Joe Cat

Come lets hear it- The S550 or the LS460- I would like to hear from people who have had both- I just bought the LS460 cause the rear seats reclined.

Does the s550 seats recline ??

Also Love the Hold button on the wheel of the ls460 -does the s550 have that?

What about that super confusing nav sysytem of the s550.


Please state your case in detail- Joe Cat

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i have driven the s550 (previously owned ls460l) and yes, the nav system is definitely way harder to use imho

305Busa

Never owned the MB but had a chance to drive one for 4 days back in 07. I remember that the rear seats reclined and the nav at that time seemed a little harder than my 460 is now. The one thing I do recall is that the MB had more leg room up front for the driver than the LS has. I could stretch my legs all the way out. Either way, after reading reviews and feeling both cars, I chose the LS. Leg room in the back in plenty since I have the LWB. Also, the leather in the LS is way softer than it was on the MB.

CJITTY

I think both cars look good, the LS to me seems like a better choice for overall reliability...Benz has some serious safety points, but then again our LS's seem like they fair very well for safety also....I guess its all about what is important to folks. some folks will buy a benz over a lex simply based on their history or preference. I like th S550, but everyone I know that has a Benzo tells me they basically have extra payments because of constant repairs

Nospinzone

I considered the S550 when I bought my LS. I don't remember if the rear seats reclined on the S550, but I do know that they had a vibrate function on at least the front seats (which I thought was nice).

miniz

I would not call the Nav system super confusing on the S550. If you can manage to type a message on this forum, then using the S550 nav system should be very easy.... Nothing like BMW iDrive. It is not touchscreen, but is fully voice driven if you like. You can get reclining seats in the S550, yes. I'm not sure why that would sway someone to buy one over the other. Most owners will never even sit in the rear. The S550 is a very different drive then the LS460. The way it drives is very different. The seats are very different. It is more powerful and the overall design is a little more classier. It is also more expensive, and can be ordered with a wider range of options/engines then the LS460. The S550 will hold lower residual resale value. In fact, after 3-4 years, the prices of a LS460 cross with an S550, yet the MB costs nearly $20k more new. Due to the cutting edge nature of the technology on the S550, it will break more and cost more in repairs, especially as it ages. The quality/reliability of the electronics in the LS are better, as they almost all came from the world capital of technology (i.e Japan).

LXurious

Id pick a S550. But it is true you are camparing a much more expensive flagship sedan. The outside look is just overall the meaning of elegance. Altough ive never personally driven one

Xwakeboard

iTrader: (1)

My father has had an S550 for the last two years and last weekend I was with him for a 500 mile road trip. I spent most of the time in the back seat of the S Class, however, the LS backseat is a much more pleasureable place to be. In terms of the nav system, the Nav on the 07 is a much more attractive system graphically, however, the nicest feature of the S Class is that you can enter an address while on the move, that is invaluable, also a little dangerous. The current S550 has 382 hp while the LS has 380. The S class is not a more powerful car it just applies the power differently. I swear the LS has too may gears and some times it feels like the car is searching for the correct gear compares to the S Class where it is almost instant power. The S class is a bit more striking because of the flared fenders, however, it's the difference between German brashness and Japanese simplicity.

Geremology101

My dad owns the '07 Mercedes S550 w/ Rear seat package, keyless go, and night vision while I own the '07 LS460L w/ Touring Package. After deciding to drive his car on a daily basis for a week, I've drawn the following conclusions (based on my own experiences and opinions):

S550
Strengths:

• The ride is much smoother than a LS460, even when using the "Comfort" suspension setting
• The corner illuminating headlights are great. The headlight has a bulb that turns on when the steering wheel is turned to the left or right, illuminating the respective corner. It fades on and off and is a nice little feature.
• The Bi-xenon light option on the '07 is also great. This was added on the new LS's, but was not an option on the '07
• The night vision is a cool feature. not really that practical though
• The entire menu interface of the navigation system and the dashboard screen is really great. Higher quality picture than the LS and better appearance.
• Though I dislike the iDrive-like center button for navigating the menus, they designed it extremely well and there are internal electronics that stop it from turning based on the length of the menu.
• The fact that the entire nav system settings are accessible whether driving or stopped is great.
• It's great to be able to control both rear windows from either window control in the backseat.
• With the rear seat package, the rear passenger-side occupant can control the every movement of the front seat from their exclusive control (not like the LS where there are two buttons to control the recline and seat sliding)
• The driver has control of the rear headrests from the front seat. If the rear headrests are retracted and a passenger sits in the seat, it automatically puts itself into position
• The two high-resolution 8" screens in the dash (one for the speedo and one for navi) is a very nice touch.
• The voice command system in the Mercedes is far more accurate
• The rear sunshade in the Mercedes takes a while to go into place, but covers the entire rear window
• The rear window's defogger lines are much smaller and more numerous than the Lexus'.

Weaknesses:

• I'm not sure if it's the fact that I have the bigger brakes in the touring package, but the LS's brakes are far superior and sensitive to the S550's brakes (even though there are drilled rotors)
• The door closing mechanism is far better on the Lexus, because you never have to put much effort into closing the door. On the mercedes, you must push the door to the 2nd "click" before it closes for itself. it's also loud when closing
• The leather in the LS feels much softer
• The Mark Levinson in the LS blows the Harmon Kardon sound system away, by far
• Off the line, the Lexus feels much faster. That could be because the LS has a lighter pedal and requires less effort than the Mercedes
• The Mercedes feels like a huge car when on the road
• No touchscreen interface with the navi
• The wood steering wheel is an option and is apparently rare with these vehicles. I very much enjoy the wood steering wheel on the Lexus
• The rear seat doesn't as much legroom as the Lexus because the front seats go back so far.
• The Mercedes' maintenance schedule is very cryptic. "Service A" "Service B" "Service C" etc.

The S550 is a very beautiful car, but it just doesn't suit some people. When I was in the market for a car, the S550 and the LS460L were both the same price, but I chose the LS460L because it suited me better, matched my driving preferences and I appreciated the exterior look much more. My dad loves his S550 and I love my LS460L. All depends on what you're looking for in a car.

Joe Cat

Good one germanology!

Ok so lets say I want to sell my Ls460? Then what a Bentley- What a real upgrade- They say that Audi A8L is "FANFREAGINTASTIC" But the looks are hum drum (dated) and you lose to much money when you go and sell it.

Joe

Xwakeboard

iTrader: (1)

If you really like the S Class why don't you get a used S 63 AMG?

samhk77

i really like the ls460 , must look at the different options. Base ls460 or base s550 , ls460 must be the choice. you choose the s63 , s63 is the way to turn. the s550 amg isn't bad either you must look at options. good luck.

98LS

Personally, I like the looks of the Merc from the outside but the LS is much nicer inside. The LS is definitely the better bang for the buck.

miniz

You could move to a Flying Spur or a Phantom. Totally different cars. Everything from the way they look, to the way they drive, to the electronics are way different then what you would find on an LS or S. The electronics on the Flying spur are Audi and the Phantom is BMW. I would call the A8L a downgrade from an S550. The A8 always seems to be one step behind the S500/550.

astrotoy

I spent about the same for my 460L (with Exec Class) as a 550 - just under $100K with tax. Whent I compared the two, I liked the exterior styling of the 550, but the deal breaker was the 550 didn't have the key feature I wanted - the ability to stretch out in the back seat with your (actually my wife's) feet up on the ottoman. MB does have one model that has that feature - the Maybach 62, but it was a bit pricey for me. It also has a Bose! sound system. I thought MB would do better for $450K