the more I look at the new S-class interior, the more I'm reminded of the interior of American cars like the Ford Crown, or Mercury Grand Marques, and the older Lincoln and Cadillacs... big boring dash board, with no sportiness, and very bla...

I HATE it.

 

While Mercedes may have used the 7 series as its inspiration, look at how much more sleek, clean, and smooth the S class looks when compared to the 7 series, A8, Jag or any other full size luxury automobile.

 

Sorry, the A8 looks 100% better.. the 7 series is hardly a good starting point for any car to aspire to.

Like I said before, looks like I'll own my E class a lot longer than I originally planned.

FOR GOD's SAKE... IT HAS A COLUMN SHIFT!!!!

 

Yes I agree, I too will be keeping the E350 and E55 along with the soon to arrive CLS for a while. I will eventually trade the E55 in for the new S63?????? AMG a year or two down the road.

 

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/1...20022201-E.jpg

Chacun à son goût.

 

Funny..... The only person that survived that accident was WEARING A SEAT BELT.... If she had she would also be around today.

B.T.W... I personally think both interiors are hidious and would never consider either... I'm still trying to figure out why people are always compairing MB vs BMW.... The only thing they have in common is the price. I will be the first to admit that BMW handles better.... So what... MB is a more luxurious ride, So What.... So whats there to compare???? These are two very different cars built for different objectives. If People like BMW's then go buy it. I bought what I like... I'm sure you can live with my decision.

 

I've been dying to say this all day. Thanks Harley.

 

yeah... I don't think you can debate with MB's safety record... not BMW, not even Volvo.. It's the only place where they are clearly beyond reproach.

 

When I first heard of the accident and the car that they were in, something didn't sound right. The seat belt was one issue. But, the incredible rate of speed also was a factor. I can't remember the details, but I think they were easily going in excess of at least 80 mph, in a tunnel, and crashing. The fact that they weren't a simple mangled mess is a TESTAMENT to the safety of the MB. But no one really denies that, though.

 

While it hurts to pay for options like heated seats, etc which add up in my case to another 10k over base, it was all our own choice. It may be out of line, and the market should correct for it. Yes, its cause they can. Just like any other business. Not its going to bite them, and things will change slowly. You get more than just a 3 pointed star for the premium. I can safely say that aside from A8 interiors, MB is far superior to the competition. BMW is laughable at best. I went to test a 5 for kicks, being a previous BMW fan. I sat in it all of 20 seconds and left the dealership. I vaguely remember seeing an IKEA logo in the headrest..

Also - the E is much better looking than a M45, or other Japanese make. The lines are purposeful and graceful, understated. Other cars, the lines kinda stutter, and dont quite work. What is pathetic is the 16/17" wheels on the E. but that makes for a nice ride I guess. Obviously the E class was not supposed to be a "value" vehicle. I like all the gadgets and toys, and being able to customize and order my car exactly how I want. The M45 is very nice, except the wood looks cheesy. Kinda like the CLS matte.

Quality is my only complaint, not price. That and lack of rear seat room. My pano roof is getting noisy, car STILL pulls to the right, and seats inflate at random. Also, a lump in my seat, now I know my my @ss was going numb.. I have no problem paying the premium, assuming these things we pay for actually work to some degree, or the dealership is capable and willing to fix them.

The fact is, the Germans will always be behind the curve in quality, to some degree or another. Same with successful implementation of technology (electrical, not mechanical).

Given my options at the time and what I know now, I'd still get the E500 again, if anything an E55. When you get in the car, there is still something gratifying about the interior, comfy seats, ****pit feel and ergonomics. Its not the image thing, its more of a "welcome, nice to see you again" thing..

 

With that logic, Mercedes should make a 50mm thick steel box, put in an engine, steering & brake system, A/C (guess you need it in Arizona), and perhap some small engine, make sure it's RWD, and most importantly, a tri-star logo ?

Price ? Since that's considered Mercedes, how about $60K.

 

Well stated, Sam. I own a '98 528i with Sport Package and an '05 E320 with Premium and Appearance packages. While the BMW is a well designed and excellent handling car, there is no question that the new E320 is the better overall car. Not just because the technology in the car is newer, but because it drives as though it's more solid and better built. Doesn't handle like the BMW, but it's close.

What I am not sure of is whether or not the new BMW 5 series would equal or better the E320. I haven't driven a new 5 and was not interested in I-Drive.

Only complaint I really have about the E320 is a slight lack of power. If I had only known that that the E500 would have had a huge rebate during June, I would not have bought my significantly discounted E320 in May. Oh well...

I did save several thousand dollars compared to what I would have spent on the E350 so that is why I pulled the trigger on the E320. Contrary to popular opinion on this forum, I am not a fan of the new 7 speed transmission either....it felt like it was shifting constantly, to the point of distraction, when I test drove the E350.


DK

 

look, bottom line the car is mechanically amazing, over designed for safety, and drives very well for a 4000lb sedan. The shortfall it has is a total lack of standard features.. Granted the E 3xx is the entry version and the E5xx is better equipped, but in the case of the CDI, it's $1000 more and there is no upstep version... yet it's hard to find one (at least here where I looked) that even has real leather seats! I paid $55400 (less $1200 discount) plus 8.5% tax, and 2% registration for a car that doesn't even come with real leather seats! let alone split fold down rear seats, or RDS on the radio like the 3 year old $29000 Passat it replaces..

Would I get a 320CDI again, yes... would I have special ordered one, and done better research on the standard vs optional equipment, yes.

 

I will disagree. Even though 210 has the lowest death rate per million. If you look at that list the 2nd lowest belong to a toyota 4runner at 12 (only 2 more than W210).

Personally no matter how safely the SUV is designed, it should not be that close to a sedan due to high risk of roll over. Hence for a 4Runner to report death rate only 12 incident vs 10 on the W210 is incredible. Does this mean that 4Runner is super safe? Probably not. When you are looking at death rate as low as less than 20, you have to taken into consideration how the car are being driven as well.

Typical toyota driver are very conservative and rarely do something stupid that costs their lives. I don't buy for a second that 4Runner's design is 2nd best in the world, since SUV by default has higher risk of roll over. Driver behavior must be taken into account.

BMW are blessed with a lot of driver that drive more agressively (actually more stupid) on the road. Hence chances of BMW getting involved in fatal accident is much greater than W210 or 4Runner. When you get down to statics of under 20 death per million, the number will be skewed heavily due to driver behavior thant he design itself.

The IIHS report is a good inidicator about safety, but should not be used to justify that one car is signicantly safter than other if their death rate are so few apart from each other. When the variation is huge, then on can conclude that one car is safter than other.

Basic statistics.