satiger

iTrader: (1)

Just for the heck, I browsed few Benz forums to see how LS460 is compared/criticized. Common observations are LS460 is not in par with S class in driving performance, interior material quality, technology etc.

I haven't driven S class. So I don't what would that be or what to admire/criticize. It ranks better than LS by many magazines (not counting on reliability).

Here is my question - those who have owned or driven S class, what is lacking in LS or in other words why not S550 instead LS460?. Please note that I understand the reliability factor between these two models. So, not interested in reliability discussion.

Nospinzone

A close friend of mine has the 2015 S600 AMG, so well above the S550 in performance, but the appointments/accessories are the same. In my opinion from a standpoint of performance, handling and technology, it puts the LS to shame. I'm not so sure the material quality is any better. However, it costs probably 3 times an LS and it is at the dealer's shop constantly. Nothing major, but he's always having a problem with something not working right. In part I think it is a factor of just too much technology.

If they ever made the car reliable, I would buy one in a minute, but at my age I just can't deal with the inconvenience. MB does come and pick up his car and leave a loaner, but that gets to be a PITA.

coolsaber

Really with the new gen S class the only real reason for the LS is either reliability or affordability. The new gen flagships are really the pinnacle of vehicle engineering and design. LS is lagging in terms of a comparison

Devh

I have had the opportunity to drive a few S classes and was a passenger in a few of them over the years.
Back in the day (mid 90s) I have driven a family friends S Class and it was nice but a few years later I was a passenger in a LS 400 second gen and it was like floating on air. The quality and just about every aspect was better than the S Class of that era.
If it wasn't all that great the LS wouldn't have had the notoriety that it did. It wasn't that the lexus was the cheaper alternative, it literally blew the competition out of the water and it was referenced in a positive way. Lexus left an indelible mark on the automotive world, even MB knows this and for a long time they were hoping people will not overlook European tradition.

In 2007 the same family friend leased a newer S class and I had the opportunity to drive it. It was nice but not as nice as my LS 460. Not knocking the MB or my previous BMW but I felt the materials like the wood and the build quality was better. The only thing the europeans had on the LS was better leather and better seats.
My previous BMW's interior looked nice but it was eroding away because the materials used were on the cheaper side.
Somewhere in 2008 the lines started to get blurred because the competition caught up. Many of the convience features that Lexus pioneered were showing up on the German cars.
There are tradeoffs and I'm sure the new S class out does the current LS which is understandable until the new LS comes along.
The only thing saving MB for the last twenty years was being a German brand but with a generation removed it's a lot more common to see massive depreciation to the point where it's not as desirable to own even when it's in reach of the average person who doesn't want it because it's too expensive to keep running. Just that mentality alone has taken another bite out of MB mystic and reputation. Being part of Chrysler didn't help the brand either.

irishbrahm

I briefly owned a 2008 S550 CPO. The car was fine but unremarkable. It did, however, guzzle gas. Ultimately I decided that the car wasn't a good value (compared to the LS), not to mention I feared what would happen to my wallet once the CPO warranty expired.

aypues

I would LOVE an S Class, but the reliability worries me. A friend's 2010 S550 CPO wouldnt even turn on the other day and the battery was fine....who knows what the problem was.

Everything else about the S Class though is superior in the 2014+ Model years.

roadfrog

At the Vancouver International Auto Show this year, I was eager to see what all the fuss was about with the S550. As I approached the vehicle, I was knocked out by it's presence. It was gorgeous and had all the ridiculous gizmos one could imagine. HOWEVER, once I sat in the vehicle and got a good look and feel of the materials etc, the love affair immediately came to a screeching stop. I was frankly, shocked. My wife, who knows next to nothing about cars, was not impressed either and began pointing out little things that looked cheap and issues with fit and finish. Given the car's price tag, my LS460 was suddenly very attractive to me.

dlbuckls10

I've owned two MB's ('88 560 Sel and '03 S500) I loved the way it drives and handles the highway. Both full size sedans but handles like a smaller sports car. The steering was tight and the braking was remarkable as if the heavy vehicle could stop on a dime. Both were solid and the interior well crafted and better quality of materials. The seats were firmer and more supportive as if they contoured to fit your body. The buttons and controls were solid and you knew when you had touch one by the "click" sound it made and they were firm. Yes it cost thousands more but the MB is superior. Why not another S500? To expensive, complicated, unreliable, and a money pit once the warranty expires. The '03 was newer but I had more problems with it than the older '88. I'm contented and happy with my LS and its the best automobile I've ever owned.

greg3852

Years ago after having the 98 LS400, I had to get into a minivan. While waiting for them to get it ready, I took out an S550. I remember saying to my wife that it was nice, but I liked the ride of the 400 better. The S550 was nearly brand new, and the LS400 had almost 100k miles on it.

I have a friend who bought a Benz new and we got to talking and he said he will never buy another. He said something was always wrong with it. Hates it.

I just don't have the time or patience to deal with that. Would I like a new S550? Yes if I was leasing. But I wouldn't want to buy one.

Chaos236

iTrader: (1)

Love the looks, my three prior much older ones lived at the shop.

NickTee

You have to understand that most of the people on here simply don't have the income for a S550, or at least for the new one that is worth getting. Many of the owners here purchased the LS460 at prices that are well less than half of what a S550 would cost, so very few of them are inclined to purchase a car that is double the price. Not only that, but many of them own cars that are out of warranty, which when done with a S550 could be called financial suicide. It's one of those cars that you either lease or buy and trade in every one to two years.
The LS460 has the advantage of being far more reliable while still offering a luxury ride that the owners desire. Does it have ridiculous numbers of ambient lighting, cabin air scents, speaker systems that would make some drool, luscious leather that you could spend hours simply stroking, stitching that would drive an OCD person insane trying to find flaws, etc? Okay so some of those are grossly exaggerated, but the LS460 is still an amazing car that's leaps and bounds better than most of the cars on the road.

jainla

I drove the then new W221 (S550), 750i and LS460 at the Taste of Lexus event a few years ago. Since then I've acquired a 560 SEL and shopped a few W140 600SEL/S600s.

All of the S classes I've driven feel similar; a big, imposing car. The power and handling of the newer ones are obviously better; and the latest generation of Airmatic/ABC supposedly deliver a ride/handling compromise that's second to none. But next to the LS460 (and even the 430) and especially the BMW 7 series it feels like an old man's car. Feels massive, looks massive. Drives very stern and serious. No fun zone. That said I do enjoy staring down that looong hood at the three pointed star.

Of the three I was most impressed with the W140. Massive car but surprisingly light on its feet for something weighing 5000 pounds. And the song of the V12 is something that sounds like nothing else.

Oddly enough reading the new reviews of the W222 they casually discuss all the things people ding the LS460 for; isolation, minimal road feel, soft suspension.

#doublestandard.

That said the new design and platform seem spectacular. If money (and my time) were no object and I could buy or lease new I would consider a W222 S550/600. And trade it in the second the warranty was up.

At least until the LS500 arrives....

SW17LS

The reason *I* don't have an S550 vs my LS460 is price. The S550 is a lot more expensive.

You also can't compare past S Classes with the new S Class. The new one is to another level, previous S Classes haven't appealed to me.

LOL, I can't see this at all. I've sat in a bunch of S550s at this point, IMHO there is absolutely nothing cheap about the interior, certainly nothing about the interior of an LS460 that is nicer.

LexRuger

I've driven the W222 for a weekend and the interior quality is top notch. Better than my 7 Series.

The W221 interior isn't all that great though.

SW17LS

I'm strictly talking about the W222