S Class suitability for chauffeur work

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stumpy1

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I'm looking for feedback from S Class drivers here (221) who use their cars for chauffeur work. How do you find the running costs, comfort, boot space, Nav, etc copes with the job?

TIA
 
Have not done so myself, but did know someone who used an S280 for that purpose. He had nothing but praise for it. I asked about the engine choice, as the 280 struck me as underpowered, but he said as a chauffeur performance is not a priority, and the 280 did the job smoothly. Don't think he was a fan of diesel engines.

I also briefly lodged with someone who did the books for a chauffeur company. His boss favoured the BMW 7 series over the S-class for some reason, and went for the 3-litre diesel.
 
I'm not a chauffeur, but I have a W221 and do big mileages. S-Class is a magnificent vehicle, Comand is excellent, the navigation is very effective but it does not do full postcode level routing. It does street names and numbers better than postcodes. It only takes the first part of the postcode. Not really a big problem.

Boot wise, it's large, not as large as you would probably expect considering the size of the car. The car get about 33 mpg (S-320 CDI) everywhere and just under 40 mpg on a run. Running costs, haven't had to do anything except replace tires which are about £220 a go.

Comfort, only a C6 rides better IMO, but the S-Class also handles corners incredibly well, it feels like a much smaller car. Seats are perfect, comfortable and supportive, you normally get one or the other but the S-Class manages both.

Cannot compliment the W221 highly enough, it's a superb car. I wouldn't buy anything else.
 
I'm not a chauffeur, but I have a W221 and do big mileages. S-Class is a magnificent vehicle, Comand is excellent, the navigation is very effective but it does not do full postcode level routing. It does street names and numbers better than postcodes. It only takes the first part of the postcode. Not really a big problem.

Boot wise, it's large, not as large as you would probably expect considering the size of the car. The car get about 33 mpg (S-320 CDI) everywhere and just under 40 mpg on a run. Running costs, haven't had to do anything except replace tires which are about £220 a go.

Comfort, only a C6 rides better IMO, but the S-Class also handles corners incredibly well, it feels like a much smaller car. Seats are perfect, comfortable and supportive, you normally get one or the other but the S-Class manages both.

Cannot compliment the W221 highly enough, it's a superb car. I wouldn't buy anything else.

I had a 220 and found the boot to be a problem, but I need to add another car to my chauffeur fleet so I checked out the new 7 series. Not impressed, hence my interest in a 221. There are amazing deals out there now.
 
I was lucky enough to have a private jet to Paris couple of months ago and was wisked through the Paris traffic in an S500 to the centre. It was almost as good as the aircraft!
On the road at home I drive myself, and have now got nearly 30k miles on my 221. This is what I said after one year

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=50943

I have no reason to change my comments. I have a friend who uses a 220 S500 for airport runs for clients of the firm he used to work for which now has 260k miles on it:eek:
He claims that he has had to fork out only for services, tyres, fuel and a couple of new cats...end of...

If you want the best drive for you and our clients, there can be no better car.:D
 
I was lucky enough to have a private jet to Paris couple of months ago and was wisked through the Paris traffic in an S500 to the centre. It was almost as good as the aircraft!
On the road at home I drive myself, and have now got nearly 30k miles on my 221. This is what I said after one year

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=50943

I have no reason to change my comments. I have a friend who uses a 220 S500 for airport runs for clients of the firm he used to work for which now has 260k miles on it:eek:
He claims that he has had to fork out only for services, tyres, fuel and a couple of new cats...end of...

If you want the best drive for you and our clients, there can be no better car.:D

I loved my 220 thats for sure. Some of my clients don't like the S Class however, so it is quite a hard one to get right.
 
Last year, Went to the airport in a W221 S320 CDIL, lovely car with plenty of rear space and extras (rear screens, ventilated rear seats, etc). Was talking to the driver he said he used to just use standard wheelbase cars mainly S280's, he said they did it just as well.
 
Last year I specced up a new 221 diesel and managed to get 20 grands worth of extras like the vented seats, rear screens etc taking it to 80 grand odd!! I've got all that in one of my other cars (which all the clients use the toys) but it all came standard. I'm not sure whether it is worth doing all that on an S. Not really, judging by what your driver said.
 
Not really, judging by what your driver said.

Not sure I'd take the driver's word for it. :rolleyes:

I'm not a chauffeur but am on my 4th s-class now and am driven around quite a bit professionally too. Can't think of any finer ar to be driven around than the s-class (or to drive myself for that matter :D).

A few years ago I was picked up in a rolls, but standard wheel base and even though I'm not at all tall, you miss the extra space in the back. If you drive someone around, the extra space makes quite a difference.

For being driven, I guess the engine size matters less, although the large petrol ones make for a very quiet and smooth drive.

Electrically adjustable and heated rear seats and rear aircon are great too for driving people around. In this season you don't want to put someone on a cold leather seat without seat heating. Separate rear aircon allow the passengers to decide what climate they want to sit it.
 
I have had my own Chauffeur Co since 85 and have always had the S-
Class started with the 560SEL, except the 140 which i did not like, fortunately BMW bought the 740iL out at the same time which was a lot nicer than the 140 Tank. After that i had the 220 which was a great car.

I now have the W221 500L which i have had for a year. All my clients like the new S-Class and much prefer it to the 220, saying that though its what they said about the 220. I would highly recommend the 221.

As mentioned the boot space is not great for a car nearly exclusively used for Chauffeuring. The only car with a boot that matches the car is the Audi 8 4.2L.
 
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someone once said the S class is for heads of states, the BMW 7 series for the director of the local factory.

our company only uses s-class for limo hire etc, they won't accept anything else,
 
The audi A8, LS 430 and BMW 7 series are all great cars but with the right colour S class it can stay on your "fleet" you years with out looking old.
 
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The audi A8, LS 430 and BMW 7 series are all great cars

True and I tried all of those, as well as the Jag, before buying my current W220 s-class. And they all have their strong points, but I found none of them as convincing in total as the s-class.

This article to me summarises the s-class position very well:

Mercedes S-class has been dominating the luxury segment. It is the label that every other premium marques want to - but fail to – challenge. The previous S-class W220 sold a total of 485,000 units in its 7 years life. That is an amazing figure for such an expensive vehicle. Even in its final full year, it still sold 84,100 units worldwide, accounting for 35% of the segment and, unsurprisingly, once again by far the best selling luxurious car in the world.
and

S-class is always the symbol of Mercedes-Benz. Its success is highly crucial to the image of the company. Now the engineers responsible for the new S-class can finally have a good sleep, for they have created the best luxurious car in the world, once again.
 
Way back last October I drove a Lexus LS600h L and although I've never driven a W221 I do however frequently have use of a W220 320 CDi.

My view and mine only, if it's for the driver get the Mercedes but if it's all about the passenger (and for chauffeurring it should be) then get the Lexus

For the passenger the Lexus is a superior machine especially with the Rear Seat Relaxation Package. You have to see what it has and what it does to believe it.

It also has 4 wheel drive, CVT Transmission and a silent electric motor round town. The fact that out of town it's just a V8 battery charger is irrelevant. It is also Band F for road tax and congestion charge exempt.
 
Lexus will never have the same cachet as the S-Class and never will, Toyota have been trying for years to get into that market. You try getting corporate work or high profile clients in London with a Lexus take my word for it the S-Class wins hands down.
 
someone once said the S class is for heads of states, the BMW 7 series for the director of the local factory.

our company only uses s-class for limo hire etc, they won't accept anything else,

I find a Silver S-Class is the only way to go, I had two M.Ds + partners from Lexus Australia, the other car picking them up was a brand new Chrysler 300C which the driver was trying to tell me how much better it was, got to the car park & when the other two got to the Chrysler he shouts over "how come you have got the Benz & we are stuck with this!" even the MD in my car said that S-Class is acknowledged as the best for this type of work.

Alan
 
We had a silver S500 as our wedding car , had to pass up the offer of my pals CL65 as it was 2 door , and Mrs Toad moaned that she wasn't squeezing past the front seats in her wedding dress :crazy:

Never been in the back of one before , you do feel like a very special person being driven about in one , i'll say !
 
Lexus will never have the same cachet as the S-Class and never will, Toyota have been trying for years to get into that market. You try getting corporate work or high profile clients in London with a Lexus take my word for it the S-Class wins hands down.

Too true, and the hybrid LS has even less boot space than the S.

The S Class is the default choice, but I see the 7 series is popular (mainly due to good lease deals I suspect). I looked over the new 7 which was quite bland in the flesh and the boot is a daft shape for my needs. I looked at getting the revised Spur but if you tick the Naim hifi box (you would have to!) half the boot height is taken by the amp!
 

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