So since I am being emotional only towards Mercedes I guess that I am neglecting my Audi S6 and my Porsche 996 which I must not have any attachment towards. . . They must be very jealous in while they are sitting the garge!

If you "have driven every E-Class since the 2002 model came out. . ." why are you making this brilliant observation NOW!!

I might have to start stocking my some Kool-Aid in my wine cellar even though I fail to see this sophomoric correlation as logical. Do they say that in your Lexus forum and then giggle in the corner? I find it fascinating that you are making judgments about my tastes, when all I am doing is stating FACTS about dashboard design. You are just ranting around about all kinds of stuff calling liquid crystal displays LEDs and then using your W210 as the benchmark for ALL past Mercedes. Don't worry about the dash of the W211, I mean, you seem to hate that car in more way than just one. I guess you simply dislike Mercedes for actually having their own style in this issue. I guess you are accustomed to Lexus copying everything. Watch, Lexus will have a similar dash with a clock soon.

If I am emotionally impaired because I happen to like Mercedes, then I wonder why I am still stating the facts and not my opinions like you are.

Steve

 

It's about 40-45 days old pic... I just now got around to downloading it.... 100 was a cool day back in early Sep! You know how it is..

As for the 1/4 mile.. yup did 4 runs and my best was 15.53, better than a 1994 Stock Mustang GT 5.0 that also ran that day..

Sure it's no AMG or rocket, but for a safe, RELIABLE, classy, 4-dr, 5-pax car that gets 40mpg .. I'm happy.

Wish I could get you down to the track.. I'm sure you'ld run low 13's..
maybe even high 12's..

 

Don't mind rjm Steve.. he's just the spice of life on this forum.. I rather enjoy his company :p

As for "drinking the Koolaid" that was actually started by the pilot unions to describe pilots that by off on what management promises and says.. historically, airline management as about as much credibility as used car salesman. So rjm, being an old Delta Dog is just using it here, and it's probably aimed at me, since it flies over the heads of 95% of everyone else.

I used to work for a pee-on airline that contracted to Delta, and trust me when I say it... Delta pilots are a bread of their own... in some ways that' a good thing, and in other ways it's not. But that alone make rjm a good guy in my book.

That said, he's a cheap ******* driving around in a Toyota when he spent 30 years at DAL and probably racked up a small fortune and should really be driving an S class.

 

As per the Delta issue, I totally agree, my brother is a Comair pilot and he is always talking about all the ***** going on there. I just learned to tune it out, this might be why I now do recall my brother saying this phrase sometimes.

Well, as per the Cheap b. comment, I think that RJM has to save every penny he can seeing that Delta might do what United did to their retired folk. A great buddy of mine who was doing great after retiring from United is now working at our local Home Depot!!!

I grew up in South Florida (Boca Raton to be exact), the key word with those folk is "VALUE." The old folk down there buy a Mercury Grand Marquis and think it is comparable with an S class, but much more of a “value.” What else can I say about it?

I also appreciate SOME of the stuff RJM says, but come on! What is his issue?

Steve

 

Comair? I was ASA.. the other pee-on

Na... rjm sat 30 years at that airline in the best time in it's history.. he's retired now, I asked him.. got his pension and is spending his idle time terrorizing MB boards.

as for UAL to Home Depot.. funny you should mention that.. my best friend worked for UAL out of Denver, and was furloughed 3 years ago.. went to work for Home Depot in Denver, and eventually with the founder of Wild Oats as a pilot, but got sick of that, and went to work out here in Phoenix in the Mortgage Business, and makes more today than a 747 captain at UAL!

You know Jeff? or are we thinking of different UAL to HomeDepot guys?

 

Not the same person, but quite coincidental. My friend is Steve and had been retired for about 10 years. He flew DC 10s and then got his pension cut among other benefits. He had to sell his vintage Porsche and he sport-fisherman in Florida. I have not talked to him in a while, but he was at the Home Depot here in Longmont.

Some pilots are in serious predicaments now!

Steve

 

That is a sad deal... Jeff is young, and not in this situation at all. I think it's disgraceful what's happened to my profession.

Main blame for me is on management, then fuel cost, then labor costs (non-skilled), then labor costs (skilled) .. in that order.

Oh well, thank God real estate has been good out here!

 

Concerning the clocks. I personally prefer a clock that is centered on the dash, so that all in the car can easily see it. The current SL has it, which is ironic, since only the driver and passenger can see it anyway. I'm pretty sure that the current S has a digital in the cluster, and the upcoming S will have an analog in the center of the dash.

 

alewifebp: you're absolutely correct regarding the placement of the clock on the S.

personally i don't care where it is placed, but i am quite specific about wanting it to be ANALOGUE. i just can't read digital clocks and think they look cheap

 

COMAND needs a simple software mod, that allow it to display clock/date at all times during Audio... but I still want my dash clock for rapid scan while I drive.

 

how does one do this simple software mod??

KCclass

 

Don't misunderstand.. it doesn't exist..

I am just making the point that it would be nice if an engineer with the company that made the system were to be allowed to do it, and we as customers could buy it (as an upgrade or whatever).

 

I frigg'n =hate= NY State ... total bull sh*t that we can't have diesels but the states where the prevailing winds come from, do. I'd luv to own one. grrr.... Well, maybe a few more years ... better diesel and better engines (or better use of the already great engines) on the way.

 

Here are a few pictures of my recent trip to New Mexico. When I have my OEM tires (not my snow tires) I can easily average about 32 MPGs if I can keep the speed bellow 85 MPH.

I am sorry that these pictures are blurry, but I was not really looking at the camera when I took them. Since Diesel is significantly more expensive now (I guess mostly due to home heating oil demand) the difference between the actual cost of driving a CDI and an E320 4-Matic is almost nothing. Premium here is now about $2.75 and Diesel is at an outrageous $3.39!!!! Other times of the year it is the other way around of course.

You can see that the MPG along with the MPH average is dropping because I had to stop a few times, but I did not think of taking another picture. That tank got about 525 miles and the trip computer averaged about 30.2 MPG. Not bad considering that includes driving in town. I am definitely not disappointed in this car's performance so far.

Steve

 

Hey steve.. no pics!

30mpg for a 4-matic 320 is amazing! MB engineering at its best.

 

I fixed the little problem and included a few of the Balloon Fiesta!

 

just had one of those crash land in our backyard (not really, but close )
they are pretty to look at though.

BTW... 35mpg @70? Are you sure it's not a diesel? My mom's E350's never seen better than 30...

 

Well, if it is a Diesel then I have the very first 4-Matic Diesel in the US and it is a flexible fuel vehicle since I have only put gasoline in it .

When I drove it to the dealer for service my trip computer was reading about 29.5 MPGs during the last 200 miles. My service advisor called another advisor who was telling me that there are some CDIs here that are barely breaking 25 MPGs.

I have always gotten much higher mileage than the EPA posts on cars, but I also credit my K&N air filters. I can almost get the same mileage out of Audi S6! I don't drive slow, seeing that the reason my averages dropped is because I talked my way out of a speeding ticket right after that picture, but still, in this part of the country I will have to always get 4-Matic over a CDI, maybe I will not have to in the future though.

Steve

 

Steve, were you in Las Cruces by any chance?

 

It may be in the way you drive.. clearly the CDI is a higher milage car.. as any diesel would/should be. When you get your CDI 4-matic, I'll bet you may break 45mpg with it!

Right now in "Heating Oil" season, its' less pf a point since in many states Diesel is 10% more.. (here is' a few cents). But for a 30% more efficient car, you would be able to pay $4.00/gal for diesel before you started to regret it.