying to re-route you around an incident that no longer exists. The MBrace phone app, though basic, was convenient and easy to use for sending destinations to the car - really liked this feature as I could take care of setting up the nav while in the house/hotel when I had my info in front of me.
- Voice commands are useful, though there is room for improvement. Commands are too structured, needs to be better at understanding natural language. Requires that I both put the command system in the correct mode so it knows what type of command to expect and it requires that I conform my communication to be structured in a particular order/sequence. Needs to be more "Siri like" in understanding natural language.
- Overall noise is very good, very quiet. If I lived in an area that had bad roads (Midwest or north east) I would probably want to change wheels to the 19" and use non run flat tires. But since the roads in my area are much better that some if the Midwest roads we will stick with the 20" wheels and the security of the run flat tires. The 20" wheels do give a slight sport feel, meaning more sense of the road surface, but the suspension still gives a good floating feeling at the same time. Strange to read that you can feel the road yet still have some sense of being isolated from the road. Very unique feel, overall made for a great sense of comfort and also being in command and knowing what the road was like.
- Fuel economy was good, especially considering the amount of power available under the hood. For the entire trip, according to the computer, averaged 27.1 mpg with an average speed of 67. Love the effortlessness in how the S just moves without complaining or "screaming" to make sure that you and everyone around you knows what it is doing.
- The MBrace app with valet mode gave an extra sense of security while staying at hotels. Was nice to know we would be notified by text if the car was moved beyond a perimeter or if it was driven after a "curfew".
- Distronic plus with the driving assist is absolutely great for road trips! Makes the drive so much more relaxing. The "kid" in me had fun seeing the car drive for 10 seconds at a time, watching the car come to complete stops on its own and automatically accelerate when the turn signal was activated when passing a slower vehicle. The lane keeping assist was nice too, it made me improve my sometimes sloppy driving habit of not signaling an exit!
We love this car and look forward to more road trips!
After driving 1900 miles in 2 days and spending 29 hrs "on the road" last weekend these are my impressions:
The S-Class is overall the best traveling vehicle we have ever had. IMO, the overall package cannot be surpassed by any competitor yet; seating adjustment, seating comfort, quietness, ease of driving, ride comfort and creature comforts all combine to be the best road trip vehicle we have ever had.
Other observations:
- I am not a fan of factory navigation systems, have typically found them to be archaic and not user friendly. However, the nav system in the S-Class grew on me during this trip and I ended up NOT using my phone nav like I usually do. This is a huge win for MB in my book! It was easy to use, well integrated into the command system and the large screen was easy to read. However, I did learn that the traffic info and re-routing needs to be taken with the proverbial "grain of salt" since traffic conditions can improve dramatically and the nav system is still trying to re-route you around an incident that no longer exists. The MBrace phone app, though basic, was convenient and easy to use for sending destinations to the car - really liked this feature as I could take care of setting up the nav while in the house/hotel when I had my info in front of me.
- Voice commands are useful, though there is room for improvement. Commands are too structured, needs to be better at understanding natural language. Requires that I both put the command system in the correct mode so it knows what type of command to expect and it requires that I conform my communication to be structured in a particular order/sequence. Needs to be more "Siri like" in understanding natural language.
- Overall noise is very good, very quiet. If I lived in an area that had bad roads (Midwest or north east) I would probably want to change wheels to the 19" and use non run flat tires. But since the roads in my area are much better that some if the Midwest roads we will stick with the 20" wheels and the security of the run flat tires. The 20" wheels do give a slight sport feel, meaning more sense of the road surface, but the suspension still gives a good floating feeling at the same time. Strange to read that you can feel the road yet still have some sense of being isolated from the road. Very unique feel, overall made for a great sense of comfort and also being in command and knowing what the road was like.
- Fuel economy was good, especially considering the amount of power available under the hood. For the entire trip, according to the computer, averaged 27.1 mpg with an average speed of 67. Love the effortlessness in how the S just moves without complaining or "screaming" to make sure that you and everyone around you knows what it is doing.
- The MBrace app with valet mode gave an extra sense of security while staying at hotels. Was nice to know we would be notified by text if the car was moved beyond a perimeter or if it was driven after a "curfew".
- Distronic plus with the driving assist is absolutely great for road trips! Makes the drive so much more relaxing. The "kid" in me had fun seeing the car drive for 10 seconds at a time, watching the car come to complete stops on its own and automatically accelerate when the turn signal was activated when passing a slower vehicle. The lane keeping assist was nice too, it made me improve my sometimes sloppy driving habit of not signaling an exit!
We love this car and look forward to more road trips!
