AugustHorch

Hi all,

New to the forums as I've been a long-time Audi owner/driver. One of the resident members here will undoubtedly recognize me and put me on a death march.

I currently drive a 2017 Audi A8L 4.0T, with my lease up, later next year. I'm exploring my options and the current (2020) S560 is on the list since the 2021 model may introduce mostly touch displays, like most other cars nowadays. I've done some research, reading threads on here, complaints, etc... But, wanted to get a voluntary take from the community: I know you all love your S-Class, but are there issues, certain gripes, things that bother you or are gimmicky, in every day driving?

Appreciate your input!

77Tony

S-Class is great...now hurry and tell us about this death march thang^^ T

AugustHorch

He may pop in here sooner or later.

Otherwise, thanks for your feedback. How long have you had your S550?

77Tony

Aug this year and been loving it. https://mbworld.org/forums/new-s-cla...458-tilda.html

MBS63AMG

I would definitely get the 2020 W222. These have been the most reliable cars I've ever owned and I don't think I'm going to like the touchscreen display. They should never stop using the rotary knob operation. I just traded my 2017 for a 2019 and both have been wonderful cars.

AugustHorch

@77Tony Beautiful car! I wasn't originally even considering a light interior, but yours is giving me ideas.

@MBS63AMG That's the sense I get browsing through the threads and posts on here. Minor glitch or complaints here and there, but nothing major that has caught my attention. Good to know.

sclass350d

Hi there,

I've had a good few issues with my w222 been back to the dealership 12 times in 13 months now.

*Touchpad stopped working
*Air con stopped working faulty condenser
*All parking sensors failed moisture in wiring harness
* mirror puddle leads failed due to moisture
* most worrying of all both head lights have major moisture issues. Gel packs installed moisture returned after 6 months, dipped beam failed due to electronic damage from moisture. £3000 pound uk for a single headlamp, new headlight installed within 2hrs moisture is present again.

please see photos here:
https://w222sclass.blogspot.com/2019/11/mercedes-benz-sclass-w222-headlight.html

Mercedes say it's not an issue so be prepared to spend a few thousand each year for new headlights.

I've contacted mercedes Germany where the sclass is manufactured but they dont want to know about it.


All the items I have listed about have been reported on this site by other members so these are not once off issues.

It's a lovely car to drive etc but the build quality is truly shocking the worst car I have ever owned, it was 18 months old when I bought it.

Be prepared for all of the above is my advice

lawguy

Does anyone ever find the speed limiter frustrating?

Is it removable by coding or options?

absent

Do you mean the top speed limiter?
It can be modified with code, most tuners that offer ECU modifications remove the speed limiter at the same time.

AugustHorch

@sclass350d It helps once I know which keywords to search the forums for, so... thank you.

Based on some of the posts I've seen so far, it looks like the majority of the reports are for the pre-refresh (two-stripe) headlight assemblies. I'll keep digging to see if there are reports of moisture in the latest three-stripe designs.

superangrypenguin

Will try and be as impartial here...

A8 pros

1) Runs on regular tires (and has a spare), W222 runs on run flats. Donut from the W221 will work but you can only put it on the trunk floor. On top of this, the W222 fidgets over road imperfections as a result (reported by several testers, notably UK testers such as Carwow, etc)
2) Is quieter (both by personal testing and reported by professional testing entities, such as Car and Driver (look up the instrumented tests for both current gen flagships)
3) Has a 'centered' steering wheel. The W222 steering wheel is offset
4) Massage seats that actually work, as opposed to the W222 which only works well if you are average/heavier. For me, I barely feel it and it's annoying. For full disclosure, the LS500's massage seats win as they also massage the bum.
5) Tires are the same size all around. The W222 is staggered which means you can't rotate the tires
6) Personally, the W222 seats give me back pain/*** pain, but I believe I am an oddity here with this feedback.
7) No moisture concerns in the headlights.
8) OBD11!
9) I prefer the MMI on the A8. That said this is entirely subjective. Couldn't pay me to go back to COMAND.
10) The A8 should resist corrosion well as per Audi's INKA testing, but the W222 has no known rust issues, so this is a toss up.

W222 pros
1) Significantly cheaper and faster to repair post an accident due to conventional body design/materials used
2) Lack of a 48V system (at least for now), so cheaper to own long term and less overall crap/junk that no one here wants - ESPECIALLY the lack of a stupid lithium ion battery which costs 4 children to replace. ($$ is coming down rapidly, but it's still north of $1200 and not covered by warranty)
3) CPO vehicles cover the air strut itself, versus Audi's CPO coverage specifically excludes the air spring
4) It has presence. The A8 does not. (pro/con depending on how one looks at it)
5) The standard Burmester stereo is garbage (no subwoofer, seriously?!) but the Burmester High End system is absolutely fantastic, and as it has 3 speakers on the headliner of the car, I'd say the acoustic sound may be better than on the Bang and Olufsen Advanced 3D stereo found on the A8 due to a 3D 'spatial' audio nuance.
6) There is a LOT more information out there on the W222 in case you like to tinker with cars
7) The assisted driving aids on the 222 are better than on the A8. E.g. the auto lane keep assist on the 222 actually....erm, work.
8) Like all MB vehicles, MB paint is better, and harder. That said, it means it's harder to correct, but I am a sucker for MB paint.
9) The 3 pointed star.
10) A proven track record from a reliability perspective.
11) I don't know if auto start stop can be 'killed' and 'remembered' on the 222, but if so, that'd be a pro. That said - I'm unsure of this one.
12) Real exhaust pipes!
13) Extended warranty (ELW) is underwritten and administered by Mercedes Benz (USA/Canada). Not so in either country for Audi's extended warranty plans.

AugustHorch

There he is! And, I'm still alive. lol

Thanks for your pros/cons comparison.

amir1

While all the Pros and Cons are important, the most important is how do you like sitting in it and driving it. Take an S class on an extended test drive and you'll know the answer to your choice of cars. Its typically a resounding yes, i'll switch to the S class or absolutely not.

superpop

Audi is more like BMW and less like Merc. Audi will always be a shined up volkswagen to me but hey, what do I know. The Merc just has a different DNA. At this level, you will probably like both cars and both brands are great, I just think of the Audi as more sporting while the Merc oozes luxury and brand presence. To use a watch analogy Mercedes is to Rolex as Audi is to Omega. Both great watches but very different in DNA. Personally if I want sport, I will buy a 911, I want comfort and safety, that is why I chose an S class.

superangrypenguin

I used to agree with you until evaluating the most recent set of flagship cars first hand over a period longer than a year.

From an all intents and purposes perspective Lexus is now where BMW used to be and Audi is where Lexus used to be. Mercedes is in the middle.

For example. From a comfort to sporty perspective it's now:

A8 - S Class - 7 series - LS500.

Brand wise though I'm with you 100%. From a pure product offering perspective I don't think theres anyone who will disagree with me re the above.

AugustHorch

Well, you've just tapped into my other interest with that watch analogy. Allow me to expand on that...

[Volkswagen Group = Swatch Group]
Audi A8 = Omega
Bentley = Breguet

[BMW Group = Richemont]
BMW 7 Series = IWC
Rolls-Royce = A. Lange & Söhne

Mercedes S-Class = Rolex??

I don't know... I'm not a fan of Rolex, but love Breguet. This watch analogy isn't working for me. lol

tkelley.EClass

Is the A8 more comfy then an S Class?

superpop

What about Lexus, maybe Timex? Hehe. I love my Rolex products and I think from both a quality and brand perspective Rolex and Merc align pretty well. Rolex is certainly not Haute Horology but Mercedes is not necessarily top shelf either in the world of cars.

AugustHorch

Ha!

Toyota = Seiko
Lexus = Grand Seiko

superpop

Forgot about Seiko but that is spot on.

superangrypenguin

As noted by several reviewers, yes. Some things are subjective, like seat comfort, but some things are not, like the reduced 'jitteryness' over bumps with the A8 versus the S class. Why? Simple physics. The lack of RFT on the A8 is most likely the main reason why it has the edge from a comfort perspective. Also - something else that is not subjective is noise (measured in DB on an ANSI approved A weighted dosimeter). The A8 is quieter, and in some ways, as quiet, or quieter than the Maybach S class. Don't point fingers at me. Check it out yourself by reading the instrumented test sheets on C&D which have an idle noise readout, at 70mph, and WOT.