[Kashi053]

Originally Posted by GTO

● Highway is entirely self-driven. City is a 50 : 50 mix of chauffeur vs self driven.

Above criteria should help him prioritise GLS over S class. The biggest advantage of S class is the rear seat comfort which he will not use 100% at highways and use only 50% at city.

Just ask him which car you prefer to drive in highways given GLS and S class as an option.

[PrideRed]

When I was recently was on a car hunt I checked out German SUV's(X1/X3/GLC) and also checked out their counterpart sedans. I feel the SUV's from German stable do not do much justice. For one they are not true go anywhere, second interiors are not worth the price tag. Anything below X7/GLS lack road presence too! In comparison, the sedans are in a different league, If I have to purchase a car from German stable, I would buy a sedan but not their SUV. So I will agree with majority have put here and go with S class, but preference is for W223. When you know there is a new version to be launched in near future and after paying hefty sum, I hate to hear "Ah he drives an old Mercedes"!

[Vasanth]

S class any day!
As you @GTO said S class is an S class!
Personally I’ve not sat or driven a S class. But We have test driven the E class. And we were blown away by the unmatched ride, refinement and comfort. And we could only imagine how much better the S class would be.
The newest S class made the best car in the world even better. The only better car would be the Maybach.

[Sivacar]

The GLS is just and extended GLE with 2 seats and few features added, (in terms of platform). Any day it cannot be equal to S Class.

So S Class all the way.

[pratyaksh]

Can't vote, although would choose the S Class over any other from the stable as his choices are clear, and nothing can beat the S, not even the GLS.

[manishk123]

He is open to waiting for the W223 S-Class' launch, although I have told him to avoid the 1st or 2nd year of an entirely new generation as he owns factories out of town, and highway reliability is very important. Remember that he bought the W221 once it had matured

I find the above suggestion to wait a couple of years before buying a new model really absurd in today’s day and time. That too from a manufacturer like Mercedes Benz. I mean this is their flagship model. It has been vigorously tried and tested in various conditions or Mercedes would not have launched it. I would in fact recommend to go for the new S class over anything else, if price is not a concern. Not only are you getting the latest technology but it will also have the unique factor of being the first few new gen cars on the road.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by manishk123

I find the above suggestion to wait a couple of years before buying a new model really absurd in today’s day and time. That too from a manufacturer like Mercedes Benz.

“Absurd” will be a strong word probably.

It’s a fact that irrespective of the manufacturer, there can be issues in initial years. Although not to an extent that warrants a wait. So, perhaps, someone who knows that person closely will be a better judge understanding his nature/ requirements probably

A close known had got a G last year and his command system freezes at a times. There’s a Tank Filler Pipe recall and for the past 2 months Internet is not connecting leaving all connected drive functions useless. Dealership wants to reprogram the vehicle but I have told him to wait for some more time and get everything done at yearly service after 4 months.

[francisvellara]

Voted for the S-Class.

If he had no issues with the W221, I see no reason to choose the GLS over the W222 for practicality reasons.

The W222 is a big step up from the W221, and given that he's a fan of the W221, I don't think it's worth waiting for the W223, which will inevitably be more expensive (especially with discounts on the W222).

[GT007]

Wow what a dilemma but it seems it's S-Class all the way. My suggestion would be to act fast and go for the W222 with the big fat discounts before MB discontinues as new one's launch is just around the corner.

Reasons for W222 over W223
1) W222 looks more elegant and opulent with those killer headlights and tail lights. Its has it's S-class identity while the new one though looking good seems like a run of the mill job.
2) Now when it comes to interiors S-class screams luxury and that what is W222 while W223 is more of screaming like tech and less of luxury.
3) The advanced features of W223 like autopilot level 2 won't be of much use in Indian road conditions and if those are required then Tesla is around the corner too.
4) Features like digital lights and rear wheel turning of W223 is really nice but still have limited use in our conditions.
5) The safety features like rear airbags etc should be the only reason to chose W223 over W222 as safety increases with advancement of technology.

What i mean is its better to go with fully refined version 2 of modern technology than version 1 of nextgen technology. Hence it's W222 for me for its luxurious interiors and that timeless dashboard, analogue clock, steering wheel, tactile buttons in centre console rather that W223's soulless interiors with large digital screens and plane wooden dashboard. And as we progress the future of cars interiors seem more tab like so it's better to enjoy the present generation W222 for few more years before buying W224 in better avatar.

[AirWind]

Are there any other options within the Merc family beyond the GLS or S Classe that he should be considering?

Say like the timeless G-wagon which is now available with the more sensible 350d guise as well.

[AirbusCapt]

It's a known fact that the GLS is not really the "S" class of SUV. It's only named likewise to reflect off the S class halo. The GLS is made to compete with American full sized SUVs in that market. For a usage which is 50% chauffeur driven, mainly in the city and sometimes highways, off-road capability is all but useless, making little sense in lugging around a 2+ ton SUV in crowed city streets.
Regarding waiting for a period to allow niggles (if any) to smoothen out, it is a good idea, especially since he owns the previous generation which seems to be serving well. The added advantage of a wait would be some decent discounts/goodies which may be available later, compared with zero goodies on a newly introduced model.

[no_fear]

Is OP's friend looking for prestige or comfort? If its prestige - its S class all the way, but if its comfort, then I will go for the GLS.

My own view - Drove both S Class and GLS, as they are available as rentals through Sixt, the German rental car company, in US and Germany. Did multiple road trips through Germany, Florida and California.

Chose the GLS over the S Class. I found the GLS to be much more comfortable and the taller ride height helped me. Granted, road / traffic conditions in the West are very different from India, but I felt the GLS handled better than the S class. Also the GLS has more luggage space, seating capacity, and for my parents, who are older, easier to get in and out.

[Diesel9999]

After going through a similar dilemma (Related thread - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-...-gle-250d.html (Replacement for my Mercedes GLE 250d)) I can say that the S class is a no-brainer.

I test drove both extensively. While the GLS has a lot going for it, it just can't compete with the S class in terms of rear seat comfort and ride quality. The rear seat angle of the GLS is really strange and I can't understand why it was made that way, especially when Mercedes wants to position the GLS as the S class of SUV's. The previous gen GLS has a far more comfortable seat.

[VSD]

Originally Posted by GTO

● he is fine with the W222 as well for the same reason (late model = better reliability + all niggles sorted out).
● He is open to waiting for the W223 S-Class'
Thanks a ton!

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

But the W222 is currently available with discounts of more than 25l, which puts the pricing maybe a bit lower than the GLS.

Voted for the S-class as it's just on another level. I almost went for it myself once but just couldn't go through with the purchase as I always drive on my own and it's too big a car. Although, it still would make a perfect car in one's garage.

My pick would be to just go ahead with the W222 as it can be had for a steal (if we can call 1cr that). As Akshay is mentioning 25L can easily be wiped off the sale price, I've heard about some mega offers last month on some Maestro edition cars going up to 45L off the ex-showroom price. If such savings can be made then I don't think the new W223 would be half a crore more car than it's predecessor.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by VSD

My pick would be to just go ahead with the W222 as it can be had for a steal (if we can call 1cr that). As Akshay is mentioning 25L can easily be wiped off the sale price, I've heard about some mega offers last month on some Maestro edition cars going up to 45L off the ex-showroom price. If such savings can be made then I don't think the new W223 would be half a crore more car than it's predecessor.

Speaking about the W222, how old are these cars? With the 223 start of production mid of last year, these 222s must be of early 2020 kits. Shouldn't this be a factor to consider especially when the car has a fair bit of rubber and leather that needs to be groomed well and if not, might develop issues?