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W222 vs W221 Differences

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Old Dec 11, 2019 | 11:49 AM
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Cadguy's Avatar
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W222 vs W221 Differences

A few years ago I had a 2007 S550 4Matic with 18 inch wheels. How much of a difference in ride comfort is there between the W222 and W221 in terms of isolation from bumps, potholes and expansion joints? Do the run flat tires significantly degrade the ride and increase road noise? I'm not at all interested in tech features but what is the difference in sound quality between the Harman Kardon Logic 7 in the W221 and the base Burmester in the W222? I didn't like the sound of the HK.
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Old Dec 11, 2019 | 09:50 PM
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2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
I went from a 2013 S550 with ABC and 18” wheels, to a 2015 S550 with MBC, 18” wheels and run flats. At that time, the difference in ride comfort was DAY AND NIGHT, with the earlier generation RFT riding life concrete blocks. I immediately changed them to a set of conventional tires and the ride improved greatly. Fast forward to 2018 and I got a new S560 with MBC, 18” wheels and the factory supplied RFT were greatly improved. I COULD have lived with them, but still switched to conventional tires. I now feel that I have one of “THE” best riding sedans in the world. Can’t say enough about the new Bridgestone QuietTrack tires. I carry a compact spare in my trunk.

Last edited by Streamliner; Dec 12, 2019 at 11:01 AM.
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Old Dec 12, 2019 | 09:23 AM
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2025 S63. 2022 911 Turbo S, 23 BMW M5C
I went from a 2012 to a 2018. It was slightly different, not a lot in my opinion. I love both cars. Just drive one, I don't think anyone on here can qualitatively explain the difference any better than you could by driving a newer one. The seats are pretty sweet in the 2018 but so were they in the 2012. Sound deadening and stuff like that? Both were excellent. Stereo? Both crushed it in that dept. I have the upgraded Burmeister stereo and I can't hear any real difference that would have been worth $6k or more plus in cost. Literally everyone will give you a different opinion here so just drive one. You'll be amazed I'm sure.
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Old Dec 12, 2019 | 10:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Cadguy
A few years ago I had a 2007 S550 4Matic with 18 inch wheels. How much of a difference in ride comfort is there between the W222 and W221 in terms of isolation from bumps, potholes and expansion joints? Do the run flat tires significantly degrade the ride and increase road noise? I'm not at all interested in tech features but what is the difference in sound quality between the Harman Kardon Logic 7 in the W221 and the base Burmester in the W222? I didn't like the sound of the HK.
W221 is such a great car to the fact it was too hard to make the W222 way better! I think by the time the W221 was released it was 15 years ahead (engineering and technology wise) of most other normal cars at that time, while the W222 was probably 5-7 years ahead of other cars.....W222 is certainly better but the W221 now is unbeatable in terms of what you get for it's current value in the market! ... it's hard to compare, W222 is a better option certainly but you can still get comparable quality for one third of the price if u get W221, so it's up to you and depends on how much you want to spend on your next car....

Last edited by S_W222; Dec 12, 2019 at 10:35 AM.
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Old Dec 12, 2019 | 01:07 PM
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s550 Diamond white amg pano
I went from a 10 s550 amg sport to a 15 amg sport. Night and day. Both rode well but the w222 handling is way better and more solid.
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Old Dec 13, 2019 | 09:21 PM
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1997 W140 S420
1bad540, you have had many different generations of the S class, right? Did you also have a W140?
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Old Dec 14, 2019 | 10:46 AM
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Hey man long time! No I never had the 140, I had a few series of 7 series before the benzs. Still have a couple bmws around.
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