Fellow forum members. I am in the middle of a decision making process and can use some pointers from you all, who I respect a lot.

I have a MY18 S560, with 22K miles on it. My plan was to use it until the 7yr extended warranty expired, which is expiring very early in May of 2025. And at that point, I was thinking I would already have a facelift W223 on order. However, the recent information of the facelift being delayed to MY26 threw in a monkey wrench to the process. So I am looking for a solution here. So far my options are below, although I am not sure they are limited to those, so would love to hear from you.

1. Close your eyes and keep driving the S560 until the facelifted W223 arrives. Risky, and potentially unnecessarily costly if issues arise.
2. See if I can find a way to further extend the warranty. I am quite confident this will not be through MB like the current extended warranty is (although I am not sure). And I do not know of any reputable providers in this regard. Technically I should not need more than another year of coverage.
3. Dump the car before the warranty expires for something of a space filler, may be even a used lower brand. And order as fast as I can.
4. Lease a different car for a year (or may be two if I do it now), may be an i7 like Streamliner did.
5. I bought my 16 year old an Ioniq5, may be I can share it with him until he gets to college, but it will be inconvenient for both of us.

or something else. In the end, I am interested in the S63, but in the facelifted format (even though I do not know much about what the facelift is going to bring, but it looks like the intelligence is positive on that one). One other alternative is the new Panamera Turbo e-Hybrid (if anyone has any opinions on that, I certainly would appreciate it). But part of my brain is unable to look past the rear end...

Logical side of my brain is telling me to get option #2 above working somehow. And the decision making side of it is telling me to ignore everything as I do not have to make a decision right away. And they cannot come to terms on their own...

Any suggestion is appreciated. Thank you all in advance.

 

The car is so low mileage, and by extension you drive so little I wouldn't worry. The cost of leasing anything for just a year is so huge it would exponentially be higher than whatever could be wrong with your 560. You will be able to order a 26 for delivery in early fall 25, so maybe its out of warranty for a few months with 35,000 miles on it? No big deal.

 

The answer my friend, is always an E63 Wagon. In all honesty though I think you just wait and re-evaluate May of next year. You will have more information on the facelift by that time, and if you really want to put your name down or jump ship to another vehicle you can. I would not suggest the Turbo S e-Hybrid however, it is one of few vehicles Fidelity, one of our extended warranty providers, will not touch for coverage... I'm not sure exactly why besides "it is probably expensive to fix", but if they have no problem covering V12 Mercedes AMG's, but draw the line at a Panamera Turbo S e-Hybrid, I'd stay away.

 

Have not considered a wagon, or an SUV for that matter. I am just not wired that way I guess. The GLS we have ended up being a wife exclusive. The Panamera aspect is very interesting, and thank you very much for that insight. This really helps.

I am aligned with this, the only caveat being the extended warranty already having paid for itself when an ignition coil went bad late last year. Maybe it still will be cheaper than having an interim car leased... Thank you for your suggestion.

 

No maybe. A car of this caliber will be $3,000+ a month to lease for a short term like that. The odds of you having $36,000 in repairs to your S560 in those few months are infinitesimally small. Find a good independent MB shop and the cost of any repair is reduced by 60%.

 

Last I read, you can get the Liberty insurance by the year. Assuming I do recall that right, you could always snag a year if you feel you need the coverage to see you through until the next thing.

If you think Mercedes parts are expensive, you should see Porsche pricing. The people that sell extended warranties charge enough to cover those parts, so the extended warranties aren't cheap either. In some cases they don't even offer it because they don't get enough takers at the prices they want/need to charge. Realistically, that line of thinking seems somewhat of a non-sequitur; you're talking about a new car that will be under warranty, which you can extend.

The Panamera is a very different car. You sit much lower, it's more firmly sprung, the drive tuning is aimed toward sport. I've owned them, and think they're great cars, but you would want to make sure it's your groove before you drop ching. And yeah, I know you would test drive it, but you have to be honest; as an example, will you be happy climbing in and out of a car that low a year into ownership?

 

Thank you for the insight. The indy shop advice is a good one. Need to find a trustworthy and reputable one, but I do not think that will be a major search problem in this area.

Thank you for the insight on the Panamera. Means a lot coming from someone who owned one. I have not owned the brand before, only BMW and Mercedes from before. I will also look into Liberty, at least get a quote from them when I get closer to that time.

 

To the OP: If you have not yet driven an I7, you really need to experience it. The incredibly smooth ride, ultra quiet cabin, very luxurious interior and “RIGHT NOW” astonishing acceleration are really wonderful. You just might find that you want one for your next longer term car. And, with current incentives, the deals that can be had right now are pretty amazing. Lastly, with the ongoing issues MB has been allowing to continue from one model year to the next, it might be a good time to give the folks from Munich a try. Whatever you decide, the best of luck to you!

 

Thank you sir! Definitely in my to do list.

 

You should definitely drive one

 

Will do. Do you happen to have a particular trim suggestion that I should be looking for? xDrive is what I would need is all...

 

The newer models with the Porsche Active Ride (400v architecture) raises up every time you open or unlock the door and I wonder if the comfort mode has changed with this new suspension. It's on my radar so any insights, would be great.

See suspension explanation and examples at 9min mark .

 

You have to get one of the PHEVs, and check the 7500 dollar box. I've watched a number of reviews on it, and they all seem to indicate the comfort is good. I thought it already was good in comfort but it's not Mercedes comfort, it's Porsche comfort. There is no extraneous body movements allowed, and it's a significantly tighter ride than what you have here. I don't see that changing, it's just how they do it. The PHEVs themselves are heavy and don't drive as well when you're on it, not a free lunch with them.

Panamera's take a lot of heat for reasons I can't explain. There are very few complaints over there about broken this or that, things not working, etc. The cars themselves have vastly more bandwidth than the S-Class. They're more than comfortable enough for the type of buyer that will gravitate to what's on offer, but can really notch it up when you start turning the dial. The S-Class is comfort, still comfort, and almost sporty enough to get within rock throwing distance of a Panamera in comfort, if you go to sport plus.

I took an interest in the new suspension, and I think it's possible I could find my way over there again after the dust settles. While the suspension looks to be savory, they took the shift lever and did the now usual cheapening of various bits. So it's not all good. I'll be curious to see what the take rate is on the new suspension. It's a spendy option and Porsche buyers tend to be careful picking options, trying to control costs. It rides pretty well without it, and I'm guessing there are a lot of skips on the suspension.

 

Here’s the I7 lineup:
eDrive50 = RWD, one motor
xDrive60 = AWD, two motors
M70 = AWD, two motors, high performance

To me, the 50 did not feel as substantial as the 60 and there is a suspension option, called the Autobahn Package, which is not available on the 50, so I went for the 60. The 70 is a much higher performance model, which is not something I have any interest in, so I never drove one. As with the S Class, I feel that how you option the I7’s is really important. I never saw one I7 in dealer inventory, anywhere in the USA that was to my liking, so as I most always do, I placed a special order. I hate the wait, but am enjoying the anticipation.

 

If you need x drive you need to drive an i7 60. M sport vs luxury trim makes no difference they all ride the same.

Im still going back and forth between the S580 and an i7, will have to order either one. The S580 a broker is necessary to get a decent deal and that requires an order.

 

Nice thing about ordering is you can get what you want.

As for the op, I would keep that low mileage S class.

 

It depends. How would an electric vehicle fit in with the OP’s lifestyle? If it would easily fit, with little or no downside, electric is the way to go, in my opinion. Put solar panels on the garage roof and kiss gas station visits goodbye. And, I should mention, that I see no great benefit with EV’s “saving the planet.” They just drive nicer, have fewer moving parts and if leasing, they are a no brainer at least for me.

 

Here's an interesting graphic from Porsche comparing their suspension systems, including PAR. And another review with some references to competitors, at .

 

Thank you. I will drive the 60 and 70 (if I can find one around). I realize the power may not be everyone's cup of tea, but since the one I have been waiting for is/was the S63, I see 70 being closer to that end goal than the 60. But I will drive both. When/if time comes to doing something with MB, I probably will want to hear more about this broker idea (I have not been doing anything other than going and ordering directly from the dealer for BMW and MB, with some discount on MSRP, like 7-10%).

I may have mentioned in one of my earlier posts above, I did purchase a Hyundai Ioniq5 for my 16-year old son (he picked it after doing a simple math upon me telling him that he will have to pay for his own fuel). I got to drive it a bit to learn so that I could teach him. It is a wonderfully well put together vehicle, which in turn resulted in my consideration for Genesys as well. Despite the very frustrating reality that we are unable to install solar panels (they do not do it on tile roof in the Northwest, and I do not think I am going to change the roof to get solar panels), it still is much more preferred for me with a weekday commute of 10 miles one way. It is just that I hate the hassle of shopping for a vehicle, and hence I keep them for a long time, which is not that hard with some tender love and care along with low mileage. We are in such a timeframe though, the full combustion engine is about to die, EVs are on the rise(-ish), but technology on that is rapidly developing. I think I am going to find my stance changing and switching cars more often, but not yet ready for that, and hence the associated full jump into EV. Decent hybrids, I like though.

 

My experience with electric vehicles is probably a total of couple of days behind the wheel of a few different models. In addition, I was a long time EV naysayer, vowing to never go down that road, but here I am, waiting in anticipation of my first ever non-ICE vehicle. After experiencing both the I7 and the MB EQS Sedan and SUV, I now find myself darn near deploring the noise of ICE engines and the seemingly over complication of multi speed transmissions—especially the sloppy, crummy gearboxes in the W223’s. Of course, driving range is a concern, but not for what my needs are as a mostly retired fellow. And, I should also say that my current infatuation—can’t call it love yet—has absolutely nothing to do with saving the planet, only about the driving experience and not needing to buy gasoline.

I do enjoy driving my SL450, which runs perfectly, with a little growl from the exhaust and the transmission shifting like a luxury sporting car should, but if I could wave a magic wand and have that exact same car as an electric, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

I remember riding in my son-in-law’s Tesla Type S and then actually driving one in one of those paid seminars I did and I absolutely hated those cars. So ridiculously unrefined, rough riding and totally unpleasant to drive, in my opinion. With millions of Tesla vehicles on the road, it goes to show how attractive an EV can be, even Mr. Musk’s cookie-cutter econoboxes. Electric vehicle propulsion is a tremendous leap forward in my opinion and frankly, I cant wait to see the ICE cars become a thing of the past.

 

As little as you drive you are right it will be a long time before the sunk CO2 cost of the battery will be recovered vs it's equivalent ICE. But an average mileage driver would show a net reduction after a couple of years. Now if your point is we need to get out of our cars to make a bigger difference you are right here as well.

 

Last year was the perfect year to sell the W222…. This year is obviously the worst as the value has dropped significantly with the market getting flooded with W223 lease returns. I’d still sell the W222 this year and asap now than waiting longer if you already know that you will not be keeping it. You can get an S63 W222 today for less than what the W222 S560 used to sell last year.

I track the used car market very closely, and this comes from someone who trade in his car every year or 2 years max. I’d get a W223 now but the fact a facelift is coming soon makes this plan also less than ideal. I think the best you can do is really to trade in the W222 for another pre-owned W223 which have depreciated as well. This plan in my view is the plan I’d follow if I was still stuck with my W222 now and wanted another ICE. I would then get the W223 facelift after it has been around for 1 year if it’s a big improvement which am sure it will. Coming from a W222, I would not get the 7-series; especially if you’ve been driving S-class cars for a decade or more already.

 

Yes, last year was a good year to sell a W222. Unfortunately, I bought a 2020 S560 then as I needed a car, when MB bought back my S580. I’m sure I’ll take a reasonably big hit selling it, which should be in the next three months or so. However, it will have around 20K miles, about six months of the original factory warranty left, plus the one year CPO warranty, so you would think it would be a reasonably desirable car for someone. As irritating as it was, I did get to drive the 2022 S580 for 18 months for free, so I guess I shouldn’t complain.

 

No option there. KEEP THE 2018 S560!!!!! However, I don't know why you bought so much extended warranty in the first place if you only drive 5000 miles per year.

 

That is the winning choice in my opinion and I've behind the wheel of over 65 cars, made some mistakes, bought some I wish I hadn't and bought some that I wish I had not sold. The W222 is one of the ones I wish I had never sold.