So I had to take the E in to get the wing mirror replaced, (my wife knocked it off while backing out the garage...) I saw the new E sitting on the lot, and know the dealership fairly well, and said hand over the keys... The guy I usually deal with was not there, so I dealt with another man who seemed very knowledgeable. First impression was WOW! what an amazing machine... My w211 looked like an outdated POS next to it. My 211 is a beautiful machine and I could not help my immediate gutteral response. The w212 was a dark grey and was called a "release package" or something along those lines. I got in and the interior was just gorgeous. Full leather, a saddle tan but impressive. It was keyless go, and just felt amazing. It only had 38 miles on the clock! So I felt like one happy camper. I told the guy I wouldn't beat on it too bad as it was so new. It was solid handling and very responsive, the shifts felt crisp with the paddles. It felt more solid than my w211, which I also had purchased new and felt the same 6 years ago...(God has it been that long) The brakes even had mercedes benz written on them! It had some great features which I will detail as soon as I get a chance. Overall, I was very impressed and will probably get one, it was that impressive. The rear end was terrible looking, no matter what angle I looked at.. The darker colors were very pretty. I will say this, it is not very photogenic but is a bad *** car in real life, due to the physical presence. I can't wait to take one home!

 

Glad to hear you had a good time! I agree the new E has to been seen in person and driven to truly appreciate how great it is. I think you must have driven a Launch Edition car? I spoke to my dealer and it sounds like they have the same one. The interior is called Natural Beige and is absolutely beautiful and elegant. I will try to take pictures when I finally see in person!

 

My dealer had a Launch Edition in the showroom today while I was waiting for them to wash my car. I don't think I like it right now. Especially not the interior. It kind of looks cheap like the new C-class. And the shifter on the column???!!! Where will I rest my right hand?
Who knows, it may grow on me over the next 20 months of monthly car washes. The guy showed me the price--$48,XXX. He said something about it being the price for the launch edition. He also said the diesel wasn't coming until September.
They also had an E350 coupe on the lot! I actually saw it before I saw the sedan.

 

Well the 48 something is the base price of the car, so I'm sure the car with some options is a little more. But still the price of the car was lowered, that is pretty cool. My E base price was over $50K + options.

 

yes, it was a Launch Edition... I couldn't remember that for the life of me! I didn't think the interior was cheap at all... It was a two tone, black and saddle tan with white stitching. I own a full sized Range rover supercharged as my dd, and the interior of the new E was as impressive (minus the solid cherry, white piping etc) But hey, the Rangie was north of 100k. This new E is an impressive package and a steal at that price. The Dealer is working on 7% over invoice which he can play with. I am waiting for the diesel, but i like the p2 package as the dealer called it. Its funny because my E had an E2 package on it all those years ago! Apparently the diesel will not have any type of sport package on it unless I special order. I am planning to do that unless events change. I think this car is more beautiful than the Jag and the Beemer. The Jag did spank it, but I had driven an XFR that had the same engine as my RR. So it was not a fair comparison. The base XF, although more soulful was not as pretty in real life as the MB. Again I am biased against BMW and the only one I will buy is a motorad production, "boxer cup" on order as we speak! LOL.

Oh I also remember a cool detail, as I got a little heavier on the pedal (I kinda lied to the guy I wouldn't beat on it) as the car swung round a twisty the side bolster actually moved towards me to support me!!! How cool is that? Also there are these cool little orange triangles on the wing mirrors that flash red when a car is in your blind spot. They actually work! I was in heavy traffic trying to get on the expressway and apparently didn't see a car in my blindspot... Luckily the E did!!! and saved me some serious uncool points with the dealer. I would have hated to have wrecked the only new sedan on the lot...

 

Was it this one ?

 

Yes that was it! It had black piano wood also if i remember correctly...

 

I actually just posted an article and video about the 500i, XF and the W212 in another thread:

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...t-comparo.html

I don't like BMWs and I was looking at the XF as my next car but I just can't see myself leaving the MB family.

 

I don't blame you. I would only by the Jag if I had disposable income. It is not worth the headache. The E is where its at...

 

nice share.. thanks for the post...

 

Yeah its friggin' gorgeous ! And I just love the ambient lighting. I sat in one at the NY auto show but I wasn't too impressed but it was nowhere near as nice as the one in the picture.

 

My sister in law has a Jag (S-Type) and I didn't really like it. I was thinking about getting an XJ but that's an old man's car (at least in my mind). I was getting all hot and bothered about the XF when I saw more and more posts similar to this one:

http://www.jaguarvision.com/content/...rical-problems

I have no tolerance for unreliable cars (hence my dislike for BMW). I think I'm just gonna stick with MB if the new cars proves to be as reliable as my current and previous E-Classes.

 

True that... The E is a security vault, a Brinks truck if you will. I have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at it and it begged for more. A jag is a paper bag, made out of cheap government tissue paper at that. Again, If I had money to burn I'd be in the Jag (any jag comparable to E or above) BMW's are too common and don't have that oh so special feel the Benz gives you. If I wan't the "ultimate driving experience" I'll save up for a Ferrari... LOL

 

2010 E Class

 

That's pretty hot. I'm not crazy about the silver color but this is better looking then a W211 in silver. I especially love the LED daytime running lights on that model.

 

They are really hot in real life too... They look like the R8, and even the new SL. Idk how u can go wrong with this car...

 

I am glad that my lease expires in a year, so I will get obsidan black E550 2011.

 

Had another closer look of the W212 at my dealer today when I dropped in for a special dealer sales event - it was an E350 and had what appeared to be the Sports Pkg and it looked quite sharp in the grey colour - probably the launch edition people are speaking of.

I really think I would opt for a W212 when my W211 lease ends though probably not another E63 AMG, unless I move to an SUV like the ML/GL class.

I am associated with a company that is on the MBUSA fleet program roster and the additional cash incentive offered with such a program really is helping to keep me as a loyal customer to Mercedes-Benz.

 

I sat in the one at the NY Auto Show too and I am pretty sure it had the same interior as the one you posted.

 

When the W212 photos were released, I was shocked at the design being so different and somehow similar to the Lexus GS in the front and the Hyundai in the rear. I feel the 2009 W211 is designed almost to perfection and would be hard to improve upon. After some more months, I feel that my opinions are shifting for the W212. It is beginning to look much better (front end wise).

So the question I have for you guys is: When the W209 CLK was released, I had lost my desire for the CLK. No doubt the W209 is much better in every aspect, but the design seemed more suited for female drivers.

 

I'm with you oh that. I'm not kicking and screaming when I see it anymore. Seem like we are in the same boat; we are both gradually warming up to it but I don't think I'm going to like it as much as the W211.

Agreed ! The W209 is a "chick car" in my mind. A friend of mine has one and he loves it but even he agrees that it is oriented more towards women. Now the W208 on the other hand; I would not be able to even guess the W209 was the successor to the W208.

 

I gotta say, I am happy that they left the W211 as is and didn't really try and improve upon it. I always have thought it is a near perfect design, just right in looking striking, but subtle enough to let it age gracefully and never look gimmicy/out of style, until Car designs make a dramatic design shifts at least. I think M-B probably took note to that and wanted to just start up a whole new design style. At the same time, it doesn't let our W211's look like like old versions of the same car, as this new E just looks like a whole different car.

I'll get over the kicking and screaming thing soon I'm sure, and maybe I'll even accept it enough to like it considering, but yeah, I don't think it'll ever compare to the W211 to me. I just remember how stunned I was by it when I first saw it.

 

I personaly didn't/don't feel the front-end was the problem. Yes, the front end is more boxy from its predecessor, but it still looks OK IMO (although the W211 looks better still).

The rear-end, however, was the part that most people had a fit about. IMO it blends in very well with the sea of Toyota's, Hyundai's, and other "less exclusive" cars. In fact, without the badging, I would never have guessed the rear-end belonged to a MB.

 

I agree with you that the W211 is a proper Mercedes. While the W212 is growing on me as a nice car it by no means give me, and some others, the impression it is a worthy successor to the W211 which in my book will go down as the last proper Mercedes. The W211 has some nice swooping curves on the hood that are accentuated by the signature round lights. While I think the W212 has a pretty face it is by no means serene. I see aggression and mischief when I see a W212 from head on and that's fine because that is what the whole car is supposed to project. By looking at the W212 it gives the impression that it will tear up the asphalt on your drive home. The W211 is more subdued and instead of menacing other cars on the road it will let you sit and unwind and whisk you home without any drama; to me that is a proper Mercedes.

When Top Gear reviewed the current generation S-Class they pretty much hit the nail on the head on what a proper Mercedes is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erDtZi3nbt4&fmt=18

While the W212 I'm sure is going to be a nice fast car that will compete with BMW in the mid-class range for speed and handling I don't think it is a proper Mercedes. Mercedes is the status quo for German comfort and BMW/Porsche is the status quo for for unrivaled German handling and power. With the new 5 series and new E-Class and new Porsche I see these three companies are mixing it up. The new E-Class will handle like a BMW, a BMW's interior will be nicer then an MB (look at the BMW GT) and Porsche is building four doored, mid-sized sports cars (Panamera). This is a pretty big shake up in the industry. Call me old fashioned but I liked it when MB was the "cushy" car, BMW was the road menace and Porsche was just a mid-engined two seater sports car. At this point its anyone's guess whos going to come out on top, if not all three of them, but we sure live in interesting times.

 

This morning I was approaching a red light and I saw a black car further ahead of me waiting for the light to turn green. From the rear lights it looked like a C class...until I got closer and saw that it was a Camry