What?? The new Range Rover interior is the most blandest/minimalistic it's ever been, the exterior is not aggressive at all; I'd call it beautiful but if you don't like the new S Class' I don't see how you'll feel any better about the new Range Rovers lol

 

I don't like Range Rover and Jaguar interiors at all. Why do you have to use the same rotary knob to control seat heaters as well as A/C is just nothing but minimalistic and minimalism in car design makes things trickier to operate to me. W222's interior is also classier even than Rolls Royce interiors because they also look too simple

 

Hello all, first post, but the following quoted post I wanted to respond to as no one really seemed to be addressing a pet peeve of mine regarding this subject.

You are ignoring the previous poster's point though, which was about the danger that touchscreen controls pose. Going from a Blackberry to a touchscreen phone was not dangerous and overall proved more convenient. But eliminating most all physical buttons and dials from a vehicle is not the same. When you have to go into a sub-menu to adjust the fan speed or temperature setting, or slide your finger across the screen to do so, that is literally like messing with your cell phone while driving and not safe. It's a LOT easier to just reach over and turn a dial or knob. And the resistance to touch screens in cars in this sense isn't saying touch screens shouldn't be there. Touch screens are great, they allow for lots of features and fewer physical buttons and dials, but for some things, physical buttons and dials are superior. Same with computers. Smartphones and tablets are great, but to be truly productive, you need an old-fashioned physical keyboard.

From what I understand, some manufacturers are actually moving away from touch screens in cars to the degree they've had them as people hate certain of the controls being in them. To me, this reminds me of when Microsoft decided to change Windows with Windows 8 because, well, "they decided" that was the "future." People hated it because there was no reason to and they were forced to change back. Not wanting certain controls in the touch screen does not mean one is not tech-savvy or a hater of tech.

 

I posted this in a W223 thread a while ago. I hope more buttons come back.

https://apple.news/AAvaut6KsRrCRVibjug5qBw

 

100% agree. No telling the number of wrecks caused by touch screen interruptions.

 

At my age, snd with less than 30,000 on my 5-year old S560, it’s doubtful I’ll buy another.

But, I guarantee you I won’t buy one that hasn’t gone back primarily to buttons.

 

What I love about my Toyota 4Runner is it seems to have a perfect balance between touch screen, voice command, and physical controls. It has push button start, but the heated seats are controlled by two physical dials. It has an 8-inch touch screen with eight physical buttons surrounding it (four on each side) with labels like "PHONE," "MAP," "AUDIO," etc...there are also two small knobs, one for controlling volume and the other for cycling through radio stations. There are three big chunky knobs for the climate controls, one for fan speed, one for vent choice, and one for temperature. Very simple. There are also two HUGE buttons, one for recirculate and one for the rear defrost and heated side mirrors. If you press say the "MAP" button, then the navigation system comes up and if you want to type in an address, then a keyboard on the touchscreen appears that is very easy to use. If you press "AUDIO," you can choose from buttons on the screen for adjusting the bass, treble, etc...or if you want AM, FM, Bluetooth, Sirius XM, Android or Carplay, etc...the shifter is an old-fashioned physical hand lever, but that is because the 4Runner's powertrain is ancient (from 2003, 5 speed automatic transmission here, more a 4-speed with one overdrive gear ), but plenty easy to use. And since it is an Off-Road model, the 4WD selector is a physical lever (this is more reliable but probably not something you want unless you really want a manual transfer case as it's hard to pull it into 4WD---standard 4Runners have a dial with electronic transfer case). It also has a regular dipstick for things like checking the oil.

Radio presets are buttons on the screen which I don't care for, but they aren't too hard to use and you can cycle through the presets via buttons on the steering wheel, so it isn't much a problem. By being in the screen, you also can have a huge amount of presets. If I want to text while driving, I can just press a button on the steering wheel, say, "Text so-and-so..." then say the text, then say "Send." Very easy-peasy.

 

Didn't you love your EQS though? Its the same interface.

 

Its ancient inside though and feels it. Screen is tiny and low resolution. I want more buttons than the W223 has but not to go back to 15 year old design...

 

Don’t mean to mislead anyone. You can check out my post under EQS, covering “Things I miss… and don’t miss…”
about my EQS 450.

Definitely disliked slider/touch controls; not fond of screen controls.

 

Oh I agree and I am not saying to. The screen isn't tiny per se though unless you're used to the big 10 inch and larger screens, as it's an 8-inch screen. But yes it's lower resolution, nothing fancy. Remember Toyota has multiple times updated the interior over those fourteen to fifteen years. The 2010 4Runner had virtually no screen, then it was updated to a 6 inch screen, now it is an 8 inch screen. However THAT they just put in in 2020 I think, along with Apple Carplay, Android Auto, and features like lane change alert, pre-collision assist, blind spot detection, etc...The all-new 4Runner should be coming out soon though. But it is pretty well known you don't buy a 4Runner for sporty handling, fast performance, fuel economy, techy interior, etc...just mechanical reliability and off-road capability. The new one will probably have the turbocharged 4 cylinder.

 

I just had a 2022 model as a rental, its still ancient...for what they cost I wouldn't be able to deal with the tech

 

W22000 vs W221 vs W222 exteriors -

My son has his 2012 S550 up (it's my previous car he bought when I got my 2018 S 560.) Obviously, there are minor sheet metal and dimension changes,but I cannot for the life of me see how someone would thnk the 220 is better looking than the 221 0r 222. To my, my son;s 221 is still beautiful, just as is my 222.

-30 -

 

Totally agree that MB is losing their touch 😢
I bought my 2014 S63 AMG for 3 reasons
1 ) - I love the exterior look- classy but sporty
2) the interior makes a person feel special - technology is great for an older guy
3) the AMG performance makes it fun to drive - especially since Benz Ninja Peter set it up to always be in S and with ILS+ lights

$ to maintain are much less than a newer version that you don't like (IMO)

 

My grandfather had many S-Classes ranging from the W220-W223 each one the 2.9 diesel (320,350) his first S-Class was a 2004 Chalcedony Blue over beige leather S320 CDI, the second was a 2008 S320 CDI Black over tan leather, then he wanted to try an A8 which lasted 2 years 😂 which he changed to a 2015 S350 Bluetec LWB Cavansite over macchiato beige and espresso leather. My favourite was a 2018 S350dL in Selenite Grey over porcelain nappa exclusive. And then on to the car I make this post about today... a 2021 W223 S350d (SWB this time) which wasn't his original order. He had ordered a Long wheelbase selenite over sienna leather S400dL with just about every option as he was amazed with the look of the new s class and wanted the full package. The car was ordered june of 2020 and still wasn't there by June of the 2021 😂 After many phone calls with Mercedes Ireland he finally opted for a car off the showroom floor, one of the first W223's in Ireland was a High Tech Silver S350d and in his own words was 'the worst car i've ever owned'. It was terrible! Each time you sat in the seat the plastic covering hiding the seat wiring came off! Bare in mind this was a €150,000 car! Not alone the build quality but the design flaws were endless! If you drove in the sun the vents on top of the dash reflected in the windscreen. Among other things including price (the car was 150k and didn't have a 360° camera???) Anyways he again had enough of the car and decided it was time to go ( only owned it a few months) He contacted Mercedes Ireland and explained how frustrating the car was to own so they gave him the money back on the car and took it back. The dealer he buys from had contacted him to say they were waiting on a brand new GLS 350d Premium to arrive. So myself and him went to look at it when it came into stock and he loved it. The seats were like the W222 large and comfortable and the layout was more familiar to him as it wasn't unlike the W222 so he fell in love with it and took it home. By FAR the best car he's ever had and he's had some good ones! To cut a very long story short. If your considering a new S Class, I personally wouldn't recomend it. Ridiculous prices for a car with cheap build quality and has overall let the S Class name down. Shame really because the W222 was a terrific car!

 

I have a GLS450 loaner I have had for about a week, and while I like it a lot I have come to the conclusion that it’s not a replacement for the S Class. It has some little rattles inside at 11k miles, it has a weird fault with the left hand turn signal where it will fast click and give me a warning to check the turn signal, but the turn signal is fine and flashes outside at the normal speed despite the fast clicking inside. The seats are nowhere near as comfortable as the seats in the W222, interior and build quality is also nowhere near the W222.

I have driven a lot of 223s now because I am shopping at the end of my 222 lease and honestly I don’t really understand the hatred of this car from some people. Yes the layout inside is very different, but it’s not “bad”, it’s just different. Quality of the 23s and 24s I have driven seems very good with some slight areas where they clearly stepped back from the 222, but the interior is much higher quality overall than the GLS…

 

That glare on the windshiled from the front air vents is SUPER ANNOYING!!! Unlike most other people, I loved the interior of the W223, even the large touch screen. My issues with the W223 were the air vents, recessed door handles, and the underwhelming look of the exterior styling. I love to look at my W222!

 

I love the looks of my 222 also, but it is starting to look a little dated. The 223 also looks great IMO...

 

I think every bodystyle grows on people after time. I had a W220 and LOVED the look of that car, and thought the W221 was too edgy, so I never bought it. But now, I don't mind the look of the W221 as much so much so that I'd consider buying one if I didn't already have my W222. As far as looking dated; only us hard core enthusiast can tell the difference in the body styles. I think the general public couldn't tell the difference between the last 3 generations...LOL

 

For me what dates the 222 somewhat are the character lines down the side, the smooth sided look of the 223 is more "current"

 

i've got a gls450 as a loaner right now as well. my '20 s560 (29,000mi) was throwing a cel - turns out to be a failed thermostat - and that takes ~10d to fix given how hard it is to access that bit. at least that's what the dealer is telling me. hard to believe - but whatevs - it's under warranty. i agree that the gls is not a replacement for the s - it is - and drives school bus eweUUUGE - and the interiour materials are nowhere near the quality of my s' exclusive nappa. very nice loaner - but - um - no thanks long term. NOW - i have sworn up and down that clint eastwood would have to pry my cold dead hands off the wheel of my s560 - but the other more authoritarian denizen of my homestead tells me she has lost confidence in the s now that the dealer has had it 10d and she wants me to buy a '25 s580. kill me now.

so to keep the peace - does anyone know when the '25 s580 order banks open? i don't keep atop of these things anymore given me and the aforementioned clint are best mates.

 

You don't throw the baby out with the bath water when it gets its first rash. {{you wait for the 3rd or 4th time...}}

 

So I just got my S560 back from 8 days at the dealer to replace the valve cover gaskets, a HUGE job...basically the whole front of the car has to come off. Getting back into it after the GLS loaner though, its such an amazing car.

I would not replace the car just for that repair. This is what warranties are for, the S580 is the same engine with added complexity and it could just as easily, if not be more likely to have a long stay at the dealer for some issues. These are just complex engines in tight quarters...just keep it under warranty.

With that said, if you want a S580...get one...but I wouldn't get one out of concern over this one repair. Check out my thread in this forum about the valve cover repair I am going to post the service order. Its 3 pages long!

 

thanks. i DON'T want one. at all. with a 1000 suns burning i don't want one. i wanna keep the 560. it's perfect. but what seems to be lost on you and mitch is that i am not in control of this decision ... are we really ever? pick your battles. a stupid car is not one of those. tell me your household is any different! HA! so - again - i ask - do you know when the '25 banks are open for order?

 

You could/can be--you may have to offer something of rather equal value to get our way.

Now to be fair, I let my wife make most of the decisions, and all (100%) of the ones I don't really care about.
But we setup a system where I have my money, she has her money, and we have joint money.
My cars (and hobbies) come out of my money, hers comes out of hers.
Been working fine for us for nearly 40 years.