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@JY-MB what is that exterior color called again? Interesting.
the color is ruby black. It’s definitely interesting. Sometimes it’s red or different shades of red. Sometimes it’s black sometimes it’s a deep dark black/purple and sometimes bronze looking.
I will write up a complete review on what I think about the 2018 in a few days. On all the options and what I think is worth it and what I wouldn’t get again. I haven’t had enough time yet with it all. More pics will be coming.
Having seen this color in person, I can testify that Mtrauman's pictures have the most accurate color profile.
i captured the attached pictures during international autoshow in Shanghai. Unfortunately , cars were locked so the picture is a bit messed up due to reflections ..
I enjoy the look of the 20in AMG wheels. They look sporty but at the same time have a quality luxury look in person.
Rear tail lights at night look really neat. However the top of each light strip is the only thing that looks different. The under side of each light strip is the same. Look at in person and you will see what I am talking about.
Steering wheel looks better but I wish it had more leather. I love the combination of wood but when you want a heated steering wheel just a little more leather would be nice.
Ok ok review on specifics.
The ride seems softer. Maybe it’s just me but the car seems to float more and bumps seem less harsh. Trade off is it feels less connected to road and feels less direct with steering.
Electronics.
I really didn’t like the last format at all. I have many bmw’s and find even the newer system much slower. When selected a Sirius radio station it lags behind. The stations sometimes show the last song until you select it. That really sucks. You select a station to hear a specific song only to find it’s a different song and updates.
Same me with the new lighting. Selecting and scrolling through the colors the cursor always is behind and sometimes goes back a few colors trying to catch up. You also can’t set brightness for all the lights at the same time. It’s separated in three zones and you have to manually set the brightness for each one. I like the option to do this but most the time if I want to just dim all of it it would be nice to be able to do them all at same time.
I have not found a way to show the weather on the main split screen. Not sure it’s even offered. However I haven’t spent a huge amount of time looking.
Distronic works much better and setting the distance is actually shown on the dash. The slowing down and speeding up is a much smoother process.
The headlights
Biggest upgrade I have noticed. Going down the highway in a line of cars you can really see the difference. My lights shine up half way up the wall lining the highway. No one else’s car had lights touching the wall. I could also see the headlights reaching the other side of the highway. Really impressed with the width of the low beams. Turn the high beams on and it’s really neat. The don’t just flash on. They start in the middle of the car and open like a movie curtain. Lighting the dark from the middle in. Idk if Mercedes designed that on purpose but it’s really cool.
Again not sure if it can be turned on/off permanently but I have only looked a little bit. But as of now it seems every time you get in the car if you want to turn off the auto economy mode you have to manually turn it off each time you get in. Really annoying.
3-d sound system
I haven’t played much with it but I have lots of experience with all kinds of factory and aftermarket systems.
On the plus side it offers many different factory settings like a tv does for image. Each one is very different sounding and has its own bonuses.
The bass so far has been really disappointing and no where close to what I was expecting. I haven’t pushed the system yet so this is definitely a new review. The highs sound better meaning less distortion and more crisp but again I haven’t found much bass and mids seem to be drowned out from the brightness of the highs. Again i have spent very little time with the system. That could all change with settings.
Brakes
Pedal feel isn’t as smooth as my 15.
It’s a stiff brake pedal
Dash
Design is cool but nothing is fast or easy. I have a g force meter stuck in the middle of my Speedo and haven’t figured out if or how to remove it. It’s not in the basic settings.
Thanks for the review. How is it compared to your '15 at staying in its lane, especially with curves?
It works better however not nearly as well as I expected. It still waits to long to make a correction. But it is improved. I’m mostly disappointed in the new software. I can’t believe how slow and glitchy it is. I sure hope a software update fixes it.
Agree with the lights. During daylight not much difference but at night both the headlight and taillight look really nice. Can’t beat the headlights at night. No more Sirius weather. TomTom now. Like apple car play. Supposed to have weather integrated with maps but I can’t see any weather reports. Did note that in apps section weather looks similar to previous split screen. Apparently can’t make it permanent on the split screen like before. I feel distronic is much better. Active lane change is really cool. I haven’t noticed much of a lag in electronics. Eco start and stop is much smoother, to the point I don’t mind it and leave it on. Mine is a warm weather car so I didn’t get heated steering wheel so the wood leather wheel is ideal for me. I’m still tinkering with the comand functions. Turned off the active speed limit function when I found the car slowed down to the speed limit when it sensed a change. But it is a nice feature over the 15 which didn’t have speed limit integrated into maps.
That is a beautiful car. May you have many safe and enjoyable miles in it. Can't wait for mine to come in.
very kind words. My 15 was the porcelain/black with black exterior. It was more contemporary and definitely for the younger crowd. This one has an aged look and feel. It is also substantially more optioned but I sure hope I picked the right colors.
"Right" is in the eyes of the beholder. If you liked the colors enough to pick them, they are the right ones.
True in many ways. However I picked these colors without ever seeing them in person. Very different than it looked in pics. Not a bad thing just unsure.
I truly believe that someone high up in the MB hierarchy finally laid eyes on the Mahogany interior and nearly had a seizure, as the color is SO horrid. They immediately checked to see how many sets had been procured and then gave orders to try and use them all up on the initial 2018 models. Their thinking being that there would be at least some customers out there who did not order in advance and who are desperate for ANY 2018 S Class, that they will shut their eyes and sign on the dotted line.
This Mahogany interior is like the "The Emperor's New Clothes." Nobody seems to be able or willing to say what is plainly true, and that is that someone over in Germany must have been on an acid trip when they looked at this ridiculously ugly interior and said "I like it, put it into production." To a similar but lesser degree, I believe the Gray/Brown interior falls into the same category. Change is good when it is an improvement. Change for the sake of change often results in disgusting outcomes such as these truly ugly interior choices. The Emperior is FRIGGING NAKED--and he resides in Stuttgart! Believe it!
2020 S560 Sedan, 2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, '24 BMW I7 on order...
Jason,
You posted photos but no comment? If we can assume that these numerous photos, from different angles, are fairly true to color, I'll stand by my declaration, that this is a "horrid" color combination. That said, it's all a matter of personal preference and I'm sure some folks will like it.
Jason,
You posted photos but no comment? If we can assume that these numerous photos, from different angles, are fairly true to color, I'll stand by my declaration, that this is a "horrid" color combination. That said, it's all a matter of personal preference and I'm sure some folks will like it.
Whoops, just wanted to say here are some other angles of the color, etc.
Originally Posted by hyperion667
Nice clear pics though I like the S/S button too.
Yep, looking like it might be backlit in the middle.
2015 S550 Palladium/Deep Sea Blue, 2016 Tesla Model S 70D, 2015 Volvo XC70
Originally Posted by Jason B
The contrast between these is notable. The top very red appearance is not to my taste. The bottom one, possibly. Definitely would need to see in person. Thanks for the pics.
I actually like this color scheme but it would have been better if the porcelain/whitish color leather had been black or dark grey with the salmon colored seats. Black preferably. So, what I'm saying is that the seat color is OK. It's the other outlying leather that is wrong. But as is , isn't as bad as I initially thought. Clear as mud, right? LOL
Has anyone else with an 18 experienced a slower software system. From selecting settings to choosing music??
I have to go very slow in selecting anything and with music a lot of time I have to select a station and wait for the proper song to update. iPod I have to change songs slowly and wait for it to change. I’m thinking it might need a reset.
Has anyone else with an 18 experienced a slower software system. From selecting settings to choosing music??
I have to go very slow in selecting anything and with music a lot of time I have to select a station and wait for the proper song to update. iPod I have to change songs slowly and wait for it to change. I’m thinking it might need a reset.
You might also want to check in the E-Class forum (W213) as well as the Command system is more or less identical to that one. I just had an MY18 E-Class as a rental and tried the FL S at the dealer and speed felt fine. I did, however use Apple CarPlay via USB2, not an iPod