"my man", is this the dealer? My dealer said "No." even though the car hasn't been built. No swap.

Perhaps the new console would fetch a premium on ebay. It looks like junk - and profoundly cheap too.

Is there any padding for an "armrest"?

 

wow, can they think of anywhere else to save $25 on a $50K+ car?

 

What can this save? $2?

 

Gosh. I hope my incoming W211 will have the OLD console! The new one looks .... c h e a p

 

I can't exactly tell from the pictures, but it does look like the cupholders are more useful than the current design.

But, how do you rest your arm on that thing? Looks like it would be very uncomfortable. And I'd be worried about breaking it if I pressed down too hard.

 

I finally got the pictures to load. It looks exactly like the center consol on my old '99 SL500 (r129). It wasn't that bad. In fact, I thought it was quite useful. The only difference is that the r129 still had an armrest that could slide forward over the consol. I would miss that in the new w211.

 

Wow, that is weird looking. Is it possible to take a better shot of it and maybe the other differences you mentioned?

Thanks.

 

That looks absurd. What in the hell is MB thinking???

 

MB was thinking to save maybe $100-200 per car.

The complex cupholder, and its door and hinge is replaced with a <$1 plastic insert. The double hinged top compartment doors and the single hinged bottom compartment door and their complex levers are replaced with a $5 sliding door. The amount of wood is reduced on the center console,

 

Im in between I honesty don't know... it doesn't look that bad to me. It flows very well.

 

MB also figured that the 20-40 people on this board are not representative. Most people buy the car and the console design is secondary. And probably, this is their first W211 if not their first MB. No reference point.

Net, net...February and March 04 production had the active headlights and none of the decontenting...the best ones to have.

P.S.
Our '00 Yukon XL 2500 had puddle lights in the bottom of the outside mirrors.

 

Far be it for me to disagree, But.................................

As far as I am aware Australia does NOT make any model of the Mercedes-Benz range. (I stand to be corrected as usual)

I have researched the E class 4-Matic and have yet to find any country that drives on the proper side of the road importing this option. In the 500 range of estates Australia offers the E500 and E55AMG.

Regards,
John
A damp and misty morning in Torquay

 

I was under the impression that all 4Matic's were assembled in Australia and did NOT have nano-coat due to the fact that they do not have the facilitites.

Also, the new armrest does not flow.. The slit down the middle of the armrest matches the slit down the center of the seat.. Look in your car and you will see what I mean. Now this balance is not there..

 

How much do you want to bet that he meant Austria?

 

Mine had a mid-April '04 build date and no decontenting. I guess I lucked out!

 

Right Planet, wrong hemisphere.

I was wrong to mention it, but a little devil just appeared above my halo, and said, "Go on"!!!

Sorry about that
John
A very sunny afternoon here in Torquay

 

Now.. Austria makes much more sense.. I got this info from a person in the board here and he insisted to me it was Australia.. I thought, wow.. Why would they send those parts WAYYYY over there.. Sorry guys.

 

What is Mercedes thinking? This new armrest / storage compartment looks awful. The sliding door totally reminds me of the old Mercedes.

 

I just returned from picking up my new E320CDI in Germany. Mine, and all the others coming to the US, now have this new center console. We drove 1000km's with it while in Europe. Here are my thoughts.

1. Overall it is exactly the same shape as the old one (saw several side by side) but with obviously a different door. The edge where your elbow rests appears to be the same shape and padding. It's not really a very good armrest but neither is the old one. It's surprising to me that MB can't come up with an adjustable postion arm rest that is comfortable.

2. The look grew on me over the 10 days I had the car. I now kind of prefer the look of the new one.

3. The cup holders are much better. They worked very well to hold drinks. It's kind of nice that you can slide the door down and just use the forward holder if you want. From a cupholder perspective it is no contest - the new console is much better.

4. The space for the phone is small. It will be interesting to see how they integrate the new phone cradles.

5. This armrest is for America only from what I could see. Only the US bound cars had it. It's probably both a cost savings and a response to requests for truly functional cupholders.

6. There is a lot of wasted space within the console. The cupholder itself is removable and there is some space under it even when installed. But overall there is very little storage space given the size of the console.

We love our car and had a great time in Germany and Austria. We got the pano roof and the locals were impressed with it. I didn't see any other German MB with it. I did look into having the Eropean phone kit for GSM phones installed into the car while there. I was told that it only works on 3 of the 4 GSM bands and that for the US you really need the missing 4th band. They did not recommend the Eruopean phone kit for the US.

 

From the 3 pictures I've seen of the new style, it looks like the slope is different between the two arm rests. Do you have any sense of whether the overall height is about the same or different between the two styles? (This is a medical issue for me, as lack of a decent armrest can mean painful driving on long trips.)

I'm about to speak to my dealer about this, so any information is definitely appreciated.

I, too, was giving serious thought to a UHI cradle for GSM phones in my car. I'm waiting for my European Delivery date confirmation right now, but it's looking like mid-November. To whom did you go to ask about the phone? Anyone other than the factory?

As an American, I admit that I installed a cupholder in my old W124, but I waited about 6 years to do it. I'm not sure I subscribe to this cupholder-centric way of life, especially if it forces redesigning the car. I've noticed that my airplane doesn't have a cupholder either (other my wife if I ask her nicely), and I'm thinking it's for a reason.

 

that sucks!!! I'm glad I have an 04 now, seems to be the model that has the most options.. maybe it will be a collector's item some day.

Alright, I'm willing to let it go in advance for $80K, let me know..

 

Ok, here are better pics:

Notice the chrome strip covering the seam





Cupholder, and Tele-Aid and Phone pocket in rear


Detached Cupholder

 

I like the contoured stitching, nice touch. But I like the look of the prevous one better for some reason with my 2 compartments. cup holder looks 10 times more usefull. Isnt that the same setup as a C-class?

 

Niiice.... my mother could never figure out how to open the bi-level compartments anyway haha

 

After over a year with our '03 I still don't know by memory which half of the handle opens the upper compartment and which half raises it for access to the lower compartment.

Is the tambour door quiet and smooth in operation, or is there any indication of binding/rattling?