I really hate to say this, because I am a pure German car fan and think JapANESE cars are, while reliable and such, uninspiring and most of the time downright ugly....but while we're on the whole MB/Lex subject...
Yesterday I flipped through the new issue of Car and Driver and turned to the "ultra-luxo sedan comparo". They were the BMW 7, MB S, Audi A8, Jag XK8, VW Phaeton and Lexus LS430. The MB got dead last and the [insert word of choice] Lexus got 1st.
here's the internet article if anyone cares to read
http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=7359