AMGBENZ

sillydriver
did you drive a spur do you think it is more solid and a better than than the new S class or your current S class

sillydriver

I didn’t drive the Spur: I saw it at the dealership with an available GT sitting next to it and bought the GT instead. I think the GT is similar enough to the Spur to be a basis for comparison. I’m not sure how the new S compares with the current one, but I’ll offer some thoughts on the GT against the current S.

Dynamically, the Bentley feels heavier, which to my taste is more good than bad. I enjoy the rolling bank vault feeling of the Bentley although I’m afraid to corner it as hard as I would the S. Of course, cruising along in the Bentley I just don’t want to corner it hard. The construction of the S is objectively just as solid, but it feels lighter on its springs. My S has active body control which is nice, but allows the use softer shocks for a better ride. I actually wish the S had stiffer adjustable shocks more like the Bentley’s. To my taste the Bentley wins on steering feel, which is much stiffer than on the S. It also wins on the hand-feel of the thick leather steering wheel itself. However, an S600 or upcoming S63 clearly wins in overall performance.

Oddly enough, I think the interior finish is a tie. That’s because my S is a Designo Silver model, which in the early model years used a beautiful yellowish leather called ‘shell.’ Current Designo silver models use ‘stone,’ which is not as pretty. The Bentley wins hands down on interior personalization as well as the quality of knobs and switches.

The Bentley wins on engine sound, the ergonomics of the dashboard, and the programming of the automatic transmission. The S wins on available gadgetry, and the future S may win on dashboard controls: we’ll see.

The Bentley wins on exclusivity, ostentation and crowd appeal; the S wins if you want to remain anonymous, which is often desirable.