SPIED! Mercedes-Benz 2014 W222 S-Class (Spy pics & info) - Part 3

I dont know why everybody has to say so much about the bad quality of the W220...i drive it for more years now, not one problem! Everything functions like it has the first day... For combine: i also had a W140 -wich is known for the best quality in the world...but i had more problems with it, as i have with the W220...

The cockpit: i prefer the pre-faceliftet. Why? because the facelifted had this grose COMAND wich looks like some aftermarket system...in the prefaceliftet you got it integrated with wood between the buttons and TV - it looked more sofisticated to me.
I also dont like the buttons in the tool bar above - in the facelift verison they are narrow and elongated, but the buttons of comand and clima control are still big (wide and high) and this is not getting together for me... The prefacelifted model was more coherent for me as the faceliftet, but that is my opinion.


Thw W221 is not bad in the interieur, but as i sad for me too much minimalistic and it has one think with which i just
CANT LIVE! :
Terrible compartment (+bad quality of it: plastic in every option also if you take ''leather exclusive''paket its still not in leather but in plastic) for CD and DVD which is placed instead of outside, inside of the cockpit!! ugly as hell! i mean such compatment uses the Vans (Toyota Previa and others) - you cant give it in a business-limo! And thats why i cant buy the W221 and i will jump over it and get me the W222 in december (which will have the console back again placed outside of the cockpit).

front grill looks too small IMO.. reminds me of a c-class classic grill

I'm starting to come around to the grille a little, but it doesn't seem as characteristic or defined as the W221 facelift or especially W212 grille. It seems they did away with that cool dynamic "point at the bottom" V type shape here. It'll probably look more elegant and classy, but less aggressive.

This thread, and all these 'experts'

lol

The W220 had the worst quality interior of all S-Classes, especially the prefacelift version. Mercedes cut so many corners with that interior. Bad plastics, exposed screw heads and just an overall cheap build quality. Design-wise it wasn't bad, but the poor quality ruined it for me.

It's not hard to be an "expert". Own enough of the cars that you talk about, or drive and analyze them extensively, then draw your impressions, and back them up with logical and intelligent reason.

It beats those who actually have the job title "experts", i.e those who get paid to analyze and critique cars, or do we need to pull up the thousands of inane "comparison tests" to prove that.

Mercedes was on big budget when thay created the W220 S-Class and this hurt the overall quality of the car badly.
Thay cut $10-$12,000 off developement costs while adding a lot of technology, the short-cuts showed up just about everywhere.
(thats $10- $12,000 less than what was spent to develope the W140 S-Class) I remember reading complaint after complaint!
One owner had taken his W220 S-Class to the shop 35-times within the first year back in 2000.

Mercedes was on a mission to clean up it`s act with cost cutting when the W221 broke cover. It is by far the best S-Class
on record.

I was one of those that was hoping for a revolutionary interior, but this is nice evolutionary interpretation of the W221's interior language. Interior looks very nice and high-class, as one ought to expect of an S-class.

However, I do have a few criticism....
The vents, while they do look solid, are too reminiscient of RR and Bentley. I would have had the diameter be smidgen smaller as I find it too dominating. Also, in terms of appearance, I would have preferred a "quadrant" look like this


rather than the



That way it would really hark back to M-B's from days of yore, rather than appear to be following the ultra-lux Brits. Remember, M-B shouldn't follow others, others ought to follow M-B.

And the other criticism I have is with regards to the graphics on the instrument gauge cluster. I'm not the biggest fan of TFT panels as it appears artificial despite the fact they are configurable and useful. But from what I see from these, admittedly, not very detailed or high-resolution pics, the graphics seem a bit dull. I like what BMW did with the facelifted 7er's instrument, the 3-D look gives it a richer and more authentic feel. But I may be jumping the gun and M-B may surprise me when they officially take the sheet off this car.

In terms of the exterior, the less said about way-ward lines, the better. All I'm going to say is that an S-class, by my definition, ought to look regal and sovereign, and not flash-in-the-pan trendy. I prefer cohesive designs that stand the test of time rather than those that make a big splash during their introduction and then looks dated later on.

Exterior-wise, the other thing that seems to annoy me as it's a well-documented (on this forum, at least) design pet-peeve of mine, is that the S-class appears to be receiving a single center bumper-mounted reverse light. I, personally, hate reverse lights on bumpers from a functional point of view. But from an aesthetic point of view, I'm no fan either. It seems everyone is doing it. It started with the M-B SLS and the new Bentley GT, and then Cadillac has put them on their XTS and forthcoming ATS. And now everyone and their grandmother seems to be taking a shining to that design element. Now, while I cannot positively confirm that the new S-class is going to have that element, the perforated holes on the camouflage on the rear bumper indicate otherwise. I really hope that I'm wrong.

It's funny how I can write a whole paragraph on how much I hate such a small design element, but I guess it shows how much I'm not a fan of it.

EDIT: Somebody a few pages ago was not too keen on plastic buttons to the left of the steering wheel. I, too, am none too keen about that, but I have feeling those are for the prototype only. I feel pretty confident that it's going to be metal looking. I figure the W221 had them so why would M-B regress on that feature.

Styled by Steffen Köhl and Gorden Wagener, and engineered under Gordon Murray?


Steffen Köhl -- Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Chief -- picture credit: Auto Motor und Sport

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/mercedes-benz-slr-first-drive-review

Thanks. The SLR is of extremely exotic proportions, but I actually never really *loved* it, I like the SLS better, more clean and timeless and "simple" per-se. Still, it takes talent to design either for sure.

As for the interior of the W222. So far I'm really, really impressed. I do dislike how blatantly Bentley/RR copied the air vents are, I with it had a more M-B look (my favorite are the big, straight up, confident-grin vent shape of the W212), but the interior just looks soooo rich, upscale, and premium. I also am very disappointed that they copied BMW's buttons on the left side so slavishly.

Not their most original or "confident to M-B ideals" approach, but it looks damn good so far, and aside from those details, feels/looks/seems very M-B appropriate, actually.

.... Oh, the door-seat controls look to have adopted a "Hyundai-esque overdesigned/fad-y interpretation of M-B's classic controls" as well, so I'm not sure how I'll feel about those.

I don`t think this info is correct. Back in 2002-03 I remember reading about Peter Pfeiffer being the orignal designer of the SLR. Gorden Wagener took over the project later on.

http://www.orzaliexport.com/en/car-models/Mercedes-SRL-McLaren/21.html

I understand some of you guys complain regarding the air vents and wanting it more like the W123 or Now The SLS and SLK...I Personally like them yes they have a hint of Bentley that is true but also i feel Mb Want to have a slightly Different one for the Sedans and for the Sport cars...I prefer the Round to the Normal Straight ones I remember in my young days sitting on my dads lap and pushing my fingers in those vents it would never break but the one in the W126 380se we had i broke those vents the days when i was young....

Hi, could someone please remind me when the W222 will be presented to public for the first time? Beijing 2013 was it? Also, any idea how long it'll take before the reviewers get their hands on the car?

It does seem the vents on W222 look more robust and solid, and, in a way, it does seem more more befitting of a regal uppercrust sedan. But for the sake of maintaining it's own identity, I'd prefer if it go the quadrant look with 'eyeball' movement. But, then again, the current Jag XJ has that going on as well. As a side note, I noticed in the W205 C-class thread, the recently published spypic of the interior has the slat-like round vents with a small knob in the center to pivot.

September 2012 Paris or March 2013 Geneva.
Ordering 1 month before the debitation.
I know my will be in white with AMG paket.
I hope i will get it in december, otherwise March.
Cant wait! Feeling like a kid again!

This might be a bit irrelevant but I was just thinking that this might be the last or ALMOST CERTAINLY the second to last
S-Class that runs on fossil fuel.

Creepy Thought right?

Not really because I don't think it's true.

The next S-Class is only 7 years away and I don't see petrol being obsolete by then. Most likely there will be an increasing move towards efficiency like we're seeing recently, with maybe more petrol/electric hybrids. One thing's for sure, people will still be putting petrol in their cars in seven years time, or even fourteen years time, or even twenty-one years time.....

The new S-Class will have a HD display?

Might be the display in the vid at 12:40, if signed off for production in time?
Suspect a more conventional one may precede it, though?

http://theworldofmbamg.wordpress.co...t-the-iaa-2011-f-125-research-vehicle-design/

You are so spoiled