German Car Forum

1st place: Mercedes S 500
2nd place: BMW 750i
3rd place: Porsche Panamera

All three look great in these photos…

740d or S 450 CDI would be my choose here…

Panamera 4S in white. Thanks.

The turbo charged Bimmer V8 once again humbled by the old Merc V8.

The S is just to much for the rest to handle..
even with the worst engine of the trio..

Its nearly as fast as the bimmer....

Big up to MB.. The benchmark of this segment..

100 kg difference in weight between 7er and S-class. What 750i lose in weight the stronger engine makes up for it.
I see they only meassured up to 130 km/h. After 180km/h the difference will probably be larger due of stronger engine for the bimmer.

Anyway, S-class won fair and square but I think 7er looks better from the inside and outside. Whatever of these cars you buy you get yourself a very good car. You cant go wrong with any of them, trust me.

May I add that Autobild said 7er had a good balance between Sport and Comfort but that S-class was more focused on comfort thats why it won the test.

Black S500 please.

Can't see the pics.

Comfort is what buyers in this segment want not super tight handling, so of course the S-Class wins. The S-Class handles better than most drivers will ever need as is. No need to go behind it with excuses and what not. Panamera really doesn't fit here IMO. Against the S63 AMG maybe, but not the S550 and 750.


M

Yeah.

And so who then buys all the 7ers, A8s, Jaguar XJs, etc

I guess those cars are made just for no reason - designed, developed, produced, sold by carmaker itself & destroyed immediately.

Sure A LOT of customers in this segment want superb comfort - but MANY also like some other characteristics. And there are plenty alternative choices out there. And that's good for the customers.

What are you talking about? Do you know?

What is the point of this ridiculous post?

Usual BMW-laced rhetoric/nonsense.

It is (and has been for years) obvious that the S-Class is the best at providing the right balance in this segment. This has been proven time and time again. Sure some want other "characteristics" i.e. better handling (which is the only reason one would buy the BMW your point of posting), but clearly they aren't the majority.


M

That was my point: they are a majority (customers who prefer superb comfort). Yet not all of them choose an S-class.
And there are still customers with other preferences - buying completely different cars in this segment. A lot of them, actually.

Still a majority cars sold in this segments are still the non-S-class cars. Since S-class definitely has not 50+% market share worldwide.

If I were evil I would say: "Most customers in this segment DO NOT pick an S-class."

Where is the S8 option? I think I would pick it over Panny S/4S.

Again, what is the point of posting this?

This is common sense. When you see an A8 or XJ or 750i on the road it is obvious that someone purchased it. In the U.S. more customers usually pick an S-Class than a 7-Series. Period. Unless something has changed that is usually the case worldwide too. This year might be different because of new 7-Series.

What an incredibly stupid statement. The point that you've missed is that majority of cars sold in this segment are S-Class like vehicles, those being the S-Class or LS, again in the U.S. The A8 and XJ don't even register. The 7-Series is usually 3rd after the LS and S.

Do you know any car in any segment that has 50 percent of its respective market? Market shares that high are of the minivan and pickup truck variety not passenger cars, at least not in the U.S.

What you don't get is that in the U.S. the Lexus LS and the S-Class usually lead this segment in sales which tells you about buyers preferences. Being sportier is virtually matterless in this segment which is why BMW has turned up the comfort and refinement big time with the newest 7-Series.


M

I agree, that would the Panamera's most natural competitor from Audi IMO.


M

Marcus, not everything is US-centred.

If you refer to US market only, please state that. Otherwise it seems you talk in general (worldwide sales) terms.




Btw, it was you who started this argument. Saying comfort is what customers want in this class, and no wonder the S-class wins. Sure S-class is a benchmark in this class. And it's sure comfort is still more wanted than sportiness - yet all cars in this segment are comfortable & sporty to a certain degree. Only the ratio between these two characteristics is different. Some are a bit more comfortable, some more sporty. Plenty of choices for buyers. and that's good.

IMO Panny's natural rival would be the QP GTS.

S63/65 for me please.

Although all of these are fine cars (though one of these isn't very visually attractive), in terms of the poll, I voted for 'different car' because eventhough it's getting a bit old now, my heart still longs for the Maserati Quattroporte, especially the latest S variant. May not be the tech-de-force that these Germans are, and not as new either, but still the most emotion-invoking, passion stirring, beautifully aggressive 4-door saloon out there.

for real drivers, drive all and you will know the perfect pick immediately.

Is the S-Class not the sales leader in this segment worldwide or not? Year in and year out most of the time? Again I stated the U.S. market from the start.



What is in bold trumps everything else you wrote, its all matterless after that.

I didn't start anything, you felt the need to comment on something that is common knowledge because you felt slighted because the BMW didn't win this test.

Again, you're only repeating what everyone knows already. Buyers in this class do prefer comfort and in this market they prefer the S-Class (or LS). Period. All the word twisting bs about more choice and what not won't change this. Yes all these cars vary this, but the buyers preference in this segment in the U.S. is clear, sporty doesn't win over the majority of buyers in this segment.

S-Class is also (or usually is) the leader worldwide also which again says what the preference is so try again with something else.


M

You can easily vote for "different car". It wasn't tested here, so it didn't get a special place in the poll!

Honestly, you can't go wrong with any of the vehicles listed. I wouldn't mind taking any of them home. In the end, I probably would take the S500.

Funny thing is that the competition is brand new..and the S is beyond its Facelift

It will be a sad day when the new S arrives and they still have 3 years to go before a new modell..

The S still looks great from the outside - so elegant and still so fresh. The FL made wonders! However the interior is starting to look a bit dated and not as elegant compared to the fabulous interior of the Pannamera and the 7er.
The Panamera's interior is sporty, yet luxurious and unique - I love it. In addition it's a fabulous machine, however the exterior just ruins the deal.

The 7er still remains the perfect all arounder for me, and is my choice again.

Yep, the 7 series is looking better and better everyday.