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Mercedes-Benz S-Class W223 review by a W222 owner

8th January 2022, 16:38 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

In some ways, the W223 is a major upgrade, especially in terms of technology. But overall, the car feels a size smaller & that’s a big downgrade.

BHPian Sahil recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A close family member in Delhi wanted me to revamp his garage. He had a decade-old W221 S300 and an E250 that had run close to one lakh km. The S-Class had to be replaced with an S and E had to be replaced with an E as he was only chauffeured and preferred the MB badge to other Germans.

Went pre-owned for the E and saved the moolah to get him an S450 W223 and also added in a new Kia Carnival limo version for highway runs. Ultimate chauffeured garage if you ask me.

Why did I pick the S450 over the S350d for chauffeured usage?

Firstly, the car is already bloody expensive, starting at Rs. 1.56 crore for the S350d and Rs. 1.61 crore for the S450 4matic. Hence, the Rs. 5 lakh difference doesn’t pinch, but what it gets you is a petrol engine (petrol is a boon for Delhi with their RTO norms), 4-wheel drive to put the power down better and a new age engine that touches 100 km/h in 5 seconds (1.5 seconds faster than the diesel)! Secondly, and most importantly, I will use the car every time I visit.

Got allocation smoothly via T&T for one of the first few S450s. The new MBIL policy is pretty transparent and payments are made directly to them for the ex-showroom price. Dealers only charge you for the RTO tax amount. Highly recommend the dealership.

Akshay has covered the review beautifully with all details, so I will focus my opinions on the comparison with my W222. This comparison was to be done months ago, but thanks to GTO busting the tyre, I could not review the W223 alongside my W222.

Exterior

I’m split between the two models! Front and rear profiles - I prefer the W222 for its regal and stately looks. However, the side profile of the W223 is just superb! Although dimensions suggest otherwise, the W222 defiantly looks bigger.

Interior

The tech in the new model is way ahead, no doubt! But, it no longer has the old world charm. Heck, it doesn’t even have trademark brown wood panel inserts. It’s piano black in most places and as we speak, the car is getting its PPF, including the interior console as it’s so prone to scratches!

The brown interior offered in the new S is just superb and looks way better than the beige option which was the best pick in the W222.

Tech and interior colour aside, the W222 wins hands down in interior space. I was quite shocked and disappointed with the interior space of the new car. A friend, who has an E-Class sat in the rear and felt the legroom was even lesser than his E.

Another surprise was that the calf support is just on one side. But I guess that is fine for most. In the W222, you didn’t feel the need for the Maybach version as it had more than adequate space. With the W223, Mercedes is going to urge customers who can afford it to take the step up. Smart on their part, but as a customer, I am disappointed.

Drive

Not a far comparison as I have a diesel engine and the S450 is petrol. But overall, the engine is noticeably smoother and quieter. Even from the outside due to the battery pack you cannot hear the engine at idle at all.

It did not feel briskly fast from the get-go. However, I did not drive the car for long this time. I will post an update on this in the future.

Suspension

Does seem better as even with 19-inch tyres, the ride was super smooth. Speaking of tyres, I was surprised that they are now 255 mm wide! The W222 came with a staggered setup with 275s at the rear. I hope the 4matic plays its magic to put the power down better for slimmer tyres.

Verdict

Would I upgrade from my W222 HAPPILY to the W223?

It’s a firm NO.

In some ways, the W223 is a major upgrade, especially the tech. But overall, it feels a size smaller and that’s a big downgrade for an owner like my father who spends 80% of his time in the back seat. This is the long-wheelbase version. I really wonder what the legroom in the regular wheelbase abroad must be like!

Another issue is the price, which has gone up 50% in 6 years! The car just does not feel worth Rs. 1.8 crore on-road no matter how you look at it. If they kept the OTR price at Rs. 1.5 crore, I would still be OK with it having the flaws it has.

Continuing with the question above, would I SADLY upgrade to the new S? Maybe! You never know. Due to the lack of choices, we might have to. But for now, I would rather wait for the new 7-Series to launch and hopefully, they haven’t shrunk the interior value proportion to the customer!