Our family are MB fans through and through and as I am writing this we have an AMG GTS ( a keeper) as well as a 2014 S 63 AMG and totally love those cars.

We always keep our S class automobiles for the entire 7 year run and buy extended warranties to suit, but of course this time around this went really wrong and I was informed in 2020 that there would be a delay on the next generation S 63 AMG.

As we all know by know this thing really is delayed and the best I can probably hope for is for delivery towards the end of 2022. Very frustrating, but obviously there is nothing I can do about it.

So, I decided to take a look at a S 580 at our dealership, obviously a very different motoring experience but from a look and feel should be pretty similar.

I quite like the exterior, yes, you see the family resemblance and some of the changes that have been made are quite fetching. I wish it did not have the stupid pop out door handles lifted from TESLA but I sure could live with that.

However, words can't describe my disappointment with the interior. I realize these things are a matter of personal preferences and taste but this boy truly hates what they have done to a magnificent and classy interior.

Obviously, whoever was in charge loves TESLA, and while I can tolerate that center oversized i-pad in a high tech electric car like TESLA I think it is really inappropriate for a MB S class, I think MB may have forgotten that leaders do not follow.

I am also galled by the so called instrument cluster in front of the driver - another i-pad - what is up with that?

It looks to me as if somebody who has no style or sensitive went down the path of the least resistance and put a bunch of i-pad not worrying in the least of how all this looks. I would imagine that if you have the rear seat entertainment package which includes another two i-pads attached to the rear of the headrests that will complete the picture.

Maybe it did not help that they put me in a car with that cheap looking black veneer with the horizontal stripes - all I can say is YIKES!

Net, net - as I compare the beautiful interior of my current S63 with this, I just want to cry, and I am a bit at a loss as what to do. I am ok with being patient and waiting for another year for the new AMG S 63., but I am afraid that it fundamentally will mirror this carbuncle of an interior. I hate to say it, I may have to entertain alternatives.

Went to see the new Bentley 8 cylinder Flying Spur - what a beautiful cabin is that ! I realize it is a more expensive car but the taste of the cabin and the quality of the materials are not driven by costs - just direction and a sense of style.

I know BMW is bringing out a new 7 series next year - maybe that could be an option!

I am totally bummed out!

 

It's called Minimalist design. Some people like 100 year old dark wood furniture in their house. Some don't. Maybe it's time to leave the past and embrace the future.

 

Completely agree, former SEC and S550 owner, decades of design language tossed. Alpina B7's are looking more attractive by the day!

 

I wish that was the correct comparison , love this "minimalistic" design, regretfully that is not the case.

And yes, that is " in my opinion".

For what it is worth, we have two homes - one elegantly traditional in DC and one minimalistic contemporary place in Miami and both are quite wonderful in their own way and yes, both have great design!

 

Mercedes has gone into the direction of having a large center touch screen, positioned to be easily reachable while your arm is on the center armrest (their rationale) unlike the prior dual screen setup with MBUX or those of competitors. This will be the setup likely across their whole product line-up and if people don't like it they will eventually have to move to another brand. Don't expect MB to shift back... Mercedes is committed to MB OS and MBUX and they frankly need the screen space. I like it and have no issues with the screen setup...

Love the exterior. At this point I like it much more than the W222, properly spec'd. The W223 was also designed for a roughly twenty year younger demographic than the W222, so some of the changes have to be understood this way...

That said, I am conflicted by the new S-Class interior. Overall, the average S-Class buyer will get a much better leather interior than they did in the W222 simply to the fact that the majority of cars don't have exclusive Nappa options. And the Nappa interior in the W223 is a huge upgrade over the Nappa in the W222 IMO. 4D Burmester, great... Seat comfort, great... HUD, outstanding... Ambient lighting, outstanding... Piano Black center console (front/rear) and switch surrounds = utter crap, including the textured versions. Steering wheel, a step down apart from the wood surround IF they would have the proper wood options.
The trim, absolutely love the aluminum/walnut wood option but am puzzled why they can't do the center console in wood as well as they have done on the EQS. How cool would it be to have that walnut option for the steering wheel? The other trim options are no worse than the W222 and a matter of taste...

My biggest gripe is the drop of options in favor of packages. Understand that this is a corporate strategy based on buyer behavior and residual values, it has no place in the S-Class. I cannot understand why certain options are limited on which body package is selected. This isn't done in Germany and shouldn't be done here.

FWIW, the new S63 will be a fantastic car. The dramatic difference in capability and performance between the first W222 and the facelift version is a good indicator and the performance is stepping up on the W223. I just hope that the options will be sorted out by then, meanwhile I would stay away from a purchase until the supply situation has been resolved.

 

My fully loaded S580 arrives in 30 days, and I am turning in my BMW 760 lease. Man, enough of you guys are starting to give me 2nd thoughts with the complaints on this forum!!

 

Would it be a surprise if MB drops the S63 in favor of an AMG variant of the EQS, making (forcing) THAT to be the flagship car? It wouldn't be far fetched. We know where their investment is, and it's not the S-class.

 

90% of the forum fun is too complain about nothing! They're still great cars, and if we are only complaining about door handles and how big we like our center screen, talk about nit picking. We are starting to sound like old Porsche guys haha.

 

Trust me this thing blows away any 7-Series. Have been getting a good amount of time behind the wheel of my boss’ new S580 and the thing is a dream to drive. Beautiful inside and out, massage seats and seat comfort are excellent and improved, the AR HUD is something I never knew I needed until now, and the RWS has made this car more agile than it should be, before you take delivery get a good drive and test out the waters, its a fantastic car.

 

I have test driven it.

 

I'm assuming you've only put a deposit down? I'm saying when your car does arrive, before you finance and close the deal, try driving it and testing out the interior, worst comes to worst you don't go through with the deal and your dealer can then sell the car to someone else.

 

No, I didn’t put any deposit down. I special ordered the car with my specifications. My dealer is discounting the car 10% for me. I have bought prior cars with him, and I will buy many more cars with him. My dealer was nice enough to order me the car. The last thing I would ever do is not buy the car, that I built whether I love it as much as my 760 or not. That sure would be disrespectful. Who would do that? I am going to fly in to his dealership, write him a check and drive home. It’s just a car, and I am sure it’s going to satisfy my needs, quirks and all. If I want a change in 3-5 years, I will just go back to a 7 series.

 

For what it’s worth, orders for MY ‘22 S580 Executive trim will not include the dual monitors affixed to the front seat backs due to semiconductor shortage. For once this chip shortage is working in my favor as I truly detest the look of those useless screens. Still don’t need 80% of the options *required* in executive trim, but it was the only configuration that would allow me to get 4 zone climate and the additional rear safety features. TBD as to whether the car will actually arrive complete. Supposedly scheduled to be built in early November…

 

Yeah that would be considering they still spent millions on the S_Class, despite the fact that everyone might not like it. The S63 is already ready to go.

M

 

100% agree. I ordered the AMG line because I definitely did not want the screens.

 

Precisely.

 

Maybe a future option will be Screen Dungeon Delete.

It’s like being over medicated. Cell phone or screen use…..a screen, with more data content forcing visual contact is safer?

Totally agree max profit comes first and MB has for sure got that one figured out.

 

This!
"I think MB may have forgotten that leaders do not follow".

 

People's interpretation of modern varies. Slapping on an ugly screen does not qualify as modern or stylish, or even minimalistic. Ugly is ugly, and to some rightfully subjective. There are ways to execute a modern and yet timeless design that is both fluid and industry leading edge. IMO Mercedes failed to do this with the new tablet design. Tech cannot create style, style can however tastefully implement tech. There really is no genius here, any 5th grader could have easily designed a car with a tablet, hence the disappointment.

Some people say MB wants us talking to the car, others say the tablet is there so it's easier for the driver to access when the arm is resting on the console. However this would require looking away from the road which is not intuitive. I really think Tesla might have rattled the cage here.

It's a lazy design.

 

I completely agree with all that.......way too much TESLA bling....not enough Mercedes class.

 

Don't get discouraged. I love my s-class. I've owned a current gen LS 500, f02 and the dealer gave me a loaner g12 for a weekend. I've also driven ghosts, wraiths, and dawns. The ride quality easily compares to a rolls.

 

The only two things I really dislike about the W223 interior are the tacked on instrument cluster (not even the center screen, I just really don't like the look of the tacked on, binnacle-less instrument cluster) and the black piano trim area on the center console. Of those two the only thing I would really need to "get over" to buy a W223 is the instrument cluster. The rest of it, I don't really see what people's issue is. Beautiful materials, well built, great seats, great tech, complicated sure...its a less organic design and more "tech forward" with harder angles, etc...but thats an aesthetic decision that makes sense...I like both looks.

If you're going to consider a move up to a Bentley Flying Spur...then that interior blows a W222 away too...

 

This.

 

It sure does!

 

Yes, that Bentley interior is beautiful. I'm going to go look at a FS tomorrow, just for the fun of it ... have never driven one, so now's the time to see what all that extra $$$ buys ...