My wife and I drove from Des Moines to St. Louis back on Tuesday and returned today. I could not be any happier with the performance of my 2014 S550 in all aspects. This is about a 350 mile trip one way, taking the Avenue of the Saints for most of the trip. The massaging feature was in operation quite a bit during the trip. We both love this feature as it is definitely very relaxing without putting one to sleep. I pretty much stayed away from the hot stone massage since it was warm (80s outside both going and returning). I think it is just too warm to use the hot stone massage in the summer months. I bet it feels great in the winter, however.

The car feels like it just glides effortlessly on the highway. And, with the distronic plus, along with the blind spot monitor, and keep lane assist, makes driving so much safer than in a typical car along with a lot less stress. I still can't get over how quiet the car is. Sometimes, I wonder if perhaps I am driving a Tesla since the engine is almost silent.

The audio Burmester audio system is exceptional even though I only have the standard one. Speaking of audio, the only disappoint part continues to be the Internet Radio. Sometimes it works for some stations and sometimes it doesn't work at all. I cannot comprehend why MB has not fixed this rotten feature yet. They are heavily promoting MBrace with all the options, but who is actually going to buy it if the internet speed is SO slow? It is totally unacceptable and they need to fix this sooner rather than later. I can't imagine they won't do anything about this. I say either fix it, or don't even mention that it exists at all.

The trip to St. Louis was in the teeth of a very strong (20-30 mph with higher gusts) south wind and the gas mileage I got was only 26.8 mpg. However, on the return trip today, there was about a 10-20 mph south wind and therefore more of a tail wind and the gas mileage improved to exactly 29 mpg for the 350 mile return trip. I was driving between 68 and 80 mph most of the trip. Temperatures were in the low 80s with sunny skies and the AC was obviously running. I'm not sure how much of a factor the AC is on gas mileage.

The bugs were out in full force on both legs of the trip even though it was daytime. The front grill and everything else in the front was a complete mess. So was the windshield. Btw, I used the wiper sprayer for the first time and I'll tell you what. That is a wonderful standard feature. The car was parked in my father in-law's driveway and the huge maple trees in his yard along with bird poop resulted in a disgusting appearance for the car's exterior. I asked if there was a good and safe car wash in the vicinity and the answer was negative. Unfortunately, I did not think to bring along the various cleansers I had just purchased from Griot's. They would have been very useful. The only thing I could do is use the garden hose with a jet sprayer to get most of the gunk off the car. Those bug stains are incredible. Btw, we have a fantastic car wash (several places) here in Des Moines called Mr. Car Wash. It is by far the best car wash I have ever come across anywhere in the country. They do a fabulous job both inside and out. I pay $42 per month for unlimited washes and vacuums and I think it's a great bargain. A little over a year ago, while visiting my daughter in Akron, OH with the LS, I asked someone at a grocery store if there was a good car wash around. I was told the BP gas station has a good car wash. What a lie! First of all, it did a rotten job (only exterior cleaning), but more importantly, I found out later that it scratched the hood of my car. I didn't find out until I got back in DSM. The Lexus dealer had to buffer the hood a couple of times to remove the scratches. That was a hard learned lesson. Never go to a car wash unless you know for certain they do a good job and will not damage your car. Anyway, the very first thing I did when we got back home late this afternoon is go to my favorite car wash (Mr Car Wash) and my car looked just as good as when I picked it up at the dealer. Sorry to ramble on here about car washes, but I think it's rather important.

To sum it all up, I LOVE driving this car. I already put on about 1800 miles in about 5 weeks. Who said this was a chauffeur's car?

 

Nice to read a positive feedback on the W222 and I appreciate your sharing this lovely review
Who needs a chauffer ? lol Otherwise you can end up like this guy

 

nice


I like the hot stone while the AC is on thing heats up QUICK
the massage feels okay to me: I don't think I'm heavy enough to feel
the massage very well but it's okay
it does glide like a boat huh? and when you step on it, it goes! 449hp is no slouch, but then again the thing is 4800 pounds right?
my daughter discovered she can control the rear shade and the rear sunroof from her seat to haha