Curefan81

I am definitely going to be getting an E550 Sedan. The vehicles I am looking at are the 08-09 E550 and the 2010-2011 E550. My question is, are there any advantages in terms of reliability in going with a early W212 E550 vs the last of the W211 E550's? Thank you.

b20guy

The w212 wood grain is crap. Fading problems. W212s also have battery draw problems stemming from light switches, coolant fans, keyless go, etc .airmatic, always an issue on both. Should be okay on drivetrain on either. Be careful of vin range for 08 e550 for idler gear wearing. Other than that, personal preference.

cetialpha5

I have both the W211 and the W212 although both are E350. Mechanically you will probably have less problems on a W212 vs W211 although W212 has more cosmetic problems like ripped seat and faded wood although ripped seat is for MB-Tex and E550 has real leather as standard so not an issue there. I like the driving and style of the W211 although the W212 has better gas mileage, probably because the 4matic only had 5 speed automatics vs 7 speed on the W212. W211 also has the 15 year gas tank warranty, no issues with that on the W212 although it might have recalled airbags. You're basically in the M272 engine so same problems on both sets of years. Thermostat, idler pulleys, oil separator/breather cover. Intake manifold going bad due to bad oil separator allowing oil to gum up the flaps. Motor mounts also go, but I think they're easier on the W211 vs the W212. You do get bluetooth audio in the W212, the W211 was limited to the ipod cable and needed a puck for bluetooth for your phone. Keyless go is better on the W212, the handles would go bad on the W211, better design on the W212. You also get some new tech on the W212 like auto high beams with active curve illumination, but you need to have that option on the car.