I am a former S550 owner if some of you remember. I recently switched to a BMW X7 M50i which I really like. I am now thinking of buying a Sedan.

Any thoughts, advise or suggestions on choosing between BMW 7-series 750i 2019-2022 or the S-class S560 2018-2020 "likely 560e or loaded S560"?

 

Definitely get the W222 S Class . I had driven a pre facelift 7 Series and it didn't feel like an S Class at all . Besides, Mercedes-Benz may not the be most reliable V8 engine manufacturer but it still beats BMW V8 engines in reliability department too

 

If you read the MB vs BMW vs Audi threads on this site, there are precious few balanced views. Rather,
mostly fanboyz on one side or the other.

BMW is a more reliable manufacturer at the present moment in my view. This is from first hand experience (current BMW and MB owner), second hand experience (close friend) and from reading the various car fora.

Thrre are long and variable lags in memories with regard to brand reliability. MB still trades on its 1980s diesel reliability which is sadly long gone. Many examples abound of MB’s terrible current reliability. BMW was in recent years thought of as unreliability and flimsy, but today’s reliability and build quality are better. Seasons change, roses die.

The BMW 4.4L V8 seems at least average reliability, and you have your own personal experience to rely on from your X7 experience. Any MB with a 48V system = strong avoid in my view.

It comes down to subjective attributes - which brand and vehicle aesthetics appeal most to you?

 

The W222 platform has proven to be very reliable, overly so actually. We do not see prevalent issues popping up as often seen from any auto manufacturer. Sure, there are one offs but I would say the W222 is a more reliable platform than the G11/12.
I traded in my 2017 7 series for my 2019 S560. Aside from Idrive vs command, there is not one other aspect of the 7 I liked better than my S560. From ride quality, build quality to the luxury side of things the S560 is a much better car. Just sit in a 7 series and you immediately feel the vehicle is a notch down the ladder.

 

When I got my 2020 S560 new I went back and forth 750 vs S560 for months, I drove them extensively back to back, I like some things about the 7 more, but ultimately the S Class is the better package IMO and I went that way.

Things I think the 7 is better at:

1. I think its better looking. This is subjective but I think the LCI G12 7 is gorgeous. W222 is gorgeous too I just like the long, low look of the 7 a lot.
2. BMW's paint finish and overall fit and finish/build are better. Interior is more solid, they tend to all have the extended leather, where that is really rare on the S Class. Easier to find the upgrade B&W Audio where tthe 3D Burmester is impossible to find. One area where that is not so is the headliner, the base headliner in the S feels much nicer and the 7 needs the alcantara headliner, which is rare.
3. The 7 is a lot faster, feels a lot faster at least.
4. Infotainment tech is better, wireless CarPlay and their integration is better.

Things the S is better at:

1. Rides better, quieter, powertrain is more refined.
2. Seats are MUCH better. This was the big nail in the 7's coffin for me, the seats feel lumpy and I just could not get comfortable in them
3. Driver IP display is MUCH better, the IP display in the LCI 7 is pretty poor.
4. While I think the 7's interior is higher quality, when it comes to design and feel and sense of occasion, the S Class is superior.
5. Overall, the car just feels much grander and more special, looking down the hood at that 3 pointed star means a lot.

So for me, the S was the winner, but the 7 is an awesome car.

I may agree overall, but not in this particular comparison by a mile. The W222 has a very impressive lack of common issues, where if you look on the G12 forums they report more common issues, electrical issues, turbocharger failures etc that we don't see here on the W222 forum. BMW also has a LONG track record with big issues with their V8s.

Honestly, I say with confidence that the W222 is as reliable or MORE reliable than the Lexus LS460. Thats really saying something, the LS460s have some big ticket common items like brake actuators, valley plate leaks, control arms in the front suspension that we just don't see with the W222. Think about it, where are the air suspension failures on older W222s...you don't see them.

Reliability is not a concern with this car IMO.

 

Thank you all VERY much. This is very useful. It sounds like I can't go wrong with either vehicles anyway as they are both the best purchase we can make in that price range for a Sedan. 3 more points to highlight:

Transmission: The only concern I have about the W22 is the transmission. I had a W222 before and I used to hate how it shifts (especially with some of the common downshifting issues). My X7 M50i shifts so smoothly and I've never ever in my life driven a vehicle with a better transmission and softer shifts than the BMW. Are there any issues with the facelift W222? I know the 2014-2017 was terrible (I had one anyway and posted very long threads until I finally was able to partially fix it), but how about the facelift W222 2018-2020? I remember seeing a few owners reporting the same issue and I also think someone got a buy-back after 8 months of ownership due to this issue... any thoughts?

COMMAND vs iDrive and software updates: BMW releases software updates including some major improvements to date on most of their vehicles, even those that are 4 years old now (i.e.: 2019). Has this been improved with the facelift W222? Again, the only experience I had with MB was with the pre-facelift W222

Drive Assist: Does anyone have any experience with the new Drive Assist Pro on 2019+ BMW vs the same on the facelift W222? Which one is better? The iDrive-7 on my X7 M50i with drive assist pro does extremely well on highways, and I like the traffic jam assist (hands-free) feature at low speeds on highways. How does that compare to MB facelift W222?

 

"LCI" is a BMW term lol, no "LCI" W222. But a post refresh W222, I have no issues with how mine shifts. I would thoroughly test drive the one you are considering before buying. Its a big luxury car, and part of what makes it feel smoother and more refined is lazier softer shifts vs the 7.

COMAND is improved, but its nothing compared to iDrive. I primarily use CarPlay so this doesn't really bother me. The small screen on the 7 bothered me though, the 12" screen in my W222 (and your X7) is better

The Distronic on my 2020 works amazingly well. This is something I just tried breifly in both cars when I was shopping so I can't really say which is better since all my experience is with Distronic, but the system I have works great in both circumstances.

 

Lol, I almost forgot. Yeah, Facelift is the more common term. Sorry, have been more active on the BMW forums in the past 12 months or so, so my terms and mind is all switched now... lol. I edited my post and switched LCI to facelift whenever there is a W22 question.

Now that you said this, I just realized that the 7-series has a smaller screen than my X7 or my former W222 too. That is a +1 point for the MB. Sounds like I need to create a comparison table with points, plus a test-drive. Extended Merino leather is a plus for the BMW though.

 

No worries, I was just being funny lol

Yeah I was used to a 12 inch screen in my LS460, and the 10 inch screen in the 750 seemed really small...

 

MB transmissions are dinosaurs and shift like them. MB needs to shed their transmission business because they are not good at it. I have a 7G and have driven several 9Gs. I now own two ZF 8HPs. The ZFs are far superior - decisive, quick and smooth shifts. The ZF box does what it's told to do, when it's told to do it. Not the other way around with MB boxes, if and when they get around to doing anything.

iDrive is far superior to COMAND.

Screen size is a legitimate point.

 

My transmission feels great...its just not a sports car.

 

My S560 has a fantastic transmission. Absolute zero issues, shifts like a proper luxury car as it should and if you really need it- acts like a banshee out of hell when pushed.

 

E65 7-series. Enough said.

Also I like lazily shifting transmissions in luxury barges.

 

I had both at the same time and will tell you there are difference and you have to actually sit in them and drive them to understand them. My750 was loaded like a 760 and was custom ordered and the interior looked amazing but that is the problem it looks nicer than it is. When you stare at the dash you start noticing it looks dated and 3 series ish. It at the time was a bit tech overload as everything you touched or waived at opened a menu.

The 7 in 2018 had a lot of shiny wood and plastic that looked cheap to me sitting in the car. in pics in looks amazing. The luxury rear seats also removed power items from the passenger seat. Leather quality was very nice but so was the S. 7 seats have more adjustments especially to upper sections so if you have a bad back? If you are on the heavier side an S is a no brainer.

Drive wise the 7 was great and handles amazing for its size. It looked good but blends in too much at that price point obviously now they have over corrected that.

The S class is an older persons car which I among at 55. When you sit in the S Class it is like an event as silly as that sounds. It is boring as hell but it just does everything right at the right amount. A simple tune will have it right at the 7 's tail.

An S class will always have more presence and was teh go to show off car when we had them. I would say if you are under 50 get the 7 or modify the S to your liking. An S63 with all the carbon fiber is 7 beater including the Alpina.

Also don't rule out the S8 or even a Genisis if your not a badge ***** like we all are admit it or not. The S8 has a lot of VW type look after a couple weeks of ownership but it is a super quiet fun car. In teh end only you know what you want out of teh car besides looks which are greatly subjective.

New genesis or 5 year old S I would go with Genisis for the updated tech and no headaches. Great deals on the 80 line.

 

BMW and Genesis depreciate big. Great for those in the secondary market.... but be sure to buy that extended warranty!

 

I trade in at least one of my vehicles every single year, and have had owned dozens of vehicles in the past 10 years only not counting earlier years, non of them was ever a brand-new one. That could be just me, but my preference is to let someone else digest the "out-of-dealer-lot" depreciation hit. I can simply enjoy the same exact car with only a few thousands or <25K miles on it at most. If it's more than 2 years old, I buy an extended warranty only if I see myself keeping it beyond the factory warranty (i.e.: for 3 years or more), or I negotiate a free CPO as part of the deal "last minute, exactly when the finance manager office tries to sell me on all their fake extended warranties". That way I've enjoyed way more cars for a fraction of what I would have had to pay if they were new.

 

It is really puzzling because the same question get different answers on the BMW forums, and the opposite here on MB forums. It is clear that fans of each brand are mainly/mostly biased towards their brand. There are a few reasonable responses here by the way that was really helpful. Making the decision is really hard, but to be frank, both options seem to be a great choice, but one thing I noticed is that the 7-series sedan is a bit cheaper than Mercedes, hence if I assume they are both equal, I wonder if I can save 10 grand or more by choosing the BMW.

I already have 2 BMWs in my garage, so maybe the best option is to get the S-class to have some diversity so am not missing the pleasure of driving both brands at a time, but this purchase is going to be one of the most expensive ones so I really want to go with the right option.

Another point is the that the 7-series is easier to find with the V12 engine, while the S-class with V12 is rare and super expensive (the difference gets to over 20K for pre-owned in this case)… really puzzling. The 560e is the main advantage I see if I decide to go with the MB brand and forget the V12 engine. I want the MB/BMW luxo-sedan mainly for the fun and comfort/luxury feeling. I really miss my S-class, and want another large lux sedan again in my garage instead of one of my SUVs….

 

An advantage of the 760 with V12 is the absence of a mild hybrid and its battery at which no German automaker is doing well lately.

 

Mild hybrid was introduced strictly for emissions purposes, and it’s sad that this comes at a cost and reliability penalty to us (the consumers). I bet the environmental negative impact due to the resources and lifecycle of building the mild-hybrid system and it’s batteries exceeds the penalty from a less efficient vehicle with no mild-hybrid!. It’s all politics and stupid regulations.

 

I'd go S-Class over & 7-Series.... But I'd go Alpina B7 over S63 AMG... am I crazy?

 

Well, of course lol. There are some people on the 7 forums though that will also tell you the S Class is the better car.

Remember the 7 Series was originally cheaper than the S Class, optioned similarly it was originally about $20k cheaper. Most expensive car in the segment both new and used is the S Class.

I think you will find that if you miss your S Class, the 7 series won't be a substitute for it.

I would never get a V12...too exotic and expensive.

No W222 has a 48V system.

 

Thanks. The S-class 560e is my first option now. Now I have to find one, which is the toughest part!

 

I would pass on the 560e and just get a regular 560...the 560e s are super rare, and the V8 in the 560 feels much better than the 6 cyl in the 450...the 560e is just a 450 with a hybrid. Long term you don't want that

 

I’ve driven both. I ‘settled for’ an S-65 with that beautiful interior and 740lb/ft of shove in the back when one really needs to show taillights to virtually all.

The Alpina interior is pretty but I’m not convinced it will hold up long term + BMW has a well deserved reputation about engine issues and I keep cars I really like a long time.

 

All dealers are asking premium money for 560e... probably only for the fancy aspect of it's being a semi EV or PHEV. I am going to pass on the S-560e. I really like PHEV because I commute to work everyday about 7 miles each way and really enjoy my current BMW 530e PHEV when I drive on pure EV on a quite morning with silent driving listening to B&W sound system. Thought the 560e is the good balance between EV mode driving when needed, but then an adequate power from the 6-cylinder engine when needed. Anyway now am in for a regular S-560 / V8 engine in which prices seem to be more reasonable and comparable to my BMW X7 for a trade in.

Must have features: Brown leather interior, AMG exterior line, and dynamic handling package (probably wrong acronym), and preferably 3D sound system (not a must have but good to have).