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The only cars that spent that much time in the shop was our 2003 SL55 and the 2020 BMW M8 Comp. The SL55 was cutting-edge as well, so the MB issues have been around. As for the other MB's, the R231 SL's were the highlight in reliability. But also the GLE's. Simpler cars are just less trouble...
Simpler / reused technology require less development time to insure reliable operation
My 580 had wipers that scraped dry glass, or would fail to turn on, every time it rained. The new car, I haven't adjusted it yet; they turn on when they're supposed to and turn off as expected. Nothing unusual about that, a Camry can do it, but it's a bar my Mercedes couldn't get over.
My wipers work fine, and unlike the S560 they don't skip and chatter.
I'm 6'1" and couldn't reach the door handle when the door was all the way open, the thing which was meant to be an interior door handle but is not a handle squeaked every time you used it to close the door. Not that you would use it every time, because sometimes you can't reach it, and use the door pocket to pull the door in to where you could reach it.
Truly don't get this at all. I'm 6' and have no issue reaching the door to close it, nor does my 5'10" wife, nor do my 9 year old twins who are less than 5' tall
The key fob had to be bagged to keep it out of contact with the car, or the battery would die.
No issues with this, and my key hangs on a hook inside the garage door about 12 feet from the back corner of the car.
If the tires went just 1 psi under pressure, you lose all your goods. Don't fix it soon enough, you'll lose your infotainment screen. Remember the battery dying with the fob in contact? That's because the car wasn't fully shutting off, to get out of it, you needed to get the key away from the car, or into a bag, so you could get a complete shutdown, which would then reset the infotainment screen.
No issues with this either, and I have gotten low tire warnings no issues.
The car could sometimes go 15 minutes before Tidal would connect, that meant that running down to the local market would at times happen without the 6500 dollar stereo able to play.
I don't use Tidal but Apple Music is slow to connect. Might take 1-2 minutes though at the most. Still annoying and can be solved by using CarPlay but the sound quality is nowhere near as good.
Door handles. Going back some 20 or more years, I had one of the first cars with keyless entry, it worked every time without fail. After leaving MB and going to BMW I have far more sophisticated entry than the 580 which works every time without fail. MB... fail. It's not just high end, I rent a lot of cars because I travel a great deal for both work and play, the keyless always works. Some those cars that are literally as much as 1/4 the cost of my loaded 580.
The pop out door handles are stupid.
Still loving my W223 at 5k miles, no problems (knock on wood) and still don't miss my W222 at all
Simpler / reused technology require less development time to insure reliable operation
Agreed. I do understand the pressure automakers in Europe have to deal with to create crappy, complex solutions for the ICE's to comply with pollutions standards and minimize paying Billions in fines.
A lot of the simple stuff is just not compliant anymore but I prefer a slower pace of change in exchange for reliability.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by CSLA
BMWs are very sensitive to how they’re equipped. A steel spring or active M suspension equipped X5 is a different vehicle than an x5 optioned with the rare 4 corner air suspension and integral active steering. The later configuration would provide you with all the cosseting refinement you expect. The formers are sports oriented.
Well, I was comparing “loaner” vehicles, both of which were pretty much bare bones examples, so I was comparing apples to apples, even though the GLE had a 4 and the X5 a 6. If I had to choose between these two, I’d take the GLE. I did not care for this particular X5 at all. Anyway, I’m not in the market anymore, so it’s no big deal.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by crabman
I can't believe in saying this, but I think I'm starting to make friends with the shnozz. *Embarrassed*
Somewhere in this site, as I ragged on my S580, I think I said that my next car would be judged 100% on comfort and how it drove. I’m not thrilled with the look of this car, but the comfort & driving is the best I have been able to find in anything new under $200K++.
Somewhere in this site, as I ragged on my S580, I think I said that my next car would be judged 100% on comfort and how it drove. I’m not thrilled with the look of this car, but the comfort & driving is the best I have been able to find in anything new under $200K++.
What's your feelings on the tunes? Really liked the system in the 580; it's one of the reasons I'm considering it after the refresh.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by docsout
Streamliner, what's your thoughts on the electric doors? Are they worth having?
Absolutely, positively! I’m still getting used to them, but they are fabulous. JUST the way they open only so far—AND HOLD THERE—(you are able to manually push them further if you like)—when next to another vehicle, seals the deal for me. Every top line luxury vehicle should have them available.
I almost joined the i7 club, @Streamliner, today…. Went to my dealer to get a new ride for 2025. Mostly wanted an M850 or M8 Gran Coupe, but I also knew I was going to be offered an i7 and willing to listen.
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I have a good point of contact who sold me 5 cars at that dealership in recent years. I was offered 16.5K off-MSRP on an M850 lease, and without much negotiation 35K off MSRP on an i7 lease to begin with. I was very tempted with the i7, which I drove and loved. But I went with something wild this time and just bought this special-ordered BMW B8 Alpina (I’ve always said I want an Alpina and finally found the one). It drives like a cloud with the Alpina tuning, and still have rear wheel steering.
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Happy BMW driving; obviously my return to an S-class/W223 has to wait a few more years now - if it will ever happen.
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Credit : Thanks @Wolfman (as a former M8 Comp owner) for the discussion and help while I was shopping for an 8-series.
I almost joined the i7 club, @Streamliner, today…. Went to my dealer to get a new ride for 2025. Mostly wanted an M850 or M8 Gran Coupe, but I also knew I was going to be offered an i7 and willing to listen.
I have a good point of contact who sold me 5 cars at that dealership in recent years. I was offered 16.5K off-MSRP on an M850 lease, and without much negotiation 35K off MSRP on an i7 lease to begin with. I was very tempted with the i7, which I drove and loved. But I went with something wild this time and just bought this special-ordered BMW B8 Alpina (I’ve always said I want an Alpina and finally found the one).
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Happy BMW driving; obviously my return to an S-class/W223 has to wait a few more years now - if it will ever happen.
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Woah! Going from a non AMG GLS to that thing is quite a change!
No no, I still have the GLS (we just bought the GLS couple weeks ago). This is a replacement of my daily, which was a Tesla S for the past 1.5 years. That’s about the average I keep my daily.
Originally Posted by blackbullit
Fabulous car! Alpinas are great.
Just curious, did they negotiate on the Alpina? If so, how much did you get off MSRP?
The suspension tuning, and engine tunning as well, is just exceptional. Never thought a sporty car like that would drive like this with 21” wheels. Best of two worlds in one car. Turn the drive mode to Comfort Plus, and it sounds and drives like a 7-series (admittedly a tiny bit firmer though), then switch it to Sport Plus and it becomes the sibling of the M8 Comp….
This Alpina was already a depreciated Alpina with 7,500 miles only : ), so the 1st owner paid me the massive off MSRP in exchange to 7K miles : ).
It’s been literally 3 years since I started my search for the B7 (or B8)… Finally found the one. Low miles and like-new condition was my priority. My former S560 W222 was just like that too (most items and trim panels were still factory-wrapped for that W222, and I passed it to a forum colleague here too in same condition).. Patience is the key when searching (though it can take years) unless you wanna buy new. I trade 1 to 1.5 years on avg; so can’t consider leasing or brand-new in most cases unless I have to.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by S_W222
I almost joined the i7 club, @Streamliner, today…. Went to my dealer to get a new ride for 2025. Mostly wanted an M850 or M8 Gran Coupe, but I also knew I was going to be offered an i7 and willing to listen.
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I have a good point of contact who sold me 5 cars at that dealership in recent years. I was offered 16.5K off-MSRP on an M850 lease, and without much negotiation 35K off MSRP on an i7 lease ………………..
Wishing you thousands of safe, happy miles in your new car. Just curious: What year & model was the I7 that deal was offered on? Brand new? MSRP?
Wishing you thousands of safe, happy miles in your new car. Just curious: What year & model was the I7 that deal was offered on? Brand new? MSRP?
Thanks. It was a 2024 i7 60, with couple thousand miles on it for some reason (dealer used? but it wasn’t a service demo), that they are selling it as a new or leasing it as new. I guess kinda similar to the W223 that forum colleague@SW20S found (maybe). That i7 total discount was 35K without negotiations. For another 0 miles 2024 i7 60, they offered 12% off MSRP + 5K BMW incentives without negotiations. None of them had the autobahn package though. I didn’t negotiation cause I felt I wanted something different though the car drives like a dream (and am still an EV fan) but well, I couldn’t resist the Alpina (that was the only exception that forced me to take a step backward and switch back to ice). I’ve been searching for an Alpina (B7/B8) for three years now, as some of you already know, and I’m glad I finally found it.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
