My 06 was in an accident and I'm not gonna love it anymore when it returns. I own it so I'm thinking I'll sell it privately and lease an 08. I checked the GS, A6, 5 Series and without question I still love the E Class best. GS is too cramped, 5 Series interior is awful and the A6 deep radiator is ugly to me.

My first day looking finds the chicago area stocks mostly AWD/Sport/P1. My 06 was loaded so I have to have P2. Keyless Go and those headlights are unbelievable and I don't want to loose them. I also love the 7 speed so I'd prefer the RWD.

My question to the group is this. The Sport lowers the suspension and thins the tire tread (18"). This scares me for two reasons. First, I think the 06 ride with 17" tread is perfect, is this sport option going to tighten it? Second, I really don't like getting lower to the ground. Seems that will risk the car to damage from curbs.

Am I overly concerned.

 

It really depends...

I know I'm biased but to me the Sport just looks amazing with the lower stance and 18's. Plus, the suspension and 45 series tires do improve handling. That, along with the dual pipes is worth the price (read: none, nada, zip). Add P2 and Pano and you've got a pretty nice ride.

However, you're right to be concerned about curb rash, stiffer ride, etc. especially if you frequent bad roads.

 

The sport also gives you better front brakes, the same ones found on the E550.

 

go with sport

 

Ok Sporters. Chicago has pot holes, but I drive to avoid them and most of the roads I use are well maintained, so I guess I can live with the lowered suspension.

Good to know about better front brakes.

Tell me about how the 18" fairs against the 17" when it comes to traction in snow. My 06 RWD with 17" all season was great this past snowy winter. Best I've ever seen. I just drive a slower, but the car didn't fish tail and it was able to start without incident. It's another reason why I don't want AWD.

 

Ok I don't get this, they can give the sport for free but not leather

 

Well leather costs more. A white dial, a little chrome on the tail, lowered suspension - it's mostly cosmetic. And MB Leather costs more than say Ford leather. They use good cows.

 

^^the sport also comes with different wheels and better front brakes

 

Only the rotors are different on the sport. They are drilled rotors. The calipers are NOT the same as on the E550. A guy I work with has an E550 and I've got an E350 4Matic. We park next to each other every day. As for leather, that's personal opinion. I specifically did not want leather, and it had zero to do with price. I wanted the MB-Tex.

 

I don't think the black stained wood works well with certain interior colors. When I ordered my car there was no choice of Brown wood with the Sports Pkg. The brown wood is a much "richer" color too, and more visually stunning inside the car. If you get a gray interior the black stained wood works well in between the 2 colors of gray on the dash though. That said, I much prefer looking at the brown wood while I am inside the car.

The wheels are nicer with the Sports pkg, the visible dual exhaust is nice, and so are the LED tail lights, and the fog light trim. White guages? nice to look at for a change. (I think the white guages should be in the black surround, and the black guages should be in the silver surround... does that make me an interior decorator?) The Blue glass... eh. It does nothing but look different. Maybe they should have charged $500 for the package & included the trunk lid AMG lip spoiler... who knows?

The Sports pkg is slightly rarer on the street, and the subtle differences around the car are a nice touch. The staggered wheel set up with its inability to rotate tires is a bit over the top, and costly over the life of the car considering how, where, and by whom these cars are generally driven. (Tire rotation is sensible and measureably extends the life of all the tires... for very little cost or effort.)

Yo DO have to be a little more aware of the road condition, raised sewers & pot holes large and small to protect your wheels & tires. (I don't drive like an old lady and haven't damaged either other than puncturing a front tire with a large bolt laying in the street. It was too small to see while driving. To me getting a flat can happen to anyone.) The Tires on the Sport Pkg are a little noisier while underway, and to me, really audibly slap the pavement seams. You will hear the difference. (MY '04 was a non sport with 17 inch wheels.)

I'd order it again, though. Its a little different... and there are so many E's out there. In my experience, ordering almost the same car twice, renders the second car somehow "not as satisfying", even though it is costing you money you didn't need to spend. You have to make some changes to make it special in its own right.

 

It depends on if you want looks or ride. Personally, I didn't have much of a choice. I didn't have enough time to order and I wanted a specific color combination. Pretty much every E350 on a lot in Florida at the time I was looking had the sport package. It seems that the dealers are ordering them that way since it doesn't cost anything.

I don't like the ride. It is rough and noisy. I am doing all the research I can to find the quietest tires for when the Contis wear out. The older I get, the higher I would like my car to be off the ground. It can be difficult to fold yourself into a lower car. I also live in fear of bending a rim, popping a tire, and bottoming out going over speed bumps or coming out of driveways that meet the road at a large angle. The 7 speed transmission isn't sure how to shift. It seems to me that it's overkill on the number of gears. I don't like the staggered wheels since they can't be rotated. Nothing you can do to even out the tire wear. I also don't care for the exhaust "note" that some of the younger members of the forum like. I don't want to hear the engine on my luxury car. I never knew what the sport package (or the W in the model designation) meant before now. Now I do. Won't do that again.

Granted, it looks nice. The wheels are MUCH better looking than the wheels on the non-sport. But that's about all I can say positive about the car. It did come with the lighter color wood for about $395. I NEVER would have bought it with the dark wood. I get plenty of compliments but I still can't wait to get rid of this car.

 

The 4matics have different brakes. The 4matic E350 sport and 4matic E550 have the larger 2 piston front calipers. They look identical to the front calipers found on the MLs and GLs. The 4matic E350 non-sport have single piston front calipers.

The RWD E350 sport and RWD E550 (sport and non-sport) have 4 piston front calipers.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head. I have had my 06 for 27 months. Dio I want to shell out the $ for what is essentially the same car? What I really want is a W212 that will start to hit the streets in a year and a half. I have high hopes it will be efficient and update the technology found in W211.

Because of the scarcity of P2 and even more scarce P2/non-sport, I'm thinking about a GS Hybrid lease. It's kind of bland, but it might be fun while waiting for the W212. Haven't looked at deals yet, but at sticker a fully loaded E is within $1,000 of the GS Hybrid. The non hybrid is considerably less.

Who knows maybe I'll just keep driving the E.

 

Why not get a Bluetec? Since you do not care about the sport package, the absence of it on the bluetec will not be a problem, and you get the burl walnut (unless you opt for Designo).

The diesel engine will be a delight, especially after a 350, the torque and fuel economy will probably make you fall in love with it more than the 350.

 

In the states, the higher cost of diesel negates the money saved for the higher mpg bluetec. It's strickly a "green" choice since less fuel is consumed. While the Bluetec would not have a sport suspension, even I don't want those 16" wheels.

 

Perhaps a Buick would suit you better...

 

Buick? Whaz dat?

I think in the end, my only worry is the "lowered" suspension part of the pkg. The rest of the stuff should be fine.

 

Then relax. I'm 58 & weigh 285, 6ft 2 in... Getting in & out is no problem. As I said, I've owned the sport & non sport versions of the car & can't feel any difference getting in or out.

 

How so, diesel is no more than 10% more expensive than premium in Los Angeles, while the reduction in fuel consumption is at least 30%.

 

OK, that makes sense. Thanks for the info!

 

Just bought my own 08 W211 a month ago. People REALLY need to do some reading and get educated about what's going on with fuel prices.

Based on "averages" (posted EPA mileage ratings as basis), the cost on fuel purchases balances out when diesel is about $1.07 more than gasoline (for the W211). That considers the cost of fuel and the differences in mileages (though it ignores the fact that the diesels will get less optimal economy during colder months). A few months ago when I started looking, diesel was about $.15 more a gallon locally. Today it's about $.70 more. The problem is that all market experts believe that trend will continue and it's very likely that diesel will reach - and surpass - that $1.07 difference. It has everything to do with diesel production capacity as a percentage. The US used to export diesel to europe as recentlyl as a couple years ago. No more. There is now a shortage, and there is absolutely no way to increase the percentage without building new refineries (which even if we did so it takes years for completion). Add to this the admittedly more difficult experience of finding diesel and the worse depreciation these days (diesels are being given away here in PA) and the unfortunate reality is that a really great powerplant just unfortunately hit at the wrong time. Though I would have really loved to have a diesel, there's no way I could even remotely consider it at this point.

 

Here's the story by example.

Using today's Chicago area prices at my local Mobil. I drive 10K year and it's mostly suburban miles. I get 20.5mpg on my E350 which I think is very good. I figure a diesel version would get about 26mpg.

10,000 miles / 20.5 mpg = 487 gallons * $3.99 = $1,946 annual fuel cost (Prem)

10,000 miles / 26 mpg = 384 gallons * $4.74 = $1,820 annual fuel cost (Diesel)

Savings = $126 per year. And don't forget the extra $1000 cost for the car. And Chicago has a lot of cold weather.

If the diesel/premium differential goes higher than 75 cents, the savings are quickly wiped out.

 

premium here is $3.77, diesel $4.09, so not quite the disparity. Still love the torque of the diesel and the 600+ miles per tank. Over the almost 20K I have driven the car, I have averaged 30.7 mpg.

 

But the diesel disparity is only going to continue to increase. There are no signs that it is even slowing down. You can see signs of trouble at http://www.eia.doe.gov/steo . Also, the huge increase in diesel fuel demand (both domestically and internationally) can be seen at http://www.api.org/aboutoilgas/diese...sel_prices.pdf

 

go sport all the way. You will love it. I was in chicago over easter weekend and the roads arent nearly as bad as new york so you will be fine imo