BKWard

I'm curious as to what other cars people were considering before they decided on the W-222 and why.

For me, I like 4 door sedans and have been buying those exclusevely for going on 15 years. I'd already owned to BMW 7 series and was not going to do one of those again. So that left me with the S550, and after the test drive I did not feel the need to drive anything else. So, I never considered anything besides the S550. I thought about a Tesla....but not seriously....driving around with range anxiety all the time did not sound like fun. I have a summer place that is exactly 210 miles from my house door to door. So, on weekends before I head to the beach I run errands, maybe go into work for a couple hours.....30 to 40 miles of driving.....then another 210 to beach. No way could I do that with a Tesla? Is there?

The only questions was options, color, and interior color. I was sold on the Burmester. So, I decided not to compromise and order the car. I'd always just found a car that was close to what I wanted and settled. This time I ordered the car with exactly what I wanted. The 100+ day wait was a pain in the *#@ but worth it in the end.

Have had the car now for going on a month, over 2500 miles on it....and I love it. Extremely happy. Some of the safety features have already saved me from a minor fender bender. I figured out the fragrance system and I have not reached a final conclusion on that feature yet. I'm even grown to like the roof with the two windows......and I never, never used them or even kept the cover open on any other car I've had with that feature. I keep it open all the time now and I'm surprised. I hated them so much that I would close them in friends cars from the passenger seat.....anyway....getting off track.

so, what were you considering besides the W-222 and why did you in the end make the purchase. Still happy, or already thinking about something else.

pdeacon

I also have owned many (too many?) cars over the years. I was coming out of a lease on an SL 550 that I really enjoyed but wanted something with more room and utility. Seriously considered a G550. Even took it out for an extended test drive with my wife. She liked it. Almost did the deal until my sales rep, who has sold me about ten cars, asked that I try the S Class before deciding. I did and I closed. They happened to have one in the showroom with the options I liked. Had a W210 so I knew what to look for. Like BK I am totally satisfied with my choice. The car is incredible and provides the performance and luxury I am looking for. One of my rationalizations was this. The price on both vehicles was about the same. The lease on the G Wagon was more expensive perhaps because of the residual value. It was more than 30% more expensive! When I looked at the cars side by side I wasn't willing to pay a premium monthly payment for a thirty year old body on frame design. Having said that there probably is a G Wagon in my future as my other cars wear out. Only have about 1,300 miles on the S and that includes a couple of two hundred mile excursions. Could not believe how rested I felt after spending a couple of hours behind the wheel. The passengers also commented on how comfortable the ride is and the serenity of the interior at highway speeds.
I did give some consideration to the Tesla. Did not drive one but sat in one and was not impressed with the level of luxury compared to the S. I was also concerned about range. Have an acquaintance who has one and he opted to drive his SUV to his Florida home rather than go through the hassle of calculating range between stops to recharge. I suggested that he ship the car to Florida but he likes to drive as much as I do. Isn't that why we indulge ourselves in these cars?
Would make the same decision if I had to do it over again.

jenz

LWB Range Rover

BKWard

Speaking of "owning to many cars" my biggest mistake financially with regards to cars was going from a BMW 750li to a BMW 750i. Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, what a waste of money. I don't lease my cars and that ranks right up there with the top waste of hard earned money of all time for me. Still cringe when I think of it.

On this S550 I had a BMW 650i Gran Coupe to trade, they really lowballed me on the trade.....but they took 10K off the S550 that came to 136K, so that brought it down to 125K aprox. I told them I was going to try to sell the BMW myself and they said "fine, go ahead" so I did. Sold it on Auto Trader and got a little around 10K more than they were offering me on trade. So, I thought they might try to go back on the 10K off the S550 they were offering me. But, they never said a word and went ahead with the deal.

The experience of selling my BMW on Auto Trader was a breeze, really easy. Did not post my phone number so they had to email me to start the conversation and I got pretty good (after some practice) of figuring out who to call back. I recommend Auto Trader if you got a car to sell. Your competing with a lot of dealerships as I'd say 85% of the cars on the site are listed by car dealers.

AppleFan1

When I was shopping for a new car a little over a year ago now, I considered the 2014 Lexus LS460 and to a lesser extent the Model S Tesla. However, I was blown away with the technology in the W222. The LS is a great car but it did not have all the high tech options of the S550. The LS is a very comfortable and quiet ride but the S550 is even more comfortable and quieter. As far as the Tesla is concerned, at that time it did not have all the high tech features that the S550 has and additionally, it was only available in RWD. I vowed several years ago that I will NEVER buy another car without AWD. Additionally, as others have stated, I was concerned with the range between charges for the Tesla. I take quite a few long trips. I will also add that the S550 has a more luxurious interior as many others have posted on the other thread.

Having said all this, as I posted on a different thread, I agree with WEBSRFR that the future (long term) of the automobile is in all electric. Either that or perhaps hydrogen fuel cells. I don't understand why MB does not make a bigger push towards this end. I also think that hybrids are a waste of money.

But for now, in my opinion, there is nothing out there that beats the S550. I absolutely love this car and drive it a lot (almost 18,000 miles in 1 year). Tomorrow marks the 1 year anniversary for owning the 2014 S550.

LovinMercedes

Don't feel bad. In 2007, I bought a SL600 and sold it 2 months later with 1500 miles on the car.

BKWard

I've always liked the look of the Lexus LS460 and I have friends who love theirs. That was on my list to test drive, even more than the Audi. But, like I said, one test drive of the S550 and I was done. Audi drivers are so aggressive....or is that just me? I'd still like to test drive one (Lexus) just for the hell of it but don't want to waste the salespersons time as I'm good in the car dept. for a while. My goal is to keep this car for a long time. The car before this one, the BMW 650i Gran Coupe.....I knew after the first month that I was not going to keep it more than 2 years and thats about how long I kept it. It was to cramped inside. Looked great, drove great...but not enough room inside.

Now, one thing I miss is the cameras mounted over the center of the front wheels, you could push a button when coming out of an alley or a parking spot and see traffic in both directions. Instead of having to slowly poke your nose out to see traffic you simply press the button. The S550 has a great camera surround set up but curious why they didn't add cameras there too. I do think it has the best camera system of any car I've driven regardless.

hyperion667

didn't consider anything else.....only Benz

emilner

A8 4.0 LWB but that went to the trash after 20 minutes in a 222

SteveVukelich

A 2014.5 Land Rover Range Rover "L" Supercharged. And I bought it. It's a truck, but what a treat!

ajm0623

nothing. i replace my s-class every two years so there was no question that it would be another s-class. (i did, however, think about keeping my 221 for a third year cos i *really* liked it but caved and traded it last week for the lunar blue/crystal grey 222 that's in my garage now.) imo - there is no better ride than the s. i play around with a second car for sports fun (porsche, bmw, amg, whatevs) but will always have a s-class in the garage for as long as i can afford to do so.

i was messing about for a time with a special order (like lovin' did) 222 with a bespoke colour combination of designo graphite grey and the saddle that is only available in the coupe currently. but after consulting with lovin' (thanks, btw, my man!) and talking with my dealer, it just wasn't feasible and too fussy and time consuming. so i bought the one i have now. maybe benzo will open up the color banks (both int and ext) in the next two years when it is time to trade again and they will make more colours available.

i did look at a 750il for about ten seconds. it had a beautiful saddle interiour (i think they call it amaro brown) but realised that was the only thing i found attractive about it.

sam9187

Nothing. No second choice for me

hyperion667

always did like those interiors.........with teak

UrBusted

Was going between an Audi A8 or Mercedes E63. Went to brooklands and chose the Mercedes E63. Was about to order it until I was persuaded into taking a test drive in the S Class.

DaveVY

We bought almost 1.5 years ago. We looked at BMW 7 series, Lexus LS460, Maserati Quattraporte, Audi A8, Cadillac XTS. My Bride had wanted a Lexus for some time so we were getting ready to pull the trigger on the Lexus when we decided to drive by the MB dealer and saw the new S. From the moment that we sat inside the car and had the first test drive the decision was a no brainier for us.

hyperion667

wow, you guys really tried all those cars huh? sounds like WORK
and then to end up in the S at the end of the day; very good choice Sir
maybe congrats on marriage too?

pdeacon

Now there's a testimonial if there ever was one. MBUSA should use you in an ad! Great choice, by the way.

BluetecKING

I haven't purchased one yet but debating between
1. Used Bentley Flying Spur
2. Range Rover Autobiography L

Streamliner

I actually tried to NOT go for a new S. I tried desperately to love the Audi A8 or the Lexus LS460L, as I didn't want to "reward" MB for screwing up the S550. As a long time hater of the Panorama Roof, it disgusted me that they now shoved it down my throat by making it standard. I felt that they lost their minds by going with Run Flat Tires and didn't even offer the option of a jack & spare. In addition, being a lover of the magnificent W221 exterior styling, I was so disappointed in the 222 and REALLY wanted something else. But, in the end, the Audi just didn't have the ride or the luxury and the poor, old Lexus LS is so long in the tooth, that it's just not in the same league anymore, with the 7 Series BMW better, but not by all that much. So, I bit my lip and ordered a 2015 S550. It's a great car. I like it, but I'll never love it, at least in this iteration. Maybe when the mid-cycle refresh comes along, maybe then.

BluetecKING

I also "want" to go for a lexus ls460l but the model hasn't changed since 2007 and frankly I don't want a facelift.

wilassasin

As much as I love my pano-roof, I totally agree with this posting that MB should have allowed the consumer to make their own decision and made the pano-roof a free upgrade.

Streamliner

From 1993 through 2012, I had eight new, fully loaded LS sedans, which were my daily drivers. Each one, for their place in time was pretty wonderful and did exactly what they were supposed to do: deliver ultra smooth, ultra quiet driving with rock solid dependability, backed by THE best dealer service on the planet. I truly loved the brand. But it is never really talked about and kudos to Toyota for not using it as an excuse, but the huge earthquake & tsunami had a devastating effect on the company and they were forced to make many painful decisions. Unfortunately, one of those decisions was to almost completely ignore their magnificent flagship, the LS and to use their remaining resources in other areas. The current LS is virtually identical to the 2007 model, with the exception of that horrid "spindle" grill, and that's NINE years. If you look at a current LS and then look at the competition, the poor LS just doesn't make the cut anymore.
With the current direction Lexus has taken, with performance seemingly becoming more important than luxury and comfort, it would appear that Lexus is turning their backs on the products that put them on the map in the luxury car game. I see that as a crying shame. Oh well.

MBZFAN55

We should re-title this, "My Greatest Mistakes When Not Deciding on the S-Class"! While waiting for a special order S63 I got frustrated and took a GL550 off the showroom floor, which I kept for 3 months and 1200 miles! As bad as I felt, it was a good lesson every time I begin to wander away from the S.

Streamliner

+1 on that. I traded my 2012 S550 for a 2014 ML350BT. I actually liked most everything about the ML, but could not stand the "cheap pick-up truck" ride quality over anything other than ribbon smooth pavement. Had it not been for that, I would have kept the ML and still ordered my new S, as I now realize that I can't be without a big, comfy sedan.

BluetecKING

Agreed, they want people to think that the current ls460l is more than a facelift but it truly isn't. My only complaint with my ls460l is the fake burl wood and of course the fact the technology in the car is 9 years old. What I like about the most is that I haven't had to do any major work on my ls460l, and it has 95k miles. Since the next few cars I will be leasing I won't care if they brake, besides getting the cla loaner.