I have about 2,000 miles on my new S550 and I have found the following things that bother me:

1. The Parktronic system doesn't beep until the sensors are almost in contact with something. Anyone know if this is adjustable?

2. Is there a simple way to turn the Climate Control system off without going into the Command screen? On my 2013 221 and most other MB, there has always been an "off" button.

3. I dislike having to hit the steering wheel button twice to change a preset radio station. My 221 didn't need that.

4. The car is so quiet--which I love, but I wonder why they didn't insulate the cabin better against the mechanical engine noise. It will be interesting to see what they do in this area with the Maybach, as they say there will be more insulation.

5. I find that I am constantly adjusting the Climate Control temp and/or fan speed, as it often seems too cold or even more often, too warm. Didn't have this problem in the 221. Love the way the round air vents look, but feel the ones in the 221 did a better job.

6. I'm 6'1" and find that the place where I usually rest my left foot is at an awkward angle. Just being too nit picky I'm sure, but does anyone else feel this?

7. On my 221, to lock the car, I would swipe the back of my hand across the door handle and it worked perfectly every time. On this car, t seems quirky and many times I find myself having to swipe my hand two or three times before it locks. Anyone else have this issue?

8. Love the way the door stops and holds at pretty much any degree of opening, but all are quite stiff and I feel require too much force to open. The 221 had this feature, but were much easier to open. Be careful when using another car, as the shoving open of the door that we are used to in the 222 will send another door flying open.

9. I hate looking for something in the owner's manual, only to be referred to the manual in the Command system.

All constructive comments appreciated, thanks.

 

Sounds like you miss your 221!!! The 221 is a phenomenal design and vehicle as is the 222 . I think it's going to take you some time to get used to it .

 

Yes, I do miss my 221. The only things I like better about my 222 are the Exclusive Nappa interior and the Warmth & Comfort Pkg. I liked everything else better in my 2013. It takes all auto makers time to get it just right and I am confident that by the time the mid cycle freshen comes along, the 222 will be all it should be, with the possible exceptions being that one will still not be able to order it without the Panorama Roof and there will still probably not be a place for a spare in the trunk.

 

I had the 221 S600 and have now the 222 S600. I don't miss the 221.
1. I like it better that way as it alows me to park more accurate in my garage (limited space due to motorcycle in front). Just a matter off getting used to it.
2. I think there is still the 'Favorite' button in the touchpad. Did you try to program that?
4. I barely hear my engine.
5. May you get that checked out. I don't have that issue.
6. I'm only 5'10'' :-), but to me every angle becomes akward after several hours of driving in any car.
7. Don't swipe, just touch and let your hand rest on the outside of the door handle for a second.
8. The stiffer the better, especially on a windy day. But I agree: once used to it, watch out when driving another car.
9. I hate it too, but then again if all was printed, then we needed extra trunk space to put in a book thicker than the Bible.

Drive enjoy, get used and then drive a 221 for a bit and you'll see, once over a sudden the 221 feels strange.

Cheers

 

Thanks for all the pointers.
The other thing I'm having a problem with, is the trunk opening thing where you are supposed to be able to swing your foot under the rear bumper while you have your key on you. In about ten attempts, it has worked once. Anybody else?

 

Gosh is this it, only?
I was considering ... but no more.
I'll get KIA instead.

 

Mine works basically every time I try it. All it takes is jus a gentle swing of the foot and the foot does not need to swing very far under the trunk at all.

 

You may be one of the biggest whiners I've ever seen.

 

It's interesting to note that by the time some of the folks here become classified as an "MBWorld Fanatic," they can no longer seem to offer any constructive comments, just snide and mostly ridiculous remarks. No worries, the rest of us simply take the idiotic comments in stride and just ignore them.

 

which one had the better ride quality? which suspension did you have on your 221?

 

I had ABC on my W221, with beautiful, 5 spoke, 18" wheels. Frankly, I still feel the 221 had a nicer ride, even compared to my MBC. OK, so it didn't have the huge video screens and Warmth & Comfort, but mine had the Premium Leather interior and even though it wasn't as nice as my Exclusive Nappa in my 222, I still liked the 221 better overall. Add to it the fact that it had a larger trunk with a jack & spare concealed under the trunk floor and it came without that frigging Panorama Roof and there is no contest in my mind. If I could give them my six week old W222 and $10K in cash for a six week old W221--with my choice of colors & options--and the same warranty, I'd jump on it. Might even go $20K.

 

You might be onto something. It's funny. I wish more car manfacturers would offer that, for those that liked the outgoing model. They'd make a fortune.

 

I traded in my 2010 S-400HV (mild hybrid) for a 2015 S-550 RWD. This is my 6th Mercedes. The others were 300E, E430, CL500, S-400, ML350. Still have the ML. Previous cars owned include Porsches, Audis, a Lexus, Saabs, a Volvo (never ever again), etc.

1) Since the 2015 does not come with a spare tire, I requested that the 20 in wheels be replaced with 18 inch for less chance of damage and better ride quality with the RFTs. To not offer a spare and a jack as an option is irresponsible by MB/MBUSA. With the 50 mile flat RFT limit, the car is not suitable for driving outside of populated areas.

2) The owner's manual should not be in the command system. How many S-Class owners want to spend days in a (cold) garage flipping pages with small print on the screen? MBUSA should have included an I-pad with the owner's manual. I believe Hyundai does.

3) Both my S-400 and the S-550 have Airmatic (set on Comfort). The S-550 feels more comfortable in general, but the RFTs are not as comfortable as the standard tires (also on 18 inch wheels) on my S-400 were. Also, road noise with RFTs is higher. The S-Class is not a sports car, so there is no need for low profile tires. Not even Formula One cars use low profiles these days.

4) The engine sound on the S-400 was objectionable due to the Atkinson cycle, as was the gas and brake pedal feel, linearity and response due to the hybrid system. The S-550 does not have those issues.

5) The HVAC system on the 2015 S-550 seems to work better than on the 2010 S-400. I have no issues with that.

6) It took a while to learn how to open and close the S-550 trunk by "kicking". It takes a little practice. I found out that sweeping the foot sideways does not work very well.

7) I like the head-up display, the surround view, the blind spot, the head lights, soft door closing, and the adaptive cruise control. The jury is still out on the night vision system and on the alert-warning, or whatever it is called. Can see some design improvements for the HUD and night vision. The "AMG sport design" is just another excuse to ratchet up the MSRP....no value whatsoever, at least not in my book. I'll get another 911 if I want a sports car.

8) The % fuel quantity and coolant temp displays are not as useful as analog gauges on previous MB models.

NOW TO THE REAL ISSUES THAT I HAVE WITH THE 2015 S-550:

A) THE ECO/START/STOP SYSTEM INDICATION.
The 2014 S-550 has yellow and green status lights (like my 2010 S-400) to show if the system is ready or not, and WHAT TO EXPECT when the car comes to a stop. The 2015 S-550 has no status lights, but a green light first when the engine stops. Anyone can see on the tach that the engine stops.......

B) FUNCTION OF THE ECO/S/S.
On my S-400, once it became active after engine parameters reached required levels, the system shut the engine down at every stop, without exception. The ECO/S/S on my 2015 S-550 does not. Sometimes it shuts down, sometimes never. I live in an area where cold weather is not an issue. The MB shop checked it out and says "it works as designed" which BTW, I have heard quite a few times. It does not work as designed since my S-550 does not even get the EPA city MPG in the type of driving I do. All my other MBs exceeded the EPA city figure.

I no longer have faith in MB diagnostics. If there is a sensor or connector that works part time, they can not pick it up unless it happens during the check.

C) THE STEERING-ASSIST AND STOP@GO PILOT.
A totally useless system and a distraction. With the system activated, the steering wheel barely moves and the car is unable to follow clearly marked lanes or a car in front. I'm not expecting it to be able to make sharp turns, but I expect it to stay in the lane thru gentle curves in good visibility conditions and in clearly visible lane markers. I also expect the car to lock on a car or bus in front in stop-go traffic and follow it thru gentle turns, as MB is bragging about. The car does not do that.

I have had MB look at it, but they say it is "normal". The people I talked to could not answer my simple questions about system operation, and I don't believe that their maintenance computer can check the two TV cameras, for example.

Constructive comments from other 2015 S-550 owners would be appreciated.

 

As a test of maintenance/malfunction messages, I taped over one of the TV cameras on top of the windshield. As expected, there was no message about TV camera malfunction.

 

elmalo, it's obvious that your Distronik/steering assist, auto pilot, are not working properly. Have you taken a drive in your car with the service manager to show him that these features are NOT working?

 

are there any quirks for the 2014?

 

BeanTrader,

Thank you for reply. I have taken the car to MB dealer several times but they don't seem to know how to check the system, or that that the MB diagnostic system is not what it should be. After a subjective test drive they declare the car as "normal". I have asked them about system authority, i.e. how many degrees the steering wheel can turn while in Steering Assist, but they will not tell me. My steering wheel is barely moving when in Steering Assist. The other day it could not follow a school bus at 25 MPH on a road with very gentle turns. Wonder if the secrecy of not providing any answers to my simple questions about the Steering Assist has anything to do with any legal action taking place.

The other glitch is the ECO Start/Stop system. The status lights do not work as described in the Comand System Owner's Manual and the gas mileage is highly variable depending on if the Start/Stop works or not. The EPA City test cycle is 11.04 miles, average speed 21.2 MPH and with 23 stops. The City mileage would never be 17 MPG with that profile and a Start/Stop system working as it does on my car. The other day I drove 25 miles on the highway to another city, when I got there, the battery was fully charged, coolant temp was 200 deg, it was 51 deg outside and 72 inside the car, sun was shining, A/C was off, seat belts were on, doors and hood were closed, windows were closed, and the Economy Drive mode (E) was selected. The start/stop system did not shut down the engine when waiting at several traffic lights. I have taken the car to the dealer and they say it is working "normally". However, at one of the shop visits the mechanic told me that they have lots of problems with the ECO/Start/Stop on the 2015. As an aside, the start/stop on my 2010 S400 worked as a charm.

 

I would call MB U.S. headquarters and explain all this to them. Whatever BS your dealer is telling you is NOT the truth. These features are suppose to work and help you while driving.

 

Bean Trader,

After a couple of visits to the dealer I contacted MBUSA. They arranged for two "experts" from California to take a look at my car. They did no diagnostics and refused to answer simple questions from me regarding the Steering-Assist system before or after the test drive. We did a subjective test drive where the car failed to negotiate a very gentle S-turn at 45 MPH (a speed they recommended). The car crossed the center line without any attempt to follow the road, and started to track the oncoming lane against head-on traffic. The road had clearly visible lane markers, there were no shadows and it was full daylight. The "factory experts" declared that the Steering-Assist on my 2015 S550 was working "normally". My comments about what the Owner's Manual says were pooh-poohed. The most disturbing part was the arrogance and refusal by these "experts" to answer any technical questions before of after the subjective test drive. This 2015 S550 is my 6th MB, and a big disappointment partly due to MBUSA's arrogance. They no longer respond to e-mails either.

 

Next step is to find another s550 in your area and drive in sequence switching who is in front etc . Possibly with a go pro hero camera and film the cars responses on the same curves etc. Tesla ppl do This to compare efficiency. This will tell you if 2 cars are acting the same on exact same road.

 

In 1993, I got my first Lexus LS400. Even though I continued to have an SL and maybe a Porsche or two in the garage, Lexus LS models were my daily drivers through 2011, when I had a daily commute of 90 miles round trip on the 405. I had eight of them, they were all fully loaded and they were always dealer serviced. For the time, they were the best cars I ever owned and taking them in for service was something I looked forward to.

I used to tell people: If there was ANY problem with my Lexus, the response from the dealer FELT something like: "Yes sir, we will disassemble the entire car. If we still cannot find the problem, we will fly it back to Japan and have every single part replaced. In the mean time, here is a brand new Lexus to drive."

On the other hand, when I brought my MB in for service--a chore that I absolutely dreaded, it FELT like this: a big, tall, blond guy with a crew cut would come out wearing brown shorts and say in a heavy German accent "Zeir es NUTHING vrong mit dis car, YOU mus be doing sumsing vrong! Show me your papers! Take him! Take him!"

I know I'm exaggerating and poking fun, but the difference in service experiences is dramatic between Lexus and MB. Lexus always seems to believe everything a customer says, and then tries to fix the problem, PERIOD! MB never seems to believe the customer, unless the customer can prove him/herself right. If Lexus had not come out with that utterly cartoonish "spindle grill" design, I think I would still be driving a new LS instead of my current S550. MB execs ARE arrogant and I feel for elmalo here.

 

Correct!! Lexus is great and I willing to help with anything. Mercedes blames the owner, not the car.

 

Aren't Lexus dealerships actually owned by Lexus? Or do I mix that up with somebody else?

Blaming the manufacturer's car is a bit easier if you don't work directly for the manufacturer.

 

My questions is this....is the S550 designed to drive itself for 2 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, on freeways, country roads, city traffic?? I'm confused as to what your expectations are with regards to the steering assist.

I just got my 550 a week ago and I never expected it to be nothing more than an assist to my actually driving the car.

Here is how my car works...I take my hands off the wheel. The car will stay in its lane, including mild curves and other lane changes for something like 1 minute maybe 3 depending on the road. Then I'll get a ding and a picture of steering wheel between speedometer and tach with two red hands on either side of the wheel. In other words the car is saying "Put your hands on the wheel please!"

Its called Distronic Plus with Steering Assist for a reason.....the key word is assist. It's not a self driving car....was that really your expectation?

 

I have not checked my mileage yet, want to get a couple thousand miles on the car before I do that....but I got to say it seems to be guzzling gas. Not sure if it is ECO Start/Stop. My car before this S550 had Stop/Start and it was really annoying, stopped and started at every stop of the car and was not smooth. I like the fact that the Mercedes does not do it in each and every stop. And, compared to roughness of the previous car, the Mercedes is very smooth and hardly noticed....to me anyway.