Mercedes, like BMW, is building cars that are almost indistinguishable from other brands.
The 126 was similar in many ways to the Rolls Royce of that era. If you've ever seen a 560 SEL next to a late 80's RR, you know what I mean. But still you'd never mistake one for the other.
No other brand of car looks like a w126. And there is no question of the manufacturer.
On the other hand, I had a silver BMW 3-Series as a loaner car the other day when my Z3 was in the shop. I came out of a restaurant and nearly climbed into a Volvo that looked like the same car.
My buddy has a Z3 and a new BMW 6 series. He gets far more compliments on the 7 year-old Z3 than his $93,000 6 series. To me, this new S-Class is the same. Just like it's predecessor, you could switch the badging around and convince people it's a Lexus, Infiniti or something else.
I'm sure the ride is incredible but the styling would never make me want to buy a new S class.
My two cents...
Bill