turtle10250

I happened to be at Beverly Hills MB today and they had a S600, an S63 and an S65 and I sat if each of them.

I think i now understand what has sent some board members scrambling for the 600 .... the V12's have every interior piece and dash coated in smooth, high-end leather. The 63 has upgraded leather on the armrests (center and side), as well as the suede-like roof lining and the very nice AMG seats, but the dash and rest of door panels have either a faux-leather material or crackly lower end leather. It's ok, but you'd expect more on a $140k car. The S63 I sat was black-on-black, and the detail gets lost in the dark material, but i think it would really bother me if i had ordered a tan interior. The 600 and 65 were beautiful in every respect on the interior

Any thoughts from owners who have already taken delivery of their 63's?? Mine is still a month away ....

Eddie Knopp

My comparator is my old E55 (2004) and there is no comparison - I haven't sat in a 600. I think the 030 interior is stunning. Besides just get in and drive ;-) - you'll know what I mean

pmrogers

I'll chime in as one of the heretics who left a 63 on the lot to take home a 600. Let me start by saying that the 63, and the base 550 for that matter, have beautifully executed, clearly high-end interiors. The 600 takes it up a few notches, though.

My favorite details, or the ones I notice most often:

• leather across the front of the dash and glovebox door, especially the way the stitching runs 'through' the start button and glovebox release
• leather on top sill of the doors - entire door is leather but I notice the piece under the window most often, probably because the sun hits it directly
• wood cover on the phone dialing pod
• ultra soft leather - the premium leather on 550s and the 63 is extremely nice; the 600 leather crosses over into "wow that's soft!" territory, something I still notice every time I touch it
• wood wheel - hardly unique to the 600, of course, but a luxury touch I love and not available on the U.S. 63.
• adjustable headrests with wings

Things that could be better:

• the ceiling-mount handles by each door are plastic - should be covered in alcantara
• V12 badge on the dash is tacky - I love the exterior badges, but inside front and center it is a bit much
• door sills jump out as cheap plasti-chrome. They should be a solid slab of brushed aluminum with illuminated acrylic cutouts. Even my Inifiniti M45 could manage this
• plastic surrounding the door seat adjustments and door handle. They made the surround for window controls leather, why not this?

I'll put a few interior shots showing these details in the next post.

Paul

pmrogers

MBZFAN55

I am a long time owner of the S-Class and just recently took delivery of the CL63. I wanted something a bit more exciting to drive and also had the early information that the "63" interior would be substantially upgraded from the "550". Unfortunately, as Nevada Jack so aptly pointed out to me many months ago, the European specs don't always make it to the US - and the "63" is a confirming example of that. I was hoping for what I think is called the Passion Leather, a very supple leather, 2-3 levels up from the standard S550 leather. The leather that came on the CL63 is very nice and I am not disappointed, but it is not of the super soft quality that I would have preferred.

With that being said, IMO, the comparison between the 600 and the 63 ends right there. The 63 needs to be judged much more by it's other attributes rather than just the interior. Without getting involved in another 600 vs 63 performance (mods, torque, etc.) debate, the 63 is an incredibly different Mercedes package. It is a driving experience that i have never experienced in any Mercedes product, much less the S or CL. I could very easily be in an S600 for my next car, but right now I am having the time of my life with this "63"!

Paul - Your pictures (and car) are beautiful and your interior critique is very well stated, with the exception of the 63 not having the wood wheel. The problem is, when you hear the engine in the 63, and your palms begin to sweat, you will be thankful that Mercedes had the foresight to install the "grippy" steering wheel that they did. Enjoy your ride !

whoover

The walnut grab handles are one of my favorite touches of the W220 V-12 interior. It's amazing how they always elicit comments. The covers of the vanity mirrors that drop down in the rear are also polished wood, with metal inlays as touch points. It's a shame that these bits of cabinetry have been de-contented from the W221.

turtle10250

I was thinking of you PMRogers when i was at the dealership comparing the cars.

A couple of these things should be easily fixable:

a) i imagine for 550 or 63 owners, that the wood cover to the phone dialer can't be that expensive as a replacement part since it is only one piece (although who knows if mercedes makes it in black lacquer for you 030 owners)

b) I imagine the interior V12 badge can be easily removed if you don't like it on your 600

LetsJet

I think someone posted here about paying around $500 for it.

bt1340

Superb analysis on the S600 interior. I also agree that the extensive leather usage is fabulous. Also the "hand" that the leather gives you, (meaning the feel) is the ultimate. I disagree though on the V12 interior badge, I like it. The best upgrade I think is the "winged" headrest. I tend to lean on them and that feature combined with the already superb comfort of the seats is very satisfying.

AsianML

They were available on earlier production W221s, but were eventually left out for the recent ones.

Chucky300

I put the wood phone cover on mine because I like the way it looks.
It costs around $250 installed.

Chucky300

It also seems to put these bits in the car now (even on my S550) - the costs would be astronomical. I really cant imagine spending literally THOUSANDS of dollars putting the wood pcs in.


For example -
Rear Cosmetic Mirror Covers (Gloss Burlwood) Pair
Part Number: 82-1035 Our Price: $1,125.00

WSH

Absolutely agree... the leather used on the 63 is the same plasticky-nonsense used on 550s....sent email to MBUSA asking for a 600/65-like leather-upgrade package as an option for future 63s....

That said, not particularly excited by the possibly tacky, Bentley-wannabe (rather dubious aspiration ) 65 quilted leather...or the lt-grey colored rear-view mirrors/Alcantara/sunroof ctrls, etc of blk 600s....

Will say that, after a wkend of extensive driving of my CL63 in local mtn twisties: this car is simply amazing from a dynamic/ergonomics standpoint....makes my previously-solidly-perceived '07 CL600 seem positively archaic/non-confidence-inspiring.....

Did a back-to-back comparo w/a few guys who own both CL63 and 599....we were simply (as a group) stunned re: steering precision/brake pedal feel/chassis balance and traction/linear tq delivery/exhaust note/sport steering wheel (we all hate S65's/CL600's codgerly wood steering wheel )/sport seats of this CL63.....

Brings back memories of some 5 yrs ago when many of this same group did a back-to-back of then-new SL55 vs 360 in mtn twisties and came away similarly impressed by capabilities of AMG's engineers....

Suspect CL65 will be dynamically underwhelming in mtn twisties vs 63....and prob will suffer from traction issues, even on dry, uneven pavement....hopefully MB will offer 600/65-like leather as an option on 63.....IMO, CL63 is arguably world's most interesting, best-balanced driver's car today, price no object, esp if closely evaluating perf/precision/safety (599's Achilles' heel )/comfort/daily-useability

Germancar1

These little details might be different, but the W220 as a whole was not even close to the W221 so losing those few things is really matterless when you look at the whole picture. The W220 had those things, yet it was a very, very cheaply built Mercedes overall, especially the 2000-2002 models.


M

///MB

I don't believe any of the early 2007 S models had the wood trim grab handles and vanity mirrors. Our S600 was the first one to arrive at the dealer and to my surprise, it did not have those wood trim pieces. In fact, at the time, MBUSA.com listed wood trim grab handles and vanity mirrors as standard interior trim equipment on the S600, but shortly after removed any such wording. I don't recall if it was listed on the window sticker, but I did bring up this issue with my salesperson and after finding out MB had deleted these items from the new S, I gave up on fighting it. I do agree that even those small extra pieces of wood trim go a long way in how luxurious the interior feels. Considering the price of the car seems to have increased substantially (our 2001 S600 had a base of $114k) it's a shame they have to cheapen their product in these areas.

jeffreyy

I am so glad someone started this thread. I have the same problem. I want exclusive leather (fine grained soft) and not the passion or premium passion leather. It's a HUGE difference. Also, of note is that everywhere else in the world, it is orderable as an upgrade.

Only in the US, can you not upgrade the interior except via the designo package. Unfortunately, none of the 3 designo packages fits my tastes exactly. I love the Graphite package interior and the designo interior is super nice with very nice detail and Exclusive Passion leather all around in very nice colors. The problem is I'm not hot on the exterior color.

The Designo Mocha package...the exterior color I could live with but the interior color is a little orange for my tastes. Would rather have the exact same package with tan instead of the Argmanac (sp?).

I actually like the S63 better than the S65 as there is more drama (engine note, feel) etc with the S63. The S65 is amazing but it is so fast and so quiet, that it's almost not a lot of fun.

The interior on the S65 is amazing though. Personally, I think MBUSA does this on purpose to make us upgrade. Why they don't want to make the $10K on a Designo package though that is configurable is beyond me.

However, on a positive note, the product manager for AMG/Maybach/SLR was at the recent AMG Challenge in California and he told me that in 2009, they are planning to do full Designo aka make your own interior. So, I'm waiting for a 2009 S63 unless I just can't restrain myself. Then I might do the Designo Mocha S63 package.

Jeff

jeffreyy

By the way, XRAES has an unbelievable Designo Mocha car. Photos are in the photos thread.

J

jeffreyy

One last thought. I notice in the Designo Expresso edition. Sorry, I said mocha above, meant expresso....

· designo Mocha Black metallic paint
· designo Armagnac Nappa leather upholstery
· designo Natural Maple wood trim
· Wood/leather steering wheel and assist handles
· Cashmere beige Alcantara roof liner


Note the assist handles listed.

Hum.

jeffreyy

Seriously last thought for the night.

What happens with 030 and Designo Expresso?

Which wood would you get? I would hope the maple.

J

whoover

The previous AMG product manager admitted that MB is leery of getting back lease returns that are unsellable because of ugly color combinations. I gues European money comes with more class than ours. It will be interesting to see whether MB-Financial will assess a residual penalty if your roll-your-own designo doesn't pass muster. Maybe Paris Hilton can rule on how hot your taste is.

srice

A while back, there was a thread about the difference between the S600 and the upcoming S63. I think the consensus was that the S63 is primarlily a sports sedan with luxury appointments, and the S600 is a luxury sedan with performance capabilities.

Not speaking to the S600 (since I don't have one), I'm perfectly okay with my S63 not having wood grab handles, or a wood steering wheel. The leather is very nice and I don't feel like I'm in a coffin (think Bentley).

When I'm 80, I'll worry about wood appointments and more supple feeling leather. (no offense to anyone under 80 who prefers the S600 )

Give me a nice thick leather steering wheel to hold on to, and good solid grab handles for my passengers, and let's go driving, dammit!

LetsJet

Hey I'm offended!!!! I'm only 79!!

Germancar1

Exactly, I agree. The AMG cars shouldn't ever have a wooden steering wheel or grab handles, that is what the S550 and S600 are for.

M

rslpartners

well interestingly enough...they put a wooden steering wheel in a S65.
why not make it an option for a S63 for those that want it?

also curious to know why the paddle shift is now available on the S65?

srice

You can always buy a wood and leather steering wheel from your MB dealer's parts department. It may not be on the "option list" when ordering, but if you want it, you can get it. Just not my taste, though.