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Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedans
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Comments
The panoramic roof is unbelievable. I was skeptical when I first put the order in, but I think it is one of my favorite features on the car. The glass roof blends in well with the obsidian black paint and the interior ambience of the car is so cool at night when you have it open.
I'm disappointed that I didn't get the in-dash CD changer. I ordered it, but they have been having supply problems with the CD changer because of overwhelming demand so a lot of the people who preordered the car with this option will be a little disappointed when they don't get it.
I was deciding between the BMW 540 and the E Class. I'm definitely glad I chose the E. It is such an elegant yet sporty car and I think its the perfect size being in between the C320 and S 500.
For those of you who are debating between the E320 v E500, it depends on how fast you really need to get somewhere. I think the E320 has plenty of horse power for the kind of driving I do, but it is always nice to have a few more horses under the hood if you want to spend another $5,000 (which is probably worth it for those who want the extra power). I would definitely recommend the sport package if you choose the E320.
Anyways, I guess I've raved about the car enough. Congratulations to Mercedes for a job well-done.
Both my wife's and my first impressions were that the new E is smaller outside than the previous version. We lined up both cars, and sure enough, the new E was longer by a nose. I think it's the curved rear pillar that evokes that illusion. The rear pillar and tail lights clearly resemble the C and S classes. The car does look handsome, but somehow, it doesn't strike me as an awesome and unique design the way the BMW 3 Series looks (to me anyway). I really like the new wheels, especially the 17 in. wheels on the E500. The front retains a strong link to the previous E class, yet manages to look more modern. The only element I didn't care for in front was the egg-crate looking grill, as the vertical slats are now chromed. I think the slats are blacked out in the Sports Package.
Inside, the dash and interior look updated. I didn't mind the chrome strip, but my wife thought it didn't belong with wood and leather. The seats are comfortable and nice, but are missing the piping around the edges that we have. The leather was also decontented, as full leather is now an option. Some pet peeves are still there: no sensitivity adjustment on the rain sensing wipers, lack of radio station names on the display, and no underhood light. Although I don't mind a dial for the automatic temperature setting, the setpoint can only be set in 2 deg. increments, instead of 1 deg. as the W210 has. On the other hand, the car has a locking gas cap. I didn't check out the sound system.
It appears the gas tank was moved away from behind the back seat, creating a huge trunk.
We took an E500 with 500 miles on it for a 10 min. test drive. It immediately felt even tighter than mine. I drove it hard around a turn, enough to slightly squeal those massive 17 in. tires. The Airmatic suspension kept the car level and in full control. I tried the same turn later in my '01. It handled just fine, but leaned somewhat.
The Sensotronic brakes were unobtrusive. They worked fine and didn't interfere with normal braking. I tried the soft stop feature, but didn't notice any difference from my car.
On the local streets I didn't notice the 27 added horsepower over my E-430. It did, however, feel powerful and very responsive.
The saleman indicated MB will be accepting 4Matic orders next April.
My overall impression was that the new E Class is a winner! The Airmatic suspension and Sensotronic brakes more than compensate for some of the features missing in my car. I would also consider the Distronic speed control, even with its $3,000 price tag (and yes, I have a pilot's license, but less than 100 hr. compared to mbdriver's 6,000+).
The cars: round is in, dials, gages, seat memory, headlights, ect....
The drive: the start person said "drive as hard as you want " in the E500, but after some tire squeal one person got their armband cut off promptly, o well...
The Guest: everage age 65 , and women and childen, imo would be better served going to a dealer test drive than a driving event...not exactally like the BMW ultimate challenge thats for sure.
Guest comments : "this drives better than my volvo "
" that 320 is more power than anyone needs"
My thoughts : VDO gages very nice, however the clock is slightly bigger than the tack, tells you what this car was really designed for.
brakes very progessive and steering was solid, for a 3800 lb car , handeled very nicely. An extra 8k for the E500, hard decision, i would skip the 500 test drive and no know what i was missing ... That pam roof is pretty cool, everyone loved it.
What id skip: Airmatic, dont know how long it last but id just prefer springs myself.
Keyless go: again neat feature but seems like could be troublesome.
distronic: take a cab or a nap, im more aware of my driving to need that...
cool stuff: Pam roof every one loved it.
fold flat front passenget seat.
thats all for now,
DL
Did you get warning that the CD changer would not be supplied? I hope they did not just ship your car and then tell you to take it or leave it after waiting since July to get it.
I would be very, very, unhappy if they ship my new E500 without my ordered equipment. I only put in a factory order so that I would get the car as I wanted it.
I did not order the sports package since I do not care for the black birdseye maple wood trim. I prefer the walnut look. The sports package is great on the E320.
Thanks.
The US consumer needs to take a little butter off their bread. I have decided to keep what I have for another year or two. If US orders for German cars fell by 50 percent for a few months, maybe Schroeder might realize that he needs more than the Green party to get the German economy going. Ray Berg
I have always thought highly of Germany but came back a little troubled. I am not Jewish but was amazed at the widespread open anti Jewish sentiment in todays Germany. Heard several times that all American policy is driven by the Jewish lobby. Seemed to be aimed at Clinton as well as Bush.
Don't think I will cancel my order because I am selfish but am not very happy with what I just experienced.
Other countries do not have to like us I guess but then we do not have to support them either.
You will find a lot of people in rural or the southern US who are anti-Black, anti-Semitic, think that the government is evil, that Catholics are evil, etc. etc.
With this in mind, I don't use their ideology and viewpoint as representative of how America is like.
Were there teething problems with 96-97 E-320's. there are some good buys on E-bay on E320's. There was a 96 with 93K miles, the guy was willing to sell the car for $15,500.
What kind of trouble area should I look for, while examining one of these? Someone said balljoint on these cost $1500. It is hard to believe people pay that kind of money for repairs at MB dealers.
Thanks,
How can MB release new E's and not be prepared to equip the in dash CD player or even know what nav system its going to use let alone have it available. From some of the posted messages:
"Lack of radio station name on the display"
"Dial for automatic temperature settings"
"Full leather seats not standard"
Is it true that the cost for metallic paint is $1,150 (One time special Order charge), tell me its not so. If it is $1,150, can anyone tell me what's the difference in the paint from last year ($640).
I know some of you may say its small insignificant stuff, but this is not what I expect from MB.
My dealer does not want to deal on the price of the extended warranty and that seems odd to me. I this an item that has room to deal on price? It seems to me that it would. I see the post about the California dealer that seems to sell at a discount. Is there any downside or risk to going with an out of state dealer to get the discount?
I would appreciate some input from those of you with more experience. I know the new E is going to be an awesome car. I also know that getting a car in the initial build can have some risks.
Thanks in advance for your input.
My E500 was ordered in August and will be built on 9/30/02. I had no problems getting my ordered accepted with the in-dash CD changer. On other boards there are plenty of posts from people who have already received cars and have the CD changer so this does not seem to be a problem. As for the DVD-Nav, there is a $500 discount for ordering it now which is what I did. I'll save some money and it will be a great system when it arrives in the first quater of next year.
To each their own. If you think MB is slipping then there are plenty of other car makers to choose from. But I'll be enjoying one of the best and safest cars on the road, the E500.
Are you trying to troll this forum, or would you really equate lack of radio station name with lack of quality??
Sounds like the dealer is trying to boost his profit a little. Hopefully you have another dealer close enough to do business with. Maybe a different salesman in the same dealership?
Good luck...the discount is for real and you should have it.
Personally, I prefer a MB warranty backed by MB that allows for repairs at any MB dealer.
Hope this helps.
The E320 seemed like a lumbering turtle in comparison. I was completely underwhelmed by its unresponsiveness cornering, and it's lag time at the throttle.
If you are looking for utmost performance (handling, road feel, and confidence behind the wheel), I am more impressed with the 540i Bimmer, though the MB E500 impressed me as no slouch puppy.
The new e class, while evolutionary, is a much nicer looking car - more aggressive, sleeker and more harmonious from front to rear. Does not drive quite as responsively as the BMW, but close - feels more substantial and quiet - throttle response not quite as quick, but quick enough.
The build quality is much better than previous efforts from Mercedes. In fact, the interior is nicer than the S-Class - the trunk is also bigger than the S-class and I would think there could be downward migration for S-class customers looking for a different combination of luxury and performance.
Mercedes got most of the little details right - small ergonomic touches, dash layout, trip computer, all intuitive and done in a high quality design - I think the gauges are much better looking (though perhaps conservative) than the luminescent gauges (as in Lexus) in the S-Class.
Overall, the car drives great, feels very solid, very warm and comfortable interior and looks both classy and sporty. Much more appealing than the direction BMW has chosen with the new 7 and upcoming 5 series changes.
M
I think the e320 offers an ideal blend of comfort and performance, very quiet and solid, responsive without being harsh. Just a very comfortable car!
I ordered the E500 with the cd changer, heated front seat, E1 package, E2 package, multicontour
seats, parktronic and "287 Launch Promotion/Split Fold Down Rear Seats" for a "launch promotion" price of $100.
rayscar: Hopefully you got the $100. price and did not pay the full tariff. Your dealer should have pointed it out...but then maybe not. Probably not too late if what you ordered is the same thing.
Hope to catch the TV program on PBS if I have not already missed it.
Let us know how you like the car when it's delivered.
Actually I did also get the Navigation system. Would have liked the distonic cruise control but the $3000. was a little much for something I might not use much.
I did get $1000. discount off from msrp (with much shopping) and the price before tags and tax was $64,500. including the gas guzzler and luxury tax. Without the discount it would be about $65,500.
Now, in the particular case of the S4, I found it could do everything the old M3 could do, but Audi chose to give it a more luxurious orientation. Hence, there was more body roll in the S4--though not excessive--and thus it felt less "sporty" than the razor's edge M3. However, the M3 was less comfortable, and felt twitchy (though always in control) on the imperfect streets of the real world. The new E46 chassis on the 330 Ci made it feel no less sporty, but now it felt less like riding on the razor's edge. But the 330 just didn't have the power I craved. The S4 was the perfect all-around, all-weather high-performance luxury machine. I have done some racing with my machine on the track--once in a driving rainstorm, with standing water on the track!--and confirmed that this machine sticks like glue in any weather and without any heroic efforts; basically, point-and-shoot...like a bat out of Hades with those twin turbos.
All of which brings me to the E-class. MB invited me to drive their product at an E-motion event here in Chicago. Yes, I realize that the E320 and E500 sedans I drove are more logically competitors of the base Audi A6 and the A6 4.2. But with marriage on the horizon, I decided it was time to take a look at larger sedans.
My impressions? First note that my driving experiences at closed track time trials involved not just going around an oval, but have instead been F1-style courses with a zillion turns plus cones to make the usable driving lane even narrower--hence the difficulty level has been ridiculously high. While I have driven my S4 through courses like that in standing water(!), so have my fellow A6 owners at various Audi Club events. So I have some basis of comparison, if not an actual A/B comparison.
The 320 was extremely disappointing! The steering was vague; there was little "feel" or "connection" with the road; the supposedly superior braking technology wasn't impressive at all. I wiped out a few cones on the kindergarten-level "slalom" because the handling and steering were so vague. [The monitors of the event anfrily told me to slow down next time--even though I wasn't going all that fast in the first place!] The term "precision hadling" just didn't apply. The 500 was more enjoyable to drive--easily the superior machine. But I still couldn't get past the vague steering and lack of road feel. Yes, both cars were smooth, quiet, comfortable and luxurious (esp. the 500). But after being optioned to death, the 500 would cost something approaching a BMW M5's price--and we all know the M5 (and the new Audi RS6) are the world's greatest sedans, don't we?
OK, it is true I am comparing apples to oranges; the correct comparisons would be the A6 and A6 4.2 models. But as I noted previously, the A6 owners I've observed at Audi Club track events seem to be able to do things with their cars that these MB's can't match. But I must admit that I have not personally driven the A6 models. But I DID drive a 2000 BMW 530i sedan...and my recollection is that it would positively spank either of these models in a serious handling test. I see some posters point to a euro TV show which says the MB's can best the Bimmers. Well, I'll wait to read some in-depth comparisons in the rags. But everything I've read in the past always and everywhere put the Bimmer ahead of the MB in every product category, with the sometimes exception at the S-class level.
What is my point? If there are any prospective MB purchasers out there, you owe it to yourself to drive competing BMW models--and drive both cars HARD, then see which you prefer. [Remember, that's coming from a non-BMW owner.] If you can get over the lack of vanity appeal, you also need to drive Audi models. And add Lexus for that matter, if a more luxurious orientation is your thing. The main problem I have with MB is marketing related. MB has gone down over the years with quality control and has clearly lost the high-performance edge to BMW. Then they still try to price as it they're the superior machine. For example, a head-to-head pitting the new M3 against AMG's best CLK55 yielded a decisive win for the M3 (things like the AMG losing control of the back end in turns much more easily than the M3, etc., contributing to the loss). Yet the M3 costs fully one third less money! My 6-speed 2001 S4 can spank a 2003 CL500, MB's premier GT, yet it costs less than half the money. Again, the M3 will destroy the new SL500 "sports" car...for one third less money. Well, what you MB owners will call "pride of ownership" to justify the price umbrella, I call "rip-off".
Mercedes does have nice interiors and leading-edge technology. But I found the interior to be too confusing, non-inuitive, and more importantly, not focused on the DRIVER. Having 100 cool buttons all over the place to play with is not my idea of a driver's machine. But I admit it sure looks cool. Ultimately, I prefer Audi's sense of the interior environment, and BMW's to a lesser extent. As for technology, I'd still rather have the BMW 5-series' brakes. Or better yet, on a rain/snow-slicked road I'll take Audi's quattro+braking system.
Perhaps I was not able to fully take the measure of the MB's abilities under the controlled driving conditions at the event. But the experience merely left me more convinced that BMW and Audi are the luxury/performance marques to beat, and that Lexus is the way way to go if I go soft and want more luxury. My impression of Mercedes-Benz as an overpriced-for-what-you-get luxury/performance laggard to BMW (and Audi in selected models) was only confirmed today. Perhaps the automotive press will convince me I should have another look...but I doubt it. Have at it gentlemen (and ladies)!
I wonder what would cause such an obvious phobia about MB. Maybe his dog got ran over by a Mercedes.
I can't imagine going to the Audi board or the BMW board and explaining to everyone there what idiots they are for buying that vehicle. I guess some people get kicks out of confronting and insulting other people.
C32AMG acquits itself quite well against M3. For street driving, I'd much prever C32AMG because of the massive torque advantage. People buy horsepowers, but drive torques.