gadgetgirl

Does anyone here have a e350 (either sedan or wagon) with the appearance package? If so,
Is the Airmatic Dual Control active suspension a "must have" (to buy this whole package) or could you live without it? Does it make a difference sedan vs wagon?

Also is the blue tinted glass distracting? does it alter your view of the road in any way?

thanks

shoes

I don't have exactly the right two cars to compare, I have a 2005 E55 wagon and a 2005 E320 CDI. The wagon has the blue tint windows and airmatic and the sedan has the standard suspension.

I did not even notice the tint on the wagon and added darker tint because it gets hot where I live. Regarding the two suspensions, I like them both. The airmatic is more plush and feels athletic at the same time. The standard set up feels more like a traditional Mercedes- you definately feel more of the road. Handling is no comparison, the airmatic is superior (of course I have 18 inch wheels on the wagon and 16 inch on the sedan which makes a big difference). The most noticeable difference is the reduced amount of body roll with the airmatic and the plusher ride quality.

ATS

The blue looks great.. It looks different then the standard green. Also, the airmatic, I love it although as I have said before, this is the thing that made me get the extended warranty.

Brav

Airmatic.. worth it if you are a driver.

gadgetgirl

Do you think it would look silly with the burl wood instead of the black maple?
Would you recommend the appearance package over the AMG sport package (for a 4matic)?

Brav

.. aren't those 2 things completely subjective? Both woods look good, birdseye is my preference.. but you cant get it with the AMG pcg. What does it matter which package you have with 4-matic?? Just pick the one you like..

Might want to check if you can even order the AMG package with 4-matic. I have no idea, call your dealer. They will have to look in the netstar system or whatever it is.

beester

I have recently got an E350 sedan (4matic) with the appearance package and think it definitely is worth it from my perspective. I don't know if the Airmatic Dual Control active suspension a "must have" for you, but I certainly like it. My prior ride was a BMW330xi. My assessment of its value is limited by the fact that I only have 800 miles on the car, so I haven't really had the opportunity to throw the car around curvy roads with the two different sport settings. The 17" wheels alone were enough of an incentive for me to get the appearance package. See the photo below.

luxury1

I love the appearance package. It adds SO much to the car both inside and out. I would actually get this before the premium package although I have both. The airmatic is great because sometimes you really want to feel the road (weekends for instance) and sometimes you don't (Monday when you are hungover from the weekend). Great to have the choice. The way I see it, you are spending a lot for this car and will live with it for years so get it how you want it.

Go, Go, Gadgetgirl

gadgetgirl

thanks
question - why did you guys go with the appearance package and not the amg sport appearance package?

ATS

Haha.. I am the opposite. Weekends I want to relax and have it on comfort.. During the week I gotta' get to where I am going fast so hard corners, Sport II for me.

silberrosa

If I could have gotten the Appearance package without Airmatic and saved $1000 I would have done it gladly. Airmatic is nice, but not that nice. Most people buy it for the looks - wheels, body styling, interior bits and blue glass.

luxury1

Both give you special molding and special wheels although I admit the AMG wheels are nicer. I use the appearance wheels (which I still find nice) in the winter with snow tires and I bought a separate set of AMG looking summer wheels and tires.

Appearance gives you airmatic (ability to change suspensions) where AMG forces you to have one suspension (sport) unless you pay for airmatic. The AMG package will not give you xenon's so you have to pay for that also. So at the end of the day, the AMG package is $1,000 more than the appearance and I really didn't feel like it offered me $5,000 worth of goods and furthermore, I would still have to pay for things I really wanted. Also, when I bought my E last summer the appearance package also included LED taillights, blue tinted glass, white instrument faces, slightly different grill and of course the black wood. I felt that all of these items really enhanced the appearance of the car more than AMG could have done.

On my past BMW's I bought the sports package but in this case I would definitely just go with the appearance.


From the web-site:

321 AMG Sport Package details $4,900
· Sport Suspension
· AMG-Design Fr & Rr Aprons
· 18" AMG Wheels
· Dual Chrome Exhaust Tips

322 Appearance Package details $3,960
· Bi-Xenon Active Headlamps
· Sculpted Side Skirts
· Front Bumper
· Rear Apron
· 17" 5-Spoke Wheels
· Black Birdseye Trim
· Airmatic DC Suspension

gadgetgirl

thanks

luxury1

So what are your thoughts???

glojo

I think the biggest 'must have' is bi-xeon headlights. The active option is one though that is way down the list as many drivers have difficulty even seeing the lights track.

White dials and dark wood is something we were concerned about, but since having it, I think it really suits the interior.

Active suspension.
We are fortunate in having a multitude of options. For our own tastes the sports suspension is way to firm. We have gone through the 'need for speed' and prefer a more comfortable relaxed ride. We did however like what you consider the 'Sports package' so we opted for the Comfort suspension option, which is not advertised in many 'foreign' countries. We do have the blue tinted windows but like everyone has already pointed out, they do NOT effect visibilty.

One of the few options I regret not getting is the Linguatronic option, but apart from that we love this vehicle and I feel sure you will love your choice.

Do NOT let the dealer tell you what YOU want! Instead, you tell them, what YOU want. They will try there hardest to sell you what they have, as opposed to something that you want.

Take care,
John

A bright, sunny morning in Torquay

gadgetgirl

Tough decision if i go with mb.
does the sport suspension of the amg package negatively impact the bad weather/snow handling of the e500 4 matic?

if i could get the sport appearance without the sport suspension, i would go with that...i like the dual tailpipes!

i would like to see if i can get a better deal on the e500 4matic with either appearance or sport vs the same config of e350.
i also have some concerns about the e350 engine reliability

gadgetgirl

thanks for the advice