Seeking opinions from W212 owners who were prior W211 owners..
I drove a 212 for two days and it felt better to me in every way over a 211. The seats, HVAC and steering to name a few items. It's funny how I spent some time with one and now every time I see a new E I think "that's a nice car" and I like the looks of it.
There are the stats on paper and then there is the real world reality of daily driving and ownership. People should really think before they buy, and leave the car magazines at home. Just my 2 cents.
I don't like the exterior too and agree about the Caddy influence, but hey, to each their own.
There are in fact many engineering advancements, and the car will drive like your 211, just a bit better in every way, best way to tell HOW much better you think it drives is by Test Driving one. Some think it's a big improvement in driving, and there are also some people, and even Mag Articles that state the driving doesn't feel significantly different or noticeably improved at all, which is a good thing as the 211 is and follows a winning formula. I pay attention well, so it felt familiar to me, just like I was driving mine, but I could notice the underlying confidence the more precise steering and solidified structural integrity. The cars handling DOES *feel* a bit better and more confident than the 211's, but all performance numbers, including slalom, skidpad, braking, etc. are identical, so I think the added chassis solidity just gives you that extra precise and confident feel, however doesn't really translate to performance numbers. I like the heavier steering of my pre-F.L W211, and have heard people complain that the new 212 is a bit over-boosted, and to fickle at high speeds, I haven't gotten one up to high enough speeds to say personally.
All in all, since you seem to judge interior design and quality and even the exterior similarly to me, it'll come down to which has more pluses that speak to you, I'd say give one a nice Test Drive and you'll see where your heart and mind will take you.
As well, the E-Class isn't the only player in the game anymore, lots of cars are catching and have caught up, I'd say look at some other brands, Jags XF, the '11 5-Series, etc.

Just got 2010 E350 with mb tex and the material over the door, dash, seat feels cheap and rough.
I got a 2008 acura MDX and the material seems much refined.
are you for real ??? Do you have the P2 package with the HK stereo system ? or some kind of stock radio in your 350 ? There is no comparison as to which Stereo system is better. The Stereo in my 08 E63 cannot even be compared to the Stereo in my E550.W212 - 610 watts 14 speakers
W211 - 510 watts 12 speakers
I have no idea what kind of stereo was fitted into your car,definatley not the stereo i have in my 550.. The mids and Highs are very crisp,loud and clear. The Bass hits soft but hard, imo the Stereo is top notch.
Which is really weird because the W212 system is so much worse than the W211 system, the 212 system is annoyingly poor. Combined with the horrible quality Sirius satellite radio it makes my ears bleed lol.








are you for real ??? Do you have the P2 package with the HK stereo system ? or some kind of stock radio in your 350 ? There is no comparison as to which Stereo system is better. The Stereo in my 08 E63 cannot even be compared to the Stereo in my E550.W212 - 610 watts 14 speakers
W211 - 510 watts 12 speakers
I have no idea what kind of stereo was fitted into your car,definatley not the stereo i have in my 550.. The mids and Highs are very crisp,loud and clear. The Bass hits soft but hard, imo the Stereo is top notch.
The Best of Mercedes & AMG

But hey, it's the opposite with the 7G AMG Speedshift tranny. S works just like it should. C is for Grandpa with lotsa free roll and way low shift points and better mpg.
Today I was up in the canyons getting my tranny set up for some spirited driving. I spent about 40 minutes training it. In S mode it now has max shift points and with perfect downshifting (with the motor compression and foot braking for corner entrance and high rpms for the exit.)
And if you set the tranny manually to not go over 4th gear, it uses the motor's powerband perfectly. Just go to S mode then manually row the gears but don't go beyond 4th (or 5th depending on the speed you need) Then let it do its own thing. It will not go beyond 4th (until you actually red line it.) It'll stay in 1-4. That keeps the motor in the strong rpm range by not letting it go into the overdrive gears (6th and 7th) and keeping the rpms up there. You finally have decent throttle control with an auto box.
p.s., plus you get to watch the gas gauge drop like a rock, too
Back in June of '08 pre-W212, I had the chance to drive a new C300 as a loaner from my dealer, it was brand new with some 7 miles on it. Rather than re-type my thoughts, here is a link to my thread and the subsequent comments: https://mbworld.org/forums/general-m...hese-days.html
Later on, I thought maybe I could live with it and looked at the C63 for myself. I ended up with a new (leftover) W211 E63 instead.
And the W212 E63 (and the 350/550) has gone the same route. No more Alcantara headliner, cheap translucent fabric covering the pano. Odd looking door panels with less padding, etc. Funky door handles. Chrome color painted vents, etc.. Sharing too many bits and pieces from the spartan C Class interior.
And others have taken notice, too: https://mbworld.org/forums/3783534-post1.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/3862147-post1.html
It's unfortunate that these cars are de-evolving material-wise. But cost cutting has to come from somewhere (labor being the first cut; materials and vendors next.) There was a period when Daimler built cars sparing no expense in both technology and materials, and was known around the world for that philosophy. And so it's a disappointment to see what's happening now.
But in defense of MB, it seems it's the general direction of a lot of manufacturers (the Japanese cars have the greatest mishmash of plastic and bizarre interiors of all. A friend of ours bought an Accord and it's the weirdest looking thing on Earth, imho. The interior looks like a cheap arcade game console.)
I'd personally love to have a car with old school materials and looks, and with new world technology and performance. I'd pay the extra $$, too.
PS I am a 03 E320, 03 CLK500, 04 SL500 survivor. To make matters worse, I owned all three at the same time. That was cruel and unusual punishment.
Last edited by petee1997; Jan 5, 2010 at 03:42 PM.
PS I am a 03 E320, 03 CLK500, 04 SL500 survivor. To make matters worse, I owned all three at the same time. That was cruel and unusual punishment.
) And yes, if materials are too durable then they wouldn't need replacement. For a while MB overbuilt and their cars lasted too long. Of course most people now seem to lease and replace cars every time they get bored with life. So even a car made to last forever probably wouldn't cut into profitability too much these days.

Yeah, form follows function. But 'form follows function' is a hot debate in design. Ornament is not 100% superfluous nor is it a "crime" as the Modernists first proposed. Sure Alcantara is meaningless in respect to function, but the tactile quality of the material is extremely sensual and pleasing. Therefore it can actually 'function' in respect to giving the customer a more pleasant and luxurious environment and a desire for purchasing the car.
And that is why ornament is recognized even by many proponents of the 'form follows function' dogma as something actually functional. Nice quality material may not be based entirely on the function of the car (or cost of production) but it does function to give the owner a nice feeling; something unique and thoughtful. Not just something that happens to work and is also cost effective. We'd all be driving appliances otherwise.
And early on, this was MB's philosophy. That form and function and ornament can all work together as equal priority.
p.s., in respect to having the car actually function (re: your 2003 Daimler Chrysler nightmares), that's a given. Nobody wants a Fiat ("Fix-It-Again-Tony") from yesterday
Last edited by 220S; Jan 5, 2010 at 09:28 PM.
Later on, I thought maybe I could live with it and looked at the C63 for myself. I ended up with a new (leftover) W211 E63 instead.
And the W212 E63 (and the 350/550) has gone the same route. No more Alcantara headliner, cheap translucent fabric covering the pano. Odd looking door panels with less padding, etc. Funky door handles. Chrome color painted vents, etc.. Sharing too many bits and pieces from the spartan C Class interior.
And others have taken notice, too: https://mbworld.org/forums/3783534-post1.html
https://mbworld.org/forums/3862147-post1.html
It's unfortunate that these cars are de-evolving material-wise. But cost cutting has to come from somewhere (labor being the first cut; materials and vendors next.) There was a period when Daimler built cars sparing no expense in both technology and materials, and was known around the world for that philosophy. And so it's a disappointment to see what's happening now.
But in defense of MB, it seems it's the general direction of a lot of manufacturers (the Japanese cars have the greatest mishmash of plastic and bizarre interiors of all. A friend of ours bought an Accord and it's the weirdest looking thing on Earth, imho. The interior looks like a cheap arcade game console.)
I'd personally love to have a car with old school materials and looks, and with new world technology and performance. I'd pay the extra $$, too.
PS I am a 03 E320, 03 CLK500, 04 SL500 survivor. To make matters worse, I owned all three at the same time. That was cruel and unusual punishment.
One thing that I've read (from a BMW rep), that people don't seem to really know about, is that "Green"/environmental regulations are what are driving plastic materials in cars to get cheapened. Manufacturers are using much more environmentally healthy plastics and such, which don't feel as luxurious unfortunately. I'm sure cost saving is also a factor with the newer materials.
Having had my W212 for only a week, the only complaint I have had is listed in a previous thread (The glare of air vent in front of driver's side mirror on drivers window). Other than that, you may attribute it to lack of experience with the particular vehicle to have little dislikes for, but with my previous Range Rover and sleu of Lexus's, the dislikes had already come at this point.
Other than that, the wife liked creature comforts such as the Latch hook placement for carseats in the rear seat, and the layout of the navigation up near the windshield.
Last edited by mvpjeffmvp; Jan 5, 2010 at 09:36 PM.
They were one of the first to go green. The Volvo interior does look sorta cheap[er] to this day.
They did it primarily to not jeopardize their worker's health (esp the glue choice.) Of course now that Ford sold them to a Chinese company all that might go out the window.
Having had my W212 for only a week, the only complaint I have had is listed in a previous thread (The glare of air vent in front of driver's side mirror on drivers window). Other than that, you may attribute it to lack of experience with the particular vehicle to have little dislikes for, but with my previous Range Rover and sleu of Lexus's, the dislikes had already come at this point.
Other than that, the wife liked creature comforts such as the Latch hook placement for carseats in the rear seat, and the layout of the navigation up near the windshield.
Just as you stated your interests are in why you like the 212, I prefer the classic lines and look of the 211, and smoother interior/lines, etc. Pretty funny, both like each for opposite reasons. I do think that the 212's lines aren't very "clean" personally, although I think I know what you mean, being that they are crisp, and surfaces are flat, and it is definitely aggressive.
I like that you've got an '03 Cobra too. Love the Terminators.
They were one of the first to go green. The Volvo interior does look sorta cheap[er] to this day.
They did it primarily to not jeopardize their worker's health (esp the glue choice.) Of course now that Ford sold them to a Chinese company all that might go out the window.

Take a look/drive in a bentley continental or flying spur and you'll never want to be in anything less than an S600.
Best interior of any car I sat in during the L.A Auto Show was the Jag XJ's. Beautiful. Second was perhaps the XF's, which IMO right now is its class leader in terms of interior.
Just as you stated your interests are in why you like the 212, I prefer the classic lines and look of the 211, and smoother interior/lines, etc. Pretty funny, both like each for opposite reasons. I do think that the 212's lines aren't very "clean" personally, although I think I know what you mean, being that they are crisp, and surfaces are flat, and it is definitely aggressive.
I like that you've got an '03 Cobra too. Love the Terminators.
Since you brought it up, the 03' Cobra right now has CCW Classic Rims, Stage V Ported Eaton Blower, and the other gizmo's here and there. 520hp/544tq on Dynojet. Only 11k miles. I desperately want a Gallardo, and was toying with the idea of selling the Cobra to give up its parking space in the garage.
But.... The Cobra won, Wife and I went to Architect and building a new house with MUCH larger garage


Here's a quick shot of the Cobra:


Just as you stated your interests are in why you like the 212, I prefer the classic lines and look of the 211, and smoother interior/lines, etc. Pretty funny, both like each for opposite reasons. I do think that the 212's lines aren't very "clean" personally, although I think I know what you mean, being that they are crisp, and surfaces are flat, and it is definitely aggressive.
I like that you've got an '03 Cobra too. Love the Terminators.




