albertchampion

i visited a benz dealer this saturday. and after inspecting some of the cars, i left puzzled.

for example, i checked out a 2008 216. why is the gearshift lever being mounted on the steering column?

i also noticed that there was no ugly shark fin antenna mounted on that vehicle or any of the other 216's.

then i examined a new e350 cab. oddly, it had a center console-mounted shift lever. but, it incorporated that ugly shark fin antenna in the middle of the trunk lid.

i asked, how come benz was fitting these ugly antennas. his reply, to my mind, revealed remarkable ignorance. he said it was because of the navigation system and gps. then i told him that my two 215 coupes had navi, as did my 2008 porsche, and they didn't use these ugly antennas. his response then indicated that he had no clue as to why these ugly antennas were being mounted.

why are they being mounted?

INCAR

The 215 does not use metal body panels for the trunk and fenders, etc. They are a composit material and therefore the antenna can be placed under the panels (hiding them from view). The E uses traditional metal panels, which won't pass SAT signals. So an antenna has to be placed outside the metal for best reception (although with very very little loss they can be placed inside the cockpit under the dash cover too - but this is not the absolute best place - and I am sure they don't want to take a chance with any complaints)

slonar21

The stupid gearshift lever is a pain, I have this in my ML Blutech, feels very American with the new wiper lever setup on the left

albertchampion

by composite, do you mean "PLASTIC"?

shortly after acquiring my 2006 cl500, i noticed that upon thumping trunk, front and rear quarter panels that they were neither steel nor any other metal. when the local mbusa tech rep visiting my residence and this benz and i introduced him to my "thump" test, he was quite surprised. he had no knowledge of "plastics" being used in this body.

i have asked this question of dealer service personnel, they all avoid answering.

official benz literature insinuates that the body parts are fabricated from steel, aluminum, magnesium. plastics go unrevealed.

i have asked other benz gurus[such as john olson] about this utilization of plastic for body panels in the 215, no matter how hard i try, i can get no answer to that query.

i find no buff book has cared to discuss that issue.

what is the story, here?

and tell me, please, why was the gear shift lever on the 216 moved from the center console[as in the 215] to the very 'UNSPORTING" steering column?

Cartronics

They seem to be a kind of plastic, although I have seen some fibers too (not sure about fiberglass though). I for one am glad my CL65 has them. It makes the car lighter and perform well. It keeps the center of gravity lower so that it corners relatively well. I mean, it is no Ferrari, but man it can feel like it sometimes- with that Mercedes luxury touch .
As far as ALL the cars with the steering column shifter, that is VERY lame. It is also not very intuitive. Pressing a button for park and flicking for reverse is bizarre. Not very German in my opinion.