Well, I stopped by my dealership in Portland yesterday and drove their green/stone E320 (w211). I must say there are some remarkable improvements. I own a 2000 E430.

Probably the improvement I liked the best was the considerably larger trunk. One of my gripes with the old w210s is their painfully small trunks.

However, when I closed the rear decklid, I stood there for a moment and a thought came to my head: Ford Taurus.

Its been mentioned before, but I find the hind-quarters of the new E's disturbingly Taurus-esque. That's bad.

I also found some of the interior controls a little goofy. I realize MB is trying to expand the appeal of their cars, but the little button inside racer designs felt very - Mitsubishi-esque.

The ride also seemed much more posh and restrained. THere is a lighter feel to the car, but in a way, its too Acura-esque.

Which is ultimately what I came to - I find the new E a little too dirivitive. The old Es really stood out - even in their final years. There really was nothing quite like them.

I walked inside and saw 2002 (w210) E55 in Tectite Gray/Black interior. I am thinking I may trade in my E430 for that rather than a new E500. I've never driven an e55 before, so I am curious to see the difference.

Anyways, just wanted to post my observations. Incidentally, I've been lurking here for almost a year. Great forum. Thanks for all the pics, by the way.

Andrew Plato

 

Andrew, don't commit until you drive the E500. From my perspective, it has a drive feel that is totally different than the E320. It is important to note that you are used to a V-8 engine (your E430). I am too (since March, an '03 SL500). When I first had an opportunity to drive a new E at a local dealership, it was an E320, non-sport and without the airmatic. After driving the 320, I thought I had no interest in the E and almost didn't bother driving the 500.

But, as I thought there was a chance that the engine and suspension would make a difference, I drove the E500. Much to my surprise, it drove quite similarly to the '03 SL. I used the airmatic in different settings and found a thoroughly satisfying driving experience. I attribute my lack of desire for the drive of the 320 not so much to it being an inadequate car. To the contrary, it is a wonderful car. But, it does not please someone used to more power and a more sophisticated suspension.

On the looks, as I indicated in a separate post today, I had a reaction somewhat similar to yours the first time I saw it. Now that I have seen it a number of separate occasions, I truly have grown to love it. Give it a period of weeks over which you see the car 6 or 7 times before you make up your mind on the design.

Good luck whatever you do. Portland is wonderful!!!!

 

I'm with JHB, had a very similar experience in that I drove the 320 and was barely out of the driveway when I u-turned and cut the drive short.

I went back the next day and took a 500 out for about twenty minutes and loved it. If you are interested, the 500 is definetly worth another look see.

Styling I think the car is very nice. Nothing about it conjured images of a Taurus or other less desirable car. My 02

 

My current vehicle has 218 hp. I'm not really into speed and acceleration and I feel the 218hp that I have right now is more than enough. With this being said, will a E320 with the sport package (comes with Airmatic), provide a "satisfying driving experience"?

Rob

 

Difference between 320 v 500 in terms of driving power is significant.

If you are conservative and frugal, get the 320 without many options. Because if you add options, the difference between the 320 and 500 will be $3,600.- and if you upgrade from 16" to 17" wheels the difference will be insignificant, depending on your choice of rims...and you are still left with a lame 320.

Again, if you want some spirited driving experience and a balanced great new car, -- the E-500 is a no-brainer.

 

Well the pricing logic above only applies if you want all the same options on the E320 as the 500 has standard such as air suspension and 4 zone climate. The only things standard on the 500 that I personally really want on the 320 are full leather (big difference, saw a 320 without it and the door panels looked cheap) and metallic paint. Thats around $2200 worth, but the 500 has $1000 gas tax. Couldn't car less about 4 zone climate and the air suspension might be fun, but I thought the 320 was quite responsive as well.

Other must have options for me are the same cost. E2 package for sunroof/audio and heated seats are both the same price for both. Plus I'm likely going to get the in-dash changer, Wood steering wheel and Nav system when they are available.

Finally, on the wheels issue, while it is true that the 500 has 17", they are exactly the same design of the 16" on 320. They had two cars E320 and E500 side by side and it was a subtle difference on the wheels. Hard to tell them apart. If you are into wheels (which I am), you'd likely end up with AMG's or some other brand to stand out from all the E320's and E500's out there.

So the difference between the 320 and the 500 is around $8000 for the stuff I want. Given that I'm going to drive it 90% of the time in DC's lovely bumper to bumper traffic, the 320 seems like a better value for me.

Eagerly awaiting my E320 :-)

-Eric

 

are you joking on the wheels...there is a big difference....at our dealer, they had a lot of 320s and a 500..we couldnt drive it cuz it was deposited but there was a huge difference...i dont know why, but the 320 looked like 15's, and 500 looked like true 17's....but they both look nice on the car...it was a great design

 

Well if you look at the official MB brochure for the E, I think they have a 500 on the front cover and a 320 on the first page. You can tell by the wheels, but the difference does not jump out at you immediately between the two.

In the past, with other models such as the original CLK320 and CLK430, the difference was striking in the wheels (the CLK 320 had these allow wheels that were made to look like stamped steel wheels) and I think the CLK430 also had some body moldings standard that the CLK320 did not

Similarly, the original ML320 had those grey bumpers and the 430 had them colored. Big visual differences.

I'm actually quite pleased that Mercedes seems to have gone out of its way to make the two new E models look the same. Other than the badge and the 1" difference in wheels I could not distinguish any other exterior changes.

Had the visual differences been greater, I frankly might have been more likely to spring for the E500. The extra horsepower alone doesn't really do it for me, since I have a boxster to do real fun driving with.

-Eric

 

The main difference is the engine size.

If you open the hood of the E320 and notice the huge open space in front of the V6, it must remind you of the limited trunk space in your boxter's front trunk.

 

I was looking at the Big brochure during lunch and it seems to me that the grill on the E320 has one less row or open space than the E500.

 

might of had the sport packages on the 500, or 320, sport package comes with 5 slits i think...or 5 bars...not sure

 

The 500 seems to have the extra row regardless of whether it has the sports package. Near the middle of the brochure there is a 500 without the sports package. Even though its grill is in the fold, you can still see it has the extra row on its grill whereas the non sport 320 on the inside front cover does not. I think it is another small difference between the two models

 

guess youre right, the brochure cover is a e500...and on the first page its a 320....and they are non sports...and e500 has 5 lines, 320 has only 4, good catch

 

...and the distance between that grill and the front of the engine cooling fan is a 2' open space, -- like the size of a 911's or boxter's front trunk space.

 

Saw the new E-classes today. The rear light clusters seem about 20% too large in all dimensions like the current Camry - makes the rear 3/4 view of car and especially the rear wheels seem smaller than they really are. That gives the rear a bit of a Japanese look. I suggest to MBZ designers of the E55 to spec smoked glass like the SL55 rear lights to minimize them .

 

Juke-box just took delivery of an E500. Here is the link to his posting:

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...threadid=17173

It shows the 4 rib on his E500. I think the other pix posted of the E500 show the same, i.e.,

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...threadid=15972

I think MB just took poetic license in the brochure with 5 ribs on the standard E500. I actually prefer 4 so that would make me happy anyway.

 

i believe the 5 grille e500's are for euro specs

 

Andrew, I agree with your overall sentiments in your original post.

I visited my dealer just today and parked my E55 right next to a new E500. Now I've always loved the E55's looks, so I am a little biased. I looked long and hard at both cars side by side, trying to keep an open mind. But for me, I'm just drawn to the E55's aggressive meaty looks. Then my sales guy spotted me, came on over, and before I said a word mentioned that many of his customers preferred the 210's style over the new one. Next, I test drove the new E500 with my sales guy. Very nice, very smooth, very quiet, very composed and a stong engine. The chassis is certainly better than the 210. But overall, it still lacks the driving excitement of my E55.

Also, I've had an E430 as a service loaner car in the past. I can tell you the difference between the E430 and the E55 is night and day. So if you prefer the style of the 210, you can't go wrong if you opt for that Tectite Gray E55 at your dealer. You'll probably get a really good deal too!

 

mikE55 why are you comparing the driving characteristics of the E500 to the E55?
That's apples and oranges.

I'll gladly take a '97 Porsche 911 turbo over an '02 911 C2 when it comes to driving pleasure.

You want to compare the 210E55 to the 211E55.
Looks, suspension, brakes, handling, etc.

 

True. But my response was in the context of Andrew considering trading his E430 for a 2002 E55 vs. a 2003 E500.

 

Totally agree the new E320 / E500 tail lights are so Taurus-esque - Henry Ford must be smiling