I'm thinking about upgrading from my 02 Lexus LS to the S-class, 7-series, or waiting for the new Lexus LS or Audi A8. I've read a lot of review on the S-class and my biggest concern is reliability.

I owned a 94 S-class and it gave me nothing but trouble and it seems like it spent more time at the dealership service than at the house. Consumer report and some other ratings have shown below average for this current car, which is what's keeping me from pulling the trigger because I absolutely love the ride comfort as well as interior and exterior design. From what I've read nothing can match the comfort for 4 adults of this car for long trips.

Basically the car will be used to run errands as well as for long road trips for 4 adults, some of which are in places with no cell phone reception. Plus I'll probably be driving a lot of places with no MB dealership nearby.

What kinds of problems are common with this car? Are they ones that would keep you from getting the car if you were in my shoes?

 

No problems after 1 year 10k miles. Love the car!

 

Before getting my first S550 in 2013, I had eight, brand new, top line Lexus LS sedans. All of them had air suspension. I loved most of them, but when I got my 2013 W221, I gave up on Lexus. MB has really opened a big lead between the two brands as far as luxury and features go. I put the current LS behind most all competing cars in the segment, as it is a dinosaur, basically unchanged since 2007. Add to that, the absolutely idiotic "spindle grill" and other anime design features and I truly feel that the Lexus brand has become a joke, aimed only at those who play video games 24 hours a day. To answer your main question, I have found both my 2013 W221 and 2015 W222 to be less problematic than either my 2008 or 2011 LS460L's were. I like to say that I didn't leave Lexus, Lexus left me. Right now, I would like a new RX as a third car, but if they think I would ever consider driving around in that "Super Hero" caricature of a vehicle, with all those jagged edges and lightning bolt designs, they need to get their heads examined. Get yourself a new 222. You'll love it and never go back.

 

My S600 has spent 1.5 hours in service over 18 months of ownership (A service)

 

I put 17,000 plus miles in 1 year. no problems at all.

 

My 2015 S550 4matic will be two years old this July. Other than scheduled maintenance, my car has been back to the dealer once for an issue: The front passenger side seat heating control stuck in the "on" position & discharged the battery.

Other than that, the car has been rock-solid.

 

Reliably, or lack thereof, is just not a consideration on the W221 or W222.

The car is great. Maybe you want it, maybe you don't, but it is not because of reliability.

 

I have not had any real issues. They changed my brake rotors because of a vibration during one of my service visits (under warranty). But that was probably driver initiated- I was a bit aggressive. Other than that the car has been flawless and frankly I never hear much towards the way of complaints with the 222's...

 

Based on my experience W222 is extremely reliable. My '14 S550 4matic (before being totaled by insurance company) had 16000 miles on it. Only issue was the seat leather separated at the front headrest area--replaced under warranty.


My '16 S550 4matic with 6300 miles also has been worry free. In fact, my '08 S550 4matic and my '06 S500 4matic were extremely reliable as well. I did have some electrical issues on my '01 S500. But my experience has been the w222 is a worry free car. Simply an awesome car.

 

9 months and 9000 miles here...absolutely 0 problems thus far...hoping it'll continue...

 

Yet people who don't even own the car are complaining the S Class has **** reliability. I've been a proud owner of a 221 and a 222 and neither of them had major issues. There has been 2 minor issues on my 222 though, one to do with the navigation software not mapping roundabouts correctly and some of the rubber around the sun visor in my opinion needs to be replaced.

 

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Based on my recent experience with Audi and comments on other forums I will definitely not wait for the A8. Audi seems to be in the midst of a major slump in quality, probably just as bad if not worse than the one Mercedes had in the late 90's early 2000's

 

The front passenger door window switch went bad. They had to order one from Germany been 10 days already. Also rear seatbelt had no tension. Easy fix under warranty.

 

Apart from 2 flat tires, not a single issue. Simply love this car. Now when will we get 4G Command??

 

1y and 7600m and no mechanical or running issues. whilst it is solid as ever as any s i have owned the last 25yrs, there are some niggling issues with the keyless go not operating and my txtmsgs not downloading and the right door rear view mirror dip not returning to its original postion. those are minor issues and annoyances. but you expect these things to work ALL THE TIME in a $120 car. so overall, i am a big fan except for three blown tyres and a cracked rim. the wheel and tyre insurance policy i got when i bought the car saved my butt over and over again.

and since the o/p asked what issues would keep me from getting this car (again), i would say two things:

1/ if i was going to get another s (i am not), i certainly would not get the 20" low profile tyres. whilst they look killer, i need to consider function over form. i have lost confidence in this car due to how easily the tyres blow given the poor roads here in the midwest. and you need to have confidence in your equipment. so consider carefully the 20" tyres (that come with the "sport package +1" option) and maybe go with the 19" that come with the standard sport package.

2/ on the motorway, the car is brill. exactly what you want for a 10h ride. and this is exactly why i bought it. it sits in the garage most of the time save for those long-haul trips because around town, it is a boring drive. so consider your needs before buying.

 

Great car.no problems.Hit a wild turkey so needs headlight replaced.In my experience the Mercedes is more reliable than Porsche panamera. As my service manager who also looks after Porsche's said MERCEDES HAS IT DOWN PAT. .PORSCHE IS STILL NOT THERE ON RELIABILITY.

 

Buy the W222 and you will never go back to Lexus .

 

Thanks for the info everyone. As I stated I absolutely love the look and feel of the car and driving dynamics are exactly what I'd like in a car like. I have a separate sports car with a manual that I love for sporty driving, but for a long road trip across the country for 4 adults a car like this is the way to go.

I found the Consumer Reports from April of 2016 and the S-class has an overall score of 73, with owner satisfaction above average and expected reliability of below average. What's strange i that the 2014 has much worse than average for brakes, noise/leasks, power equipment, and in-car electronics, but the 2015 it shows above average for everything except in-car electronics.

Were there any changes from the 14 to 15? Based on your experiences and the fact that the 15 looks good as far as reliability I'm thinking the car probably makes sense.

I know this is a MB forum, but if you were in my position would you get the S-class today or is there anything on the horizon you'd consider? My old Lexus still works fine (other than the navigation being out of date), but it's looking long in the tooth. As much as I love the Lexus service, the new Lexus seem to moving away from what I loved about them. The BMW 7 looks great, but the reviews I've seen show the S-class to have the better ride comfort.

 

Your interior is beautiful really. Why is it when I looked at this color on a amG GTS it looked bluish.

 

Thank you. I didn't think the AMG GTS came in Auburn Brown. That was a special order color for my interior.

If you would like, lots of pictures in the link below.

https://mbworld.org/forums/new-s-cla...it-begins.html

 

I have 10K on my S550 and had to get the window switch replaced as the window was stuck on the passenger side and wouldn't go all the way up. Should I mention that this happened when the window tint guy was taking off the door panel?