[tvrspeed12]

Admittedly a little late, I would now like to finally post an ownership review of our s-350l w221.

Before we finally decided on it, we shortlisted almost every other car in this and a caetgory below. The E class was out immediately, I loved the 5 series, the Range Rover was brilliant.
The S just seemed more special than the A8 and the 7 Series. With that decision out of the way, we booked the S and got delivery within a couple of weeks (if i remember correctly). What we ended up with was a Bog standard S350 in cubanite silver.

What can I say about it that hasnt been said about by every single auto journalist out there. It maybe grabs less eyeballs than a 7, people might percieve mercedes as more "traditional" or "boring" than Audi or BMW, but when it comes to doing what it says on the tin, it is damn near perfect.

It is our first merc(about 2 yrs old now) and I still feel special everytime i slip into it. The rest of our cars are all japanese (and I will post more about them later), but the sense of heft you get when you use this car is incomparable.

I have had a lot of fun with the car, including a fantastic trip to lonavla with my friends 750i and another 320i. Another trip was to tithal with the 320i and a c200k. This car really comes into its own on the highways, staying pretty much level with the bmw's mighty v8.

There are issues tho, which is what prompted me to post here. There are some small issues with the passenger side memory seats, which have recently surfaced. The car is still fairly new and it does surprise me that this has happened, but considering the amount of electronic hardware on board, im just glad that it is so little, so late.

Thats all for now, posting from the office while I counted down the minutes for the weekend to begin. I am looking for some pictures to share, will post them when I find them.

Cheers!

P. S: Just found this image of the lonavla trip. The 320i is right behind us but unfortunately out of the shot.

[tvrspeed12]

A quick update:

The steering has been feeling a little "misaligned" of late. Sent the car into the workshop, who say it might be an alignment issue.

They plan to charge me Rs. 5000/- for alignment and wheel balancing, which seems like a lot. That said, i have limited knowledge of luxury cars in India, so it may be par for the course. (it costs me way more to fill up with a single tank of petrol)

Any advice would be greatly helpful. Its gone to autohangar, if that makes any difference.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by tvrspeed12

The S just seemed more special than the A8 and the 7 Series.

The S is opulent like no other; I do agree that on the inside, the S feels the most special of its competitors. All the more so in the W221 which has brilliantly crafted interiors.

It is our first merc(about 2 yrs old now) and I still feel special everytime i slip into it.

Nice first Merc . Most people usually start with a C Class!

There are issues tho, which is what prompted me to post here. There are some small issues with the passenger side memory seats, which have recently surfaced.

If that's the only problem you've had, its hardly one. I'd say for a 2 year old S Class, yours is amongst the most reliable.

Originally Posted by tvrspeed12

They plan to charge me Rs. 5000/- for alignment and wheel balancing, which seems like a lot. That said, i have limited knowledge of luxury cars in India, so it may be par for the course. (it costs me way more to fill up with a single tank of petrol)

Since your car is only 2 years old, I'd suggest getting the wheel alignment / balancing done at Auto Hangar itself. After-market options would probably cost you about 1,500 at a top shop.

Honda City, Toyota Innova, Honda Civic, Honda Accord v6, Mercedes S350, Tata Nano

I have to comment...that's quite a sensible garage. Its well balanced between fun to drive, luxury and practicality. Nice to see a Nano sharing space with the biggies too!

[Ash_vtec]

Love the W221...looks way more stately than its predecessor. And if cruising comfort is priority nothing touches the big merc. And i beg to differ, its the A8 thats "traditional" and "boring". The new one even more so... only the W12 makes it interesting

[tvrspeed12]

Originally Posted by GTO

I have to comment...that's quite a sensible garage. Its well balanced between fun to drive, luxury and practicality. Nice to see a Nano sharing space with the biggies too!

I don't know whether I should take sensible as a compliment or not!
I do love to drive and all the car decisions we have taken have been heart, not head. I dont count the city and innova, those are just work-horse cars. They get the job done.

Looking to add some proper madness to the garage now, and that comment has only motivated me further.

Also, the nano was a wedding gift from my friends. They knew I liked cars and was a huge fan of the Nanos packaging and styling, not to mention its innovations in engineering. Great gift, one which I will treasure always. Havent really driven it much tho.