Keep in mind my W12 is the direct competitor to the Maybach. It's more than a fair comparison and yes my car outclasses the Maybach for features.....

The S650 simply has the Mercedes price premium as usual, there is no way I would pay that for what you get vs something like a Bentley or similar. There just was not the same level of options or implementation present and both cars have comparable MSRP, the only edge the Maybach has is a softer ride and more wheelbase.



As far as trashing then praising the S450 yeah, when compared to what I drive it's inferior but vs basically any other car it's fantastic. It is a relative comparison type thing in the sense that the S classes would need to pull me away from what I have and they really didn't offer anything that made me want them other than the exterior visual presence. They are much more overtly in your face about how high end they are than my cars. Overall feel and especially the driving portion doesn't impress me enough to consider a change and that is inline from when I first trialed a 4.7TT W222 vs my 4.0 back in 2020

They are still great cars but just simply not my taste. They have better screens/tech trimmings but the chassis, steering, response, driveline, brakes (major difference here), door closure feel/sound/action, controls, material choice, seats, and overall build quality are not as good and I prioritize those over tech/features of that nature.

Different priorities that's all, an AMG is more my tastes but they have far more problematic drivelines and not nearly the same potential relative to work out in and still carry the badge premium. Great example of what I prioritized is the fact that the S650 is RWD with the old 7 speed trans vs what I'm used to with an 8 speed AWD torsen TQ vectoring center diff and fully active rear electronic diff. There is just no comparison in performance...

 

The W12 A8 you have is a bit different than the Maybach. You need to drive a AMG S65 V12 to have a proper reference when it comes to dynamics.

 

Not disagreeing with you, I actually agree with what you're saying, but just to play devil's advocate, does the Audi have all that stuff because it needs it all to hide its FWD roots?

Just pushing your buttons a little bit. I'm sure the active rear diff makes it really enjoyable to power out of corners and I'm sure it drives beautifully. I'd probably really appreciate it how it drives and how it all feels to interact with due to all the reasons you mentioned

 

Saw The new EV I7. There is no identifying way to tell a gas version over an EV model. Very interesting If there is. Someone say how.

 

You assume I haven't.....it's not nearly as sharp or reactive. I cross shop quite extensively lol!

 

Its not FWD at all lol! Never has been, it's a true RWD platform and the basis for many of the ultra high ends including Bentley, Porsche, lambo, etc....the ASF was also the worlds first aluminum platform and forced many changes across other brands.

They have those things to be a drivers car, none of that is standard actually and you need to option it or buy an R8/S8/RS7 if you want it by default.

You are welcome to try it if you are ever in my area!

 

We're not talking about a car with a factory longer wheelbase, we're talking about an aftermarket stretched limo...like I said they creak and rattle, you would not choose the limo if you drove both back to back.

Doesn't help with big stuff. Like when we got home, opened the hatch and a suitcase fell out...happens all the time.

It isn't. The Maybach is much longer, and the one you drove just didn't have those features, they are available. Nobody considering a Maybach is going to consider any A8, it doesnt have the back seat opulence and space. Like we said before, those Maybachs are designed for people to be driven in not to drive.

 

I was always under the impression that the A8 (and most if not all Audis) were all FWD based but longitudinal instead of transverse which was a lot better at managing torque steer.

I just checked Wikipedia and ChatGPT and according to them:

1st gen A8 (1994-2002) was available in FWD or AWD

2nd gen A8 (2002-2009) was AWD only in the US but was based on the D3 platform which is FWD based and wasn't used in Porsche/Bentley/Lamborghini products

3rd gen A8 (2009-2017) was AWD only in the US and is based on MLB which is primarily RWD based but can accommodate FWD. In certain markets like China, Audi sold an A8 model which was FWD only. This platform is used in other Audi/Porsche/Bentley/Volkswagen products

4th gen A8 (2017-present) was AWD only in the US and maybe everywhere else as well. It's on the MLB Evo platform which was designed primarily for RWD or AWD vehicles. It can accommodate FWD but wasn't the intention of this platform. Porsche/Bentley/Lamborghini use this platform.

So it seems like it's varied a lot over the years, confusingly so, but it would appear the A8 does have FWD in its genealogy

 

Makes total sense. The AMG S65 is the drivers V12. I think the V8 S63 is the fastest and most dynamic. Same with the S8 Audi

then put a cargo net

 

Yeah the S63 is the most dynamic, the W222 comparison would be the S65.

Issue is theyre a pain when you load and unload, I like being able to open up the top and make sure everything is stable and then open the whole hatch

 

Sure, a 190k car vs a 200k car isn't comparable lol! Look up the Horch, it's absolutely in the same tier. Plus VW has Bentley to fully exceed anything Maybach makes

 

But your car is not a Horch. The Horch is designed to compete with the Maybach.

Price doesn't make two cars comparable. Your car is much shorter and lacks the rear seat opulance of the Maybach. Its better compared to a W222 S65.

 

You are absolutely correct. All Audis are FWD-based*, though all but the smallest ones are a longitudinal design, which is more RWD-like than a typical FWD design. But they all have a transaxle driving the front wheels, with a prop shaft running to the rear diff.

*R8 is a special case, and is architecturally a FWD car built backwards. There's an engine and transaxle in the rear, which drives a haldex unit in the front, much like many other VWAG products have in the rear.

 

If you are in Maybach price territory you may as well get the Bentley for a starting price of $10k more.

 

Speaking of Maybach I just saw one while I was walking around. I personally don’t get the draw to these since they are just a nicer MB but that’s just me. I swear I feel like I see more Bentleys and Rolls down here than I see Camrys.