What’s next?

[Mnfamilyguy2020]

First I’d like to say that i love nearly everything about my 2016 650GC, my intention is NOT to start some debate of why our car is better than theirs, yours, or anyone else’s but I drive my cars a lot and this one is starting to show its age so I’ve been looking....

I’ve driven the 8’s and there’s a lot to like there, especially in the M8 Gran Coupe but but the exterior in my opinion is not the understated elegance we have in the F06, it’s a bit of 90’s Toyota Supra in my opinion. I’ve come to realize that “boy racer” seems to be where the up market 4 door coup segment is now. Yesterday I drove the AMG GT 63 and I was fairly taken aback. I had a CLS prior to the 650 so I’m a bit used to the shape, what floored me though was the interior, it was sublime. Granted the one I drove was optioned well into ludicrous price territory, but holy cow was it beautiful inside. The Burmester sound system was SO very impressive compared to my B&O system, which up until yesterday I loved more than any other factory system I’ve used. The drive was composed and freakishly fast, now if I can just get over the fact that it looks like the Batmobile and costs more than my first and second houses combined it may be the future answer.

[LJohnson32]

Originally Posted by Mnfamilyguy2020

I’ve driven the 8’s and there’s a lot to like there, especially in the M8 Gran Coupe but but the exterior in my opinion is not the understated elegance we have in the F06

Same hangup for me. Dynamically the M8 GC is very impressive to drive, but I still think its a step backwards as far as looks are concerned, inside and out. They kind of have one foot in the door of trying to make it look sweeping and elegant like BMW's had been prior to G chassis cars, and one foot in the door of making it angular and aggressive like the route Audi has gone. The result is a compromise in every sense of the word IMO. Dynamically very impressive, visually it's not a 'bad' looking car but there are certainly things left to be desired.

Originally Posted by Mnfamilyguy2020

Yesterday I drove the AMG GT 63 and I was fairly taken aback. I had a CLS prior to the 650 so I’m a bit used to the shape, what floored me though was the interior, it was sublime. Granted the one I drove was optioned well into ludicrous price territory, but holy cow was it beautiful inside. The Burmester sound system was SO very impressive compared to my B&O system, which up until yesterday I loved more than any other factory system I’ve used. The drive was composed and freakishly fast, now if I can just get over the fact that it looks like the Batmobile and costs more than my first and second houses combined it may be the future answer.

Another dynamically impressive car (what car in this segment isn't really). Mercedes certainly does do a great job with their interiors, I won't deny that, and the Burmester sound in both the Merc's and Porsche's these days are truly remarkable.

It's interesting that you liken the shape of the CLS to the AMG GT 63 because aside from the core similarity of having a sort of 'sportback' overall shape, the similarities really end there. I'll preface this by saying I haven't been a fan of Mercedes' design language with the exception of very few of their cars, the CLS being one of them. The design was proportional, crisp, and connected and I really liked it a lot. The AMG GT 63 to me looks like a bloated beluga whale and I just cannot get past it. The proportion of the cabin to the overall size of the car is odd to me, because the windows/roofline are so short on the car but the waistline is so high. That coupled with just how massive the car is doesn't give me the feeling that a comparable BMW or Audi product does when I see it. I just don't like it, and that's just my take for whatever that's worth (not much). If I were looking to move into something new and fresh in that performance bracket, my money would be on a new RS6 Avant... Merc's have never really been my thing, and BMW is losing me with their new design language.

[Mnfamilyguy2020]

Originally Posted by LJohnson32

Same hangup for me. Dynamically the M8 GC is very impressive to drive, but I still think its a step backwards as far as looks are concerned, inside and out. They kind of have one foot in the door of trying to make it look sweeping and elegant like BMW's had been prior to G chassis cars, and one foot in the door of making it angular and aggressive like the route Audi has gone. The result is a compromise in every sense of the word IMO. Dynamically very impressive, visually it's not a 'bad' looking car but there are certainly things left to be desired.



Another dynamically impressive car (what car in this segment isn't really). Mercedes certainly does do a great job with their interiors, I won't deny that, and the Burmester sound in both the Merc's and Porsche's these days are truly remarkable.

It's interesting that you liken the shape of the CLS to the AMG GT 63 because aside from the core similarity of having a sort of 'sportback' overall shape, the similarities really end there. I'll preface this by saying I haven't been a fan of Mercedes' design language with the exception of very few of their cars, the CLS being one of them. The design was proportional, crisp, and connected and I really liked it a lot. The AMG GT 63 to me looks like a bloated beluga whale and I just cannot get past it. The proportion of the cabin to the overall size of the car is odd to me, because the windows/roofline are so short on the car but the waistline is so high. That coupled with just how massive the car is doesn't give me the feeling that a comparable BMW or Audi product does when I see it. I just don't like it, and that's just my take for whatever that's worth (not much). If I were looking to move into something new and fresh in that performance bracket, my money would be on a new RS6 Avant... Merc's have never really been my thing, and BMW is losing me with their new design language.

I appreciate your comments, I'm very much aligned on the new 8.

Having owned a CLS and after driving the new AMG version and then the AMG GT 63 yesterday within minutes of each other, then seeing them parked side by side I'd offer again that the dimensions and profile are quite similar. Whether the car looks like a Beluga Whale perhaps is a bit of hyperbole, but hey people say my F06 resembles a shark and frankly I don't see that either.

I completely agree that the Avant though truly is a fine station wagon and is based on the Allroad which we own.

Best!

[Mck444]

Have you thought about taking a look at the RS7 or Panamera Turbo? Or even maybe electric with the Taycan/Model S

[Mnfamilyguy2020]

Originally Posted by Mck444

Have you thought about taking a look at the RS7 or Panamera Turbo? Or even maybe electric with the Taycan/Model S

Excellent cars.

My opinion:

The Porsche Turbo is now the Turbo S, S-E Hybrid or or S-E Hybrid Executive which really are all fabulously tremendous. But, the pricing (I know its ridiculous to complain about pricing when I'm considering a car that's over 160K in the AMG GT 63) is getting into the 200K range for the options I'd like. Also, I've had some extremely bad luck in the long run with my last two modern Porsches. This car will be my daily driver and I drive a TON - 35K+ a year. So I'm ruling out the VERY gorgeous, powerful and ridiculously priced Panamera unless the market performs like it did last year, If so I'll spend the 200K+ for the Turbo S-E Hybrid Executive and move on, but I'm trying to be frugal

The RS7 is an amazing car plain and simple. It's just not my taste.

Electric - Tesla etc.... I Regularly drive the 260 Miles from the Minneapolis Suburbs to the Lutsen Ski Resort during the winter in my 650GC, the new car needs to be able to also do this in very cold weather and long snow delays. This year I completed the drive once when it was 22 degrees below 0 F. Two years ago when coming home it took 6 hours because of a very intense snow storm. I'm not ready to risk being stuck in that kind of weather for hours with battery only.

[LJohnson32]

Originally Posted by Mnfamilyguy2020

Having owned a CLS and after driving the new AMG version and then the AMG GT 63 yesterday within minutes of each other, then seeing them parked side by side I'd offer again that the dimensions and profile are quite similar. Whether the car looks like a Beluga Whale perhaps is a bit of hyperbole, but hey people say my F06 resembles a shark and frankly I don't see that either.

Best!

Again my opinion is totally subjective and yes my analogy was a bit extreme, but at the end of the day something about the proportions just doesn't sit right with me. My distaste for Mercedes' design language clearly isn't the majority stance because they sure sell a ton of cars -- just not to me

What it comes down to at the end of the day is what you, the owner, feel when you see and drive your car. As long as you're fully into it and love it, everyone else's opinion is irrelevant