Dema

I am doing shopping for E350. Certainly P1 doesn't look appealing, so P2 for sure. What other options worth to get?

babyjocko

Pkg 2 - It includes some of my following must haves:
- Heated and Ventilated Front Seats -- gotta have heated seats, and in ATL, gotta have cool seats
- Various multimedia accessories -- gotta have the sounds
- Navigation -- will never buy another car without Nav
- Keyless Go -- I hate carrying keys. My last 4 cars have had this feature
- Electronic Trunk closer -- I am too lazy
- Bi-xenon headlamps -- the way headlights should be. In fact, IMO, this should not even be an option on a $56,000 car.

- Sport Styling - I wanted the steering wheel and I prefer the AMG bottom grill and wheels
- Drive-dynamic seats -- Most important option for me. I had this on my previous E500. And missed it when I sold it. I drive aggressively and it helps me make my maneuvers without consequences. You probably won't need it with a E350 though.
- Parktronic -- Once you have it, you wonder how you did without it. I've had it on my last 4 cars.

All of the other options are a waste of money to me:
- Night View Assist -- WTF!
- Panorama Roof -- Looks cool from the outside, not as practical as a regular sunroof inside (mesh cover without vents)
- Distronic Package -- No thanks! I drive well enough on my own.
- Wood steering wheel -- Been there, done that. It is too slippery. Not for aggressive driving
- Split seats -- Huh? Get an SUV if you need that much room.
- Illuminated Door sills - $800 for that? You've got to be kiddin me!
- Rear Spoiler -- I'm not a kid. M-B should include it and charge extra for not having it. Then, I would pay for not having it.
- Rear Entertainment -- You're on your own in my backseat.

220S

The 6.2 motor

Seriously, after P2 there's really nothing hugely necessary. Split rear seats can come in handy (although I've never used mine.) Panorama is your choice; I can live with or without it.

Distronic is great, imho. But it looks like it's packaged with blind-side assist now.

But nothing outside of not having P2 is really a deal breaker.

p.s., I'd go real leather, but that's just me.

K-A

P2 as a minimum, Pano was just a plus for me. There was a Distronic car with no P2, I chose the P2.

Also, real Leather on the W212 feels like crap kind of, IMO, feels just like Viny, very hard, and not supple. I'm not too keen on the design of the seats either, but it's cool factor is how it's reminiscent of the old-school M-B's.

IMO, if I'm gonna sit on cow hide, I want it to feel damn nicer than sitting on Vinyl.

Dema

Is leather now standard for E350? I really missed leather, mbtex doesn't look and feel really good, although people can't tell for sure that it isn't leather. I use folding seats quite a bit, for example carry Christmas tree, or a rag, or big screen TV.. Buying SUV for so rare tasks is complete waste.

K-A

No, not standard. Not even the inserts, which were standard with real Leather for the original W211's.

I really wanted Leather in a 212 (I didn't like the feel of the Tex in the cars I drove), but the Leather was disappointing and hard to me, just no point over the more durable M-B Tex in that case. Also, it's probably my mind playing tricks on me, but I don't mind the feel of the Tex in my car with the Beige seats.

Ninjaryder

White with beige/black ash interior,pano roof,P2 sport. I let my wife pick the car this time because the last 2 times I went shopping for "her car" I came home with a green motorcycle & a black Porsche . Nothing on the p1 package appeals to me but the LED light package was a must have.

blackbullit

I have an E550. My interest is driving, not gadgets. MB reliability for gadgets is poor from prior experience (2002 E320). If I bought a E350, I would add leather (seats feel and smell much better), fold down rear seats, sport package (E350 wheels nicer than the E550 wheels), and multicontour seats (ask if you can special order for both front seats).

The leather softens over time, as opposed to MB Tex, which never does. You will have to order this kind of car, as dealers always add P1 or P2. I think most of the things in these packages are a waste of money unless you live in a very cold climate and/or travel in unfamiliar areas frequently.

Moreover, it is easier to dial the phone with the phone book via steering wheel than with voice dialing. Had voice dialing on E320 and did not work well.

petee1997

I love all the toys and have most of them inluding driver assistance package. Pano roof is standard in Canada for 2010 optional 2011 but it is a must. I love the bright interior and it spruces up the exterior. There are few if any other manufacturers that offer the pano roof on sedans. I have only seen it on SUV's from other builders.

mbuster25

I chose Luxury, P1 with Wood steering wheel. Not the choice of most in this forum I know.

Of the features you get with P2, the only one I really want would be the electronic trunk closer. Anything that uses camera such as adaptive high beam assist, I'm not sure how well it would work in various situations.

The money I saved and put it towards an extended warranty.

dsm363

Does any one have that night vision package? Seems hard to believe it'd be worth the $2500 as an option but seems kind of cool.

I don't have the multicontour seats as an option yet. Drove with it in the E350 coupe but didn't see much difference but everyone seems to like it. Is it really worth it or does the side support inflation on corners get annoying after awhile? Thanks.

YYZ-E55

The MB-TEX literally stinks (chemical smell). How K-A can say that the real leather is worse than the vinyl he's sitting on is baffling to me, but he's the master of rationalization so maybe I'm missing something. Also, a warning about the vinyl - if you go with any color other than black, the dye from your jeans will trash the seats quite quickly. At first, its easy to clean off, but after a year or two...

Also, DISTRONIC is really quite amazing. If you're stuck in stop-and-go traffic on a regular basis, it's truly a great option. If you can, do an overnight test drive on a car with DISTRONIC to decide for yourself.

ipp

MB-Tex = Taxi

DHI

I have everything on E550 except for Distronic, cooled seats and rear camera.

I regret not taking the Distronic... it truly rocks.

dsm363

Thanks. Have you found the night vision actually useful or since the image is in the center console display, have you found it distracting?

K-A

Have you seen the W212's Leather? Just curious, as I compared them when I was buying my car, and the 212's U.S Spec Leather, is pathetic IMO. I honestly couldn't tell a difference in quality, it didn't feel softer or more plush, and it certainly didn't have that nice "Leather" smell you'll get from an S-Class, etc.

I was really against getting a car where my butt sits on Vinyl, especially considering I liked how my W211 had the Leather inserts. But if it's not gonna feel like Leather to me, then I'll take the Tex's durability and little cost saving, and can make myself feel better about not sitting on Cow hide.

I am fearful about staining the Tex. I don't wear Jeans, but we'll see. This is why I always like all Black interiors, for durability.

I wish I had Distronic too. I passed up a White/Pano Distronic Car for my White/Pano P2 car, as I wanted P2 more. I had the 1st Gen Distronic on my W220, and that was even amazing.

303E550

I have the night vision. I never use it, but it is quite cool and could be useful on rural roads. Probably not worth the expense if you are going to build your own.

I didn't get the multi-contour seats, however my father-in-law got them in his S550 and they are a fun addition with massage settings as well as cornering response. I could go either way on them, however I don't miss not having them in my E (like I would blind-spot assist).

pmb600

Please don't judge the new E-Class based on the 2002 E320 (did you mean 2003? the W211 launched in 2003). The electronics and reliability of Mercedes are light years ahead of what they were then. Mercedes was just named 3rd in the JD Power IQS study, even ahead of the so called reliability king Lexus. The new Voice Control from 2009+ is excellent and in my experience very accurate and useful.

YYZ-E55

Had a W204 C350 w/black vinyl and my mother has a W212 E350 w/grey vinyl now. The car stinks, period. I would not own/lease another car with vinyl due to the stench. The C actually gave me headaches in the winter.

While I agree that the leather isn't "amazing" in the 212s (it is standard grade, not Nappa - unless you go designo), the lack of chemical armoa makes it worthwhile IMO. Also, you avoid the cheap looking "ribs" in the seatbacks if you go with leather. And finally, since leather is under $2k, on a lease you're talking ~$30/mo - not a huge investment.

K-A

I agree about the stench. I grew up with a 300 SD (W126) with what I assume was Vinyl. I HATED THAT CAR!!!! My Brother and I both, it might as well have been a Pinto to us, we hated it so much. Much of it was the horrid smell (it still haunts me sometimes), and the Diesel crackle. It gave both of us huge headaches.

My W211 had a less than supreme smell too, sometimes I liked it, sometimes I didn't, perhaps that was due to the Vinyl too.

So far my W212 smells great and rich, but I credit that to being Brand New maybe. Hopefully the Vinyl smell doesn't start emitting.

I actually kind of prefer the MB-Tex seat designs on the W212 over their Leather design, with the throwback 80's thin vertical lines (which are cool in their own way). But I can see myself morphing my tastes into whichever one I'd have, and preferring that, design wise.

I dunno, I was just shocked at how "bad" the W212's Leather felt, surprised me. Maybe it's always been like that for non-AMG E-Classes though, don't recall how a W211 with the Leather Option feels to me.

jbean114

I thought the same thing when I was shopping, but I ended up with the leather seats... Either because they it is standard on the 550 (I think ), or because I thought it would be to have a $50K+ car with imitation cow.

After 6 months, I had to take it in for service on the breaks and borrowed a W212 350 with the MB-TEX interior for 2 days... The seats were HORRIBLE! Don't remember the smell, but it was like sitting on your grandmother's sofa with the plastic covering still on it because you weren't considered "company" (sorry... flashback).

You probably wouldn't tell if you had MBTex all the time or visa-versa, but man I could not wait to get back into my leather seats. Sooo much better. And they do soften up quite a bit after a while.

K-A

Interesting. Maybe it's one of those things where you gotta "live with it" to get what its true plus points are (Leather, even the W212's).

What I do know is, the all Black M-B Tex interior was a no no to me, just lacked Luxury and richness, the all Black with Leather didn't get me going, but I figured, at least I "know it's Leather*, so I wouldn't take the all Black unless it had Leather. Then when I saw the Almond combo, it was just the only one that made me actually *love* the W212's interior, which was a huuge accomplishment for it. Maybe my "snapping into a positive" due to my particular Cars interior combo is what got me so smitten with the idea of having an interior with all M-B Tex (something I detested before buying the Car, and especially before checking out the 212's Leather offering).

So, here's to hoping I don't sit in a W212 with Leather for an extended period of time (especially one with the 2-tone combo), as I'm comfortable with my decision thus far.

jbean114

DHI

Apologies. Forgot... I do not have Night Vision.

emreturgut

I live in turkiye

I ordered e350 cdi 4matic
Here no p1 p2 options

Dealer offers Premium package;

Heated seats
Panaroma roof
Parktronic
Bixenon headlights
Memory seats

And i bougth these options with extra cost:

Amg Sport Package
Airmatic DC
Aluminium interior trims
Comand system navigation pack.
Harman Kardon

It cost me 118.000 $