When I dropped my G off for service I sat in a new S580. The interior is, from both a design and materials standpoint, a huge letdown from the 222. Even the 221.

I never understand this. The W221 was full of plastic panels and low grade leather unless it was Designo or S600/S65. The W222 was only luxurious in exclusive Nappa and full of MB-Tex in lesser trims. The W223 has the best base seats of any of these S-Class models. I find the interior very nice although it also requires the exclusive nappa leather to be luxurious as well.

Is this just about the screens and piano black panels (which I am also no fan of) or what would be the letdown?

My Panamera was more expensive and also had the piano black; they don't like it over there either. To me the mb-tex is ok when in comparison with it's peers but it does look like something that (maybe) shouldn't be in a car at this price. It is nicer than the base interior in the Panamera though which is a high grade of plastic, very nice plastic, but no one is going to mistake it for anything else. Opt for the leather and you'll be spending about the same money as you do here and the feeling inside is also about the same; perceived quality goes up substantially. There you can take another step up the ladder if you feel like dropping more ching and go for the club leather which is very, very, nice, never seen a complaint other than the price.

I think the interior here holds up well in comparison. You want it to look nice you have to get the leather upgrade. Once you do that it looks pretty darn good but not before. You gotta drop the ching. Same, same.

My friend has a 222 and while very nice inside, it is nowhere close to the luxuriousness of the 223. While I am having quite a few issues with my S580, interior is definitely not one of them. As a matter of fact, I think it’s absolutely stunning and that’s been the comment from all my friends that have sat in it. I’ve got the Carmine Red Exclusive Nappa with flowing lines piano trim. Takes my breath away every time I get in. I think S580 interior blows away everything in its price range.

In terms of the W222 without exclusive nappa not being luxurious, that’s ridiculous. Mine has Napa but not exclusive Napa, and yes the dash and doors (armrests are leather) are stitched with MB Tex, but it is extremely luxurious. Everybody who gets in my car is absolutely wowed by the interior.

I wouldn’t say the 223 is overall less luxurious, but there are some material changes from the 222 that were not improvements IMO. double stitching vs triple stitching, hard plastics on the door thresholds, cheap black trim when a car isn’t equipped with the active ambient lighting, too
much use of piano black plastic. But, none of that would stop me from getting one.

Just woke up from snooze in back of 2019 S560 on showroom floor. It has low roofline but once I got in and fully reclined seat fell asleep in no time. Double stitched seats felt fine and rear cabin seemed like a nice quiet place to relax while waiting for my AMG Wagon to get serviced at El Paso dealership. Noticed S560 had 20" AMG line wheels with Goodyear Eagle F1 RF tires made in Germany? Up front liked the buttons, clock, cigarette lighter and additional 12V outlet right below. Bought Mega millions ticket before my snooze. When I win definitely going to get a 2020 S63 AMG Coupe! Previously thought the SL250/280 Pagoda with manual transmission was my 2-door lottery pick...

Not ridiculous, just in the eye of the beholder. To me, there is a definite step down in overall look/touch/feel between a regular leather 450, base Nappa 550/560 and Designo or Exclusive Nappa version. Mercedes does make it very reasonable to upgrade all surfaces to leather unlike Porsche, etc.
That said, the standard Nappa seat in the W222 looks pretty pedestrian vs the one in the W223. I do like more stitching as well but wonder if this was considered as too old-fashioned. It's certainly not cost related. Active ambient lighting, while an option was planned to be in most S-Classes until it wasn't available. We are on the same page with the piano-black plastic.

And no, MB-Tex have never been luxurious and looks like lower-grade leather at best. This is until MB starts using it's Nappa MB-Tex to provide a cohesive interior material surface across all panels.

The leather is a similar price with Porsche unless you go club but that is also a notch above the exclusive in quality. The regular leather interior compares well to the exclusive here, some stuff it's a little better, some a little worse. As I said above; the P-car leather and exclusive here give a similar sense of quality. I think the base interior, if anything, looks better than the base in a Panamera.

My feeling is that the Exclusive Nappa or Designo interiors are a bargain in comparison to what other companies such as Porsche charge for similar upgrades. And, these interiors add SO much in the way of luxuriousness to these cars. The cars are expensive, but I find the ENL options to be very reasonably priced and worth every penny. I have EN in my SL and my wife has Designo in her wagon. They make all the difference, IMO.

Of course it’s a step down, if it weren’t options wouldn’t make sense, but that doesn’t mean it’s not luxurious. It’s extremely luxurious. The exclusive Napa option is simply more luxurious. Even the most lowly optioned S Class is very luxurious.

Honestly, I don’t miss the leather on the dash at all, what I miss is the suede headliner. If the regular Napa had the suede headliner I wouldn’t upgrade to the exclusive Napa at all.

The Alcantara (spelling?) headliner is very similar to suede,,,No?

Well, all these discussions are taking place in the S-Class forum. As such I apply all my references in relation to these models and not how luxurious the base S-Class is to C or E-Class. But when comparing the W220, W221, W222 and W223 we can compare Apples to Apples.
Streamliner states it correctly. Stepping up to exclusive Nappa is simply a real bargain compared to the difference it makes in the experience.

While we are not into sedans anymore at this point, I miss our old S-Class. It was a lovely place to be in

Mercedes uses Dimanica which is a different brand than Alcantara. All ultra suede.
Agree that it makes a real difference. The best is a full leather headliner but believe that was only reserved for the S65 and Maybach.

I'm surprised no one takes issue with the untrimmed and exposed carpeting next to the front seats on the transmission tunnel; makes it look and feel as if you were in an e class and just looks unfinished

Also, the "open pore" anthracite poplar with the ribbed texture looks and feels like a cheap melamine laminate cabinet; the old open pore/grain wood trims felt much more upscale which were already a step back from the satin finished wood trims back in the days

The fanned aluminum walnut trim is pretty gorgeous, in my opinion the best open pore wood they've offered in years. I have a red interior in my car, but if I got the beige this would easily be my top pick, its gorgeous in person

Yeah, all the same thing. You only get that if you get exclusive Napa though, my headliner is cloth. Since I had alcantara in my Lexus I miss that. But that’s the only thing I miss from a top interior Lexus to a mid interior S560. That’s the point.

All of that is true, BUT saying that an S Class is not luxurious unless it has exclusive Napa is more than a little snobbish. I drove mine last night for the first time in a week (we’re on vacation with both cars but have been driving the van) and it is an incredible place to be, with or without the exclusive Napa.

Maybe if you’re accustomed to a Bentley or a Rolls Royce that may be true, but for us common folk used to cheaper Mercedes and Lexuses and BMWs, any S Class is luxurious.

You seem overly sensitive. You posted to my response to another poster which asserted the W223 is a step down from older models.
We have owned S-Class models for several decades and have a pretty good idea of how they compare to one another.
There is no real need to try to convince me how luxurious the S-Class is in any trim.

Lexuses? Doesn't look right. Somewhere I've read Lexus themselves say the plural is Lexus, if it were Latin it would be Lexi, a neologism it would be Lexuses. Do I have that right and which one would be correct? As to whatever they're called; they look like a step down across the board to me.

Would drive edgy Lexus M-F in urban traffic as a sacrificial appliance then drive more premium better looking Mercedes after peak rush hour and on weekends. I have that option with enjoyable yet controversial generic look of my Chevy SS.

We are all so fortunate. There are so many people in the world with so many real issues like housing, daily food intake, political strife. Our ability to “argue” (discuss) about which upscale model or brand is better is itself the real luxury!

I agree, it's quite nice. However, the standard open pore anthracite poplar is terrible

I guess I’m not as experienced in the luxury car segment as some of you guys. Honestly, I have absolutely zero issues with the car’s cosmetics, that’s why I bought it. Mine is a Cashmere White Magno with Carmine Red Exclusive Nappa and flowing lines piano trim. I think everything about is gorgeous and luxurious. I’m only missing little tiny things, you know, like everything operating as designed and promised. No check engine lights, no malfunctioning assistance systems that light up the dash like a Christmas tree, no exploding Pirelli tires that result in three hours on the side of the road and driving a loaner because these tires are out of stock everywhere. Other than that, the car is a peach.

What did they give you for a loaner?

A base GLE 350. It's actually not awful.

Me too. Got a new GLE350 loaner and was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. Even the radio sounded decent in this 2022 model, which I know has been a sore spot with GLE owners.