JamE55

Well this past weekened after checking out the new W211 in person i must say that it really doesn't look that better from the W210 model. I sat on the car and imo the W210 is just a better bodystyle and inside is also better. 0.02

Beltfed

Well, I think the W210 was really nice.....but the interior looked dated 2 years ago and next to the G wagon was MB oldest running model (SL had that award before).

Again, the W210 was great, but I think the 211 makes it look a tad dated.

Fuzzo

yeah that's my main reason for not getting hte E.. the interior looked pretty dated... i liked the newer interior....

Regime|Life

Only a tad? Lol. More like looking at the future with computers rulling the world and the past when we were in the middle ages hah.

KrispyK

You know, I hate to say this, but doesn't the radio cluster look vaguely reminiscent of the typical BMW radio cluster?

Dema

I almost agree with you. Actually, the new interior looks better for younger people. And interior became more Japanese like, if you do not know what I'm talking about, just take a look at the new Accord interior. Actually, Mercedes is trying to unify body style for all models, and I really like that. I believe that Mercedes did correction to taste people who are buying their cars most. I'd recommend to check interior of the new S-class. I love it more than E-class. Anyway, E-class is the best car I can afford and should have it in my garage soon.

bmms8

i think the s isnt as good...first of all, the materials arent even close to the new e....2nd, the looks of the e make the interior look bigger, and the s is more plain, im pretty sure that will change for 2003, and of course 2006, or whatever

Beltfed

Thats being corrected for 2003, the Sclass is getting a leather covered console, dash, and door grips......I agree though, we are coming out of an 00 S500 and I like the "layout" of the E better.

E55 KEV

Fuzzo, you purchased a C-Class because the interior looked dated? That's Interesting. You went to buy an E320 or E430, test drove it, did not like the interior and settled on a C240 because of the interior. Man, you are picky. How can the W203 interior beat the W210 with that 'hole' in the dash under the radio for non-Nav cars? That hole would have turn me off.

W211 interior does not look so futuristic, contemporary or 'avantgarde' to me. One complaint about the W210 interior (from Auto journalist) was that the W210 had too many buttons. The W211 has beat that with more damn buttons than ever. Those round knobs on the AC/heating controls look outdated. The black wood trim is copied from the W210 E55.

hmrdwn

Sure, an erector-set, modded out W210 E55 looks better than the stock W211 E320. However, sorry, the new E500 fully loaded kicks tail in ergonomics and quality. I have never been one to go for the "It's new, so it has to be better." mind-set, but the new W211 is a marvel technologically and in design.

I thought the W211was a little small feeling at first, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that I don't haul four people very often and the tighter the car feels, the more I am going to enjoy driving it hard. My opinion.

JamE55, just wait until you see it with your wheels on it!

mikE55

My .02, looking at both cars by themselves, I do feel that the 211 has a nicer exterior and interior. However, when looking at the cars vs. the entire car market, the 211 does not stand out the way the 210 use to.

What I like about the 210 is it's the original trend setter and has a brawny imposing feel to it. I like the interior of the 210 almost as much as the 211. Yes the 211 is more modern, but the plastic quality seems the same to me, and the 210 has the classic MB dash style that is unique. The new 211 is nicer, but is not as distinctive. The overall dash layout reminds me very much of my wife's BMW 5 series dash, and the exterior has lines similar to some asian cars (AutoCar mag even compared it to a Hyundai - scary).

The S, E, C, and CLK all look very similar now, and of the lot, the S was the original new design. I still think the S-class looks the best both inside and out. The 210 E was the original design for it's generation as well. It was obviously popular, as it was MB's best selling car of all time, and the best selling luxury car in it's class.

When the 210 first came out, I really wanted one, there was nothing else like it. But my wife got the last say and the BMW. So when it was time for me to trade in my old car, I finally got the E55 in it's last year of production - fully knowing what the new E would look like inside and out. The new 211 never got my emotions going the way the original 210 did 7 years ago. But the 211 is very nice indeed, and has a good shot at braking the 210's sales record. Only time will tell.

rayscar

This will be my first MB and I think the W211 is a great looking car inside and out. Its improvements are too numerous to list in this post. The styling inside and out is great and modern. Some people will always prefer older models. I never got into older cars. I prefer to look forward rather than backward. Cars continue to evolve and improve. At times there are misteps along the road but in the case of the 2003 E, to me it's a big time winner full of improvements in handling, design, ergonomics, performance, and safety. To each their own but IMO it's a grand slam homerun!

E55 KEV

Since the W211 design has only evolved and is not radical nor a super improvement over the W210's exterior this chassis will not sell as well as the W210 - my prediction. Especially with E320's reaching into the $70k. I will eventually buy one because I can not buy anything else, however, Mercedes has lost their volume leader. The E-Class is the most important chassis in the entire lineup and the volume will not pass what the W210 did.

If I purchased a silver 2003 W211 and replacee my silver W210 and put it in my driveway my neighbors and the average non MBZ fanatics would think it was the same car. The change is just mundane and not really a noticeable look over the W210. The street presense of the car is not drop-dead gorgeous.

Barney

I looked at the W210 a year and two years ago. Just couldn't get it as it seemed technologically outdated. This was very evident when comparing to the updated C-class whose dash and interior I preferred for many reasons. Trouble was the C was a tad too small and I was also hoping for a 4-matic (unfortunately not yet available in the W211).

I did read somewhere that mid-2002 the plant in Germany had already produced 100,000 E's (and implied that many were the W211) and are gearing up to increase production from 200,000 units to 250,000 units in 2003. Apparently they are selling very well worldwide at this point. Who knows, I see an awful lot of them sitting at my dealer yet to be sold. I'm waiting for mine which I custom ordered.