What's amazing is someone telling me that LWB vehicles don't exist for the rear passenger. Your subjective experience doesn't deny the existence of an entire segment of LWB vehicles that sells to hundreds of thousands of people globally.

Maybe your A8 just isn't good enough, try sitting in the new S-Class like I have. Oh, and tell BMW that the 64 inch screen they developed on the new 7 Series for rear passengers is inferior to what's in the front.

 

We have LWB and SWB Mercedes and Audi flagships in Canada. You see the difference in size when they are next to each. If you try to put four full size adults in the back of an S class SWB...its very very tight.

 

Amazing. Have you driven the new S? Been driven around in both seats? Or just sat in one....you clearly have never owned any car of this class based on your statements.

Sure the S is less driver biased than the other two but you are missing the fact the Maybach exists and NO ONE who truly gets driven around would waste money on a S when the Maybach does it so much better. The LWB cars from the other brands are outright marketed as for the driver, seriously. Just go to the websites and there is no mention of the owner riding in the back unless you go to RR or Maybach.

 

Tight vs what is the question, vs any other type of car it's still a lot of space. Vs a LWB it's not much different unless you spec the better seats that actually need the additional room to recline and adjust properly.

 

there is not much space in a SWB vehicle. The LWB is just far more spacious. It is like comparing your Sequoia to the Land Cruiser. The Sequoia is just more spacious.

 

You drive a used A8 with technology from a decade ago, who are you to speak for the hundreds of thousands of people who buy these cars each year? Like it or not, there's a reason SWB and LWB exist.

People who buy the Maybach do so because they have the money, it doesn't cost much more for someone to pick between a LWB or SWB version of an S-Class in the countries where they're both sold.

 

I've been to a few countries where seating in the back is very common. Most rich people while they do know how to drive, they have personal drivers. So they get driven most of the times. LWB is perfect for those countries. For me personally, I don't take the X5 for family trips simply because it's not comfortable back there. So yeah, if X5 had LWB option, it would sell more IMO. Same with many sedans.

 

Isn't the X7 basically the LWB version of the X5?

 

Same core car, same trans, same suspension type, very similar engine (new one is ATA vs ATW), same wheel base, same shock tech. I just don't have the latest screens or the 48v sway bar. I'm not paying 3x for such a minor improvement when my core goals are how it drives and how powerful it is. If I cared more about the tech I would have instead bought a D5 60 but then I would have had to have only one car.

LWB exists to increase margins and to lessen the R&D hit from the truly top spec cars, if you look at the VAST majority of even the V12 cars for sale across the entire nation very very few have the top spec rear seat. Most gave a basic, non-adjustable rear seat despite being LWB, and that's a fact. The rear seat in the vast majority is just not as good as the front and if you do spec it up just get a Maybach, RR, or Bentley for 15-20% more money. That's my point, sure....you CAN get a LWB loaded to the max but very few exist vs the true chauffeur cars ALL defaulting to it. It like saying an E-class COULD have nearly the same equipment spec as a base S-class but how many loaded to the hilt E-classes do you see?

No one buys those since they can buy an S instead. Same deal with the fully loaded LWB full size sedans, no one buys them vs just buying the true top tier cars.

I also have driven all the current ones, there are 5 people who live in my neighborhood with the latest V12s or top tier S580s who I have borrowed their cars. There are not 100k+ LWB spec cars sold yearly.

Again. You have never owned one regardless of year or used or not. You are literally arguing with someone who has one.

 

The fact that you mention things that matter the most to the driver and driving aspect rather than the actual amenities that a passenger looks demonstrates exactly what I mean when I say your opinion in no way represents the thousands of people who buy these cars new every year.

Do you have make millions per year? Can you afford a chauffeur? If not, you can't pretend to claim that you know how these cars are sold to the people who actually buy them and what they think. And don't pretend that a used buyer means anything to a company selling these cars new.

Facts are facts- LWB are designed first and foremost for the passenger. SWB is for the driver. If you have a problem with that, argue it out with Audi, BMW, or Mercedes.

 

Because, again......these cars are NOT primarily designed around the passenger they are simply adding it on. Why don't you understand that?

I would have bought a Maybach or Bentley if I didn't care about driving as much as I did, I would have never even so much as looked at an A8 since it's just not as good of a car to ride in. However that's immaterial to my point.

Also to address your income comment I very much do know since both wings of my family are quite rich and they buy these new. My moms side in particular has some members who are well off to the tune of 8 figures plus. You are making a hell of a lot of assumptions on how much I make as well, I'll just say I'm under 30 and make over 1/4 mil at my household. I just don't like wasting money on cars when I can get 80-90% of the same for 20% of the cost, I spend heavy on other areas.

Ever find it a bit odd someone of my age likes what I do and has the tastes I do? It's from the people I grew up around.....

Funny enough it's a 50/50 split in my family between people who buy the latest greatest vs a used Camry. The person with the Camry however owns 60 properties so....

 

Your background doesn't matter if you don't actually buy one of these cars new, which is the perspective from which you are attempting to argue that you have. You don't represent the people who have bought these vehicles and how they think. Everything you have said you prioritize demonstrates exactly what I meant.

These cars are designed to be in the back seat. If you don't even bother mentioning the executive rear seat packages, you have missed the entire point of these cars, and why they are offered as LWB and SWB.

 

How about that ES250, eh? 😁

 

Does it come in LWB?

 

Funny enough, the ES does actually come with an optional executive rear seat package in China and Europe.