VicLaw

Have an opportunity to pick up a 2023 S however, wondering if I should wait for the 2024 in a few months. Any news of improvements coming?
Thank You

crabman

It sounds like drive pilot may be available. That's the new duper cruise control that only works at slow speeds on freeways in some other country than the one you're in. If you do order a 24 you will be looking at somewhere towards mid-October or later to get the car. That's a realistic guess but on the shorter, nothing went wrong, side. It could take longer, bit of a crap shoot.

SW20S

You won't see a refresh until maybe 2025, if you can get a 23 you like now I wouldn't wait for a 24.

docsout

Why buy a 23 at production end time and instantly get a year old car when the 24’s are 3-5 off. Including the year old depreciation.

superswiss

With cars there's always continues improvement over the model years as real world problems crop up and the manufacturers address them with new designs and such. Most people understand that especially the first model year usually has issues. By the second model year several of those should have been addressed, but IMO the best time to buy a car is at the midcycle refresh, which for the W223 should be in 2024 as a 2025 model. That's when they incorporate all their learnings into an overall improvement and address criticism from customers etc.

Most products including cars are released when they are good enough, but not necessarily fully baked yet, and customers are often beta testers. One common philosophy among us software developers is to never get the version 1 of a product. Always wait for version 2 or better yet version 3. That's when the kinks have usually been worked out. Version 1 is often a throwaway. You can see this with MBUX for example. MBUX 1.0 was honestly crap. It was and still is buggy. MBUX 2.0 in the W223 is an improvement, but still has issues. The interior was actually designed around the touchscreen and they addressed issues such as CarPlay/AA not being full screen in MBUX 1.0. I bet that MBUX 3.0 or whatever it's going to be in the FL W223 will finally nail it. Another issue is the ongoing problems they have with the 48V system. Eventually they'll sort that one out as well.

I've always bought the facelifts of any car I owned. At the midcycle the model is still fresh as the new generation is another 3-4 years away. The tech etc. generally gets updated and most of the issues the new model had during the first 3-4 years should be addressed with a more robust design.

https://www.motorauthority.com/news/...lass-spy-shots

crabman

For my part I'm trying to point out that the wait wont be a few months, more like 5 or more. The 24s are not right around the corner, there is no getting your car in early September or even in August as with some other OEMs. As an example I was the first one here to get a 23 S580 and I ordered this time last year, was in early 23 production, and didn't see the car until the last days of October. Most people were later; including one who ordered the same day but got the car months later than I did. A little bit of constraint can go a long ways and not in a good way. I'm in no way saying this means buy now or not, I'm just saying the 24s are not all that close.

SW20S

Because you get/need a car now and you typically can get a better deal on a car that is into the model year vs a new year that just came out. Plus with inflation like it is they will probably raise prices again for 2024. Prices took a huge jump from 22 to 23.

Eaton

There's some ways MBUX 1.0 is better than the others.. like the option to configure all 3 parts of the gauge cluster. The newer versions you can only change the center part.
And the Sport themes look a bit weird.

superswiss

Agreed. Not everything is necessarily better in the newer versions. I keep saying the same about MBUX 1.0 vs NTG 5.5 in my C63 which has most of the same features, but is more stable and thankfully still has usable physical controls with a UI optimized for physical controls. I love the Supersport layout. It has all the stuff I care about front and center with additional customizable info left and right and it isn't overly cluttered. I agree, the new layouts they have are pretty terrible. Many have complained it's hard to even read the rpm in those new sport layouts. It's just kinda hard to beat a gauge for the rpms even if it's a virtual render of one.

crabman

A good point on the price getting hiked, an identically configured 22 was 12k less than my 23 and there were almost no changes; none meaningful.

rw594

Fellow forum members will know, that the two biggest issues currerntly plaguing W223 (which are not software-fixable) are:

1. The 12V/48V battery
2. 21-inch rims

These are the kinds of issue that could leave you stranded on the road, in the middle of traffic. All other known issues are minor annoyances at best.

Unfortunately buying a 24 model will help with neither.

So I would either wait for the face lift, when MB is likely addressing at least one of these two concerns; or just take your risk now with a previous year model, on good discount.

crabman

Good point on the wheels; say no to the 21s. A quick search here will be convincing, you don't need to take our word for it.

VicLaw

Thank you. As I understand it, I would have to drive to Nevada where pilot can be used. I was hoping for more improvements like redesigning the radio volume slider.

rw594

Yeah, I hate that volume slider too, very inprecise, blows my ears off evwrytime I try to up the volume by just one, ONE freaking increment...

Sadly this is not an area where I expect imminent improvement... Given how mercedes is now using practically the same wheel on ALL vehicle classes, obviously to save tooling costs, it is very unlikely they will shell out for a new wheel, untill the arrival of W224.

Before then, the only way to precisely adjust your volume on the go, will be the physical push buttons below the central screen. Which are very poorly positioned in terms of driver access.

crabman

As SW stated, 25 is reported to be the refresh, minimal changes for 24. I'm not going to defend the volume slider, you should not have to learn a technique and then hone that with practice to adjust the volume on any device. That said, there is a way to do it smoothly: If you make a motion on the wheel slider with your thumb similar to what you would do playing tiddlywinks you will find that you can make small gradations or bigger jolts depending on how you do it; long swipe, short swipe, slow, fast, etc. Takes practice but I found I could adjust it well this way. Like the door handle pop out, there are probably other ways to make it work reasonably well, but that's my method.

If you read this frequently, you might get the idea these cars are fatally flawed. Not true; they are very nice rides despite the flaws which are there, but they're not going to ruin the experience for most people. Still, greatness is only a few relatively minor changes away, which is going to be irritating to the very types who will be drawn to this car in the first place. But then I'm talking out of turn, I'm a Porsche guy that came over only because I got too damn old.

SW20S

I would absolutely have less concerns with the 48V system in a 2023 vs a 2021. I think this was largely dealt with.

And 21s...just don't get the 21 inch wheels and its a non issue. Has nothing to do with model year.

MBS63AMG

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crabman

This is not an Audi S8 with that particular wheel/tire combination that we're talking about, on this car the 21"inch combo is very likely to leave you on the side of the road. It is a real problem that many owners right here on this forum have experienced.

SW20S

What size tires do you have on the 21s on your Audi?

The issue with flats with 21s on the W223 is absolutely the wheels. No 21s, no issues with that.

VicLaw

I understand the quality of the car. Current ride is a 2020 S560 and I had 3 prior, When my car needed servicing (bad thermostat) I had a '23 S500 loaner for a week. Yes many changes some good, no longer jerks car when crossing a lane marker, Tesla's center screen, some bad, volume control, 50% controls moved or hidden.
So I'm interested in any improvements aside of a new autonomous or disco lights features over a '23. Truth be told I'm looking for what maybe my last ICE S class. Or, I might just wait for the new E - looks interesting and at 75 I could down size now.
Thanks for sharing.

SW20S

They make little improvements every year, so every year will be a better car than the year before...but there isn't anything coming in 2024 that would cause me to want to wait for one over buying a 2023 now.

You won't be able to go down to an E Class once you're used to the S Class...

rw594

Ever heard of Genesis, sir?

I feel the Genesis G90 LWB is a better car for your demographic than the current S-class.

It is plain to see that MB has gone full-out Tesla with the W223, fitting it with every technological gadget they can find. In this process, they've sacrificed 90% of the physical buttons in this car, and used lots of plastic parts, which really impaired the interior build quality. Just try pressing down on any of the piano-black plastic trims in the cabin - those plastics are squeaky, even when new!

The Genesis G90, however, is a bit of an old-guard. Physical controls on the steering wheel and dashboard; solid interior that does not moan when touched with the slightest force; and lush materials throughout, on par with the highest-trimmed S class.

The G90 is lagging behind the current S-class in terms of technology. No AR HUD (just a regular HUD), smaller central screen, no gesture recognitions... But at 75, perhaps you could do without such gimmicks : )

rw594

Kinda incredible how MB is still peddling those 21s, three years now since the model's initial launch, despite the thousands of complaints that have surely reached their headquarters long ago

Considering how slow they take action on this 21-rim issue, I personally wouldn't put much faith in them fixing the 12V/48V problem. I really need concrete evidence to be convinced of its resolution.

SW20S

For every complaint there are more people who have never had an issue.

crabman

I wasn't aware it was I widespread issue? I haven't had any issues myself and it doesn't seem like all that many have complained about it here. Certainly nothing like the wheels.