The luxury sedan market has limited competition, but what competition is there is rather fierce. First up is the 2013 BMW 750i, which carries an $86,300 base price tag, a 445-horsepower, 4.4-liter V-8 engine and a slew of standard features to go along with its 4.7-second sprint to 60 mph. Next up is the 2013 Audi S8 and its $110,000 base MSRP, 4.0-liter V-8 engine with 530 horsepower, ultra-luxurious interior, and 3.9-second sprint to 60 mph. An unexpected addition to the mix is the $66,250 Hyundai Equus Ultimate, which features a 5.0-liter V-8 engine with 429 horsepower, tons of luxury features that put the Mercedes to shame and an acceptable 5.7-second run to 60 mph.
As you can see, the competition ranges across a wide spectrum of prices and features, but the S550 has a reputation to uphold and Mercedes needs to break out everything it has to fends off the competition.