BMW 7-Series, vs. Audi A8 vs. Mercedes S-Class: What Style Suits You?

S Class is still the undisputed King. Nothing in this Class say's "you've arrived" like the S Class.

Completely agree, comparing the S to the others is like child’s play, there’s simply the S Class and other luxury sedans you’d take if the S wasn’t around.

S-class makes it seem so effortless. I like the Audi next but while the S-class seems to do luxury without a sweat the other two seem to be trying noticeably hard.

Exterior:
S-class still the best. It is elegant while aggressive. Though I do not like the lower front fascia and the rear end is looking a bit dul.
7 Series is second here. I don’t mind the larger grille. The narrower headlights definitely gives it a nice modern touch and the lower front fascia is my favorite here. But it’s still an old theme being repeated.
A8 just looks frumpy. The grille does not look premium. The design is inoffensive but way too non-descript. To me, it doesn’t look like it belongs in the same class and should be priced more in line with the G90 and CT6.

Interior:
S-Class again is still the best one. When you enter and sit, it feels like an occasion. Many criticize the wide expanse of the double screens but that is my favorite display, ergonomically.
A8 is really nice from a design and material perspective. Had they left the climate controls as non-screen operated, this interior would rate higher for me (though not better than the Benz). Even so, I don’t like the varying planes of view that is required to view the multiple screens.
7 Series is a letdown. It does not differentiate itself enough from the 3 or 5 from a design perspective. Granted it doesn’t have the “trying too hard” look of an LS but it definitely has a “not trying hard enough” look to it. Like the A8’s exterior I would have a hard time just looking at this interior and saying that it belongs in its current class.

LS500

LX570. It will outlive all of these luxury sedans and have zero issues at 10+ years old. Even if I can't reach the pedals, it would still be my choice.

As a true Toyota should

I'd take the S-class over all rivals. It's got the prestige, styling and heritage.

Hard to say, as they're all very good and different. There's really no bad option. If you woke up with any of these in your driveway, you would be giddy as a schoolboy.

On balance though, I give it to the 7 obviously.

The S has some advantages in design and comfort, but the 7 has better interior quality and is more fun to drive.

The A8 is also very appealing, better than both in some ways, but it gets marked down for the infotainment/black plastic panel on the dashboard. The largest trim piece you have in your car at this level shouldn't be a slab of black plastic. And right now it only has a V6, and it's dog slow.

I'd field the LS500 in here as well though. The interior quality is just as good if not better, and it has such unique Japanese approach to the segment that's different from the Europeans and refreshing. The V6 is much faster and punchier than the Audi.

Design on all four is kind of a wash. I like them all in different ways. The Audi is a little too dull though. The refreshed S with the three-line headlights made the car look worse in my opinion. The new 7 has a lot more of the all-important road presence that it was lacking before.

XJ is too old, Flying Spur is a class above, Panamera maybe, but it's playing a different game. Continental and CT6 are a class below. The G90 is kind of a dark horse here, I think they're going to sneak up on this segment without anyone noticing.

I don't understand the "S-Class is the only true car, and all others are trash/imposters" attitude though. I get the S-Class is a practically unassailable automobile, and does indeed do some things better than the competition; but it smacks of having never having been in or driven these cars, and certainly not being in a position to buy or afford them, and just taking an outsider's perspective. Once you have the money to seriously consider this segment, I think many of these people will feel differently.

The G90 has a real presence up close. The interior is as good or better than all but the S Class.

I've owned a previous generation S-class and compared it to Audi/BMW. The BMW is actually very comfortable but the S-class was far roomier and had much more presence. The Audi is just underpowered unless you move up to the S8. The Lexus, while very nicely put together, has an ugly grill (on all generations) and performance wise just doesn't measure up. Sorry, but if I'm dropping the kind of $$$ it takes to buy one of these, presence matters. The Lexus just fails in that regard.

To whose that say "I don't care about presence. I'd rather be more discrete", that's kind of how I feel these days. So I drive a SUV instead. It's more practical and more comfortable IMO.

Love the S-Class but don't want to be taken for an airport taxi.
Audi preferred but in S8 version.

S Class all the way.

The BMW is a second-rate Lexus anymore and the Audi is a German Oldsmobile.

your sentence makes no sense. 'anymore'. you clearly are another bus rider

Well, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Don't see how BMW and Lexus are related. Nor how the A8 is anywhere near the rock-bottom level of Oldsmobile, unless it's in someone's imagination. Or unless you mean their styling.

1. S Class
2. Vacant
3. LS
4. New 7
5. A8
6. Panamera
7. G90
8. S Model
9. XJ
10. Q45
11. K900

If I were buying today, I'd take the A8. It's the newest and best of the three. But a brand new S Class is right around the corner...

Q7 beats all of them. includes practicality as well as all the amenities. theres a reason why sedans arent selling.

The Q7 is not on the same level as these cars, despite it being at the top of Audi's SUV range.

Is there leather on the door upper and lowers? Leather on top of the dash? Leather all the way down the lower part of the center console, ALL the way forward? On the B pillars? Metal buttons? Not to mention the Q7 just looks out of date with its design.

On top of that, it's nowhere near as quiet, comfortable, or refined. It's not bad, but not on the level of these cars.

That's why an SUV will never be as luxurious as the equivalent-level sedan. The SUV still inherently has roots in practicality, even the ones that are built on a car chassis. It will always be less refined. You can put a lot of features and some nice leather in an SUV, but it still has luxury shortcomings compared to the equivalent sedan. It's certainly more practical, both in driving conditions and cargo space, no question about that; but that's not what we're comparing here.

Even ignoring the structural compromises, and just comparing interior quality, carmakers never make their SUVs as luxurious as sedans. They know people will buy them no matter what, they know those people have lower luxury standards, and they know the SUV is not designed primarily as a luxury vehicle. For those reasons, they don't need to go the extreme opulent lengths as they do with the S/7/A8/LS group.

You have to get up to Cullinan, Bentayga, or super high-end Range Rover levels to start to compete with these super sedans.

SUVs replaced minivans, that's what they are in reality: Glorified minivans for soccer moms and soccer dads embarrassed to drive the real thing.

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class without any doubt. There is a simple reason why it has outsold its competition for the last four decades by a huge margin - it delivery a luxury first experience with groundbreaking technology.

The simple reason is they are best aligned with the most common needs of the market.

As I've said before, it's certainly the most popular car. And for you (and indeed most people) it may be the best car. But that does not make it the objective best overall.

I find its driving dynamics sloppy (though improved from the pre-facelift version), its road presence and elegance diminished by the new DRLs, and its interior quality not as good as the 7.

Think you should add Lexus, Maserati, and Porsche sedans there as options.