BNR34

iTrader: (1)

I believe in the history of cars so far, the W220 is the worse and the LS430 is the best.

onihc

iTrader: (1)

hi rominl
please tell me the s class has lcd display for door open/ajar.
i know the ls460 had lcd display AND the old school red door opened warning light. i thought that was a huge step backwards for a flagship car.

S2000toIS350

Thanks for the great write up and enjoy your new car

We went to NY (not the city) for Turkey day and hired a car service from and back to the airport (cheaper than a rent a car at Newark).

I paid for a Crown Vic and got free upgrades both ways to a new S550 4 Matic ($105K paid for it so says the driver)

The leg room is amazing
Nice interior detailing
The car rode great, quiet and comfortable
Our Jason Stratham driver got the car going good and made use of its solid handling weaving through traffic
The trunk was nice and flat had plenty roomy
The only thing a Town Car has over it is the width of the back seat for seating 3

STIG

Thanks for the excellent review. It was a very good read! I just recently drove 2011 S550. My dad has 2010 LS460, and I had quite extensive time behind 750Li. If I were to pick, I pick the 7 series. No question. In terms of driving dynamic, S550 and LS don't even come close to 7 series.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

I used to crave image, but after tried to own the S class and BMW 530, got scared away and went back to Lexus. But since recent reviews show the German reliability improvement, I want to go back to the darkside again. But my profession is kind of holding me back to purchase a "baller" car,

AlexusAnja

Excellent read... but I think when it comes down to LS, S, or 7 it comes down to just personal design taste and need for what level of 'prestige.' strange how we don't even mention the Audi 8 variants in here ...

For me, conservative design and peace of mind to know that I can drive the car to the ground if I wanted to is what's important. what someone thinks about what I drive, I could care less.

may you enjoy the S for years to come...

rominl

iTrader: (4)

thank you for all the kind words. it's kind of funny because we didn't even consider the car so it's still a bit of a "umm so we have this car now?" feel

hahaha but when i actually got the car used, filling up a tank was quite eye-opening. i joked with my wife saying that in order to lie to myself, i am going to fill up every time it hit half way

but yes, a full fill up is not pretty at all...

i guess i am still torn. i care about the cool technologies and how i myself feel about the car. i absolutely don't need any praise or attention from others around me, if anything i try to avoid that...

to be honest, i think german cars drive better, my bmw and mb so far both prove it that way. but i absolutely love how i can just jump into a lexus and drive it without thinking, and i blend right in too

you actually brought up a great point, joe! reading on the mb forums, so many people they change cars so often it's like changing clothes. a guy actually has had i think 4 w221 since 2007. when you can change cars like that, i guess reliability is never something you worry about, hehe...

if i were to own something for 10 years, i honestly say i probably want japanese. that's why we are focusing on lexus suv for our baby hauling. but otherwise i think germans might be ok now

yeah, with the w220 it's not a matter of whether it has problem, it's matter of how many problems you get. that car was just so poorly engineered it's nothing but headache. in fact in early years a lot of people got rid of theirs and went back to w140

i would rank it that way too. the w220 is ridiculous on problems, the ls430 is king of quality and reliability

good point, i didn't even recall on the ls460 until i saw the picture you posted.

i am not 100% but i am pretty sure on the w221 it's all lcd display. the whole center part of the dash is a lcd screen, which is also the speedometer as well as all the trip / audio / navigation / system display.

that's quite an upgrade i say!

the car is definitely capable and has the handling, just need to get used to and understand how to deal with the steering. after driving the car for a week or so, we went out for dinner one evening and while i was doing my kind of driving, my wife commented "um, so i guess you have gotten used to the car huh?"

good point on the back seat, i have never tried to seat 3. but one thing about the rear seats. on the ls460l, you do NOT want to sit in the middle. because of the bucket design for the outside 2 seats, the middle cushion is probably a good few inches taller. sit there and you will feel very awkward.

on the s550, the seats are much "flatter" so it feels easier

yeah i wish i can get some experience in the 750. knowing bmw i am sure it drives awesome, that's what bmw is about. how would you rate on the ride quality, amenities, and other details?

part of me is thinking, i am sure bmw will drive great. but when having a flagship, driving is probably not my entire priority. i probably would prefer more comfort and other details.

definitely need to try that out

haha seems like you got some lemons!! i can't speak for sure since i have only had one bmw (08 m3) and mb (07 s550), knock on food but so far they have been great. my bmw went into the shop far less than my gs350 by comparison.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yup, completely agree. i always try to stay quiet, but it's sometimes funny to see ls460 owners talk and how their cars are clearly the best, and then on mb forums you see s550 owners saying their cars crush the 750 and ls460 to nowhere.

i really don't see a winner, each of them offer something different. imho the great thing about that? depending on what you (as a owner) want, there is probably a great match.

i wish i have more experience about the 750il and the a8l so i can compare all of them, but i definitely don't want to just go a paper spec race and lay my judgment there

KA8

iTrader: (1)

Nice comparison, it's similar to how I felt when we had all Lexus vehicles (SC400, ES330) at one point. Bought them for reliability alone but seriously boring. Then now MB ML350. I know it's not fair to compare a sedan to an SUV but our SUV was more fun to drive than both lexus's we've had.
In terms of reliability gap between Lexus and MB is definitely smaller compared to 10 years ago but Lexus is still a little better in reliability department.

RXSF

I have loved the S class since 2007. I agree with a lot of your points! The S class will always have more presence, if not by the heritage then by the sheer size and looks. I like the face lifted S class in 2010 much more though. The LEDs in the headlights, turn signals, and DRLs are very tastefully done even though there is an abundant amount of them.

Just a random point about COMAND. While you can upgrade the firmware, you dont necessarily get everything. For one, you have to be experiencing a problem with the COMAND unit before they will give you the upgrade. A lot of people (on the C class forums at least) go to their SAs asking for the update but they get blank stares because it takes like 3 hours to do and they dont want to waste time on your car. I recently got mine upgraded because the whole COMAND unit went kaput. Indeed I got some extra features, but I did not get any 3D graphics, nav, weather, or anything that is available on the 2012 refreshed C class. This might be a hardware issue though.

Also there is not Repeat (RPT) button on the COMAND unit that I can remember. I always just turn the COMAND **** to replay a song

I would also like to add that the C class with base price of 35,000 has a more solid feeling/sounding door than the LS. They just get that right.

RXSF

I am not sure on the S class but on my C class with the display in the center, you do not get any warning at all of an open door, hood, trunk, NOTHING, unless you begin to move. Then that blue display turns red

Fizzboy7

Never cared for the current S-Class's interior design. The center stack looks like the front of a toilet bowel, the steering wheel looks like it's pregnant, and the mini tach looks like an afterthought.
Nice review though.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

well lexus is good at what they are good at, you really don't need to think much when driving them. but yes, after owning german cars i can see what you mean on the "fun" part.

definitely great thing to talk to another mb owner

i am glad that i am not the only one who can't seem to find the rpt button, haha... funny thing is one time i forgot what i clicked and it ended up repeating the same song over and over and i couldn't get out of it. now i am scared to even touch it. that's how stupid it is!!

for the doors, i can't remember exactly but i think i read in the past that mb actually have people studying the doors and make sure they sound good and close solid. although i have to add w220 (cars during daimler-chrysler era) lost that...

i never like the pre-facelift s-class much (still don't), but the facelifted version is totally awesome. the new headlights, the taillights, the led drl, etc... everything is just so perfect.

for the command system, yup you need to have a problem in order to get it done, but then again, you just need to say you have a problem what year is your c class? just updating the telematics might not bring you everything. you might need the latest map dvd as well. at least that's the case for s class, you need the telamatic update, and then pop in the new map disc to enable 3d map and traffic

now i am really curious, next time i drive the car i gotta take a look how it works. it might sound silly but every time i actually pay attention and enjoy the sound of closing the doors @_@

RXSF

I have a 2009 C class. I was upgrading my map data with a legit disc from navteq and even though it finished, it completely screwed up my nav. The dealer tried to update all the firmware but it did not solve the problem. None of the destination buttons did anything, it just gave me a "please wait" but never went to the actual menus. Well they had to order a new Comand unit. I believe it came with the latest firmware and latest map data. Either way, something is missing so I am not getting facelifted 2012 functions. MB was really behind in their tech. 2009: no bt audio streaming, no ipod controls on the navi screen even with ipod connector, no traffic, but you do get 6gb of hard drive.

I call it the red screen of death. I cant find any pictures online Its funny because you think the mb is a grey scale monotone color screen but it can turn red. I am sure the S class has a much more elaborate picture since it has an LCD screen.

adamls2

Nice write up man!! I can definitely relate o everything you said and I also agree with you on all your points made. I know my Cl is different but its very close to the w221 so the similarities are in your face. Definitely get a prestige feeling driving a Flagship Benz that's for sure...Also, like you mentioned the harmon kardon system was a let down (people hyped it up too much, 600wtts my *** LOL) For me each car is it's own thing. Like mentioned above it's all about personal taste and what you like.

LOL also I was like damn how is he getting over 500 on a tank?!?!? Then I realized why "facepalm" been filling up about twice a week now :/