[Aditya]

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

What you'll like:

• The best luxury sedan on sale in India. Period
• Truly next-level technology, its visible everywhere!
• More driver-focused than previous generations; owners will be happy to drive themselves
• Cabin is incredibly opulent & comfy. It's quite the royal experience!
• Powerful & punchy engines on offer
• Marvelous air suspension offers a plush ride & excellent road manners
• Loaded to the gills with technology, equipment & gizmos
• 5-star safety kit & radar-based systems. Among the safest cars ever built

What you won't:

• IMO, its lost some of the classiness & charm as compared to the W222 (outside & inside)
• Pricing (even for CKDs) is noticeably higher than the outgoing generation
• Cost of ownership is only for the 'money-no-object' personalities
• Technology overload and lack of buttons means its going to glitch out sometimes. Be prepared for it
• Many of the features we saw on the launch edition have been removed in the CKDs
• Large 20" wheels with low profile tyres are easy to damage. R18 wheels will be better suited to India
• Usable boot space is limited (no wheel well for the spare tyre)
• Reliability concerns over the air suspension & the car’s very complex electronics

Link to Review

BMW 7-Series

Link to Launch Thread

Audi A8

What you'll like:

• Massive size and unmistakable Audi styling
• Futuristic interiors. Packed with technology & 23-speaker Bang and Olufsen ICE
• Luxurious rear seat. Has a foot massager too!
• Fast V6 turbo-petrol; 335 horses on tap
• AWD gives it phenomenal grip, whether on dry tarmac or wet
• Feels smaller than it is while driving. Fun to drive on the open road
• Safety kit includes 10 airbags & a plethora of driving aids

What you won't:

• Simply overpriced. CBU pricing places it higher than the S-Class & 7-Series
• Diesel option is sadly unavailable. The other Germans offer 6-cylinder diesels
• While the air suspension is competent, it doesn't have that "magical ride" of the S-Class
• A 4-seater (not 5) due to the individual seats at the rear
• Many controls feel the same as the cheaper Audis
• Understated looks. Most people spending this kind of money want more attention to go with it

Link to Review

Lexus LS

Link to Launch Thread

Maserati Quattroporte

Link to Launch Thread

[GTO]

Not even a question for me. No one does "luxury sedan" like the S-Class. It has always been - and for the foreseeable future will remain - the benchmark 1.5 to 2 crore sedan. Loved everything about the new S-Class and this time around, it's even a bit more fun to drive. That being said, I do feel the new exterior styling & tablet interior lacks the timelessness & sheer charisma of the W222. The W223 looks like new money, the W222 is old money. I think the W222 will go down in the record books as the "W140" of its generation. A legend.

The 7-Series is awesome, the A8 does the chauffeur + fun to drive thing well and the Lexus is super refined...all of these are exceptional flagship cars. Yet, the S-Class is a half-level above in the overall experience IMHO.

[lamborghini]

If it were the w222, I may have picked the A8 / 7 which I found to be better suited for a mix of self drive and rear seat comfort.

However the new w223 has regained the top spot in my books.
While I wasn't a fan of the design at first, it really grew on me when I chanced upon it at the workshop whilst dropping off the C.
Hope to take a drive soon.

The LS with its obscene pricing doesn't cut it, and the Maserati is just not in the same league as far as chauffeur driven limousines go.

[ballfry]

The W223 S Class is "THE" Luxury Sedan.
The RR Vogue LWB might come close, as prospective S Class Owners are cross shopping due SUV's.

But for me LUXURY = Sedan.

[shashi792]

Voted Mercedes S-class.

Of the lot, the only car which I have been driven in is the S-class (My boss back in Berlin, Germany offered me a ride back to the office from a meeting). If I were to put > 1.5 Cr in India, and wish to have 4 doors, then it's hands-down Mercedes S class.

Audi is good, Lexus is different, Maserati is nice to have (design-wise). But S-Class I think its a very practical luxury car to have with all the Indian auto/road infrastructure taken into consideration.

[clevermax]

Putting heart over head and voting for the "scientifically proven aphrodisiac" - the Quattroporte.

Chances of me even considering buying a 1.5-2 crore sedan are zilch. Hence, I can vote like this

Enjoy this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1CWdvoevR0

and this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5usxWjI5Rh4

[androdev]

I feel the S-Class is a brand in itself and other cars do not enjoy that level of brand cachet in this category. Each of these big brands are capable of building their flagship products to match or exceed S-Class in objective comparisons but they lose out on the brand factor.

One really nice thing about S-Class is that Mercedes-Benz puts in a lot of thought to make the car practical in different countries such as India. Simple things like CKD S-Class coming with 17/18" wheels with decent ground clearance, fuel quality tolerance, few other under-the-hood tweaks go a long way to make the car usable in our country.

I also believe the product team of S-Class would be an exceptional team having a combination of the best minds in the industry, enormous know-how from the past iterations and a very mature and predictable development process. Every tiny aspect of the car spells smooth - you can't help but chuckle when you notice some of the things they do.

I think W220 (and many other Mercedes models of that era) caused a lot of damage to the reputation of S-Class and Mercedes in general but the post-w220 turn around has been spectacular. If I contemplate a change of brand, it would be for some other category of car and unlikely for the S-Class.

[ashis89]

If it's about making a statement, it has to be S-Class. Others don't enjoy the same respect as this Merc. In my books, the W222 looks much better than the W223 (but my opinion doesn't matter).

[TrackDay]

I agree with most of the other members. The S Class is a brand of it's own and commands respect regardless of wherever it is driven in the World. All the others are worthy contenders too, but the S Class is always ahead of the curve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9AbAaDrHxg

[Vasanth]

Mercedes Benz S class without a second thought.
If I am fortunate enough, I would love to own every generation of S class.
And if I do own, the Obsidian black paint option would be my pick. It oozes with class, luxury and dignity like no other.

[amol4184]

A man can always dream..and vote. Voted for S class because why not.

Logic is simple. The A8 is too discrete, the 7 series & Lexus have ugly grilles and I will just pretend Maserati don't exist.

[d3mon]

Would've voted for the S class eyes closed for the last generation. No other car comes close.

But the current gen spoils things with the over reliance on screens and the lack of buttons. I hate touch controls for essentials and for this reason alone I've voted for the 7 instead. Of course if you are 100 percent chauffeur driven, this doesn't apply and you can let your driver pull his hair out with those touch controls