Another problem!
The interior looks so dated and Stale compared to the new. Im sorry it is what it is.. Im glad I dont share your feelings.. As for the touches and feel of the keys, there is no difference, Im coming from an E63 and I can tell you that other than the AMG seats and the Alcantara head liner, the old interior has absolutley nothing on the new. Its a joke to even compare, it really is. Its not even close.
You like white, I like black.
Each to their own.
fwiw, it's not a joke, it's not a contest. It's just someone's belief.
p.s., I like that you chose an older W211. And not the last model 2009 W211
I will try that. Just a note, the rest of the front, hood, etc all look fine and streamlined but I did notice or felt that the gaps seemed larger than usual.
Rather than trying to close the hood "pretty hard" I had the dealer re-adjust the latches. Note that the hood latches at 3 locations, so the slightest "out of tolerance" condition will cause one of them to not close fully. Good luck.
However, you have to realize that Mercedes-Benz is making a mass-produced product these days, and nothing is perfect. I often notice there are some small imperfections on many vehicles, and unfortunately my family has owned all the vehicles we've purchased since new.
If it makes you feel any better, your car is leased. You'll be in a new car soon! However, this still isn't an excuse for Mercedes-Benz to lease you a slightly defective vehicle. You should complain to your dealer and Mercedes-Benz and write both of them a letter.

its no coincidence that you're in the minority and seeing how passionate and crazy ? youre about your car im not surprised.
Here are some shots of the W212.. The craftmanship,wood,feel,ambiance is top notch and beautiful to look at.
Attachment 169683
Attachment 169684
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Attachment 169686
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Attachment 169688
As far as materials, I stated some, unless you like hard plastic. And mind you, many people/Reviews have stated that the 212's interior is a bit less elegant/refined. 212's has a lot of "popping smoke effect" going for it, that can fool people into "ooh/ahh, bigger wood, it must be fancier".
Dash to me feels cheaper (like the C-Class).
A-Pillar material is cheap "appliance" like, much different than the lining on the pre F.L 211.
Plastic along the bottom of the center console replaces nice carpeting on the 211.
Plastic on bottom of doors replaces nice fuzzy material in the 211.
Plastic window/weather stripping inside, replaces nice carpeting in the 211.
-Radio unit is a basic kind of cold "corporate unit", almost identical to the C-Classes, the buttons also aren't all that impressive in feel.
M-B Tex models have hard/cheap feeling door panels and the area with the buttons looks too industrial IMO compared to the 211's wood wrapped buttons. As well, the area you rest your arm on is very hard, much unlike the more plush, soft area in the 211.
I can go on. Enough with the "your car sucks because it's old" stuff, it's worthless, at least I'm providing points, no need to get all fussy. And FYI, just because I like my car more than a 212 doesn't necessarily show that I'm "in love with it".
To be fair, I can name areas in the 211 that are downgraded from other models as well. I call it as I see it, "that looks old" really doesn't always mean much to a car enthusiast....
Last edited by K-A; Nov 9, 2009 at 12:47 AM.
Last edited by K-A; Nov 9, 2009 at 01:13 AM.
Sometimes it's good to be a little critical, my initial point was to show how M-B buyers don't pay attention to the details and jump on the new thing sometimes for the status (look at how well '03-'04 W211's sold, for example). I can name areas in the 211 that I can't stand, like I said. Again, try and save from getting offended and jumpy here, I can talk and criticize/compliment cars and little details 'till I'm blue in the face (fingers), not just 212's.
Last edited by K-A; Nov 9, 2009 at 12:43 AM.
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
I like choosing to keep an old body style.... that ages gracefully at least, gets you out of the "I'm better than thou" rat-race, and allows you to enjoy the car you own (if you appreciate it this much) and treat it as a car aging toward being a classic. Plus it shows character in the car enthusiast sense.
My favorite is Jerry Seinfeld, if you watch Curb Your Enthusiasm, he's been on the last few Episodes, ALWAYS in a different Porsche, sometimes newer, sometimes a regular ol' 10 year old model, sometimes a stunning Classic, etc. (we all know how you Porsche guys are
)BTW, Jay Leno has the worst collection of cars.... I mean, HOW many of those things are ollld? He should just scrap them and keep only the brand new gen body-styles.
Last edited by K-A; Nov 9, 2009 at 03:02 AM.
Thanks for taking the time to read my arguments.
I'm honestly not trying to get into a "which is better" thing, as that's foolish, the 212 should damn well win in all objective categories, I just like talking some of the subjective stuff, and seeing why/if others can see the things the things that I'm pointing out.
Constructive criticism of course is good, and it is what gets companies to keep the products progressing, M-B gave lots of pluses with the 212, but they didn't get by me with the obvious little areas that were cost cut.
I hope any of my comments directed at how putridly horrid the interior of the W204 is for any M-B has been noticed by them, as that one didn't get by me at all, and I'm hoping they fix it for the F.L.
Last edited by petee1997; Nov 9, 2009 at 02:57 PM.
Excellent post. You're 100 % right. Your post would actually make a perfect default reply for any post issued by KA and 220S on the W212 board ( I think they both drive W211s ) coincidentally.. Maybe some one can arrange that ? I have long since stopped reading into his drivel and non stop Trolling.. I've said it before and I will say it again.. KA is like a woman who hates Versace but yet hangs out in Versace boutiques all day long discussing their designs.. Makes sense ? A total loser.
And guess what? I may actually buy a W212 E63 AMG Estate if they get over here. Looks a lot better than that Hyundai looking W212 sedan, imho.
Anyway, just ignore and don't read the posts. It's easy. And hey, there's always BenzWorld.

p.s., maybe try posting some actually informative info once in a while. Be helpful and answer some questions, or at least contribute to the MBWorld community instead of only grumpy old man posts.
You have a nice car. It's very pretty. It is good. Congratulations and enjoy it.
Cheers.
PS By the way, here's something informative. Pebble Beach does not have cars that look old. What it has, are old cars that look new.
Last edited by petee1997; Nov 9, 2009 at 05:18 PM.
The new car is solid and the interior is functional and acceptable for the class of car.
PS By the way, here's something informative. Pebble Beach does not have cars that look old. What it has, are old cars that look new.

Hmmm, all this time I thought Monterey only had new cars that look old. Thanks for the info.
Hey, Pops, why not just empty out all your **** and vinegar, stop being so cranky and old, and join in with the community?
https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...rd-thread.html
The new car is solid and the interior is functional and acceptable for the class of car.
I really like real performance wagons. Functional, yet true sleepers. I had always hoped for the M3/M5 estate and RS4 estate here in the US.




I really like real performance wagons. Functional, yet true sleepers. I had always hoped for the M3/M5 estate and RS4 estate here in the US.
Try to go somewhere out of USA and live there for a couple years. May be after this you will value the luxury you got to drive MB E class with the amount of money you paid for it...
Last edited by aeggroup; Nov 9, 2009 at 07:51 PM.
I really like real performance wagons. Functional, yet true sleepers. I had always hoped for the M3/M5 estate and RS4 estate here in the US.
220S you should be more careful not to push arrogance to imprudence. You know what dogs do to big wheels.
On the other hand, I lived in Europe for 8 years and just about every taxi was an E Class.

But the reality (at least here) is that MBs depreciate like a rock and you can get them for next to nothing on the used market. Look at the price of 2-3 year old S Class and CLs.
The MB cache is pretty meaningless if you ask me. And it's also pretty stupid, imho. I wish they didn't have that stigma. I think I'd feel weird owning one in a rural area. I like MBs for their technology, history, racing pedigree, and real world daily driveability. The status garbage I could well do without.
Here in LA you have homies and ballers driving MBs. Soccer moms, too. There are everywhere. I think the E Class is the default car around here.

Hey, we all know that driving a car to make your self look better is not a good reason (unless you're Hank Hill's neighbor, Khan Souphanousinphone. LOL) Buy and drive what you truly honestly want. Anyway, status is short lived and is pretty meaningless in the bigger context of humanity.
That said, the door pins are still pretty cheesy
Last edited by 220S; Nov 9, 2009 at 09:46 PM.

Ignore it if you don't like it. I know all I need to know about the 211, I don't come to car Forums to stroke my E-Car-Ego non-stop, I like learning, and debating various aspects.
PS By the way, here's something informative. Pebble Beach does not have cars that look old. What it has, are old cars that look new.
Sorry, but those cars don't look "new", they scream their generations, however timeless designs do that without look "dated". Like beautiful pieces of art. Fact is the 212 is meant to grab more attention, the 211 is purposely more subdued, one will age gracefully, one will look dated fast. It's not just the story of the 211 & 212, it's car designs. Just look at the E39 and E60.
"Past its prime"
c'mon now, what are we talking, athletes here?


