As we all know brands charge alot extra for the badge at the front. But with the S-Class you also pay for the S at the back which alot of people are willing to pay for. Prices these days are not set anymore by how much things cast to fabricate but by how much people are willing to spend. That doesn't go only for cars but everything that has a price in this world!

That may be true, but in MB case, despite higher price they have lower margins compared to BMW, even without Smart.
They also still have problems when it comes to flexibility/productivity.
So without charging an extra buck, MBs situation would be worse.

I agree with you about the 'whole package' the S-Class offers. I guess people will just pay for that.

You're going too far when saying they're wannabes though. I think the Big Three demand equal respect as how you respect Mercedes-Benz.

In my opinion I don't think paying A LOT more for an S-Class is justified. Maybe a few grand more, I can accept... But any more, I think then that the competitors can offer a more convincing package.

I absolutely think you're right about that James ...and I also believe it will only become more and more difficult for Mercedes-Benz to rely on it's illustrious heritage -- lets not forget that Cadillac and Lincoln were once marques the whole world admired and revered too.

When I say "wannabes" I don't specify "who." The "Big Three" are certainly true competitors...I am talking about other makers who claim to be equal and do not even come close.

If you think the competitors "package" is a better deal, then to quote Lee Iococa of Chrysler fame...Buy It. I would prefer to pay "A LOT more for an S-Class" and not be sold a more "convincing package." But actually it all comes down to personal preferences...I thought my '77 Cadillac Seville was the ultimate until I drove the MB 280E...times change as do preferences.

The new methadology is a joke.

Any new vehicle with new technology and interface design that takes the average dumbass more than 10 minutes to master is going to get hammered.

Feature & Accessory Quality - Manufacturing 2.5 stars
Body & Interior Quality - Design 2.5 stars
Feature & Accessory Quality - Design 2.5 stars

I believe a Non American study of S-class 'quality' and not owner incompetence would show the car is at the very least above average if not good or even excellent.

I always find it frustrating to read threads like this (just as I'm sure Bozzor does). From an outside point of view, it is clear how biased people on this board are towards other car makes that are not German cars. i.e. when a German car scores badly in the media there is always an excuse for it, for example, "JD Powers was paid off by the car company". In contrast, if other car makes such as Toyota are brought up, we suddenly hear millions of annecdotal stories about how their friends Toyotas have failed.

Don't get me wrong, I love German cars, and they rate at the absolute top of my list when it comes to choosing a car. In fact I've been a member of GCF, and was one of the first members of this board, and I've visited the board everyday for the news that it provides. But the difference is that I love all types of cars - Japanese cars, American cars... heck even Chinese cars. I realise that importance that each brand brings to the game and improves other brands in the long run to benefit us the consumer. For example, Japanese brought their manufacturing skills, like Toyota's Just-In-Time manufacturing (which I consider one of the main contributions to their legendary reliability), which companies like Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi are copying. Had Japanese cars not been there, we could be having even less reliability in the beloved German Cars.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it would be nice to read more objective comments than excuses for German cars and endless bashing of other makes, because these comments simply don't contribute to any constructive discussion. I realise people have an affinity towards one car make, like me for BMW, but it is only through these surveys that people and car companies improve - its called constructive criticism and taking responsibility. It is only the car companies that take the constructive criticism and improve on it, which are going to improve and in the long run benefit us. I feel that comments like "the S-class is perfect, clearly JD powers was paid off by Lexus or BMW", are clearly an excuse to make oneself feel better about themselves. However, if Mercedes (or any company for this matter) were to take this view of the survey, my respect for them would plumet far below any other car company, and I would steer any friends and relatives away from purchasing one of their cars.

Just my $0.02 in the situation, I realise most people will probably glance over this an take this as a grain of salt and forget it, but at least I've tried to do my part.

What is the name of the Forum you are posting on? German Car Zone is the name...German cars are the game here.

JD Powers play it's own game with the industry and knows as much as about cars as they do toasters. I have seen a lot of combative interplay between BMW, MB, Audi and other great German cars as well as about Lexus and Toyota here. People here are fans of German cars...it's a fact of life. We love em...:-)

Gene, I think you are quite correct.

Jack, I respect your views ...I am glad you love your S550 so much ..and it is a beautiful car, but I also get the feeling that some of my past comments have irritated you (I'm not sure if that's the case though) ...that is certainly not my intention.

I have always loved Mercedes-Benz cars, I was certain that this new S class was going to obliterate everything else in it's market ......but it simply hasn't ..that's the cold-hard fact of the matter.

I'm a fan of German cars all the way, and I love them. But that doesn't mean I can't love or admire any other brand of car is it? Also just because we are at a German Car Site doesn't mean we have to ALWAYS be one-sided about every German car. I'm sorry, but in my world being one-sided is a sign of ignorance and limits your ability to improve ones self. I'm first to admit that German cars aren't perfect, because if they were, then there would never be any improvements to them, and thats a downer for all of us.

Next question: you say that JD Powers is one sided? Are you an world recognized industry expert with proper qualifications? Yes you own a great car (I love your car by the way), but I'm sure JD Power's have employees that are FAR more qualified than all of us to make a judgement call, and am sure they have a greater objective opinion than yourself. This is backed up by the fact that they are a recognized standard in the automotive world. Just because their outcome doesn't suit your opinion doesn't mean that their are incorrect? This is no offence to you of course, but this is what we call objectivity.