2007 Mercedes S550 review (comparison to 2007 LS460L)
11-29-11, 01:40 PM
#1
2007 Mercedes S550 review (comparison to 2007 LS460L)
Given the opportunity I recently landed myself on a 2007 Mercedes S550, not AMG, doesn't even have the AMG sports package, and in relatively boring silver color. Being the Mercedes flagship, I really didn't know what to expect out of it. After driving the car for a bit more than a month, and especially I had a 2007 Lexus LS460L in the past, quite a few people have asked me regarding a comparison between the two cars so I figured a little write-up is a good idea.
In some way, the two cars are so similar as a whole but yet they are so different when you drill down into the details. Both are flagship long wheel base sedans, packed with plenty of power and tons of amenities and technologies, but that's about where it ends. Until someone really drives them and gets familiar with different operations, it's hard to truly experience what the cars are offering and how they hold their places in the segment. This is what I tend to focus on, the details, rather than which car is 2/10th of a second faster.
Walking Up
From the outside the S550 is such a "long" car. “Massive” is not the word because by comparison I actually feel the LS is taller and bulkier. The numbers don't lie, the S550 is a good 3 inches longer (even wheel base). With the factory 18" wheels, less wheel gap, and the long hood lines, that all make the car looks long. This generation of S class (W221) has taken relatively bold move on the design, most pronounced in the wheel arc designs, which honestly I am still trying to warm myself up to.
But other than that, most of the body lines are done very well and the car has a lot of presence in person, even more so than the LS460L. I have seen in person at a red light with S550, LS460L, and 750il side by side, all in black, and the S550 clearly stood out more from the rest to me. The S550 on paper is also about 10" wider, although I think that might be difference in measurement with / without the mirrors. But the S550 does feel wide when looking from the outside.
One thing most people don't realize is the paint on the S class. From my understanding the clear coat on the S class is ceramic type which is much harder. On the other hand Lexus advertises the paint on the LS as being hand polished and examined. It’s two folds. In the showroom, I think the LS looks smoother and has more shine, whereas the S class I see imperfections and mild orange peels. However if we look at a cars that are 4 years old? I think chances are the S class would look better due to the harder clear coat. Lexus paint is famous for being soft, it's great for detailers in polishing the finish, but for most people, over years, it starts to develop a lot of swirls and scratches.
Another thing is the key fob design. The Mercedes fob has metal and is noticeably heavier than the Lexus one, when it comes to a luxury feel I think Mercedes edges out. And one interesting thing I notice is on the Lexus fob, the Lexus logo is on the "back" side of the fob, whereas for BMW or Mercedes, their logos are on the front together with the other buttons. From a showcasing perspective, having your logo out there is a better idea.
S550 has better door sensor design. The locking sensor on the S550 handles are fully integrated in the door piece and it's touch sensing, whereas on the LS460L it's a separate black button. The S550 doors are also designed such that when they swing open, they will "lock" at whatever position you leave them, unlike most other vehicles where there are different "intervals". This becomes very handy when you are dealing with a car with doors so big, especially when it's parked at an inclined.
Shutting Out
Opening and closing the doors on the S550 gives such a solid feeling, not something you can experience in the LS460L or 750il. That sound and "hump" feeling makes you feel like you are inside a tank. My first impression of the inside is very spacious, especially in the head / shoulder room area. The overall space feels bigger than that of the LS460L, especially in the rear cabin space. Although the same time the headliner is made of some cloth type materials, which feels much cheaper than the suede type in the LS460L.
The leather on the S550 is harder than that of the LS460L and it's two folds again. The leather definitely feels better in the LS460L, but over time they tend to wrinkle up more easily compared to S550. If you upgrade to the semi-aniline leather in the LS460L it gets even softer, on the other hand the premium leather on S550 is better but still not as soft as Lexus. The driver and front passenger seats are also bigger and wider in the S550 than LS460L, I guess this is important for bigger build people (not an issue for me). This can be done in the S550 because the seat controls are on the door not on the side of the seats, allowing Mercedes to push the seat area out even closer to the door. Another feature that was missing in my LS460L (and been available since 2010) is the slide out entry seat when you open the door.
There are plenty of compartment areas throughout (door handles, glove box, center armrest, under the seats, etc...) in the S550, although overall I was hoping for a bigger glove box storage. One good thing about the S550 rear seats (from a driver's perspective) is that the rear headrests are all "collapsible" so when no one is in the back, they could all fold down completely which provides a much better rear view.
The seat cushions are done very well in the S550, it's 4 years old and I have no problem driving long distance in the car. For the LS460L, I drove the car for 6 months and I started to feel the hardness at the bottom of the cushion, and this has been reported more than a few times by LS460 owners too. Another cool feature is that from the driver side, I can actually control the seat position of the front passenger seat. When I first saw that I thought it's quite redundant, but when I first picked up someone (who is about 6'5") while my wife is 5', that came in very handy. When driving night time there is also a very nice ambient lighting around the whole car and also foot well, that part of the detail feels better than that of the LS460L.
When it comes to the trunk, honestly I don't think it's even a comparison. The LS460L suffers from a very poor trunk design and thus space, whereas the S550 has very decent and usable trunk size. And actually when looking at the trunk "floor", there are trap doors. When opening them up, there are more compartments underneath for suitcases and other items. These are all great thoughts. The trunk lid is also better designed in the S550. You can open the trunk lid electronically in both the S550 and LS460L, but you can only electronically close the lid (away from the trunk area) in the S550. There is also a button on the trunk lid that you press, it will shut the trunk and arm your car. On the LS460L you will still need to do the locking action one way or another.
Riding a Tank
By comparison, LS460L is a very easy car to drive and adapt to. I never thought much about that until I started driving the S550. The car is long and wide and pretty hard to drive (until you get used to it). The hood feels so long and the car is long overall making driving more challenging, especially when you are making right turns and changing lanes. The S550 also feels very heavy, that gives you the solid / safe feeling but at the same time you feel like you are dragging something around. The LS460L feels more nimble and much easier to turn.
I personally think the S550 has a better engine tone than the LS460L, a deeper drone. But of course this is a mood point unless when you are actually accelerating "hard", otherwise you hardly go over 2500rpm and you hear nothing in either car. Freeway cruising I think both cars are just as quiet. Although, again, changing lanes on the freeway is more challenging in S550, especially with the ever so tiny rear view mirrors.
When it comes to ride and dampening, I give it to S550. All S class are equipped with Airmatic air suspension (and then you can get ABC on top). The rebounce on the S550 suspension feels much better than LS460L. When you go over a bump or dip, at any speed, the S class will go "boom boom" and that's it. But in the LS460L will go up and down and up and down a few times before it settles. Yes, that means the LS has a softer ride, but I personally like a little firmer ride than being thrown up and down too often. The S550 also provides me with more driving feedback than the LS460L, one of the main reasons why I decided to sell the Lexus. Just like the AVS on Lexus, there is also a standard / comfort suspension setting on the S550 and I think it gives a more noticeable change to the dampening.
However, I think the S550 does suffer from quiet serious under steer problem. It could be the overall weight, or front heavy, or the suspension, but on higher speed turns I always find myself fighting more with the steering wheel than I do with the LS460L. Of course, the LS460L also has a smaller turning circle so that makes LS460L easier to handle.
On the brakes, the LS460L grabs harder, but the S550 feels more linear. The parking brakes are both electronics on the cars, but I think the setup in the S550 is silly. In the LS460L you can set the parking brake to be automatic so when you put the car to P, it engages. When you put the car in R or D and tap on the gas, it disengages. On the S550, when you put the car in R or D and tap the gas the parking brake will disengage, but for whatever odd reason when you put the car to P, you will need to push on the parking brake lever to engage it, which makes it a bit pointless.
The turn signal stalk on the S550 is one feature I am still quite amazed about. Seems like it knows what you are thinking. If you quickly tap on it, it will blink 3 times. But while tapping it, if I have the slightest hesitation in releasing (for example when I see there is actually a car in my blind spot, etc...), the blinking will stop right the way. This is brilliant. On the LS460L, there is no 3-blink feature until 2010. The auto windshield wipers also work better on the S550, whereas on the LS460L (or all my Lexus for that matter) it never senses the rain right.
Talking about "tank", good luck with the gas tank. While I get better gas mileage in my LS460L (24mpg vs 22mpg), the sheer size of the gas tank in the S550 allows me to go quite far. At almost 24 gallons, doing a full pump at the gas station is not for the faint of heart. But seeing a range of over 500 miles that's a pretty interesting feeling.
Doing What You Want
Overall, the whole electronic system inside the S550 is OK, some cool stuff but at the same time I have a lot of "huh?" moments. First of all, the COMMAND system in the S550 is far better than the iDrive system. It could be all subjective but I find it much easier to use than that in my BMW. Comparing to the touch screen in my LS460L, I am really torn on which I think is better. You can’t beat the ease of using touch screen, but I do have to look down more (away from the road) to look at the screen. Also the finger prints can get annoying as well as the occasional sun glare.
With the COMMAND system, there are definitely less buttons on the dash making it look more elegant and clean. But what it also means is that for certain operations, you need to jump through a few more hoops. And on that, Mercedes definitely know how to make something far more complicated than what it should be. For example, up till this point, I still don't know how to repeat a song.
And for bluetooth, you actually have to get another puck (physical one) which is quite decent in size and put it in your armrest. For a car in 2007 that's quite BS. But at least once connected, it accesses all the contacts in your phone so there is no need to transfer data over like that in LS460L, which I think is quite insecure.
A few other cool touches in the S550. The navigation screen can actually tilt towards the passenger for better viewing. The dash main speedometer is in full LCD, this is because of the potential option of the nightview infrared driving mode. A lot of the settings in the system can be controlled by me directly, even changing the language of the system. Using the COMMAND **** it's also easier to adjust the scale of the map, something I complained about in my Lexus.
The Harman Kardon sound system in the S550 is quite disappointing for a flagship. It's not bad by any means, but it's far from impressive. Especially after experiencing the Mark Levinson Reference system in the LS460L, the system in the S550 is very weak. But the system does play DVD discs with MP3 songs, something most Lexus owners have scratched their heads wondering why their systems can't do.
The most impressive part of the system? It's readily "upgradable" at the dealership. My car has the oldest system right now, but if I decide to do the upgrade and then pop in the newest map DVD? I get 3D bird's eye view map, latest details andt firmware for all electronic systems, DVD video playback, and also FM real time traffic information. When the S550 debut in 2007 these weren't available, but as soon as they were in 2008, and upgrade was there. For Lexus system, upgrade has always been about map data and POI, there is really no such thing as firmware / software upgrade.
Another thing I like is the heated / cooling seat function. The cooling function blows harder in the S550, and for heated seat function it heats up the seat much quicker. When it comes to headlights though, the S550 is another question mark. There are a lot of settings, but I can say for sure if I keep everything in automatic, there is no way I can have the foglights on together with the headlights. If you want the fogs on, it has to be in manual mode. Also, DRL is actually the same as low beam. So if I turn DRL on, my low beam is basically on all the time. Yeah, some very weird designs.
Chosen?
So in the end, which one is a better car, the S550 or LS460L? From my experience, I think the S550 has far more presence and put you in a higher status. If that's what you want, you have to get the S550. It could be brand image and heritage or even just stereotype, but when you drive the S class, people look at you differently. In fact, that's probably why I feel reluctant in driving the car sometimes. I got teased so many times by people and friends left and right about the car, something I never got that in my LS460L. The LS460L seems to blend in better, but yet when you are in the car you know it's flagship luxurious. It's more of a personal car than a show off car. The S550 is also a harder car to drive but more fun, if you love driving you will swing more in that direction.
Just like everything else, you always pay a pretty penny for the glory. The S550 might sound like a cool car to bring out to show people what you got, but for a similarly equipped car, you do have to pay more.
In some way, the two cars are so similar as a whole but yet they are so different when you drill down into the details. Both are flagship long wheel base sedans, packed with plenty of power and tons of amenities and technologies, but that's about where it ends. Until someone really drives them and gets familiar with different operations, it's hard to truly experience what the cars are offering and how they hold their places in the segment. This is what I tend to focus on, the details, rather than which car is 2/10th of a second faster.
Walking Up
From the outside the S550 is such a "long" car. “Massive” is not the word because by comparison I actually feel the LS is taller and bulkier. The numbers don't lie, the S550 is a good 3 inches longer (even wheel base). With the factory 18" wheels, less wheel gap, and the long hood lines, that all make the car looks long. This generation of S class (W221) has taken relatively bold move on the design, most pronounced in the wheel arc designs, which honestly I am still trying to warm myself up to.
But other than that, most of the body lines are done very well and the car has a lot of presence in person, even more so than the LS460L. I have seen in person at a red light with S550, LS460L, and 750il side by side, all in black, and the S550 clearly stood out more from the rest to me. The S550 on paper is also about 10" wider, although I think that might be difference in measurement with / without the mirrors. But the S550 does feel wide when looking from the outside.
One thing most people don't realize is the paint on the S class. From my understanding the clear coat on the S class is ceramic type which is much harder. On the other hand Lexus advertises the paint on the LS as being hand polished and examined. It’s two folds. In the showroom, I think the LS looks smoother and has more shine, whereas the S class I see imperfections and mild orange peels. However if we look at a cars that are 4 years old? I think chances are the S class would look better due to the harder clear coat. Lexus paint is famous for being soft, it's great for detailers in polishing the finish, but for most people, over years, it starts to develop a lot of swirls and scratches.
Another thing is the key fob design. The Mercedes fob has metal and is noticeably heavier than the Lexus one, when it comes to a luxury feel I think Mercedes edges out. And one interesting thing I notice is on the Lexus fob, the Lexus logo is on the "back" side of the fob, whereas for BMW or Mercedes, their logos are on the front together with the other buttons. From a showcasing perspective, having your logo out there is a better idea.
S550 has better door sensor design. The locking sensor on the S550 handles are fully integrated in the door piece and it's touch sensing, whereas on the LS460L it's a separate black button. The S550 doors are also designed such that when they swing open, they will "lock" at whatever position you leave them, unlike most other vehicles where there are different "intervals". This becomes very handy when you are dealing with a car with doors so big, especially when it's parked at an inclined.
Shutting Out
Opening and closing the doors on the S550 gives such a solid feeling, not something you can experience in the LS460L or 750il. That sound and "hump" feeling makes you feel like you are inside a tank. My first impression of the inside is very spacious, especially in the head / shoulder room area. The overall space feels bigger than that of the LS460L, especially in the rear cabin space. Although the same time the headliner is made of some cloth type materials, which feels much cheaper than the suede type in the LS460L.
The leather on the S550 is harder than that of the LS460L and it's two folds again. The leather definitely feels better in the LS460L, but over time they tend to wrinkle up more easily compared to S550. If you upgrade to the semi-aniline leather in the LS460L it gets even softer, on the other hand the premium leather on S550 is better but still not as soft as Lexus. The driver and front passenger seats are also bigger and wider in the S550 than LS460L, I guess this is important for bigger build people (not an issue for me). This can be done in the S550 because the seat controls are on the door not on the side of the seats, allowing Mercedes to push the seat area out even closer to the door. Another feature that was missing in my LS460L (and been available since 2010) is the slide out entry seat when you open the door.
There are plenty of compartment areas throughout (door handles, glove box, center armrest, under the seats, etc...) in the S550, although overall I was hoping for a bigger glove box storage. One good thing about the S550 rear seats (from a driver's perspective) is that the rear headrests are all "collapsible" so when no one is in the back, they could all fold down completely which provides a much better rear view.
The seat cushions are done very well in the S550, it's 4 years old and I have no problem driving long distance in the car. For the LS460L, I drove the car for 6 months and I started to feel the hardness at the bottom of the cushion, and this has been reported more than a few times by LS460 owners too. Another cool feature is that from the driver side, I can actually control the seat position of the front passenger seat. When I first saw that I thought it's quite redundant, but when I first picked up someone (who is about 6'5") while my wife is 5', that came in very handy. When driving night time there is also a very nice ambient lighting around the whole car and also foot well, that part of the detail feels better than that of the LS460L.
When it comes to the trunk, honestly I don't think it's even a comparison. The LS460L suffers from a very poor trunk design and thus space, whereas the S550 has very decent and usable trunk size. And actually when looking at the trunk "floor", there are trap doors. When opening them up, there are more compartments underneath for suitcases and other items. These are all great thoughts. The trunk lid is also better designed in the S550. You can open the trunk lid electronically in both the S550 and LS460L, but you can only electronically close the lid (away from the trunk area) in the S550. There is also a button on the trunk lid that you press, it will shut the trunk and arm your car. On the LS460L you will still need to do the locking action one way or another.
Riding a Tank
By comparison, LS460L is a very easy car to drive and adapt to. I never thought much about that until I started driving the S550. The car is long and wide and pretty hard to drive (until you get used to it). The hood feels so long and the car is long overall making driving more challenging, especially when you are making right turns and changing lanes. The S550 also feels very heavy, that gives you the solid / safe feeling but at the same time you feel like you are dragging something around. The LS460L feels more nimble and much easier to turn.
I personally think the S550 has a better engine tone than the LS460L, a deeper drone. But of course this is a mood point unless when you are actually accelerating "hard", otherwise you hardly go over 2500rpm and you hear nothing in either car. Freeway cruising I think both cars are just as quiet. Although, again, changing lanes on the freeway is more challenging in S550, especially with the ever so tiny rear view mirrors.
When it comes to ride and dampening, I give it to S550. All S class are equipped with Airmatic air suspension (and then you can get ABC on top). The rebounce on the S550 suspension feels much better than LS460L. When you go over a bump or dip, at any speed, the S class will go "boom boom" and that's it. But in the LS460L will go up and down and up and down a few times before it settles. Yes, that means the LS has a softer ride, but I personally like a little firmer ride than being thrown up and down too often. The S550 also provides me with more driving feedback than the LS460L, one of the main reasons why I decided to sell the Lexus. Just like the AVS on Lexus, there is also a standard / comfort suspension setting on the S550 and I think it gives a more noticeable change to the dampening.
However, I think the S550 does suffer from quiet serious under steer problem. It could be the overall weight, or front heavy, or the suspension, but on higher speed turns I always find myself fighting more with the steering wheel than I do with the LS460L. Of course, the LS460L also has a smaller turning circle so that makes LS460L easier to handle.
On the brakes, the LS460L grabs harder, but the S550 feels more linear. The parking brakes are both electronics on the cars, but I think the setup in the S550 is silly. In the LS460L you can set the parking brake to be automatic so when you put the car to P, it engages. When you put the car in R or D and tap on the gas, it disengages. On the S550, when you put the car in R or D and tap the gas the parking brake will disengage, but for whatever odd reason when you put the car to P, you will need to push on the parking brake lever to engage it, which makes it a bit pointless.
The turn signal stalk on the S550 is one feature I am still quite amazed about. Seems like it knows what you are thinking. If you quickly tap on it, it will blink 3 times. But while tapping it, if I have the slightest hesitation in releasing (for example when I see there is actually a car in my blind spot, etc...), the blinking will stop right the way. This is brilliant. On the LS460L, there is no 3-blink feature until 2010. The auto windshield wipers also work better on the S550, whereas on the LS460L (or all my Lexus for that matter) it never senses the rain right.
Talking about "tank", good luck with the gas tank. While I get better gas mileage in my LS460L (24mpg vs 22mpg), the sheer size of the gas tank in the S550 allows me to go quite far. At almost 24 gallons, doing a full pump at the gas station is not for the faint of heart. But seeing a range of over 500 miles that's a pretty interesting feeling.
Doing What You Want
Overall, the whole electronic system inside the S550 is OK, some cool stuff but at the same time I have a lot of "huh?" moments. First of all, the COMMAND system in the S550 is far better than the iDrive system. It could be all subjective but I find it much easier to use than that in my BMW. Comparing to the touch screen in my LS460L, I am really torn on which I think is better. You can’t beat the ease of using touch screen, but I do have to look down more (away from the road) to look at the screen. Also the finger prints can get annoying as well as the occasional sun glare.
With the COMMAND system, there are definitely less buttons on the dash making it look more elegant and clean. But what it also means is that for certain operations, you need to jump through a few more hoops. And on that, Mercedes definitely know how to make something far more complicated than what it should be. For example, up till this point, I still don't know how to repeat a song.
And for bluetooth, you actually have to get another puck (physical one) which is quite decent in size and put it in your armrest. For a car in 2007 that's quite BS. But at least once connected, it accesses all the contacts in your phone so there is no need to transfer data over like that in LS460L, which I think is quite insecure.
A few other cool touches in the S550. The navigation screen can actually tilt towards the passenger for better viewing. The dash main speedometer is in full LCD, this is because of the potential option of the nightview infrared driving mode. A lot of the settings in the system can be controlled by me directly, even changing the language of the system. Using the COMMAND **** it's also easier to adjust the scale of the map, something I complained about in my Lexus.
The Harman Kardon sound system in the S550 is quite disappointing for a flagship. It's not bad by any means, but it's far from impressive. Especially after experiencing the Mark Levinson Reference system in the LS460L, the system in the S550 is very weak. But the system does play DVD discs with MP3 songs, something most Lexus owners have scratched their heads wondering why their systems can't do.
The most impressive part of the system? It's readily "upgradable" at the dealership. My car has the oldest system right now, but if I decide to do the upgrade and then pop in the newest map DVD? I get 3D bird's eye view map, latest details andt firmware for all electronic systems, DVD video playback, and also FM real time traffic information. When the S550 debut in 2007 these weren't available, but as soon as they were in 2008, and upgrade was there. For Lexus system, upgrade has always been about map data and POI, there is really no such thing as firmware / software upgrade.
Another thing I like is the heated / cooling seat function. The cooling function blows harder in the S550, and for heated seat function it heats up the seat much quicker. When it comes to headlights though, the S550 is another question mark. There are a lot of settings, but I can say for sure if I keep everything in automatic, there is no way I can have the foglights on together with the headlights. If you want the fogs on, it has to be in manual mode. Also, DRL is actually the same as low beam. So if I turn DRL on, my low beam is basically on all the time. Yeah, some very weird designs.
Chosen?
So in the end, which one is a better car, the S550 or LS460L? From my experience, I think the S550 has far more presence and put you in a higher status. If that's what you want, you have to get the S550. It could be brand image and heritage or even just stereotype, but when you drive the S class, people look at you differently. In fact, that's probably why I feel reluctant in driving the car sometimes. I got teased so many times by people and friends left and right about the car, something I never got that in my LS460L. The LS460L seems to blend in better, but yet when you are in the car you know it's flagship luxurious. It's more of a personal car than a show off car. The S550 is also a harder car to drive but more fun, if you love driving you will swing more in that direction.
Just like everything else, you always pay a pretty penny for the glory. The S550 might sound like a cool car to bring out to show people what you got, but for a similarly equipped car, you do have to pay more.
11-29-11, 01:49 PM
#2
Ok I read every words.
I agreed with everything. Pretty much pros and cons on a bunch of things, there is no clear winner as far as the car itself goes.
At the end of it, it is reliability / longevity vs. status / prestige. People always prefer one or the other, and you can't have both.
The impression I kept getting from your review though, is the S550 is harder to drive. I always prefer it easy, especially in a luxury boat that I want to relax in.
I sense a little unfair comparison though, wasn't your LS460L pretty loaded and I think your S550 is pretty basic?
I agreed with everything. Pretty much pros and cons on a bunch of things, there is no clear winner as far as the car itself goes.
At the end of it, it is reliability / longevity vs. status / prestige. People always prefer one or the other, and you can't have both.
The impression I kept getting from your review though, is the S550 is harder to drive. I always prefer it easy, especially in a luxury boat that I want to relax in.
I sense a little unfair comparison though, wasn't your LS460L pretty loaded and I think your S550 is pretty basic?
Last edited by BNR34; 11-29-11 at 02:51 PM.
11-29-11, 03:47 PM
#4
Ok I read every words.
I agreed with everything. Pretty much pros and cons on a bunch of things, there is no clear winner as far as the car itself goes.
At the end of it, it is reliability / longevity vs. status / prestige. People always prefer one or the other, and you can't have both.
The impression I kept getting from your review though, is the S550 is harder to drive. I always prefer it easy, especially in a luxury boat that I want to relax in.
I sense a little unfair comparison though, wasn't your LS460L pretty loaded and I think your S550 is pretty basic?
I agreed with everything. Pretty much pros and cons on a bunch of things, there is no clear winner as far as the car itself goes.
At the end of it, it is reliability / longevity vs. status / prestige. People always prefer one or the other, and you can't have both.
The impression I kept getting from your review though, is the S550 is harder to drive. I always prefer it easy, especially in a luxury boat that I want to relax in.
I sense a little unfair comparison though, wasn't your LS460L pretty loaded and I think your S550 is pretty basic?
and as much as some would say the two cars are similar, i think they are for different people. one is showy, one is subtle.
yes, the s550 is harder to drive, but i have to say just like everything else, it's matter of getting used to. now i have no problem driving the car at all and i pass people left and right easy. but the learning curve is steeper. not like you need a month, but maybe a few days. on the ls460l, i didn't even have to "learn"
yes, my ls460l was 2nd most loaded (no exec package) and the s550 is more of a "basic" one, that's why i intentionally didn't go into all the detailed options. but keep in mind, this s550 already had a more expensive msrp than my ls460l iirc. but then again, luxury is about having the choices. if we put together all the options, the list on the s550 goes on forever
11-29-11, 04:00 PM
#5
Lexus Champion
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: CA
Posts: 1,751
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Great review and comparison! Congrats! My younger brother just picked up same car but in black. Really love the interior lighting of this car at night. I think the S has the most road presence imho.
11-29-11, 04:06 PM
#7
yes, the s550 is harder to drive, but i have to say just like everything else, it's matter of getting used to. now i have no problem driving the car at all and i pass people left and right easy. but the learning curve is steeper. not like you need a month, but maybe a few days. on the ls460l, i didn't even have to "learn"
yes, my ls460l was 2nd most loaded (no exec package) and the s550 is more of a "basic" one, that's why i intentionally didn't go into all the detailed options. but keep in mind, this s550 already had a more expensive msrp than my ls460l iirc. but then again, luxury is about having the choices. if we put together all the options, the list on the s550 goes on forever
Trending Topics
11-29-11, 04:25 PM
#8
How about reliability, Henry? I know pre 07 S is nightmare ( Had one, hate it, sold it in 6 months) and the new one is much better. For the same amount of money, (5000-8000 more for a car this class is not really a big difference or deal breaker), I would buy a S or 7 before LS460, however, the reason I chose my previous 2 LS430 is because of its reliability.
So is the gap between S/7 and LS460 getting smaller now?
So is the gap between S/7 and LS460 getting smaller now?
11-29-11, 04:31 PM
#9
I believe the brand name really affect how people think, myself included. As much as I try to keep a clear and unbiased mind, the brand name always make it seems better. But when I really try to force myself to compare the car itself without the brand name getting into my head, tons of much higher end, much more expensive cars actually don't offer anymore.
Indeed.
A good design don't require any learning.
Sorry for bringing that up, now that I think about it, the level of equipments is pretty irrelevant for this comparison. A basic S550 got a higher MSRP then a loaded LS460L just because MB set it higher due to the brand name, not because it is actually a better car that come with more.
Indeed.
A good design don't require any learning.
Sorry for bringing that up, now that I think about it, the level of equipments is pretty irrelevant for this comparison. A basic S550 got a higher MSRP then a loaded LS460L just because MB set it higher due to the brand name, not because it is actually a better car that come with more.
i actually never thought of anything about the brand, i always care more about the car. but after i got the car, the response was really depressing... i never like much attention... on learning, you talking to someone who loves the simplicity of apple products. i definitely agree with you, that's why on the ease of driving lexus takes it no problem.
and on the car, in some way it's hard to have a real apple to apple comparison. ls460 starts at swb and springs, s550 are all lwb and air suspension standard. and so many other little things here and there too. but in the end, you definitely pay more money for the brand, i have zero doubt on that. if it's not the deal i got, i doubt i would have gotten the car
11-29-11, 04:35 PM
#10
How about reliability, Henry? I know pre 07 S is nightmare ( Had one, hate it, sold it in 6 months) and the new one is much better. For the same amount of money, (5000-8000 more for a car this class is not really a big difference or deal breaker), I would buy a S or 7 before LS460, however, the reason I chose my previous 2 LS430 is because of its reliability.
So is the gap between S/7 and LS460 getting smaller now?
So is the gap between S/7 and LS460 getting smaller now?
the w220 though is a different story, that's a car to be avoid at all cost. towards the end of the run the cars got better, but when it's so problematic to begin with, you can only fix so much. mb focused a lot on the w221 to make sure it's right (they lost tons of customers with the w220) so it's a good thing.
personally i tend to say the gap on reliability is smaller (lexus got worse, bmw and mb got better), but lexus is still edging out.
11-29-11, 05:00 PM
#12
yup, that's why i put the brand image part at the very end of my comparison i actually never thought of anything about the brand, i always care more about the car. but after i got the car, the response was really depressing... i never like much attention...
on learning, you talking to someone who loves the simplicity of apple products. i definitely agree with you, that's why on the ease of driving lexus takes it no problem.
and on the car, in some way it's hard to have a real apple to apple comparison. ls460 starts at swb and springs, s550 are all lwb and air suspension standard. and so many other little things here and there too. but in the end, you definitely pay more money for the brand, i have zero doubt on that. if it's not the deal i got, i doubt i would have gotten the car
i actually never thought of anything about the brand, i always care more about the car. but after i got the car, the response was really depressing... i never like much attention... on learning, you talking to someone who loves the simplicity of apple products. i definitely agree with you, that's why on the ease of driving lexus takes it no problem.
and on the car, in some way it's hard to have a real apple to apple comparison. ls460 starts at swb and springs, s550 are all lwb and air suspension standard. and so many other little things here and there too. but in the end, you definitely pay more money for the brand, i have zero doubt on that. if it's not the deal i got, i doubt i would have gotten the car
Something weird is happening to me though, I used to not care about image, so I owned nothing but Japanese cars because I just appreciate their engineering. But as I age, I start to crave for image, I am guessing is I never had it before? I don't know.
Then again, like you said, Japanese are getting worse and European are getting really good, that could be a big reason why I am being attracted to the dark side.
11-29-11, 05:08 PM
#13
I feel the S550 is a much classier car.
My son in law has a black on black S550 with the AMG option he just bought CPO .The car is fully loaded and listed for $108K new
It's gorgeous.
He traded in a '08 LS460L and says he likes the Benz more but feels a LS would make him feel better if he kept the car long term but he doesn't keep a car long.
My son in law has a black on black S550 with the AMG option he just bought CPO .The car is fully loaded and listed for $108K new
It's gorgeous.
He traded in a '08 LS460L and says he likes the Benz more but feels a LS would make him feel better if he kept the car long term but he doesn't keep a car long.
11-29-11, 05:18 PM
#15
the w221 has been pretty good on reliability overall from what i read. searching the forums, i do see air suspension problems, electronics troubles, seat problems, etc... but then again i see the same thing in the ls460 forum. granted though, i think lexus is still more reliable when you run the car for 10 years, but at the 4-5 years range? i am crossing my fingers
the w220 though is a different story, that's a car to be avoid at all cost. towards the end of the run the cars got better, but when it's so problematic to begin with, you can only fix so much. mb focused a lot on the w221 to make sure it's right (they lost tons of customers with the w220) so it's a good thing.
personally i tend to say the gap on reliability is smaller (lexus got worse, bmw and mb got better), but lexus is still edging out.
the w220 though is a different story, that's a car to be avoid at all cost. towards the end of the run the cars got better, but when it's so problematic to begin with, you can only fix so much. mb focused a lot on the w221 to make sure it's right (they lost tons of customers with the w220) so it's a good thing.
personally i tend to say the gap on reliability is smaller (lexus got worse, bmw and mb got better), but lexus is still edging out.
It was nice to drive it, but then I become scared to drive it since I was afraid it would get me stranded on the road.
