Our E500 arrived last Monday aboard a closed transport late in the day. My salesman called me and said it was rolling off as we spoke. He invited me over for a preliminary look, and full delivery noon Tuesday, At first I was not sure I had picked the right color combo and she looked odd with all the taping, plastic coating foam bumpers etc.

Tuesday we picked her up and everything went perfect except for on very small (1") scratch some how was put on the hood since Monday. Hardly noticeable but not sure what to do. Dealer is all ready to fix it.

I will get back with another thread on that issue.

The next day I needed to go see my Mom who is elderly and ill. I decided to take the MB (of course) and was sure to abide by the break-in suggestion. I varied my speed, took it easy, no sudden stops, no hard accelerations. No manual shifting etc....

Total trip was 750 miles. Out to West Texas and back. Mostly flat highway, but about 200 miles on what we call Farm to Markets roads. These are usually 2 lane no shoulder well maintained roads in rural Texas. Pretty lonely. Easy to push the pedal. I behaved.

But I did get a surprise with a turn that I apparently missed the advisory sign, and I can tell you the cornering ability of this car is AWESOME! I hit the corner at about 60 mph and 30 was advised. I was in the "Sport" Airmatic mode and when I pulled hard on the wheel that baby ducked and leaped into the turn coming out ever so solid.

On the interstate I noticed a slight left to right drift and I checked and re-checked tires and re-tested on several pieces of road and it is slightly out of align. Dealer will look at it next week.

Every system works flawlessly. I am still learning the prompts and controls for various things so if something does not seem to work right, I currently believe it's my error not the car.

I have the RT Rear HK static when all sound diverted that way. But since I never ever listen to the stereo with all the sound over in the RT rear, I am not sure what the relevance is.

Car sure has a lot of power and speed I can feel is waiting to get loose! I have a radar detector and even though I was driving at about 5-10 mph UNDER the limit, every cop would give the car a laser blast to check it's speed... Must look fast.

I will post pictures soon. Got the windows smoked charcoal tinted and she looks wicked. Will do complete Zaino this weekend.

I love the brakes and the accelerator. Both are different but much better than others I tested. The brakes really are sensitive but I like that. And to have a floor-mounted accelerator pedal is a partial reason the car feels like it has a lag. The foot action is different than you are used to with a hanging pedal. At higher speeds and under more G Force such as on a windy road, the MB floor mount will prove to be better.


IMHO

 

I too just got my car here in Texas. Had to spend the whole day taking everyone from work for a ride. Everyone was blown away. Their general impression was very nice on the outside but not too flashy, but the inside and options were incredible. Now what do I think after my first day with the car:

- Very fast and smooth.
- I love the HK stereo.
- The pana roof is a very cool “show off” feature and I think it looks great.
- The solar panels work! I left my car out on a hot day and the car was not very hot inside after an hour. I had to assume the solar panels did their job. Maybe too early to tell.
- The multi-contour seats are NOT worth the money. Marginal change in seat “feel” for too much money.
- The active vent seats option is awesome! The one feature I though would not work, works incredible! I have the charcoal interior so this feature will definitely come in handy.
- Why do the radio controls on the wheel seek instead of cycling through the presets? I know this is a big complain but now it’s a big deal to me since the buttons are so small and as far away as possible. This has to be an MB mistake.
- Rear shade is nice.

Overall it’s an amazing car that feels/drives like it’s worth the large price tag.

 

Congratulations to both of you on getting your new cars!

 

Congrats to you too Ricky ! and to you cmaustin!

 

I went by a tint place today and they recommend tint by formula one. Counldn't decide between 28% or 38%. The installer was worried that the 28% + the sport pkg tint would be too dark for what I want.

What tint did you get and what %? Thanks.

 

I got Formula One at 30% (I think) On top of the blue tint it came to close to the legal limit. Back window I went to 20% Formula One so it is darker ( but legal in Texas). I believe it was called the comfort series.

I did NOT choose any metalic as I did not want to interfere with the AM reception.... You know I can't miss these South Texas radio talk shows..... Well ok maybe I should have gotten metallic !

Definitely adds a way cool look . and of course as you know in South Texas , tint is not an optional item.

 

Congratulations to all of you and enjoy your new rides.

I fondly remember my first day with the car, reading the manual and learning about all of the features and controls, gaining the driving experience in snow - great, and I still smile everytime I start the engine.

 

Why 20% in the back and not the same all the way around? And I was told the non-metallic tint from formula one is 38%. You heard otherwise?

 

20% was too dark for me. We have a long drive and the wife asked that the windows not be too dark for backing out at night. The window guy said it was Formula One and yet not metalicc.. I hope he wasn't lying... Sure looks good tho...

 

Congratulations on the new cars guys. Your experiences sound familiar!!!!!

On tinting, I had what they called "medium" on rear side and rear windows and "light" on front side windows. I did that for better visibility for driver (me). I had a concern as to the look. But it is fine. I almost can't tell the difference and am very pleased.

Enjoy the rides and thanks for sharing, keep us posted.

Jeff