This 2018 Mercedes-Benz S560 has a Badge With a Lot To Live Up To - W222 vs W126 - Review by Bill

This current generation S-Class was renamed the S560 in 2018 during a mid-cycle refresh. This hearkens back to the W126 560SEL sedan from 1986-1991, a beloved car of my youth, and an icon of the 1980s. Does it compare?
Full review and test drive by Bill from Curious Cars - vehicle for sale at Autohaus of Naples, www.AutohausFL.com, or by phone at [phone].

[@TheGabe92]

I love how Bill is supposed to sell us a W222 and instead he complains about the weather and explains why the W126 was better. And I'm sitting here in Germany, not planning on buying a Florida car ever and watching. Love it, keep it up! 😂

[@johnthesavage381]

"I'm not saying the unabomber was right, I'm not! I'm just saying he may have had a point." Brave comment Bill. I salute you. LOL

[@weirdshibainu]

He did. Read his manifesto. Not condoning his violence...but he did have a point

[@johnthesavage381]

@@weirdshibainu I can't reply with my honest opinion for fear it would be archived and used against me in a future where Google employees act as a secret police force.

[@weirdshibainu]

@@johnthesavage381 Too late.

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

@@johnthesavage381 Yeah, I have so many archived opinions I'll be the first to get the knock on the door in the middle of the night when we're taken over by the chicomms in a year or two.

[@smokesgtp]

@@johnthesavage381 a not so distant future unfortunately...

[@collinsbrook6216]

Hey Bill, You're the greatest thing to happen to car reviews since BBC Top Gear. Thanks for that.

[@BananaRama1312]

Have you some of the drugs that ur takin left?

[@tosherification]

You must be daft! He talks too much.

[@JoJoJoker]

Perhaps the greatest thing in cynical car commentary since Clarkson.

[@egold2071]

@@JoJoJoker Oh for the love of God, spot on; Bill is the 'Murican Jeremy Clarkson! Smokes the same, but thrice the whiskey. Stay safe! 🥃🥃🥃

[@Mabeylater293]

I agree. I’d be a regular viewer.

[@philiplee7604]

“ If it was just another couple of inches, that’s what my girlfriend says” ... what a killer line !!!!!

[@williammarik6159]

Hey Now !

[@Oivey2000]

I was wondering if I was the only one who caught that. LOL. Classic!

[@traviss6564]

I was so waiting for it...come thru, Bill! 😂

[@MarinCipollina]

@@Oivey2000 Pretty hard to miss..

[@Traderbear]

The Bea Arthur comment is a compliment, and I can hear what they’re hearing. 😊

[@V8_screw_electric_cars]

Betty White cameo when

[@edwinvonborstel3405]

....... honestly Bill

[@savjottoor7910]

This guy is so natural while reviewing. He keeps the flow of the video throughout.

[@bernardboka4277]

W126 interiors are of such high quality that with minimal care after 40 years they still look absolutely beautiful.

[@borisyurinov4822]

Drove one. Epic car.

[@SeamHead33]

The Best or Nothing. My first Mercedes was a 1987 420SEL(R.I.P.) kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3W7gH-KhJ6rqNE

[@KhaledTheSaudiHawkII]

Hey Bill, Im Saudi and a regular on this channel. Your reviews are just awesome. The dark jokes about guns storage and rich/old people are original and very funny. I hate car reviews content but yours is different. I had to replay your jokes about the G-force gauge a couple times and screen-recorded it to share it with friends. Very funny stuff. Keep em coming. Love.

[@DavidDolinsky95]

The gun comments are not jokes tho 😂

[@wumao_gang1020]

@@DavidDolinsky95yeah they’re part of American culture

[@DsgSleazy]

@@wumao_gang1020 Yes, but 9 times outta 10 we don't and can't just have a gun chilling in a storage compartment in the open.

[@feg3akatrey144]

My daily driver is a 2017 W222, and I have the “executive package” rear seating with footrests etc… those pillows attach to the headrests, and they are very comfortable. The ports on the backs of the front seats are mounting points for the rear entertainment screens. I will say that it is lost on a lot of people just how amazing these cars feel on the road, especially at over-legal limit speeds. With the double-pane/laminated glass, the S is so quiet, and I have been on I95 suddenly doing 100+ mph (trying to get around an idiot driving slowly in the left lane) with just a whooshing sound, no drama at all. The car actually feels better the higher you go (to a point obvs), and even around town they might appear large and unwieldy but they drive so much smaller than they are. ALL S-Classes are special cars, and I feel so blessed that I’ve been able to drive these amazing machines, from parents 560SEL & SL in HS (‘88 grad) to my own today. Love your vids!!

[@khakiswag]

I’m with Bill on a lot of this. Mercedes from the early 90’s and before were not only the top of the luxury chain but also the most dependable and reliable cars you could buy. They were the best engineered cars in the world. Toyota reversed engineered Mercedes S Classes to develop Lexus.

[@jetstream454]

Toyota made Mercedes panic. Not that I'm a Lexus fan, but credit where credit's due

[@805NAVE]

The Lexus LS400 was definitely more reliable than the W140 S class at the time. Albeit it was a lot simpler and less luxurious.

[@jetstream454]

@@805NAVE Right. Probably more comfy too though 😂

[@jamesharding9252]

Mercedes really invented cars, at least in the way we understand it today. As important as the 1886 Patent Motorwagen was, it wasn't really a proper car. Horses could easily run faster, actually people could run faster, as it was flat out at 10MPH, it had about 2 or 3 HP from a 1 litre engine and it was essentially an engine and controls built into an existing horse-drawn coach and therefore an expensive, impractical toy. And cars more or less stayed like that until the Mercedes 35HP came out in 1901. Now 35HP from a 6 litre engine seems pretty poor today, but it meant that it could do 31 MPH which completely left the competition for dust. It was so astonishing that Paul Meyan, director of the French Automobile Club, at the time said: "We have entered the Mercedes era". Within a few short years it could make 60HP and get up to 53 MPH. It was reliable too, in a way those early cars never were. Getting to those kind of speeds turned the car from a novelty toy into a proper mode of transport, just like the 2G mobile phone turned the mobile phone from a pointless barely functional toy for yuppies to a proper phone.

[@markremy4946]

Didn't Hitler own a Mercedes?

[@garrydavis3475]

No goats 🐐 today mate thanks for bringing me happiness again respect ✊ from the south of England

[@reddstool1023]

"now I've got the cruise on I don't have the cruise now I've got the cruise on where the hell is the cruise? that's not the cruise that's the home button oh for the love of god!" - Bill 🤣

[@e.f.clarke2041]

Of all the things you say that make me laugh, it’s a the little sigh you make after talking about unfortunate topics that really gets me, Bill. 😆

[@JimmyFoxhound]

His sigh is my text message alert now 🤣🤣🤣

[@SRTMoe]

Bill makes me want to come down to Florida once the border opens again so I can just buy a car from him, and that's coming from someone in the business. A+ personality & content.

[@carscloseup]

“For the love of God”😂😂😂

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

Probably his most recognizable catch phrase.

[@billace90]

And his signature looong sigh....

[@slyguyaction]

Wonder if he watches Vice Grip Garage - "Help Me Understand!" 🤣

[@JoJoJoker]

AAaanYways

[@christopherkraft1327]

I always thought that you were Bea Arthur!! Hahahaha 😁

[@Yankee_Redneck6698]

First time channel watcher here. Single best and most entertaining car review and narration ever. Well done sir!

[@miked8023]

Hi Bill, I really enjoy your videos. I graduated in '87, so I am an old guy like you who looks fondly on better times growing up. Don't you feel like we're living in bizarro world these days?

[@douglasb.1203]

Couple years ahead of you and I'm giving a solid yes to bizarro world.

[@diedonner299]

I’m giving a solid third.

[@dharmi44]

Car just needs a bidet, for those times when one soils their pants after a classic goat attack......

[@younesalsanhaji1603]

This guy not only makes videos about cars. He takes you through a journey of knowledge. Car reviews, weather broadcast, socialising... interactions with the birds make it even more interesting :) Love this channel!

[@paveantelic7876]

I just wanted to say that you have the greatest laugh, Bill 😂

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

He really does. It's so much fun listening to Bill having so much fun.

[@jamessveinsson6006]

When I was a kid I had a clock radio that was a 560 SEL and I found love with that I think I was at 88 or 89

[@harrisonsiegel9536]

Nice review Bill! A black on black late model S-class is begging for an Uzi in the glovebox.

[@sebastiend.5335]

Cue Jan Hammer music! ;)

[@emorris272]

I love your humor. Quite refreshing in "these days and times"!!!

[@mikebryant5223]

Mika can't hold a candle to you when it comes to talking about cars. Her videos are best viewed with the sound off. Yours, who needs the visual? The audio alone is worth the price of admission!

[@luisurbieta8924]

Hi Bill, my name is Luis Urbieta and I love the content. Sometime when you review awesome cars man they're a dandy and somethings I feel so chipper to see a peach of a used vehicle.

[@lukazupie7220]

On this chanel only Canadians on backseat are chipper!:)

[@luisurbieta8924]

@@lukazupie7220 I know that.

[@classic-kool]

The cars aren't really THAT important, other than to be a prop for Bill's "unique" brand of humor! ...

[@aviation3530]

Love your videos!...my dad bought an '86 560 SEL when I was in HS. What an amazing machine. Too much tech & plastic on everything since...keep up the great videos, you're hysterical.

[@BomberFletch31]

The W126 was a car that I aspired to own as a kid. In terms of modern Mercedes, I think Mercedes has got the styling just right on the W222 facelift. I never liked the W220 or W221, but the W222 is very reminiscent of classic S-classes of the past, with the rectangular headlights, the traditional grill with three horizontal and one vertical bar, and the LED strips in the taillights remind me of the ribbed taillights of older S-classes. But then Mercedes had to go and completely ruin it with the W223 ... 9:00 those pillows go on the rear head restraints. 16:00 that's where the mounting for the rear screens go if they're optioned.

[@egold2071]

Foist! Yay! What a proper, lovely luxury saloon! And what a joy, nearly 40 minutes of premium commentary on this fine vessel. Thanks Bill!

[@KhrissyDaDon]

Bea Arthur 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣, I can’t unsee it now lol!

[@classic-kool]

"Stanley...........you're slouching" .............

[@Gr8thxAlot]

He sounds just like her!

[@firstnamelastname6171]

"God will get you for that Walter!" (Maude)

[@williammarik6159]

The 'Annoyance Factor' of this car is through the roof.

[@V8_screw_electric_cars]

You can probably disable all this crap if you take day off work lol

[@richardwithey4829]

Just recently found your post and really think your halarious. And very well versed in all the vehicles you review. I'm going to purchase a play car from you!

[@TheLoanshark08]

The calming revitalization music is killing me as Bill is going through his normal reviews it’s too funny 😂

[@josephvaldora49]

I distinctly heard Bill talk right through belch, while he was showing us the trunk! Nice recovery!

[@747-pilot]

I love old world luxury and that's what attracted me to this channel. But nowadays I come here, mostly for the commentary! ROFLMAO! Funny as F 😃😃😃

[@deuceswild6857]

Definitely does sound like Bea Arthur!

[@dcfla755]

Hey Bill, from Naples neighbor 🇺🇸. Feels great today, reason to sip on a bit more hooch🥴. You're vids are the best, crack me the f#*k up! And informative 👍🏻

[@jerryjarrett7831]

No, No not Bea Auther, I kinda thought you sound like Paul Lynde.

[@cobyalex]

By the way I have adored your descriptions and stories because I am from growing up in the late 70's -80's but I have to say I Freakin love Bea Arthur as MAUDE!! and that dry sense of humor is what has always made me love all your VIDSSSS!!!!

[@jaycoxtable9280]

" This is what my girlfriend says, if it had just been another couple of inches things would have been better." LOL

[@japanjack62]

The S Class seats are like beds, they are the most comfortable seats I've ever sat in, even better than the Rolls Royce...

[@JLNeis]

Agree with everything you said, nice to listen to someone who REALLY knows their cars!! Great job as always Bill.

[@burningblue1254]

I prefer the 1990 Cadillac Brougham d'elegance. You can fit more Canadians in the back seat.

[@BEGGARWOOD1]

Bea Arthur 😂😂😂. Love Bill

[@firstnamelastname6171]

Maude vs. Archie Bunker 1972. One of the best "All In The Family" episodes.

[@Timahcs2]

Please don’t stop swearing!! 🤣 I love your rants with colorful metaphors thrown in.

[@jaymorello4161]

Bill you should take this one for yourself!

[@lornperkins4270]

Bill would get so mad at the car because nothing is like he's used to...so much technology he would pull out a 50 cal desert eagle shoot the car in its engine...then simply walk away Lol

[@alfredvalrie5541]

@@lornperkins4270 I can so imagine that 😂

[@golfmaniac007]

This is the Best year S class for me….so perfect…exterior and interior

[@Tahvyy]

This car is beautiful 😍, and this video is so weird because I’ve been watching The Golden Girls. 🤣

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

That is a bit weird.

[@labornurse]

I bet those plastic pieces on the back of the headrests are for an optional lcd screen, rear entertainment system. Like the executive package on a LS500.

[@supadupa3873]

It is

[@markeggert9045]

Life is GREAT again with Bill posting his reviews!

[@BoothsEurotrash]

"This is what people want" lol..... Vitality mode makes this beast worth $112k all on its own.....

[@XerxesTheGreatOne]

The word "clusterf*&k" Comes to mind looking at all the settings on the dashboard!

[@thewoodys3271]

More Don Rickles, Rowan Atkinson (his Blackadder role and Joan Rivers (before the cosmetic surgery), the right blend of cynicism and comic relief. I rode in the rear seat of a 1990 560SEL once with a client complete with reclining rear seat backs and foot rests extended wheelbase model. It also had a in car fax machine...luxury!

[@kevin9c1]

Every new generation of vehicle our initial reaction is "how is anyone going to possibly maintain this at 100k?" Well, here I am in 2023 with a 2007 S550 and having a perfectly good experience, thank you very much. But when the W221 came out I'm sure all the people used to 90s cars were freaking out.

[@psjasker]

I worked for a chap who was generous with his 89 560SEL and would let me take it on the weekends. The film canisters that fell from his glove box were not primarily used in pursuit of a photography hobby - he also had quite the collection of nip bottles ….

[@ROYALxHYPE]

"A make-up mirror in case you need to powder your nose." The way you said I couldn't determine if you meant a touch of make-up or a touch of coke 😂. You are hilarious.

[@razvandobos9759]

I want this beauty so badly.

[@SeamHead33]

W126 is Legendary. Thank you Bruno Sacco

[@stewartwestlake3708]

Great video bill , love how you put the pictures Stills in your videos whenever you're talkin about something LOL Your videos always brighten my day with your sense of humour LOL Again great job !

[@Rick2010100]

15:30 thats are the cover for the brackets of the aditional rear screens - someone ordered the car with this preparation, so that they could installed afterwards if wanted.

[@darrenbootland2316]

I didn't hear the likeness for Bea Arthur before but I do now!

[@rorybremner6656]

Saw my first W222 driving along The Mall in London, unforgettable sight.

[@Niles-Guy]

20 degrees & snow storm Bill..Ill take your hot weather any day . But that goat picture..WTF 😝

[@joeseeking3572]

Too much tech is distracting. I want hard buttons that I can find by touch w/o taking my eyes off the road, especially if I'm cutting through traffic. Driver's cars should be intuitive, and at one point that was something the Germans had in almost everything. We're bombarded with video games. However, given that these seem to go for about 75k still, and every time it rolls into the shop that's probably a guaranteed 2k to start, I won't be having to worry about it anytime soon. Worse still, I miss the damn hard drive for my CD's - who decided they were passé?

[@MrCarGuy]

Exactly! Button placement is learned and memorized. But the knob with shortcut buttons in front of the armrest controls the interface well enough, I suppose.

[@paulm6481]

At first I thought damn almost 40 minutes video, but so entertaining, great job

[@absolutium]

The plastic cover under the back of the headrest allows you to fit tablet/screen for in car office.. some markets offer also table and clothes hanger.

[@volt101x]

Thank God they kept the standing star hood emblem

[@derrickhannibal6627]

Entertaining video as usual! At age 60, I think I hit the sweet spot with my 2012 turbo diesel S class. The blue tech badge is a little retro and different without making me feel like an old man. My W221 is not trying to grab the millennials crowd with technology overload like the W222. My W221 wheel arches are beefy, muscular and all man. Oh no! Will my take get cancelled and deleted? Lol.... Anyway, I guess I'm more flintstones than Jetsons! Lol. Too each his own. Great car. Not for me.

[@FabienTeulieres93]

Even today (in 2023), a 2012 W221 is still a halo car a lot of people would aspire to. The long and muscular body style has aged very well, especially with the sport package trim. The interior design still looks top notch. And the BlueTec diesel powertrain makes that particular model even more interesting and unique. I'd say you're doing very well for yourself, sir!

[@baberger1174]

Enjoying all the videos and the birds and the goats 😀. Gives me spring time vibes during the cold winter un here in the NE. Keep ‘em comin!

[@faisalzayat]

Very enjoyable video, thanks Bill. Keep safe

[@belindakt]

Thank you Bill. Your car reviews are the best, I swear I would fly out to Florida from Oklahoma just to buy a car from you!

[@spacecat7247]

I'm definitely here for the cars and right behind it, about a millimeter, I am here for the commentary. you amaze me with your internal knowledge of the industry and of the individual companies and of the individual cars. You definitely have a fan here. Please continue.

[@VeryCoolAlan]

Yeah I agree that the older S Classes and Mercedes are way better. I got a 99 SL500 and 09 S550. Somehow I prefer them to a 2020 S560 .... They just feel like they have more class!

[@treedeblue]

Actually Bill sounds much like Cobra Commander from the 1980s cartoon show similar voices!

[@HoyaSaxaSD]

G.I. Joe

[@ronniejr1983]

34:38 old Maude though some vitality music would put a little pep in his step but we all know vitality isn’t in his blood. Bill you are such a character I was rolling at your reaction to the music you put on hoping for some vitality but getting a crazy piano riff you just couldn’t take

[@mikeskipworth856]

Hell yes. Totally made my Monday.

[@leylaaliyah1]

Awesome s560. Way to go Bill on this video! I also love ❤️ the engine note when you floored it a little.

[@myhomechrome1469]

I’ve watched many of Bill’s videos. And I love them. This is one of the best. I’m so glad he added Bea Arthur to the dynamic. I know he’s straight (from his comments) but I bet he’d be a blast to bring to a gay bar... Thanks Bill for your appreciation to real engineering. I’m a car enthusiast in my 40s so you don’t have to be that old - I just added an e320 1995 cabrio to my collection!!! Please review that one if you can !!!

[@frostyhighway9011]

Who here watches the Blacklist Tv series on Netfix, this car is Raymond Redingtons car in the show. I love this car Bill.

[@wst8340]

Great show.

[@tooslow01]

You sir a man of many talents.

[@hkm_865]

One of best looking cars of all time imo

[@remembergodisalwayswithyou6862]

The person who is reading this comment i wish you great success health love and happiness ❤

[@bodyloverz30]

My grandmother bought a new 560 SEL in 86' and around 2005, I bought a 91' 560 SEL. Both were among the best cars, I have been in.

[@bodyloverz30]

This is not a real 560 no matter what the badges say.

[@bodyloverz30]

This guy is right, the whole dashboard looks cheap; while the 560 of the 80's looked high-end German Engineering Luxury!

[@stevenwilhite4026]

Damn I love the S-Class.

[@donniethornberry7325]

I’ve had both the w221 (blue 2013 with dark tan/beige interior) and the w222 (black 2015 with black and chocolate brown interior) loved them both but the w222 is just a tad more modern on the inside. As a 22 year old whose generation focuses on how new your car is it still can compete with most current interiors if not beat

[@richmcintyre1178]

I really enjoy your sharing of your knowledge of these cars. I've been a gear head for years but you have really improved my appreciation of the Mercedes platform.

[@V8_screw_electric_cars]

Nothing can beat W126 when it comes to "tankiness"

[@JoJoJoker]

*Whoa* @9:30 that basket is impressive engineering.

[@labornurse]

If I had just bought that car, those pillows would have the FIRST thing I would have opened.

[@user-hg6xc2ew8h]

Man I like the way you talk about the car 😂 best video hands down

[@markguillory281]

Another great video..... being compared to Bea Arthur is a good thing

[@christhomas835]

My first car was my dad's 450 sel. I gotta speeding ticket within days and then I wrecked it a little while later. I can still remember the smell of the leather 40 years later

[@777jones]

Great car, Bill! Always found you to be more of a Rue Mclanahan.

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

I don't think so. I think Rue McClanahan's character on that show was a little too "dopey" to relate her to Bill. I think he's more like the mother of you're not going with Bea Arthur.

[@bggordon]

for those of us who aren't in a tropical (or warm) climate, the sounds on birds in the background are actually really nice. They really aren't disruptive to the videos, it isn't as loud for us, they add to the ambience :)

[@MrCarGuy]

They plot against him.

[@stevenwilhite4026]

I say the S eclipses the Rolls & Bentley. It does it all very well. I’m 56 & remember the 80’s & 90’s models & loved them. Used to detail my dentist’s ‘84 S.

[@hottubz1965]

Whoa whoa whoa! Those of us up near the chipper Canadians LIKE the tropical bird sounds...just had a foot of snow.

[@ttrron1904]

As a 420sel owner I agree with everything he says. My brother has a w222 s550 and it is very different from my w126. The w222 is so jam packed with features that we're both terrified that something will break that I can't fix. On the w126, I have peace of mind that I could single handedly strip that thing to the frame and put it back together without much fuss should I need to.

[@darkkskin0075]

I don't know if someone answered already but the Space behind the seat is to add a Monitor. I have a S550 with the Monitors and that is what the Space has there.

[@khronicpain7691]

You are too funny Bill . Keep up the great work.