Can't decide LS460 or S550
03-23-07, 05:06 AM
#32
MY choice will be the LS600hL in February.
The only thing Mercedes has over the Lexus is external appearance. Important, but not a decider. For internal appearance, Lexus has the edge.
Since (to me) everything else (including handling) is close enough to be a tie, my deciding factors are:
Touch screen vs iDrive/COMAND. MUCH better NAV and control system with touch screen with lots of things that are just awkward any other way.
Reliability. I plan on keeping the car for 6-10 years. My experience with my BMW vs my 2 LS's has taught me THIS lesson well....
HBH
The only thing Mercedes has over the Lexus is external appearance. Important, but not a decider. For internal appearance, Lexus has the edge.
Since (to me) everything else (including handling) is close enough to be a tie, my deciding factors are:
Touch screen vs iDrive/COMAND. MUCH better NAV and control system with touch screen with lots of things that are just awkward any other way.
Reliability. I plan on keeping the car for 6-10 years. My experience with my BMW vs my 2 LS's has taught me THIS lesson well....
HBH
03-23-07, 08:18 AM
#34
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03-23-07, 09:45 AM
#35
I debated the same thing
I also considered the s550 and the LS460L alongwith the BMW 7 Series.
It came down to a few details in my opinion.
1. Lexus, better interior looks and features.
2. Lexus, incredible audio system
3. Lexus, better MPG ( I currently average about 20.5mpg 70% city
4. Lexus, imo better reliability
And something that I didn't know about until I got my Lexus... Other people I don't know, and friends of mine, come up to me and talk about the car in a way that was not as if they could never afford one like a Mercedes seems to be, but in a nice way that some day they hoped to get a Lexus too.
Given reliability issues... no one that I know of will say to someone that they want to wait a few years to buy a 4 or 5 year old Mercedes S class because they can afford the used price and it is a great reliable car. BUT I have noticed that many people have said that they will get an LS460 later when the time is right for them because they mention that the car will run forever in their opinion and they have always wanted one.
Honestly think about it. Most of us did not inherit our $$$ so we had to move up to earn it. Over that time I have always liked the LS but had to wait for the right time to afford it. (and the right body style change). I am sure that a lot of the LS buyers have watched the LS like I have over these 15 plus years that it has been out and have seen the many original LS cars still out on the road today with GREAT reliability stories.
If you are going to lease a car and really don't care about anything except for the 3 years that you own the car then the decision is a tough one.
But since I bought mine and plan on keeping it a long time I do care about the long term future. And if I decided that after 3-4 years the new LS at that time was what I wanted, it is nice to feel that someone will want to buy my car for a strong price due to reliability and repair costs being reasonable.
Lastly,
I have owned my LS460L since early December 06 and I really LIKE this car.
I feel that it actually accelerates more than fast enough.
The Audio System is incredible!!! It even remembers different Treble/Mid/Bass settings for the different sources..( CD,SAT,FM,HDD )
EVERYONE That has heard my Audio system cannot believe that this sound is coming from a car.
The NAV system is awesome and has a quicker response than the other NAVs that I have owned. (Acura,Cadillac) The best NAV/Audio control system that I have owned was the 2006 Acura RL, but that was about the best feature of that car which is now an expensive option because Acura needed to get the base price down to where they could sell the car.
The back seat room is incredible for my clients who ride with me about 2-3 times a week.
The LS could be a little tighter on the turns but the air suspension package might have fixed that from what I have heard from a few people who have that option. (I didn't want to wait for 3 months more to get a car with that option).
After owning the LS for 5,400 miles and about 4 months now I can honestly say that it is the best car that I have ever owned. I have no complaints at all and can't really find anything much that I would change.
Good luck in your decision. I am sure that others are going through the same decision process and have different opinions but I just wanted to share mine.
It came down to a few details in my opinion.
1. Lexus, better interior looks and features.
2. Lexus, incredible audio system
3. Lexus, better MPG ( I currently average about 20.5mpg 70% city
4. Lexus, imo better reliability
And something that I didn't know about until I got my Lexus... Other people I don't know, and friends of mine, come up to me and talk about the car in a way that was not as if they could never afford one like a Mercedes seems to be, but in a nice way that some day they hoped to get a Lexus too.
Given reliability issues... no one that I know of will say to someone that they want to wait a few years to buy a 4 or 5 year old Mercedes S class because they can afford the used price and it is a great reliable car. BUT I have noticed that many people have said that they will get an LS460 later when the time is right for them because they mention that the car will run forever in their opinion and they have always wanted one.
Honestly think about it. Most of us did not inherit our $$$ so we had to move up to earn it. Over that time I have always liked the LS but had to wait for the right time to afford it. (and the right body style change). I am sure that a lot of the LS buyers have watched the LS like I have over these 15 plus years that it has been out and have seen the many original LS cars still out on the road today with GREAT reliability stories.
If you are going to lease a car and really don't care about anything except for the 3 years that you own the car then the decision is a tough one.
But since I bought mine and plan on keeping it a long time I do care about the long term future. And if I decided that after 3-4 years the new LS at that time was what I wanted, it is nice to feel that someone will want to buy my car for a strong price due to reliability and repair costs being reasonable.
Lastly,
I have owned my LS460L since early December 06 and I really LIKE this car.
I feel that it actually accelerates more than fast enough.
The Audio System is incredible!!! It even remembers different Treble/Mid/Bass settings for the different sources..( CD,SAT,FM,HDD )
EVERYONE That has heard my Audio system cannot believe that this sound is coming from a car.
The NAV system is awesome and has a quicker response than the other NAVs that I have owned. (Acura,Cadillac) The best NAV/Audio control system that I have owned was the 2006 Acura RL, but that was about the best feature of that car which is now an expensive option because Acura needed to get the base price down to where they could sell the car.
The back seat room is incredible for my clients who ride with me about 2-3 times a week.
The LS could be a little tighter on the turns but the air suspension package might have fixed that from what I have heard from a few people who have that option. (I didn't want to wait for 3 months more to get a car with that option).
After owning the LS for 5,400 miles and about 4 months now I can honestly say that it is the best car that I have ever owned. I have no complaints at all and can't really find anything much that I would change.
Good luck in your decision. I am sure that others are going through the same decision process and have different opinions but I just wanted to share mine.
03-23-07, 10:02 AM
#36
Read consumer reports again. they all state that fit and finish and build quality on mercedes is top notch. How do you know the reliability of the s550 if it just came out? Lexus isn't perfect either with thier notorious oil sludge problem, 2006 manufacturer of the recall year award, and even toyota admitted thier quality has declined.
While it is true that the new S-class is too new to have long term reliability data available, given the overall reliability of all of their models, what would be the basis to assume that the current S-class will be any better than the last, nor any better than all other Mercedes Benz cars?
03-23-07, 10:04 AM
#37
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The only part of the S550 I like better than the LS460 is the front end, & not by much (I still like the front of the previous W220 S class better), I think the LS460L looks better from every other angle. The wheel arches & stuff may make the S more eye-catching, but eye catching does not equate beauty, I don't find the S class aesthetically pleasing although it has grown on me. It isn't bad at all, but not I would really call a beautiful design, they should have made it less Maybach like, especially the rear.
03-23-07, 09:09 PM
#38
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Wow! There have been some really well thought out responses to this thread. I just went through almost this same problem yesterday. I ordered my LS460 back in July, but am still waiting since I insisted on having the radar cruise control. I went to the Dallas car show this past weekend and was blown away with the staggering good looks of the new MB CL 550 that had a drive out of $128,000 vs. $90,000 for the drive out on the loaded LS460 with standard wheel base. I could not sleep for atleast half the night trying to decided whether to change to the MB now the 460 is less than 3 weeks away. My wife and I scheduled a test drive of each vehicles the next day. Both dealership were owned by the same company (Park Place) so I would not have lost my deposit on the MB.
After a test drive, our results were unanimous. The Lexus won hands down.
The only things the Benz were superior in was exterior styling and the distronic plus cruise control that will break the car when the cruise control is not on. Interior styling without having to deal with the painfully slow i-drive, the big colorful nav screen, and a 19 vs. 10 speaker audio sytem made the LS the clear winner of the interior competition . The MB stereo sytem was unbelievably inferior to the LS. I could learn to use the i-drive, but if a new front seat passenger wanted to change something it would be a pain.
Acceleration from 0-60 was the same, but the LS gets 4 more miles to the gallon with no $1300 gas guzzler tax. I love the ride on the LS. It seems to me it is just floating on clouds or like riding on rails with the smoothness of the 8 speed transmission.
The April 2007 Consumer Reports shows clear superiority in relilabilty. This will be my third LS and my dealer service has been absolutely impeccable, whereas my friend does not like his MB dealer and is changing.
Maybe I am just a Lexus guy and I know your question was about the S550 instead of the CL550, but this has been my similar recent experience.
After a test drive, our results were unanimous. The Lexus won hands down.
The only things the Benz were superior in was exterior styling and the distronic plus cruise control that will break the car when the cruise control is not on. Interior styling without having to deal with the painfully slow i-drive, the big colorful nav screen, and a 19 vs. 10 speaker audio sytem made the LS the clear winner of the interior competition . The MB stereo sytem was unbelievably inferior to the LS. I could learn to use the i-drive, but if a new front seat passenger wanted to change something it would be a pain.
Acceleration from 0-60 was the same, but the LS gets 4 more miles to the gallon with no $1300 gas guzzler tax. I love the ride on the LS. It seems to me it is just floating on clouds or like riding on rails with the smoothness of the 8 speed transmission.
The April 2007 Consumer Reports shows clear superiority in relilabilty. This will be my third LS and my dealer service has been absolutely impeccable, whereas my friend does not like his MB dealer and is changing.
Maybe I am just a Lexus guy and I know your question was about the S550 instead of the CL550, but this has been my similar recent experience.
03-23-07, 10:10 PM
#40
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03-24-07, 06:55 AM
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I also thought about the S550 but now I am not worried about that car any more.It seems as if the LS is the most talked about vehicle nowadays.I was thinking of the MB as a car that would stand out but it doesn't stand a chance against the Lexus.I am not telling you want to choose but my pick would have to be the LS.
03-24-07, 08:59 AM
#42
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The only part of the S550 I like better than the LS460 is the front end, & not by much (I still like the front of the previous W220 S class better), I think the LS460L looks better from every other angle. The wheel arches & stuff may make the S more eye-catching, but eye catching does not equate beauty, I don't find the S class aesthetically pleasing although it has grown on me. It isn't bad at all, but not I would really call a beautiful design, they should have made it less Maybach like, especially the rear.
When I thought about it more, I realized that I had preconceived notions, which arose from my old thoughts about the S500 vs. the LS430, which is too boxy in my opinion. The latest version of both cars are very close.
03-24-07, 09:22 AM
#43
You're missing the point. Even if the repairs are covered through warranty, most people don't enjoy repeated trips to the dealer. You have to schedule, then the drive, then the wait to sign in and get loaner, then the trip back. That's 2 or more hours. Doning that an extra 4-6 times a year becomes a chore. I had a benz and I hated the trips to the dealer...especially they aren't nice as Lexus dealerships. If this doesn't bother you then so be it. My time is precious to me. I'd rather have less trips to the dealer. I'd choose the Lexus everytime.
03-24-07, 10:08 AM
#44
You're missing the point. Even if the repairs are covered through warranty, most people don't enjoy repeated trips to the dealer. You have to schedule, then the drive, then the wait to sign in and get loaner, then the trip back. That's 2 or more hours. Doning that an extra 4-6 times a year becomes a chore. I had a benz and I hated the trips to the dealer...especially they aren't nice as Lexus dealerships. If this doesn't bother you then so be it. My time is precious to me. I'd rather have less trips to the dealer. I'd choose the Lexus everytime.
MB isn't that bad during it's first 3 years... it's when warranty runs out that it's a nightmare..
