S-Class (W221/C216) My experience in the W221.

[Mr. M]

I thought it would only be appropriate that I post my thoughts about the W221 after seeing it in real life today.

Today Dad was particularly free and particularly interested to view cars; hence I scheduled some programme for today, which, other than the test drive of the W221, included also the viewing of the new Passat.

We droved into the showroom's carpark. Ever since the launch of the S-Class on Wednesday, the anticipation and interest for this car has grown ever since with the numerous advertisements in both print and media. About 1000 people attended the launch event at Ritz-Carlton, quite a sum considering how small a market Singapore is. This time it was no different; a large number of people crowded around the 3 W221s they had on show at the floor; one black, a silver and a grey one. We stepped into every model, but everyone of them had the same specifications anyway. They were S350s, and standard equipment excluded PASSION Leather, DISTRONIC, wood/leather steering wheel, panoramic sunroof, Navigation, Night View Assist, Bi-Xenon headlamps and ARTICO upholstery, which was frankly very pathetic. To make an impression on us though they equipped the show cars quite well; but every good feature they pointed out were options on the list. Mind you this car is selling at a premium over the 7 Series, and the Phaeton can be had for much less.

I'd say the exterior was really good. Pictures don't do this car justice because in real life it looked really modern and pleasing. Without the ANG package, of course. Despite that it will never be as controversial nor as eye-ball catching as the 7 Series. The wheel-arches almost disappear into the bodywork because I didn't notice it. I have a particular liking for the rear design of the car.

The interior quality is a notch above the W220. I was initially very impressed but having learnt that stitched leather and such are really expensive options I didn't really appreciate it anymore. The dashboard was very clean and simple to use. Comand wasn't used until later in the test drive. We didn't need to use it except for radio. Build quality is now comparable with its rivals; sad to say a back-to-back comparison with a Phaeton this car just lacks something in the interior. It didn't feel very luxurious and the blinds for the rear mirrors had problems opening and closing. It got stuck halfway. Rear passenger air-conditioning was not standard, by that I mean individual settings for the temperature and such. No massage functions, no cooling functions, both standard on the Phaeton. But I do enjoy the gauges, they look fantastic. Although the buttons are supposedly metal, they didn't really feel high quality. The doors close with a clunk but aren't as heavy as those in a Phaeton.

Dad had problems controlling the gearshift and stuff. But he says just time is needed and everything will fall into place easily. Now the test drive.

Sound insulation wasn't very impressive. I don't know if it was the tires or the hot summer weather, but it didn't meet my expectations. The standard remains to be the LS430 for interior noise.

The engine sounded kinda rough when pushed, and although this S-Class is relatively quick, you wouldn't feel very urgent or having a desire to drive this car hard. This car is meant to be driven in style and in the best way to relax as possible. And that the S-Class does best. The seats are fantastically comfortable, and the legroom extremely generous. The car irons out any bumps on the road and feels like it's really gliding. Sitting in it has been one very good ride. Dad says in driving dynamics it beats the Phaeton anyday, but remember that too small an engine has been fitted into our Phaeton, and on top of that its AWD as compared to the S-Class's RWD configuration.

The gear changing wasn't noticeable. The engine note however was quite rough and obvious. It didn't feel powerful enough.

Overall after stepping out of the showroom I'm unimpressed and I stand by my choice that the A8/Phaeton from VAG remains the best in my books. The W221 however is a very big step ahead from the W220. I know this will appeal to many people and it is a fantastic car, but put the badge and hype aside, I don't feel much for this car.

S350: ~USD201,771
S500: ~USD250,851
Phaeton 3.2: ~USD147,239





OT: The new Passat looks great.






I hope I wasn't too hard on the S-Class, any bad comments I have for this car is but marginal because the S is one very good car and compares well with all of its competitors.

 

[LaArtist]

cool review thnx for the pictures

 

[Mr. M]

Thank Artist.

 

[bum-man]

Very unbiased review Mirage, thanks. Anyways, I would give the new W221 around six months to a years time before we really see it shine, factories need some time transitioning and for workers to get a little more used to building the product. I'm surprised the 6-cylinder seemed slow and rough, was it broken in fully?

 

[SDNR]

Thank you for your review Mirage77,

But I would like to comment on the Passat. A person who lives across the street from me has just bought one. They park it right outside my house - at first sight I didn't recognise what it was - it is so much better looking in real life - I always thought the wheels looked too small in the photographs, but when you see one in front of you they look very good - I was impressed with this [not so little] car's looks.

 

[Mr. M]

You can call me James.

Yes you're right bum-man, perhaps the W221 is still very early in its life cycle. Some issues should be expected with early production models.

The car was brought in just a few weeks before, so I suspect they rushed to get the car here in time for the launch. So perhaps it was still very new, but dang I forget to check the mileage. But for sure this car is no more than a month old; and subject to test-drives by all and sundry these few days, it may have made the engine a little grundy. Maybe I've overexaggerated on the slow and rough part. Traffic was quite heavy so dad planted a light foot on the accelerator. Perhaps that would have felt 'slow'. About the noise, it emitted grunts that I didn't expect, but it wasn't that bad at all.

Yep Roberto - I had expected the chrome at the front to be very obvious, but it wasn't that bad after all. The interior felt very much like the Golf and that isn't anything to look down upon.

 

[Yaz]

Thanks for the review James

I think this car will need some time for everyone to like it and get used to its design. You just cannot please everyone with a car's design. I think people buy a car 'cause of its brand name (or model with the S-Class). The W221 will definitely sell, just like the previous models.

Whoa, look at the price tags. That is A LOT!!!
You could get a couple of S550’s here with that much money, but then you’d have to pay those sky-high taxes when you import them.

 

[Mr. M]

Heh, I was expecting someone to mention about the prices sooner or later. It's crazy down here. Thankfully, prices are predicted to fall in the next few years because the government is relaxing on car ownership. No drop in diesel car tax though. You pay six times more tax for a diesel car compared to a petrol one here.

 

[wltsm]

Nice review, for some reason I missed this tread!

The difference in prices is crazy between the Phaeton and the S class, the S class would have to be much better for me to buy one over a Phaeton! I get what you mean, anything which is new and makes the S class a better car is an option on an already expensive car, I don't see why it's worth so much money over the other cars in it's class!

 

[Mr. M]

Something I found parking in front of my dad's car:

 

[MikeJ]

Nice review there James.

So there haven't been any tax reductions in Singapore in the last few years? I spent four months in Singapore five years ago and back then the cars seemed to be proportionally more expensive when compared to Finnish prices and Finland has lowered its car tax since. When I was there I was quite amazed by the fact that despite the high prices, frequent traffic jams and lack of parking space, a lot of people still preferred to have their own car (even a relatively modest one) instead of relying on public transport.

 

[Yaz]

Something I found parking in front of my dad's car:

Hey, at least it doesn't say "S63" LOL.

 

[Mr. M]

Nice review there James.

So there haven't been any tax reductions in Singapore in the last few years? I spent four months in Singapore five years ago and back then the cars seemed to be proportionally more expensive when compared to Finnish prices and Finland has lowered its car tax since. When I was there I was quite amazed by the fact that despite the high prices, frequent traffic jams and lack of parking space, a lot of people still preferred to have their own car (even a relatively modest one) instead of relying on public transport.

There have been some changes in the tax structure actually, making it marginally cheaper to buy cars. But the trade-off is that depreciation is accelerated. We can never get away.