The ones that are likely haven't even sen the car in person.

M

 

The automotive pre$$ can be paid to say anything. You're better off trusting your own eyes. Even proportionally it's off. Massive rear and front overhangs, etc. I think people will consider it poorly aged in 10 years from now, and just wait until the much cheaper C and/or E Coupes come out, diluting its design out. The AMG GT looks much better to me.

 

Have you even seen the car in person?

M

 

I have, and it hasn't grown on me.

 

Every MB gets the "you have to see it in person" excuse lately, but to me a good design has to photograph well, also doesn't have to "grow on you", otherwise it's it's not a good design. Plus, I usually feel the opposite, i.e like the C and E facelift, I liked them less in person.

When I do see the S Couple in person, if my opinion changes, I'll be the first to say it. But I doubt it.

 

Typical. Like I thought, you haven't seen squat. Let me save you the trouble, you won't like it. For the record I didn't say squat about you having to see it in person to like it. I just asked had you seen it.

M

 

Stunning car and the best looking MB (perhaps apart from the GT AMG). I believe there is no MB of the last 30+ years that comes close to the car in terms of exterior design and interior. Only the W222 is a match.

Drove the car and it felt quite different than the sedan; very pronounced and sporty exhaust note.
It feels like you are sitting lower in the car, probably due to the small side windows. The glass roof makes all the difference in giving the car an airy cabin and feels easily twice as big as the one in the sedan.
One look tells you why it can't be opened. Magic Sky is a must IMO as it feels really cramped when the glass roof headliner is closed for really sunny days. Have it/love it in the SL.

The interior is beautifully executed even though I am no fan of piano black wood or the red interior (except in a convertible). Love how the dashboard curves into the door panels, but am not sure how much I care for the rounded leather-covered dash area above the glove compartment. Definitely a minor gripe.

The steering felt very direct and accurate. Much, much better than the numb and mushy steering in our BMW 750LI.

Absolutely love the Swarowsky headlights even though the thought of it seems a bit tacky. Very cool though...

Some random notes:
The sport package is another must.
The run flats tire noise was quite audible on the 20" wheels. Would change the tires asap.
Couldn't find a hot stone massage function. They had some other massage types; maybe I wasn't looking correctly.
Going 100mph felt absolutely serene. Rock solid car.
Car does feel much slower than our SL from 0-60

 

Yeah I too think it is Mercedes' best effort to date, until the GT comes along. It certainly is as gorgeous a Mercedes they've made in the last 10 years. That said, the previous CL was a looker too when it arrived for 2007 and still looks classy today, but make no mistake it has been massively outdone.

M

 

Yes, I likely still won't like it, because the pictures already tell me that likely it'll look just as terrible to me.

 

Ok, finally one that looks decent

 

It's because you're a hater. You're mind (!) is already made up. Why bother even looking at one. Mercedes' are just junk anyways.

M

 

Obviously looks are subjective

Any car in certain colors, wheels, tires, trim pieces, etc can look fugly

And I tend to contextualize "looks" of any car vs its engineering and build innovation/quality....and just as importantly its driving dynamics under various real-world daily/wkend uses

Viewed last-gen CL65 as best MB (or any car) ever until latest SL65 arrived....and now fully expect S65 Coupe to easily supersede SL65

That said, S550 launch coupe w/its ?run-flat/all-season tires, Airmatic/4Matic chassis, etc just reminds me of a CL55 from ~15yrs ago.....back then, CL55's ?<500hp was too much for its chassis for particularly precise/stable driving, even on straight-line, slow, but crappy pavement, roads of Eastern US.....tires/chassis/computers/cars/world have advanced enormously in past 15yrs.....but this 550 w/its >500lb-ft motor and crap chassis set-up is a sad throwback to ancient AMGs

Crappy choice of tires/chassis set-up reveals much about both the alleged engineers/marketers behind this 550 as well as any buyers' sense of engineering or ability to drive....

 

Ooh, "hater". Top fanboy baseless retort.

Not a "hater", I just think it's one of many examples of a broken design and design management team.

 

Re: This comment, I agree with it completely. Most more recent M-B I've driven, i.e ones released after the W221 and accompanying CL I feel have some of the worst, most incoherently engineered chassis/drivetrain/suspension/wheel-tire setups. I haven't driven a W222 yet so I can't speak on that, but I've heard lots of complaints about harsh rides with some wheel setups, which is another uncharacteristic issue that has plagued modern M-B's. I find most new models un-precise, and lots of masking to cover up spots that aren't dialed into each other. Which is interesting as while this has happened, AMG has stepped it up to make their variations drive like completely different cars.

On another note, if this is the same WSH I believe to remember used to go through different CL65's like most people fill up gas tanks, if the 2010 CL65 listed in your avatar is up-to-date, then that must say a lot about that car.

 

Run flats are a disgrace on these cars to be sure. Re. the chassis, Airmatic and ABC have come a long way from where they used to be. I take ABC/MBC over Airmatic any day of the week and am also unclear why it's only available as a 4matic but after all, this is a Luxo 2 door cruiser. 4 wheel drive make sense where we live (snow on the ground for 5 months a year). So for me this is an acceptable situation. The S63/65 variant is obviously a different story.

But you keep on bringing up drive dynamics and stable driving and associate them with only the 65 models which is somewhat laughable. I love the TT V12's and had one for many years but all V12's are front heavy, so much so that even ABC is barely able to mask it. They are straight line rockets but drive dynamically challenged. The S63 and even the 550 is a more balanced car.

Since many complain about the S63 dual clutch tranny, the S550 with a ECU/TCU tune and non-run flats w. forged wheels may be the ideal fast ride.

 

Without having even seen the car, you think the design team is "broken"? Add clueless to your hater tag.

M

 

So now some of the best cars in the world have the worst chassis engineering? So tell us based on your engineering knowledge what was wrong with the W221's engineering as far as its chassis goes?

Tell us based on your vast experience and knowledge what their "chassis/drivetrain/suspension/wheel-tire" setups should have been?


M

 

Just end this silly argument...

 

THAT is fawking sexy

 

Yes. Even if it was miraculously nice to me in person, the rest of the lineup has some increasingly bad looking cars to me, identity crisis' at all time highs, inconsistencies, etc. The S Coupe appears to carry the theme *to me*. Anyone confident in their opinion wouldn't get so defensive about why their opinion is "so right". Obviously there's a complex going on with those that would.

Yes. Worst in class driving dynamics to start. And "best cars in the world" is obviously subjective, lol, e.g the CLA, GLA, E Class, ML, etc. are far from that, which is my point, even the SL drove as unmemorable as it looks. The S clan has always stood above the other M-B's, but I'm not surprised if I hear even they have started to suffer in driving balance. I find M-B's after the mid to late 2000's to lose the plot in driving. Trying to be sporty yet coming way behind competitors there, thus sacrificing the luxury crown. The new C I drove felt like a German rental car, even less fun to drive than the previous one. Though it has a great interior. I expect the S' to obviously drive much better, I'm just saying that what WSH wrote about the 550 echo's what I've been feeling about all M-B's, save for AMG's, for a while now.

Brush up on reading comprehension and notice I said that a lot of my issues with the formula started after the W221. The W221's chassis was all new for its time, btw. The W222 is a worked W221 chassis (identical wheelbase for one), so inconsistencies could make sense, considering it's introducing new elements into an old basis.

 

I seriously considered canceling my order and getting another S63, I'm hoping the coupes grow on me! I honestly thought the car came off as bloated and kind of stumpy looking. No graceful flow as depicted on the DOG or the mbusa website. The interior is beautifully done and extremely comfortable for two people, forget about even room in the back to hang your dry cleaning

 

So even if the car drove good, that makes the rest of the models they make bad? Got it. Makes perfect sense for someone who doesn't have a clue about what they're talking about and is gullible enough to think that Mercedes' drive on water one year, and they're sub par the next. I didn't get defensive, I asked you a question and you can't even for an intelligent answer because you're clueless. Obviously the one with the complex is the one who spends all their time on MB forum only to talk down about the product.
So when the professionals put the W221 as one of or the best car in the world they're wrong. The problem is that you're looking for sportier car so anything doesn't drive that way is lacking. You're not driving the right car for one.

Tell me what is "driving balance"? Do you even know what you're talking about?

Last I checked the S-Class wasn't trying to be sporty in the least. Again you don't know what you're talking about.

Just because a car isn't the sportiest in the segment doesn't mean it has poor driving dynamics. That is something you're not going to be able to grasp now that BMW isn't enough anymore. If the S-Class truly had poor driving dynamics the press would have roasted it. Newsflash, it isn't trying to be sporty.

I'm still trying to find the S-Class that is trying to be sporty, that isn't an AMG model.

Now what WSH wrote is based on ownership of many S-Class models and I take no issue with his opinion. Let me be clear, you're the type that reads something like what he said and takes it gospel, but yet just a few years ago the W221 was the car to have. It drove on water, per you. You even thought about trading up to one, did you not? Now it has terrible dynamics? Your opinions on Mercedes read like those of jilted owner or child and I don't say that to put you or your opinion down, that is how they honestly read. You're gullible and very impressionable and seemingly unable to process things for yourself.



Tell me what drawbacks the W222 has by it being based on the W221? Show me the proof that this is even indeed true at all? You can't be the limited to keep repeating this and not have some hard engineering concerns about this? Tell me what are the problems with the W222? What is the problem with MB not changing the wheelbase? We've been over the before and you had nothing. It's really a dumb thing to keep saying, but hey.

M

 

I think it flows quite beautifully but believe that black is not a good color for this car. It hides the lines and due to the smaller side windows makes it look a bit more chubby.
The car looks best in white (Designo Diamond or Magno Cashmere) or Palladium Silver with the Sport package.

http://www.mbusa.com/vcm/MB/DigitalA...Y-006-WR-T.jpg

 

I don't know what else to say but I think MB's have adopted some of the most inconsistent and amateurish designs in the industry. You're the one who can't accept that hence why you keep pressing on. I also think MB's trail competitors drastically in driving dynamics and overall balance. This based on having 4 and I've already said the S is exempt. Though what WSH said echo's my many experiences with many other MB's and what I've been saying for years now.

The next gen 7 and A8 are around the corners, and true to recent form, I wouldn't be surprised if they prove more dynamic and impressively engineered than the S Classes.

And I thought the C Class, aside from interior, was less impressive than the previous gen even. So obviously it's not like I have a reason to change tune. My opinion is my opinion and if you're going to keep hissy fitting over it then remember that I have way more first hand experiences with modem MB's than you do. So by your own described measure, your opinion holds less ground.

 

Clearly that is just your opinion and that is ok. The market disagrees with you obviously since Mercedes just outsold Audi worldwide last month and is growing faster than either Audi or BMW right now. CLA and GLA, I don't fault anyone for not liking them, but the S and S Coupe I don't get it. Agree to disagree.

Nope you're the one with the problem because you're on a MB board solely for the purpose of telling MB owners how bad their cars suck. Clearly that is your issue.

Just like I thought you can't even come up with anything as far as what "driving balance" really is or your own definitions of dynamics. You read what WSH (a seasoned owner of everything here) and you ran with it not having a single clue. Now you think Mercedes is behind in driving dynamics, when AGAIN, MB IS NOT TRYING TO BE A SPORT SEDAN. Serious question, what part of this don't you understand? They have AMG models for that and NO WHERE have I seen where they're oh so behind in dynamics. They've been smacking M series BMWs around now for the last couple of years. The new C, the E and S have not been trying to be sports sedans. Seriously I don't get what is so hard to grasp about this. The old C yes, it tried, but the E didn't nor did the S.

Your experience isn't nearly as vast as WSH as he has owned every S and CL version there has been over the last few years. You're clueless, gullible and naive.

So because a new 7-Series is coming, and we all know it will be sportier because it always has been, you think the S-Class is finished? The S has outsold the 7-Series worldwide year and year out for the last 10-15 years with maybe 1 or 2 years being exceptions and you think that being sportier is going to do it? In a segment where comfort, tech, luxury, features etc are king? Again, clueless.

News flash: The Audi A8 just got a facelift for 2015 and there won't be a new one for another 3-4 years. Look up the history of the A8, it is a 7-8 year car at least between redesigns. The current A8 is faster and more dynamic than the S-Class (non S and AMG models) and guess what, the S-Class CRUSHES it month after month both here and worldwide in sales.

You have more experiences with the E-Class than I do, sure, but you're talking about the S-Class here and the C-Class, anyone can take a test drive and draw conclusions. I've been both the new S and C a few times now and I have no problem with your opinion on the C. In some ways it has changed, not all to my liking, but I think overall it is better car than before. Now as far as the S-Class goes, it advances beyond the W221 in nearly every way IMO.

NO fit over your opinion, but when you start talking about driving dynamics and how the W221 had the worst this and worst that it goes beyond an opinion. To make such serious claims you should at least have a clue to back them up so don't get mad at me because when you get called on your BS you don't have anything to back it up.

Then you point to newer cars that are 18 months to 2-3 years away and you tout they will be more impressively engineered, isn't that what should happen since they can study the S-Class now and better it? That is what the industry does. Why do you think all the trade publications are saying Audi sent the new A4 back to the drawing board after seeing the new C? There would be a serious problem if the next 7 and new A8 (which is years off) didn't better the S-Class in some ways. You act like that is a demerit on Mercedes. Ridiculous.

M