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-   -   My W222 Mercedes S-Class (S350 CDI) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/165052-my-w222-mercedes-s-class-s350-cdi.html)

Buying experience and waiting....

Firstly, apologies for putting this up over a month late. I finally took delivery of our w222 S350Cdi last month after a tedious wait of nearly 2.5 months inspite of pulling some strings! Waiting periods on the S350CDi in black and white color were 6 months when I booked in march and now I believe are upto 8 months. It is specifically more on these two colors as these are the only ones that come with beige interiors. Silver and grey exterior colors come with black leather interior that just doesn't do justice to that magnificent interior. We got a black with silk beige nappa leather interior since most of our cars currently are white.
I booked the car from Autohangar March first week and got it May second week after pulling a lot of strings and leaving the color option open to white or black. I was initially hoping to get the car March last week as it was my father's birthday as well as year ending to claim depreciation but they could not deliver in time due to slow dispatches from the factory.



As always, I personally pick up the car from the stockyard.



Fresh out the oven, just 7 kms on the odo :)



Why the S?

Because the S is an S.Period. It truly is the big daddy that has a special place for everyone's daddy :p The 7,XJ after discounts were nearly 25 lakhs cheaper but I always believe in buying a car thats early in it's life than to go with an outgoing model as I keep my cars for atleast 5 years. Damage: 1.11cr ex-showroom, yes it is expensive especially since its a CKD!



And why not the S500?

Simple because I have a RS5, one v8 in the house is enough.
Secondly this will be used for our highway runs and a diesel makes far more sense. Lastly, you barely lose any features with the S350 compared to the S500. However, one BIG step down in the S350 is its boring and horrid 10 spoke 18inch alloys. (They are a decent design and color but just don't suit the S-class at all, probably will look better on some other smaller cars hence I have put it for sale in the Tbhp classified section)

The solution? S350CDi converted to S500 launch edition exterior :)

Before:Booooring



After:Perfect blend= Sporty Elegance



I decided when I booked the S350CDi in march that I would not be able to live with those wheels. I first fell in love with the S-class when I saw the launch edition and it's most striking things were the alloys and bumper. So to get the best of both worlds, I have bought the 19inch launch edition rims from MB dealer itself with a staggered tyre setup 245/45R19 in the front and 275/40R19 at the rear. This is the standard size on the S500. THe OE S350 size was 245/50R18 all around with runflats and I have switched to tubeless now to maintain better or same comfort levels in spite of the upsize.
This is the first time I have upgraded alloys on any of my cars! I evaluated several options such as Brabus,BBS,OZ,Vossen,etc but decided to go with MB alloys as I loved this design and did not want to deal with warranty issues, if any.

Stock rims:18inchx18J Hypersilver with 245/50 tyres



Upgraded rims: Staggered 19inchx8.5J front with 245/45 tyres and 19inchx9.5J with 275/40 tyres. Himalaya Grey color(Titanium-ish finish)





Interiors & Features & Sound System:

The car is a dream quite literally. The interiors are a class apart, it is a HUGE step up from the old S or any of it's rivals. The comand system is really advanced and often gets confusing as it has so much you can do! However, I am yet to try the Comand online system as it does not seem to sync data via my iPhone6. Hopefully this will be sorted soon.
The interior lighting of 7 different color choices ensures you never get bored of it. Rear seats have a host of massage functions to choose from as well as seat memory, heated seats and cooled seats options.
Driving position is excellent thanks to the gazillion adjustment options. Great thigh support too. The visibility is excellent and for a sedan the driving position is pretty commanding. Helps maneuver a car of that size very easy.





Burmester: MB always has given excellent standard audio systems. I remember this from my last Merc the C180 too. This time ofcourse its another level with the 13 speaker system that has subwoofers integrated in the footwell below the dashboard so the bass travels all the way through! The launch edition S500 however had an even better


Before anyone is stunned, these are not how I have saved the equalizer settings.



Niggles:

-They have done some stupid cost cutting in the front by not offering memory seats! And you can only heat the seats not cool it, what use is that for our climate!

-Another cost cutting is that the wooden inserts on the steering were only for the S500 Launch edition. Without the wood its going to be hard to maintain a light beige leather steering.

-The chauffeur package that lets you take the passenger seat forward and use the leg rest while sitting at the back. It is luxury at it's best but practicality at its worst as by doing this the driver can no longer see the left side rear view mirror!

-The boot is really small for the car of this size and to make it worse they have thrown in the spare wheel into the boot which eats up almost all the space. While they have used spaces well within the cabin they have used it very badly in the boot.

-The AC is not as effective as my 5 series maybe because the cabin is much larger. Although it cools the cabin very well as there are blowers everywhere but I have to maintain 2-3 degrees lower temp than I used to in the 5.

- New S v/s Next gen BMW 7: Only thing that I wish they did like the next gen 7 series is offered touch screen, at least at the rear as using a remote everytime to operate functions on the screen is cumbersome in the age of touchscreens. Besides that I have no regret in getting this over the 7 :)



Engine & Suspension

These are a few niggling issues but the car makes up for it in the way it pampers you and drives. The engine is probably the most refined diesel I have ever seen, there is no way one can tell its a diesel from the inside and even the outside it will take a close ear to figure this. It is pretty damn quick for a car of it's size, 0 to 100 in 6.5 seconds or so! But it does this with such poise that you admire it just for that. Power delivery is silky smooth, the airmatic suspension just wafts over horrid mumbai speed bumps like a sandpaper smoothens wood. You are almost cut off from the outside world from sounds and vibration.
Ground clearance is good. You can raise the suspension for really bad roads however you don't expect it to raise as much as you do in probably a Q7. The suspension raising here is barely noticeable. The car does seem lumpy when you go over high speed bumps at very low speeds.

Handling

The handling thanks to the upgraded staggered setup is excellent, this says a lot coming from someone used to driving a RS5. Ofcourse, I cannot throw it around corners like that coupe but it sure holds it ground reallllly well. The credit partly goes to the suspension flexibility to switch from comfort to sport with a noticeable difference unlike most other cars. Moreever, I think the sport suspension setting actually also gives a better ride as the car isn't as lumpy feeling on speed bumps which might scrape the bottom a we bit if its a fully loaded car in comfort mode. Secondly the credit goes to the staggered tyre setup I now have with 275s doing duty at the rear shod with Dunlop Sport tyres that surprisingly deliver better comfort and grip than the Pirelli Run flats the car came with.

Build quality

One can always find some parts of quality difference between a CKD and CBU car. However, in the S you can't find any, the build quality is outstanding. I reckon, not much of localization has happened on the S yet.

Extended Warranty & AMC

Car comes standard with 3 years unlimited kms warranty. I have paid for the extended warranty 1.1 lakh for the 4th warranty year unlimited kms already. Will probably go in for the AMC before the first service to have a trouble free ownership. I believe that costs approx 4 lakhs for 4 years. Not gonna risk it with MB again, am coming back to the brand after 14 years only because our 2001 C180 was the most unreliable car ever!! MB better prove its metal this time or I am going off the brand for life!

In other news:

Our beloved BMW 525d has been sold today exactly 7.5 years of splendid times. Everyone in the house was sad to see it go but we had to let it go sometime, perhaps the longest we kept any car. In it's loving memory we have kept the S-class's number 555, similar to 525 regn no of the beamer it replaces.




Up next?

Getting the S500 bumper with the dual exhaust to complete the look. The S350 CDi bumper is shaped a bit roundish at the bottom end as it lacks the dual exhausts which add loads of character to the rear. My only concern is that the tailpipe of the S350 that points downwards should not interfere in the fitment of the S500 bumper, will give it a shot once the bumper arrives next week.

For the sake of comparison below are stock images of the first S350 Bumper and second image of a S500 bumper with exhaust inlets




If it does fit should i debadged the car? Please don't suggest to rebadge it as a S500, thats a no-go for me.

P.S: Better pics coming in the upcoming weeks along with it's white stable-mate.

Congratulations on owning the best sedan in the world! Indeed the big daddy of luxury cars. The W222 has raised the bar so high that the recently unveiled 7-Series looked dead on arrival!

Been a fan ever since I read Rehaan's awesome preview - link. The W221 already offered 5-star luxury. Just when you wonder what Mercedes could possibly improve in the next-gen, they come out with the 7-star luxury W222.

Black S-Class = The kind of car that heads of state use. If only tints were allowed in India. Nothing to beat the personality of a black S-Class + black glasses (like the car in the last pic of your post).

The new rims have changed its personality, great choice! Congrats again & wish you many kms of superlative luxury.

Congrats , Sahil for a wonderful machine . Black interior looks fabulous specially with larger alloys - did you not tried to return these back to Dealer . Twin exhausts looks mean .. go for it if possible , re-badging probably can be ignored . Coming to remote control for rear , I found i-drive to be better though BMW has taken that too away in new 7 . I was not aware of such long delivery terms for S - looks Mercedes India has got winners in almost all segments except maybe aging E class

Congratulations!!! The car looks stunning in Black.

And yes, I wouldn't mind removing the S 350 badge if the bumper of the 500 fits flush.

Congrats on your latest acquisition Sahil!
You have acquired what most people dream of owning to show they have arrived.

And thanks for those lovely interior and exterior shots.
Your thread has been brilliantly timed with the new 7 series thread and poll.
I guess there is no doubt what you voted for!clap:

Unbelievable waiting times for this class of car. But I guess its' expected in the Mumbai market.

Except for the steering wheel, this combo looks really great.
I am really surprised at how much the change of alloys have improved the character of the car. Good going.

Thats' a pretty weird goof up! Come on MB!:Frustrati

I personally would not rebadge it to 500 as I wouldn't won't it to be a wannabe. Retain the 350 badging if possible. It will actually give the car that much more character and exclusivity.

Keep those pictures and reviews coming for our pleasure.

Heres' to saying good bye to your 'C' of troubles and wishing you an ocean of happiness with your new 'S'.

Cheers!:thumbs up

Oh man that looks lovely and hats off to you for changing those horrible alloys. You did the right thing. Although I never liked the bumper with the dual exhaust, looks a bit fake.
First person in Team BHP with the W222 I believe? And are you planning for any SUV as well (Cayenne or the Range Rover)..that's the only thing missing maybe.
Mercedes still doesn't have the service packages like BMW or Audi right? Even Jaguar doesn't have it I believe.

Superb!

Loved the review- The W222 does have it's minor share of issues. Shall post a detailed comment later.

(Yeah- I'm a potential W222 customer. :D)

That is an awesome car sir. In my humble opinion, I would say do not go for an S500 badge. Because if anyone finds out that it is an S350 and not an S500, it will be pretty embarembarrassing :D. But that S500 rear bumper is simply drop dead gorgeous!

Congratulations Sahil on owning the best luxury sedan!clap:

Mercedes really has lived up to the tagline of "best or nothing" this time round. Makes the competition really seem like from the last millennium!

Love those alloys it gives an awesome sporty look to the car and yes i agree that you should get the bumper from the S500. Would request you not to de-badge it as I feel it does look good as is.

Two of my acquaintances have bought the S Class recently. One is a white S350 and the other one is black (not sure if it is S350 or S500 and the one who bought black also has a white G63 AMG). Can't wait to ride in the white one sometime in the near future.

A question on the sound system. I was under the impression that the S500 gets the Burmester system with the S350 getting the Bang & Olufsen system. Curious to know which system does the S500 get now that you have mentioned it gets a better system than the Burmester system in the S350.

Once again congratulations on the acquisition. Quite a garage you have there!:thumbs up

P.S. Cannot believe an 8 month wait for a car that costs so much! So much for unpredictable business environment / market conditions! Goes to show a good product will sell in any market. Probably a life lesson for everyone!

Congrats Sahil, you've been waiting to pick this up for a while eh?

It looks hot, and thank god you changed those horrible wheels to these ones.

Missing out on the memory function is pretty stupid, but the rest can be forgiven.

Waiting to see some more pictures from you. I'd suggest debadge it, it will certainly look clean.

Congrats on getting the best car in the world. I think the new s class not only competes with the 7er/a8 and xj but it has moved the goal post so far ahead that now as a car it stands shoulder to shoulder with the Bentley flying spur. Such is the elegance and beauty of both the exterior and the interior of the w222 s class.

Yes you should definitely de badge the car. It would make it more classy especially since yours is black.

Congratulations Sahil !

This truly is a car which delivers excellence in every way.

Wish you many miles of MAGIC-al ownership experience :)

I too do this, its such a satisfying feeling to believe that you were the 1st person to drive her out of the stockyard & not someone else (showroom driver).

^ I believe thats a proper way of buying cars and respect you for that :thumbs up

Me too can't see myself buying an outgoing model even if its being offered for a hefty discount !

Congratulations Sahil, thats a beautiful car & thanks for sharing the ownership report.

Just when we thought there couldnt be a better S than the last Gen, Mercedes proved us wrong.

Keep us posted on your experience with this beauty.

I have been a fan of the propeller badge from the time I first laid my eyes on a 7 series advert, in the In Flight magazine of Cathay Pacific called Discovery. I don't know if they still call it that. However; it has always been the S class that makes my jaw drop and it has been that way with almost every new release of this model. BMW, Audi, Jaguar cannot do an S class or ever rival it. Every time, each of these brands renew their flagship executive line, you'll start saying 'Wow' with each new release. When it is time for a Mercedes release, you are left almost speechless when you see the car. There is no comparison.

Congratulations.