Vs Mercedes S-Class vs. BMW 7-series

[Kowalski]

Regarding MBC you're right. But the S550 4MATIC does come standard with AIRMATIC (airsuspension)

I stand corrected. The S500 4Matic indeed is equipped with airmatic as standard, but MBC is not available.

 

[LaArtist]

It's more of a preference. If you want luxury MB is 100% the way to go to. And if you want a bit of sportiness, you go for the Bimmer. Both are fantastic cars, just with different thoughts behind them.

I'd take a lovely 760Li though

A bit of sportiness is just right, cause thats what it is, you want real sportyness its the Panamera, if you want luxury Comfort its the S class.. the 7er is just in no mans land like Always, well Before the panamera came along atleast it was the sportiest in the class, now even that is gone.
A8 and 7er the middle Children of the segment.

 

[Zafiro]

A8 and 7er the middle Children of the segment.

Whats wrong with that?
obviously people still buy them, if they didn't there would be no point building A8 or 7er.

 

[LaArtist]

Whats wrong with that?
obviously people still buy them, if they didn't there would be no point building A8 or 7er.

Nothing wrong with that at all, but some people front like they rule.
using Words like 7er vs S class will be Windows vs DOS ( scott).. remember that one?
As long as the fans realise what it is there are no problems at all

 

[klier]

Comparing an executive sedan like an S class to a cramped Panamera is just silly. But if it makes one feel good about the VAG car being sportier, well, awesome!

 

[LaArtist]

Comparing an executive sedan like an S class to a cramped Panamera is just silly. But if it makes one feel good about the VAG car being sportier, well, awesome!

Fine of the standard type uber luxury sedans the 7er is the most sporty, probably will get beaten on that by the new A8,, but as of now..
Its the sportiest in a segment where sport makes no sense.. congratulations!

 

[Rolf]

You guys are forgetting about the Jag XJ, alot of reviews have stated its even sportier than the 7-series and A8 to drive. Maybe not as sporty as a Panamera but its a sportier car than the supposed to be sportiest car in this segment!

 

[LaArtist]

You guys are forgetting about the Jag XJ, alot of reviews have stated its even sportier than the 7-series and A8 to drive. Maybe not as sporty as a Panamera but its a sportier car than the supposed to be sportiest car in this segment!

Oh well @klier that was short lived..

 

[Betty Swollocks]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

I've been wondering what Jon Cryer was doing after Two and a Half Men. It turns out he's grown a beard and is now testing cars on the internet.

 

[HUTSUTAo]

Less than a year after BMW introduced the latest iteration of its flagship 7-Series, a roomy sedan that can park itself via remote control, the automaker has quietly conceded that it landed with a thud. Even so, the $81,500 car is so vital to the bottom line that BMW is doubling down with a coupe variant.

A sporty two-door version of the 7-Series is in the works for as soon as as 2019, according to a person familiar with BMW’s plan, who asked not to be named because the plans aren’t public. The luxury coupe is the first of several new versions BMW is considering to give sales of its highest-end car a lift.

Mercedes-Benz used a similar strategy to cement the position of its S-Class as the world’s best-selling top-of-the-line sedan. Just four years ago, the 7-Series was at parity with its Mercedes rival. Today, sales have fallen 40 percent below those of the S-Class and are only slightly ahead of Tesla Motors Inc.’s Model S. Next year will be even tougher for the 7-Series, with Audi poised to introduce a self-driving version of its A8 flagship. BMW’s aim with new variants is to pull even with the leader again, according to the person familiar with its plans.

BMW will also bring out a competitor in the range above 150,000 euros ($170,000), development chief Klaus Froehlich told Automotive News this year. That would be roughly the same price category as the Maybach.

In the meantime, a plug-in hybrid and the first high-performance version of the current 7-Series sedan will contribute to sales, BMW says. Thanks to last year’s revamp, deliveries of the car more than doubled in July to 5,025 vehicles, and a company representative said it expects “this positive trend to continue over the course of 2016.”

Wild Card



The wild card will be Audi’s A8, which will have self-driving systems more advanced than those of either the 7-Series or the S-Class. Drivers will be able to let the car take over completely in highway traffic jams at speeds of up to 60 kilometers (37 miles) an hour, according to the company. Unlike Tesla’s Model S and this year’s Mercedes E-Class, Audi’s car won’t then require a hand on the wheel.


“The new A8 will be quite a meaningful departure from the current model,” said Stuart Pearson, an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas in London. “You’d expect to see 7-Series sales start to decline again when the A8 comes out.”

The fat return on sales makes clear why carmakers are fighting for buyers in this segment. Mercedes’s profit margin on the S-Class was 14 percent last year, versus 9.5 percent across the Daimler AG unit’s auto division, Evercore ISI estimates. BMW saw an estimated 11 percent return on the 7-Series, exceeding the 9.2 percent across its automotive unit last year.

Growing discounts from U.S. dealers highlight the difficulties BMW has had in luring customers, said Commerzbank AG analyst Sascha Gommel, citing researcher Autodata Corp. Price incentives for the 7-Series climbed twice as much as those for the S-Class this year and hit $13,053 per vehicle last month.

“The 7-Series will be highly profitable and have decent sales volumes, but it’ll never really measure up to the S-Class,” Gommel said. “The two used to compete head to head, but there’s no chance anymore.”

 

[Merc1]

YOUCH! 2019? Way too late to do anything and nearly at the same time as the next S-Class is due. Good luck with that. The S Coupe and now Cabriolet put the S-Class on a higher level than anything from BMW or Audi in this space.

M

 

[chonkoa]

I am sure the same will happen to the new 5er.
It will register poor sales numbers compared to the E class.

 

[Monster]

Wild Card

The fat return on sales makes clear why carmakers are fighting for buyers in this segment. Mercedes’s profit margin on the S-Class was 14 percent last year, versus 9.5 percent across the Daimler AG unit’s auto division, Evercore ISI estimates. BMW saw an estimated 11 percent return on the 7-Series, exceeding the 9.2 percent across its automotive unit last year.

“The 7-Series will be highly profitable and have decent sales volumes, but it’ll never really measure up to the S-Class,” Gommel said. “The two used to compete head to head, but there’s no chance anymore.”

Interesting information, not sure how do they derive these profit margins from. Regardless, the 7 series packed a lot of class leading tech, and that carbon core isn't cheap to make, but BMW still manage to turn it into a 11% profit. Also does the figure from the S class include the coupe as well?

 

[W201]

It does.

When W222 was launched, the plan was to achieve sales of 100.000 units per year, including all S Class variants.

 

[Merc1]

It's time for BMW to change up their exterior and interior designs. It's been the same thing over and over for far too long now. Mercedes is just expanding into next segments (for them) with much fresher car designs, and it won't get any better for BMW when MB re-designs their SUV range. BMW is stuck IMO. All of their cars looked great just a few years ago when I bought, but now they just dont' stand out anymore. Good looking still, but kinda where Audi is...stuck.

M

 

[Mick Briesgau]

I feel sorry to say, but the G11/G12 is, less than a year after it's introduction, already a lost generation...

 

[Merc1]

Interesting information, not sure how do they derive these profit margins from. Regardless, the 7 series packed a lot of class leading tech, and that carbon core isn't cheap to make, but BMW still manage to turn it into a 11% profit. Also does the figure from the S class include the coupe as well?

I honestly don't see anything on the 7-Series that isn't on the S-Clas other than the gesture control and carbon core, the latter of which wasn't nearly the godsend it was hyped up to be. The 7-Series is still heavy as shite and still isn't the drivers car of this segment. The failure is because they tried to build a better S-Class and truly did not. BMWs aren't about back seat comfort and gadgets, the 7er used to be about driving with luxury. Not the other way around as now. Until BMW addresses the dynamic advantages of cars like the A8 and Quattroporte they're going remain behind in this class because the S has the luxury side and buyer on lock. A better back seat and perfume spraying isn't going to work for BMW. That is what the S-Class is for and the 7er features read just like the S-Class.

M

 

[Rainer271]

It's time for BMW to change up their exterior and interior designs. It's been the same thing over and over for far too long now. Mercedes is just expanding into next segments (for them) with much fresher car designs, and it won't get any better for BMW when MB re-designs their SUV range. BMW is stuck IMO. All of their cars looked great just a few years ago when I bought, but now they just dont' stand out anymore. Good looking still, but kinda where Audi is...stuck.

M

I'm thinking the same. I like the recent cars. Also the new 7. But when I see at concept cars what BMW is able to design ( out- and inside ) then I have to say: please BMW, give us a little bit ( or more ) of the concepts vibes.

I'm looking forward to the design concept which BMW will show us at the end of '17 and which will show the future design direction.

 

[Mick Briesgau]

I'm thinking the same. I like the recent cars. Also the new 7. But when I see at concept cars what BMW is able to design ( out- and inside ) then I have to say: please BMW, give us a little bit ( or more ) of the concepts vibes.

I'm looking forward to the design concept which BMW will show us at the end of '17 and which will show the future design direction.

BMW has lost it's courage to move up/change along it's design. The old/current 5er sold well, so let's change it's design less as possible to keep the market. Wrong thinking imo, because as a customer you something new, something else. Same story with the 7er. Not that it sold well, but the progress in it's design (exterior and interior) is minimal. That doesn't draw the attention of new customers nor does it trigger the old F01(?) customers. I'm with you Rainer, and I'm not only looking forward to the future design direction but hoping also the BMW management has the courage to change.

 

[Rolf]

I agree with all of you regards BMW design. They still have great looking cars but the new 7-series and now the 5-series wont bring much design change, in a way they both look evolutionary. In interior design the 7-series has the problem that its interior resembles the 3-series too much except its an upmarket version. The 5-series interior will be close to a copy paste of the 7-series interior and then what leaves the design of the next 3-series interior? Will it also be a smaller version of 7-series which means evolution design compared to current F30? BMWs I am afraid will not be exciting and revolutionary designs anymore until maybe next generation of 7-series and 5-series. It is following the same route of Audi where they are bringing out new models that wont be significantly different to previous models. In my opinion Mercedes Benz are bringing out the most stylish and adventurous looking cars at the moment out of the big 3.