The deals vary. You won’t be able to get anywhere near that number now but for a while you were able to.

 

I see, although personally I didn’t notice any real differences in the “standard” between the two. In my view, the Benz had already dropped the ball a bit in terms of materials and cabin quality with the W223, and both cars appear to follow similar acceptable standards. Applying pressure and pulling the physical side door handrests inward would cause creaks. Putting pressure on any of the piano black items in the car and central console would initiate creaks. However I wouldn’t mind any of that as no one does that while driving, so it wasn’t even a big factor for me and I was okay with that… But my point is that I noticed that both cars seemed to be constructed with similar standards, clips, and the interior appears to be assembled in a similar manner. Pulling the A pillars or B pillars has similar feel; those are the items I try to get a feeling of when I spend time with the car to predict what may or may not go wrong with time and thermo-cycling. In the previous generations, the S felt like 2 levels above the GLS cabin quality wise. Right now, it’s more like barely 1 level, and the EQS is right there too and I didn’t feel much of a real difference. Both were still reasonably well built but could be better given the price point.

As far as materials, I don’t know, the leather felt the same exact material, dashboard in both was real leather. Side of doors was also real leather. Perhaps the lower portions of the door in the EQS were made from more plastic material, I don’t remember, and I think the lower area of the central console too. Rear seats, the area around the AC vents was plastic in both (rear facing of the central console). The rear shell of the driver and passenger seat facing the rear seats is made from fake leather with plastic trims here and there which felt less premium compared to whatever they used in the W222. Both had molded plastic at the bottom portion of the B pillar by the way. So am not really sure that the materials are truly different here. I would guess the S-class has more insulation throughout the cabin though, but the EQS was really quiet too. I just don’t see real differences to validate the claim that EQS is built on lower standard. Both seemed to be built on slightly lower standard than previous S-class generations honestly.

If anything, my comments above are more of a compliment to the EQS than a critique of the W223. Both cars are still great cars in my opinion.

Interestingly, it was the new E-class that had a more solid feel to the touch everywhere from the inside, and the panels seemed to be put together in a different manner. I actually really considered spec’ing an AMG E53 E

 

As soon as I sit in an EQS its plain as day to me, and like I said I'm not the only one who has made this comment. Its like your GLS, its never to the same level as an S Class regardless of the package, there are always areas that are hard plastic or injection molded where in the S Class all of those areas are real stitched material. Lower doors and the sides of the console as it goes around the back, like I mentioned before the S Class seats have a higher detail of stitching while the EQS is similar to the other MB vehicles in the lineup. EQS uses the hard vinyl sunvisors unless the car has the alcantara headliner while in the S Class the visors are always padded and covered in headliner material regardless. EQS doesn't have a leather stitched airbag cover unless it has the highest interior package, all S Classes have a leather stitched airbag cover.

The new E Class absolutely has higher build quality, but not better material usage. Thats just a sign that MB has heard the complaints about creaks and rattles and is improving as thats a newer generation car.

 

Again the old joke:


You are like John's butcher shop: no cars available so the price is low. Once, the cars come in the price will be higher!

 

I am seeing a lot of “unless” in your response. This confirms my theory. One “can” order and spec an EQS with interior cabin quality and materials that matches the EQS. I am yet to see any real differences between the W223 and the EQS higher-end trim. Most of the materials can be matched with the right packages and options. I couldn’t find any real differences between the two, at least not with the way I’d spec each. The GLS is different, you can easily spot the differences and it’s non-debatable. EQS is a good match. The “feel” is one thing, but the reality is that I couldn’t spot any real differences in materials with matching specs. I don/t know; I feel they did fine with the EQS cabin wise. The issue is the exterior design as most people would tell you. I hardly see anyone in the EQS subforum complaining about interior cabin, unlike Tesla forums. In fact, there are more complaints about creaks and rattles in the W223 than EQS subforum. Not that it is excessive, but noticeable enough.

 

Should I post your comments in the other thread where you admitted I was right and thanked me for the information and said you were never going to do business with your dealer again?

Im sorry you’re unable to negotiate a retail deal for yourself but many many many of us are. Happy to teach you how if you’re open to it. If you’re not open to it there isn’t anything we can do for you and you’re going to continue to overpay.

I can easily spot the differences in the EQS also. Even with the highest interior option on the EQS the materials are not on the same level as the S Class. Like we have said it’s more like an E Class with its highest interior option.

 

Returning to the topic of this thread: S-Class vs. EQS:

My post #4 was limited to one consideration, resale value: I posted: If you care about resale, I would run not walk from an EQS:

You have posted:

• #19: MB has huge incentives, on a $130k example I was able to get the payment under $1,000 a month.

In response I posted:

• #20: Could you please give details including, model year, how much of a cost cap reduction you made, deposit, number of months, mileage and taxes. This would be helpful for all who are considering leasing. Looking forward to you posting details.

In support of a lease payment of $600 a month on a loaner your post #25: The numbers on Leasehackr are valid.

I then responded post #23: Just went to leasehackr: In the Northeast I did not see anything that even approached your $600 a month or for that matter any EQS's.

You then posted #26: The deals vary. You won’t be able to get anywhere near that number now but for a while you were able to.

If you care about resale, run do not walk from an EQS!

Hope this clarifies.

 

Buying an EQS new you have to be worried about resale. Not if you lease. MB inflates the residual in addition to putting big incentives on them which makes them a good lease. I could have leased an EQS of the same MSRP as my S580 for about $900 less a month.

That shows you how much I prefer the S580…

It was a new 2024 in June of 2024. No cap cost reduction, first month drive off.

 

Well here are the numbers: I will let you decide if it is a good deal or not.

2025 Mercedes EQS 580 4matic

MSRP:$128.500
Cap Cost: $117.661
Residual: $59,110 (46%)
Lease term: 36 months
Mileage: 10K per year
Down payment: $10,339

Monthly payment $1,099 plus sales tax.

If you remove the down payment the monthly lease payments will go to approximately $1,450. Put in sales tax and you are over $1700 a month.

You posted: I could have leased an EQS of the same MSRP as my S580 for about $900 less a month.

We know the MSRP is $128,000, the residual $59,110 (46% so not supported). Can you post what monthly payment you got on the EQS, the numbers to back it up and the monthly payment on a comparable S580 for $900 a month less.

Much appreciated

see: https://www.mbusa.com/en/special-off...oaAt3GEALw_wcB

 

Like we’ve discussed previously those published deals don’t mean anything. You can negotiate a much better deal on your own. $1,100 a month is a good deal for a $130k car, but not with the $10k down payment. Any down payment on a lease is stupid.

Like I said before I don’t remember the exact numbers, it was over a year ago and I didn’t seriously consider the car. It was under $1,000 a month 36/12 with first month drive off.

 

I wish I knew how this was done. That’s exactly what I would be doing given the depreciation of these cars!

Is there an “Idiots Guide” to this because that’s written FOR ME.

 

I think in this case you'd do better to buy it through a broker. He'd just get you the best deal possible regardless of your region...
I'd go post on forum.leasehackr.com and find/talk to 3-4 brokers. Just get the best numbers even if you don't understand how it works

 

For anyone considering leasing, respectfully, the numbers quoted above are totally irrelevant and should be given zero weight.

Just consider two items: interest and residuals

In June of 2024 interest rates for leases, also known as the money factor, "MF" were totally different then they are at the present time: they were much, much lower.

Assume a MSRP of $130,000, a discount of $20,000: that means a cap cost price of $110,000. Interest at 2%, the interest component is roughly $2200 or $200 a month. Today the interest rate is above 6%, $6600 or $550 a month.

Interest alone can account for an additional $350 a month in leasing today vs. June of 2024.

Residuals. In June of 2024 people did not know how much the value of the EQS was going to tank. Today we do know and the residuals after 36 months, 10K miles are only 46%. In June of 2024, the residuals were 55%. That difference 9% on $130,000 is $11,700. That is a monthly savings of $340 per month.

Residuals and interest alone could have amounted to savings of $700 a month leasing in June 2024 vs. leasing today.

Finally, keep in mind the Federal Tax Credit of $7,500, which was included in the lease, are scheduled to expire on 9/30/2025. If they do, another savings of over $200 a month will be gone.

Hope this helps.

 

Actually I was totally underwhelmed by what I was presented by brokers for MBs, I was able to do better on my own. BMWs are a totally different story.

Says the guy who didn’t know dealers marked up money factors. Interest rates are basically the same as they were in July of 2024, actually they are a little lower. Even if they weren’t these are incentivized leases, the money factors are below market.

You’re not going to get as good a deal now because the cars aren’t on the lot like they were then, and they have basically stopped production but you can still get a great deal on an EQS that will be much cheaper to lease than a similar S580.

 

www.leasehackr.com is a great start. The key is to negotiate the price of the vehicle first, then get the retail money factors, rebates and residuals from a third party source and use them to negotiate your best payment.

An advanced skill once you really know the numbers is to go into a dealer and just say “I want this payment” and let them arrive at that payment however they want to arrive at it. Before you do that though you need to make sure you know how to calculate a lease payment and factor everything in to make sure you have the best payment in mind you can get.

 

Okay, maybe there is something I missed then at that time. Most of the EQS test-drive experiences overlapped with my Tesla S ownership, so perhaps my baseline was already screwed.
Regardless, with current depreciation, it is one heck of a certified/pre-owned car option for 30-49K USD depending on options....

 

I would pay no attention to the selling price as there is NO WAY I would buy an EV. I love the electric drive, but the jury is still out on what happens to these things out of warranty and when the batteries die. In my opinion, these wonderful EV’s are “lease only,” until they get some additional history under their belts. In addition to that, I just prefer to lease, and get a new car every 36 months or so. I know it’s not always the best way to go financially, but it’s what I do: Use their car, give it back, get a new one. It really is my only vice.

 

The warranty on battery pack for new EV is federally mandated at 8yrs/100,000 miles. That really takes the battery worry out of the equation. There so many other things to worry about when thinking about purchasing an EV(range-charging availability-resale value, etc that keep me from considering an EV.

 

Stream, I think you'll find the battery in those i7s will last 15+ years on average. Even if you drive it hard, fast charge a lot, put 200k+ miles on the vehicle.

We've owned 6 EVs now and frankly I'm just not worried, the data has been that good. I've mentioned this before, but while the EQS is really quiet, I have a rare hearing disorder, and my ears pick up that very subtle high whine. For that reason an S-Class is the more comfortable car for me. Otherwise, at these prices, we'd have picked up an EQS and EQS SUV by now and be happy as pigs in slop. I absolutely miss the convenience of EV for everyday driving. At this point, every multi-car family should try an EV if it fits into their budget.

 

Thanks guys. I was not aware of the extended warranty on the batteries, but I will continue to lease, as I just prefer it. I like my daily driver to be nearly new. I guess I’m always hoping that the next one will be better than the last. Right now, I’m really looking forward to the updated I7 model. My current I7 is one of the best cars I have ever owned, but there are some fairly ridiculously annoying things that I hope they improve. We shall see.

 

Yes, the i7 is on a 5th generation battery pack that BMW seemed to have mastered already by now. Their battery supplier is Samsung SDI and they have one of the best organisational experiences with batteries; and it's straight forward lithium‑ion battery. I was not able to find one i7 (or even i5) that had a battery issue. Most of BMW's electrical drivetrain issues are often related to the 48V system and PHEV vehicles, not the full EVs.
I'd be more concerned about being the beta tester for the new battery tech that BMW may include in their new cars, likely i7 LCI/facelift first (solid-state battery from SolidPower inc). Usually, BMW doesn't do well with most of it's LCI for the 1st year or 2. It's their beta tester before a full new generation is out.

Mbenz also gets their lithium‑ion batteries externally, but from couple other companies not one supplier, including LG. I think Mbenz is also testing a solid-state battery. lithium‑ion battery are solid batteries nowadays, btu they

@Streamliner , I can't believe you missed something like the federally mandated 8-years 100K miles warranty : ) ... By the way, it is NOT only for the battery pack, the 8-years/100K miles also covered the electric motor and the entire electric drive unit/drivetrain. It also covers capacity loss below 70% over those years (not at a concern at all anyway for BMWs as they "lock" their full capacity, and there is 3-5kWh of unclaimed capacity that is locked so you are never really at 0% or 100%).
Now here is the surprise, since you are in CA, CA extends that to 10 years / 150K miles. Several other states offer similar extended warranty.

 

I don’t pay attention to a lot of things that I feel don’t really concern me. I probably read about the battery warranties somewhere, but didn’t pay it much attention, as I will most likely never have a use for such a warranty. 30 to 36 months. Order it, drive it, give it back, repeat.

 

Still, the point is, Agreeing to release a product with 150K miles and 10 years warrant, speaks volume about the confidence manufacturers must put into these systems.

 

Agreed.

 

Honestly all cars are progressing so fast I don’t know if I will ever buy another car. I lease both cars.