Comments:
Versus this kind of dash?
Or do you like the "real wood" look?
Painted metal simplicity really isn't all bad (when the fuel gauge works)
Cazalea
Mercedes Benz S550 2014: back at the top. Some preliminary thoughts
Mercedes Benz used to be the gold standard, the brand all others were compared to. Their big sedans were the go to answer for luxury and functional performance.
More to come...
Then, back in the late 1990's and early 2000's something happened...
Well, after several hours (so far) and a few miles I am tempted to shout from the mountain tops, "The Mercedes S-Class is back, this one is black, and I'm never giving it back." It's not a hard core performance car like the Audi RS7 or Porsche Panamera Turbo S - there's the AMG S65 and S63 for that - but the ride; the design; the haptics and ergos...I'm looking forward to getting to know it better.
First initial niggles - beautiful designs, but the interior controls take a bit of exploring and getting used to; and a personal preference, I like old school analog display. Though this S550 has a gorgeous huge multifunctional display and the entire dash is flat, sleek and ultra-modern - I'm reminded of 1970's and 1980's GORGEOUS B&O audio equipment, decades ahead of their time - I am put off by flat instrumentation. Especially flat analog simulations...oh, well, evolution moves on...
More to come...
Soothing amber lighting instead of blue lighting for me...
The blue lighting is just a big no no for me. Amber/orange would be more soothing to the eyes. But it comes in different colors, so an easy fix. No complaints here.
The bigger question to me is; how does it drive? The latest Audi S8 was incredible. Large, but light on its feet, nimble, and by far the best to drive among all the large first-class sedans. Imagine an overweight figure skater who does her pirouettes better than even most non-overweight ones. That Audi S8 will be hard to beat.
The first impression wow factor wore off a little.
Too soft, too floaty, even in firm setting, which stiffened the suspension quite a bit and weighted the steering. Still too floaty ( if not to say wallowy)
Frist impression was, this is it, the next sedan for us.
Now it's "let's see how the S63 and S65 feel."
And yes one could definitely feel the weight
Magic Body Control Suspension and my bias towards AWD vehicles.
Active suspension technology is really interesting.
I'm curious if the S550 you experienced had the Magic Body Control Suspension or the traditional Airmatic. The latter is more popular as the Magic Body Control is an optional extra.
For those readers who don't know the difference between the two suspensions, here is a quick description...
Airmatic is a semi-active air suspension. It will adjust itself based on user settings and upon detection of a bump in the front wheels, it will soften the air struts on the rear to prevent the rear of the car from bouncing up and down. Other control features include lowering of ride height at highway speeds for aerodynamic efficiency.
Magic Body Control, a replacement to Mercedes-Benz's original Active Body Control (formerly in the CL and SL vehicles) is a fully active suspension with a camera to see and predict bumps in the road and perform suspension adjustments before the bump is encountered. Upon turning, it also firms the suspension on the outside of the turn to reduce body lean. And it has all the features in Airmatic.
The S63 is very alluring, also very expensive. The biggest problem is that in the United States, it will only be offered in a 4-Matic all-wheel-drive model. This is not a problem for those who live in snowy conditions, but for individuals in the good weathered areas of California, the AWD is of almost no benefit and actually penalizes the driver with additional weight, likely reduced steering feel, reduced fuel efficiency, and the biggest problem is that the AWD models cannot be ordered with the Magic Body Control suspension and thus limited to only the Airmatic.
The AUDI S8 truly drove exceptionally well
I was surprised with how much I liked the drive of the Audi.
The S63 looks great in this awesome color
What was really impressive to me was the Burmester Audio System; so many speakers, tweeters that are motorized and screw in and out.
This is the S65 AMG. Notice a lot of chrome trim. And it now has a 7-Speed Transmission!
How about the SUV? Doesnt have all the luxury gadgets but it does have most of the safety gadgets. Still seats five, and you can bring A LOT MORE LUGGAGE!
The G550 depreciates much more slowly than the S550 and will probably be more reliable in the long-run. And in the United States the car can be depreciated even faster for tax purposes.
Perhaps this dashboard is more to your taste?
Versus this kind of dash?
Or do you like the "real wood" look?
Painted metal simplicity really isn't all bad (when the fuel gauge works)
However, luxury and unlimited conveniences lead to complexity, you know ...
Cazalea
Lol! Quite some diversity...
The 458 dash was nice, the new Huracan has similar design but flat all digital...
Time is the True Test of Quality
Thank you for sharing these images, Thomas. Were you at press days for the New York show? We may have unintentionally encountered each other at the S63 Coupe launch...
My feeling is that only time will pass a definitive verdict on the new S-Class. All of these cars are fantastic when viewed factory fresh, immediately after redesign, and when judged against their predecessors. The W220 and W221 sedans and the C215 and C216 coupes were lauded as landmark cars and instant class leaders upon release in 2000 and 2007, respectively, but time has proven them to be what you suggested: disappointments. While momentarily satisfying and pleasant when new, they have not aged well in mechanical or stylistic terms. These cars bore a great proportion of the blame for the three-pointed star's quality travails of the last decade.
Now the company's management seems to be on a more solid footing and quality has improved objectively (JD Power Long-Term surveys) and subjectively (touch, feel, driving sensations). I really want to believe that Benz is back and that the new S-Class is the resurgent class leader, but I also loved the old C215, and that model was a case study in crisis management- to the point where I would advise against any active suspension system based on the bones of the old ABC. Refinement gratifies, performance satisfies, and style can mesmerize, but reliability, which brings peace of mind, is the ultimate measure of quality and prerequisite for luxury.
Best,
Tim
My feeling is that only time will pass a definitive verdict on the new S-Class. All of these cars are fantastic when viewed factory fresh, immediately after redesign, and when judged against their predecessors. The W220 and W221 sedans and the C215 and C216 coupes were lauded as landmark cars and instant class leaders upon release in 2000 and 2007, respectively, but time has proven them to be what you suggested: disappointments. While momentarily satisfying and pleasant when new, they have not aged well in mechanical or stylistic terms. These cars bore a great proportion of the blame for the three-pointed star's quality travails of the last decade.
Now the company's management seems to be on a more solid footing and quality has improved objectively (JD Power Long-Term surveys) and subjectively (touch, feel, driving sensations). I really want to believe that Benz is back and that the new S-Class is the resurgent class leader, but I also loved the old C215, and that model was a case study in crisis management- to the point where I would advise against any active suspension system based on the bones of the old ABC. Refinement gratifies, performance satisfies, and style can mesmerize, but reliability, which brings peace of mind, is the ultimate measure of quality and prerequisite for luxury.
Best,
Tim