MotorTrend: Audi A8L vs. Mercedes-Benz S550 vs. BMW 750Li

I think this reviewer is on crack.

My ranking would be

1. 750
2. S
3.A8

After 5 months in my 750li it's quite simply the best large sedan I've ever driven.

Engine, Dynamics, Electronics, Performance, Quality of materials all best in breed although I still think the S is the prettiest of all the cars.

001

I'll agree with your list, however, the order will most likely change once the new XJ and A8 are out.

I'd like to have a Jag as well.

The new XJ gives a young teen's excitement of "Whoa! Have you seen that guy's new Jag?"
While the S-class has come to a "Meh... He has a Merc."

and the new XJ, esp. the XJL, is longer than the S-class
As a true American, I find bigger is better :P

More like you are on crack. The A8L has been beating the 7-series in comparisions since 2004. Nothing new here. Move on and get over it.

"The A8L has been beating the 7-series in comparisions since 2004..."

which would be meaningful if we weren't talking about a model that just came out three months ago. In this context, it is totally irrelevant.

naw oo1. this reviewer is right on the money wit da conclusion. and what you talkin 'bout? you surely dont own a 750li. you takin bout another loaner?

Found it odd they didn't test a 750Li WITH Sports Package, especially considering that changes the handling and body roll of the car substantially. And if they found the interior too dark, it's pretty simple, get a different color.

The S-class is a much prettier car but I can't get over how well the big bimmer drives.

yeh~ i agree with you totally. after reading the article, i found their views on 750li is very subjective. especially when it comes to interior color! its fully black interior! of course it's gonna be dark!

I prefer Benz..but I can´t belive what they said about the 750 till I see other Magazines coments.

+1 on Agent001's list

another predictable review from the M3 has lost its way, the 3 series is imprecise, the 335i is no match for the G37 mag that seems to always put every new BMW it tests in a bad light who cares .and totally contrary to the rest of the world. The comments sound like they never even drove 7 but another car, they make it sound as if this car has horrible dynamics.

Here's where my money would go:

1. Lexus LS 600h L Pebble Beach Edition
2. MB S550
3. Audi A8L
.
.
98. Ssangyong Chairman
99. Geely Merie
100. BMW 750Li (only if 4 floor mats and 1 BMW coffee mug are thrown in)

lol, agreed!

"4th place: Lexus LS 600hL
Overpromises and underdelivers on performance, fuel economy, and even luxury."

I beg to differ:

Jaguar SUPER V8: 400hp (0-60: 5.5) 15mpg (CO2: 1.11)
Lexus LS 600hL: 438hp (0-60: 5.6) 20mpg (CO2: 0.93)
Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT: 400hp (0-60: 5.4) 11mpg (CO2: 1.52)
Mercedes-Benz S: 382hp (0-60: 5.6) 14mpg (CO2: 1.18)

So in summary,

it's the most POWERFUL, ECONOMICAL and the CLEANEST of the bunch.

"Of the three, the Audi rides on the oldest platform. The second-gen A8, officially the "D3," appeared for the 2004 model year -- and promptly won the first lux-sedans comparison we put it in (September 2004). Audi has since freshened the A8's face, adding its now-signature trapezoidal grille for 2005, but the basic aluminum body panels, lightweight aluminum space frame, and quattro all-wheel-drive system remain. The 32-valve, 4.2-liter V-8 now delivers 350 horses at 6800 rpm; it mates to a six-speed automatic with paddle shifters."

This is awful news for BMW. The 2009 Audi A8L 4.2 is essentially the same Audi A8 that was released way back in 2004. This means what is pretty much a 5-year-old A8L (save a few cosmetic changes here and there) with almost a 100 horsepower disadvantage and that is slower by 1.4 seconds to 60 mph when compared to the BMW is a better car than BMW's brand spankin new 2009 750Li.

BMW is losing its edge. This is apparent not only through magazine reviews but also through BMW's terrible sales performance and profitability decline when compared to Audi.

Relax AudiNut, I don't think one review means BMW has lost its way, especially when that one review came from a magazine that habitually denigrates anything with "BMW" on it. Frankly everything they said in that article was either subjective ("black interior is too dark" -- uh, hello? Choose a different color then.) or counter to what has been said elsewhere ("iDrive is too hard to use" vs. everywhere else saying the new iDrive is the best system out right now).

I've seen half a dozen other reviews from other magazines and online sites that named the new 7-Series ahead of the S-class, best in class, etc. Edmunds.com's Inside Line even said "the BMW flagship is once again one of the finest, most likable automobiles in the world".

MotorTrend is doing what they need to do to sell magazines -- say something different than everyone else, stir controversy. Good for them, but frankly I don't think most buyers of $100k luxury cars make their purchase decision based on what MotorTrend says anyway.

Edmunds:

What Works:
Effortless twin-turbo V8 acceleration; small-car handling; cosseting interior; likable iDrive.

What Needs Work:
Fussy throttle tip-in; some other nitpicks of not much consequence.

Bottom Line:
Previously controversial and often vilified, the BMW flagship is once again one of the finest, most likable automobiles in the world

Notice how much of that is the opposite of what MotorTrend said. Here's a link to a Car & Driver comparison.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison_test/sedans/2009_bmw_750li_vs_2009_mercedes_benz_s550_comparison_test

Point is, it's one review. Your beloved Audi's lose a lot more reviews than they win, but I'm fairly certain you don't think that means Audi has lost its way. Just BMW, right? Right.

I agree JRob, its like Motortrend was on somekind of mission with a predetermined agenda.

Wow 001, "...on crack..."? That's pretty severe for a ranking of S over the 750. I can understand your frustration if it was Lexus over your beloved BMW but the Mercedes over the BMW is not that outrageous. After all is said and done, the S still is the car of choice amongst the corporate and gov't elite after all these years. The 7-series is still a great car but there's no doubt about it, the S class reigns supreme amongst those that can afford it, again, after all these years and in markets all over the world.

Didn't say the the S wasn't a nice car (It's really nice and i said it was better looking) but drive both and you form the opinion the writer is on more drugs than Michael Jackson was...

001

"Among those that can afford it" ?

I think the BMW and MB is marketed to the same group - add in all of BMW's optional motion control/sport gizmos and they are pretty much priced the same. Those who buy the S class doesn't really care about performance as they do about presentation. Driving up to the Four Seasons in a S-class makes a different statement than driving up in a 7

The Beemer Finished LAST...The Bimmer Finished Last...Oh Finally The haters Finsihed LAST...
The BMW is LAST
The BMW is LAST
The BMW is LAST

JRob don't get all worked up because the BMW 750Li placed last behind the Audi A8L 4.2 and Mercedes-Benz S550.

MotorTrend simply felt that BMW produced a very one-dimensional car that thrilled when driven spiritedly on a back road, but failed when used in all other situations, which happen to account for 99.9% of the time.

The BMW 750Li placed last for the same reason why Edmunds placed the BMW 550i last behind the Jaguar XF 5.0 and Mercedes-Benz E550 in their comparison of the three V8 sport sedans. Only this time the 750Li is not the oldest of the trio, it is by far the newest. The BMW 550i is the dance partner and canyon carver of choice. Unfortunately, the 550i only excels when it comes to handling, feel, and dance moves. When you are looking for an all-around car that delivers that excellent handling in a package that also includes luxurious interiors, good fuel economy, strong acceleration, and respectable value, the BMW 550i comes up short.

Same goes for the BMW 750Li. Other reviews can say the BMW 750Li is a far better car than the Mercedes-Benz S550, but one thing is certain:
The Mercedes-Benz S-class is, and always has been the large luxury sedan of choice.

Sales numbers don't lie. The Mercedes-Benz S-class has outsold the BMW 750Li by a huge margin worldwide. Just like the C-class and A4 are Mercedes' and Audi's 3-series respectively, the 7-series and A8 are BMW's and Audi's S-class.

again, I'm going to take anything you say with a grain of salt seeing as how you're an Audi mouthpiece and are about as biased as they come. (And I say that as someone who genuinely likes Audi, you're just over the top -- you're the Audi version of David999.) If you want to pick and choose reviews to "prove" BMW is "losing their way", you go right ahead. The all-new A4 has lost all the comparison tests it's been in with the four year old 3-Series, has Audi lost its way? No, of course not, it's a great car. But to you BMW has lost their way because one article (out of many) didn't like the 7-Series? Ok, sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.

To me, the fact that a six year old 550i came in third behind two brand new models doesn't diminish the 550i, especially when the "Second Opinion" said if they were spending their own money they'd get the BMW. Plus, the main reasons the 550i "lost" is it was more expensive, had the old iDrive, and the transmission was slow to shift, didn't have paddle shifters, and didn't rev match. Well, the 2010 550i is cheaper, has the new iDrive, and Edmunds should have tested one with the sport automatic w/ paddle shifters that does rev match. And again, the "Second Opinion" said they'd spend their money on the 550i, plus the brand new twin turbo 550i will be out next year anyway, so who cares?

As for the 7-Series, again, it's one review. Every other review, of which there have been many, says the 7-Series is a fantastic machine. I've driven a sport package equipped 750Li, and frankly it's pretty amazing, it feels like a car two sizes smaller while actually offering more interior space than everything else in the class. The four wheel steering, ARS, and adjustible damping were awesome. I'm not a fan of huge cars, but if I was going to drive one that's the one I'd drive. And if I were in fact buying a car in this class, whether it was a BMW, Benz, Audi, or whatever, MotorTrend's writers not being as intelligent as every other journalist in terms of figuring out how to use the new iDrive, or realizing interiors come in colors other than black, would not sway my $100k.

Listen, you're looking to pick and choose articles to justify a viewpoint you already believe. That's fine, be as much of a fanboy as you want, I couldn't care less. And if you want to buy your cars based on magazine comparisons, you go ahead (though keep in mind that would actually mean more often than not you wouldn't be buying Audi's). I prefer to make my own decisions based on what I like. Give it a try sometime.

pennfootball: Write something with arguments please.

"Among those that can afford it" ?

Well may be that offend you....but the fact is that most of MB are 5K to 30K more expensive than BMW. If you buy and S550 full extras is very likely that with that money I'll be able to buy a 750il Full extras and a BMW 3 series with some extra money...

If you like, what you can say is, that the BMW 750il is a more "price wise decision" but even if you deny it...there is a lot of BMW buyers that if they could, they would buy the Benz.. (May be even you)....

I think you're writing to the wrong person, because PennFootball is a troll who never says anything about BMW except how much they suck. I'm sure he'd tell you he wouldn't drive a 7-Series if it were free.

JRobUSC: I like that: I couldn't care less. And if you want to buy your cars based on magazine comparisons, you go ahead (though keep in mind that would actually mean more often than not you wouldn't be buying Audi's). I prefer to make my own decisions based on what I like. Give it a try sometime. Magazines are a lead but thanks God, we have the final decision...and smart people will buy what make them fell happy. You live once....so be happy.

jRob you are offended that BMW produced a very one-dimensional vehicle and lost because of it. I am not trolling about Audi here. Motortrend has its own opinion and is entitled to its own opinion.

How can you, JRob, sit there and say the BMW 7-series is an excellent vehicle compared to the Mercedes-Benz S-class? Both are clearly world-class cars. It just depends what you are looking for in this category. If you want the canyon carving, lithe, and balanced car get the BMW 7-series. If you want a nice handling car, but don't care for one that will tear up a back road like a 7-series and instead prefer to have a more well-rounded car, get the S-class.

Like I said earlier the S-class has, and always has been, the benchmark of this segment as witnessed by global sales.

Based on sales and profitability figures, I can confidently say BMW as a whole car company is losing its way. Sure, maybe the BMW 7-series may not be losing its way when you look at all of the roadtests that have been done, most of which praise the car's amazing handling and acceleration abilities. However, one car does not determine a car company's success, especially when the car you decide to analyze is a high-profit, low-selling $85K + luxury sedan.

BMW's sales have fallen as much or greater in terms of a percentage decline when compared to its chief rivals, Mercedes-Benz and Audi. Please explain to me how BMW is NOT losing its way when compared to Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

BMW is no longer the profitable machine it once was. I can cite the 90% profit decline for 2008 and Q1 2009 loss as my sources. I am not picking and choosing data to back up my claim. I am only using the most recent data that would indicate, as of this current moment in time, BMW is losing its way in the sales and profitability contests to its chief rivals.

actually their sales and profitability declines this year are better than every other luxury brand save one -- Audi. BMW unfortunately does not enjoy the economies of scale Audi does in sharing parts, engines, chassis, etc. across VW, Lamborghini, SEAT, etc. If BMW wants to continue to grow and remain profitable, they might have to consider such an arrangement. For now in a terrible worldwide economy, BMW has to make do with the hand they have. So does Mercedes, who was down over $1B for the first quarter this year (BMW was down $70 million if I recall). So kudos to Audi, I congratulate them. Why? Because as I said before, I like Audi.

You seem to derive pleasure from cherry picking negative articles about BMW to trumpet how awesome Audi is. I, on the other hand, like both of them. Were it not for your blind fanboy-ism, we wouldn't even be having this conversation. And as far this:

"How can you, JRob, sit there and say the BMW 7-series is an excellent vehicle compared to the Mercedes-Benz S-class"

well, I'm not even sure how to respond to that. Frankly it's insulting to have you sit there and insinuate I am incapable or not allowed to prefer the attributes of one vehicle over another, as if the fact that one outsells the other means anything at all to me. I can say so because I have the right to think it and say it. You don't have to agree with me. I'll be honest, I don't really like the S-class. I think the interior is boring, it reminds me of the 2002-2008 7-Series interior only with a little more leather, less wood, and more lighting. I don't like the humps all over the exterior. The front end looks nice, but the rest of the car does nothing for me. I prefer the new high def iDrive to COMMAND. I prefer BMW's ARS, adjustible damping, and rear wheel steering, at least one of which isn't available on the S550. Probably the only things I like better on the S-class are the seat controls and seat cooling features.

That's how I can sit here and say the 7-Series is excellent compared to the S. It doesn't mean the S-class isn't excellent too, it just means I like one more than the other. In fact I'd rather have an A8 than an S550 -- I think it's a better looking car inside and out. But I'd rather have a new torque vectoring 750Li xDrive than either of them.

Hopefully you can live with that. Though I really don't care if you can't. I'll keep on liking Audi too, at least until you talk me out of it. I used to like Lexus too, though to a much smaller degree, until I got tired of listening to their uber-fans on here.

Well done JRob. Like I said all three cars: Audi's A8, BMW's 7-series, and Mercedes-Benz's S-class are world class cars. As you stated, we all have our own interests and reasons for buying a car. Some like their cars sporty, others like them more luxurious and, others just don't care at all.

I think the beauty is the success and innovation of all three of these German marques has caused each one to get better individually. Audi's Quattro AWD, ur-Quattro and lavish interiors are remarkable. Mercedes' rock-solid quality of the 1980s and huge displacement AMG engines have caused us to view horsepower and torque with a different approach. BMW's lithe and perfectly balanced M3 along with its iDrive concept have pushed the technological envelope.

To each his own, but we are all lucky to be customers of some of the world's best car companies that are on the cutting edge of technology, quality, performance, innovation, efficiency, and design.

GermanNut

I'll help you out a little. I bad the Audi for a test drive for more than a week from a friend of mine, and I own an S63 AMG, along with my latest car, the BMW 7 series. Believe it or not, this review is the biggest pile of crap I have ever read. The BMW not only is it the best performing car, but based on my REAL life experience, it's also just as comfortable to be in as the S-class! The engine is very smooth, and extremely powerful. Even though my S class has a 100 hp advantage, the BMW does an extremely good job keeping up, and you can just feel the amazing torque. The Audi on the other hand is slow compared to the duo above. The Audi is very nice.. extremely nice.. but ranking it ahead of the new 7 series, which in my opinion is the new luxury king, is just plain bias and stupidity. It doesn't do ANYTHING better than the BMW.. Interior quality? You would be impressed by how well the BMW is built.. and by the materials used. Personally, I think it's one of the most flawless vehicle I have ever driven.

I had***

oh you wouldn't say how great the bmw is when you have a picture of a bmw as your aviator. im sorry in real life the s-class is more comfortable than the 7-series. The 7-series rides rough and doesn't nearly do as well as the s-class does when dealing with the harshness of the road. The interior of the new 7 still isn't made as well as the s-class. The s-class feels vault like on the road, while the 7-series is no way cheap feeling it just doesn't give you that mercedes feel. Finally, if i just bought my brand new 7 series, there is no way i would want it parked in back of a 2007 s-class if i were going to have my car parked valet. Lets face it yes the 7 series handles well, but this isn't a 3 series c class debate. these a FULL SIZE LUXURY CARS. They need to do everything well not just handle like a fast sports car. and as far as torque is concerned the bmw is twin turbo charged so it should have a never ending torque band. however what i find interesting is that bmw just introduced a new v12 engine for the 760 that barely best numbers of the v12 mercedes had since 2003. and now merc is building another v12. back to the drawing board bmw. it just seems mercedes has your number in this class.

1) "oh you wouldn't say how great the bmw is when you have a picture of a bmw as your aviator"

It's "avatar", not "aviator".

2) your username is "merc07". Are you seriously going to call out someone for hyping BMW while having a photo of a BMW as an avatar while you simultaneously hype Mercedes with the username "merc07"? Really? Then here are two more words for you to look up: "irony" and "hypocrite".

For starters JRobUSC I don't have to hype the mercedes s-class in any form or fashion. The hype has already been created by it's legendary reputation, by Motortrend in this article; as you can see the s-class won the comparison test, and by the industry as a whole who recognize the s-class to be the benchmark by which all other cars are measured. I apologize for mispelling a word, however it's nice to know that you read my responce in such a detailed fashion. anyway im sure you're still wondering as to how you beloved brand new bmw lost to an almost 3 year old s-class thats due for a facelift and new steering setup anyday. it's simple mercedes makes a superior car to bmw in this class. Bmw needs to learn that FULL SIZE LUXURY cars are meant to be just that full size luxury cars. Not an even larger m5. But above all what really sucks is how whenever bmw loose a comparison test to another car company regardless of class you guys always cry like a bunch a little kids, scream how bs or biased the car mag is, and attack the fans of other car companies. Attack me if you want i couldn't care less. The fact remains that the brand new bmw lost to cars that have been on the market for at least three years now.

What an interesting and spirit debate regarding these vehicles. Well . . . I have an opinion on this because I spent the last two months test driving and researching all of the vehicles mentioned in this post. After a decade of lexus, I realized it was time for a change when I saw, then test drove, the 2011 Jag XJL Supercharged. It was, quite simply, an incredible experience. I love that car, planned to buy one when they came out this month but didn't because the car has software problems, so functions such as iPhone/MP3 and voice activation don't work, or won't work right until they all get a software update in the fall. I decided not to risk additional software snags down the line. I then turned to BMW 7 and the Audi 8. Great cars, but the BMW iDrive was confusing and the voice recognition was only slightly better than Lexus, which is terrible. I liked the Audi, but no night vision. I have never even considered buying a Merc, but I test drove a new S550 and, gentlemen, I have never been so impressed -- no, awed -- by a car in my life. Voice recognition is flawless --no need to even mess with switches, although the Merc is brilliantly planned, very intuitive. Interior, exterior, the car is pure joy on a daily bases. I know because I bought the car two weeks ago. I will say that the BMWs heat-sensing FLIR night vision is better than the Merc's passive infrared. That Jag is still in my future, it's just gorgeous. For now, though, I think I made the right choice.