Vivek

Hi,

I ordered my first Mercedes, a 07 E350 4Matic last Friday.

Exterior - Granite Grey Metallic

Interior - Leather in Black

Some of the Standard Features in Canada, that are optional in US:
Bi-Xenon Headlamps Package
Heated Steering Wheel
Heated Front Seats

Options selected:
Premium Package
- COMAND APS with navigation
- PARKTRONIC
- Split-folding rear seats
- Trunk pass-through with ski sack
- Rear window sunshade

Electronic trunk closer
Keyless Go

The dealer told me it will take about 3 months for car to be delivered. Can someone please provide me with information about what happens after the order is placed.

Thanks
Vivek
Toronto

eddietr

Congratulations on the new car! That's a beautiful color for the W211.

Someone else will have to give you a more authoritative answer on the ordering process. I just ordered my first Mercedes also, and so I only know it from that one case.

Barry45RPM

The dealer must wait for an available slot in the build schedule at the factory. This can take up to 5 weeks. If he is not giving you a slot he already has & reconfiguring THAT order for yours. It sounds like he's not, or doesn't have any to give up. Then the car is assigned a Month & "decade" in which it will be built. MB breaks a month into 3 10 day periods they call decades.

Changes can be made to the order up to a certain date, after which the car will be locked in, & built as ordered. (In case you have 2nd thoughts or you might have missed an item you now want.)

Once you have a "Build date", allow the 10 day period in your mind. (Even though it only takes 2.5 shifts to build a car.) Add 5 days for the car to sit around the factory lot, 2 weeks to be on the water and 8 days afterward to clear customs, the VPC & be trucked to your dealer.

3 Months is not a bad guestimate. Mine was Ordered by me at the dealership Oct 24, went into the MB order system a week later in early November, I got an estimated build date of late Dec from the dealer, but got a real build date of Jan 21 (a Sunday beginning the 10 day "Decade") & it was unloaded off the truck at the dealership Feb 20th. The salesman didn't call me untill the 23 of Feb & I picked it up on the 28 of Feb. Once you have a firm build date decade, you'll be able to make a pretty good guess on arrival time.

Some dealerships keep you informed every time they get an update on their orders & call each customer, which is a nice touch because it keeps the excitement up & breaks up the 3 Months to bite size pieces. Others just have you sign the papers at each end of the process. You've got a nicely equipped car there. You should really love it.

DerekACS

Vivek,
Did you consider the Bluetec before deciding on the 4Matic ? If your decision is cast in stone, then best not for you to read any further.
I have being trying to make a decision between the Bluetec and the 4 Matic, since I will be placing an order for 2008 production.
I have pretty well made up my mind on the Bluetec for four reasons.

1. the Bluetec outperforms the 4Matic, both 0-60 and in highway passing.

2. the fuel economy benefits for the Bluetec are incredible. Here's the difference : for each 1000 kms of highway driving, the Bluetec fuel bill will be $61 (6.1 lts/100 X $1.00/lt); for each 1000 kms of highway driving, the 4Matic fuel bill will be $110 (8.8 lts/100 X $1.25/lt). The difference of $49 = 80% higher fuel cost to drive the 4 Matic !! These figures are based on current prices for diesel and premium gas in Vancouver.

3. the difference in resale between these two models is substantial, with the diesel having a big advantage over the gas 4Matic. I have looked at markets in the US and Canada to compare resale values; the diesel E Class retains a significantly higher percentage of original price than the E Class gas versions.

4. the 4Matic adds additional weight to the front wheels and it adds drive train complexity . The handling dynamics of a 4Matic are also affected, especially the steering feel.

I understand that in your winters, the perceived benefits of AWD may be attractive. However, for most of the year, the AWD feature is unnecessary and costly. Having driven a number of BMWs and Mercedes, I have found that the safest way to get through the winter is to mount a set of good snow tires. Four snows on a Bluetec will outperform any 4Matic with all seasons.

Finally, may I suggest that you check out: www.edmunds.com
Look up Mercedes E320 Bluetec, then click on to "consumer reviews" for 2007. You will see at least eight very enthusiastic reviews from Bluetec owners. Their comments are worth reading.

harperb

Yeah, bluetec would be nice, but I don't know how things are up there in the wintertime...i'd imagine they can get pretty bad. The bluetec is definitely the best bet, if you can take it, but obviously it might not be the case where you are. Of course, i'm slightly biased as well

As an aside, it seems that new posts do not work...they just timeout in the web browser. Does anyone know who would be the right person to talk to about that?

pmb600

Yeah it would be nice if they offered 4Matic Bluetec, probably with the next generation E-Class.

Do you mean new threads don't work, because I have had the same problem.

harperb

That's correct; new threads.

DerekACS

Given that the major selling point of the Bluetec is its fuel efficiency, I very much doubt that the next generation E Class will offer 4Matic with Bluetec.
What I do know about the present E211 for 2008 from MB Canada is that the 2008 E320 Bluetec will not be offered with sport package ( ) and the more efficient 7 speed transmission found in the Bluetec will not be offered in the 4Matic until MY2010 when the E212 is introduced. This means that the current 5 speed transmission remains in all E Class 4Matic models for the next two model years.

Vivek

Hi,

Barry45RPM, thanks for the details about the order process.

DerekACS, I did read quite a few reviews about the fuel eficiency of Bluetech and I would have like to get that along with the 7 speed transmission. I did not mention that I will be leasing the car for 3 years with 18000 kms/11,250 miles per year which is not a whole lot to get the benefit of Bluetech efficiency. So, overall it did not seem to make much sense to me to purchase an extra set of wheels for snow tires. And I will feel more secured with 4Matic during the snow season. It does snow here in Toronto quite a bit and I wanted to get a all wheel drive car.

As most of you would like to get, I will definitely like to get a 4Matic with Bluetech.

Thanks
Vivek

pmb600

We just said above that the 4Matic eats gas, so why not offer a Bluetec diesel 4Matic to get the benefits of AWD and better mileage than if it were gas powered?

The reason for no 7spd in 4Matic models is physical space. The 7spd trans is larger than the 5sp and they simply cannot fit both the 7spd and transfer case for the AWD in there. The W204 C-Class and W221 S-Class will/is available with 4Matic WITH 7spd. Since these cars were designed from the beginning with the 7spd, they were able to engineer them so that they could also fit the transfer case.