My 2008 E3504M lease is ending in late July, so this past weekend I confirmed my order for a 2011 E350 4-Matic with the AMG Sport, Premium and Technology packages (here in Canada). In the US, this would be a E350 4-Matic with Sport Styling, Premium 2, Driver Assist and Wheel packages, as well as Parktronic, Heated Seats, Split Folding Rear Seats, Pano Roof and Rear Air Bags. I also "upgraded" the burl walnut trim to "Designo Curly Maple" (very Canadian eh!) as I found the W212 walnut much to dark, drab and lifeless compared to the Designo Burl Walnut we got standard here in Canada on the W211s in 2008.

My build date is June 3, so I have barely a week left before my order is no longer "changable". I'm trying to decide on adding the "Night View Assist" option while I can. The problem is that no dealer in my area has a demo car with the system installed so I can't really try it out to see if it's worth the extra $$$$. I would be very interested to get some feedback/opinions from any owners who have "Night View Asist" on their W212s. After using it for some time does it's performance meet your expectations? How often do you think you will push that "Night View" button on the dash? Do you feel it was money well spent or do you have regrets??

PS. My color choice is Indium (Iridium) Grey with Almond Beige + Black "Avantgard" leather interior. I've only (briefly) seen this color on one other car on a sunny day and quite liked it, but am wondering how it looks at night or on a cloudy day. Any comments on the Indium Grey choice are also welcome while I still have an opportunity to change. Cuprite Brown anyone???

Many thanks in advance for any enlightenment you can offer!

 

Edmunds has a comparison review including the E550 in indium grey with a nice gallery of pictures [link].

Autoblog has another gallery here [link]

I saw it in the dealer garage and liked it much more than the pearl beige gold color, the interior was chestnut/black. There are very few indium grey cars around - which may be a benefit. Seeing one under cloudy skies and light rain made it seem quite a bit darker, and the rich bronze changed to flat brown. I find the same with palladium silver also.

Post pics when it arrives!

 

I have Night View Assist. Quite honestly, I would not have gotten it if it had not already been on the car. And after having used it, I think my opinion is the same.

The image for Night View Assist is on the Comand screen. One should not be looking at the Comand screen whilst driving (especially at night) for any length of time. And, for me anyway, it takes a moment or two to get oriented looking at the screen. Moreover, the image overrides the image of any other function you might have, such as navigation or audio.

That being said, it was helpful to me one time. Driving late at night with NVA on, I saw in my peripheral vision that something was going across the screen inconsistent with the road ahead (hard to describe -- it was inconsistent with the pattern of driving down the road). I looked, at it was three deer walking from the woods onto the road. I had not seen them while looking out the windshield. I might have seen them in time without NVA, or I might not have.

 

Really depends on if it's a want or a need. I would say if you live in mostly rural/country areas, then it could definitely be helpful. If you do mostly city driving, then it's a waste of $1750 (US $$).

 

I purchased an Indium Gray E350 about three weeks ago. I really like the color and get a lot of compliments. After a silver, white, and two pewter cars I was ready for something different.

I had the nigh vision on a 2008 S550. It was cool to show off but not functional at all. It's not easy to watch the road and the screen. I would not pay extra for this option ever again.

Neil

 

If you live in country mountain side where deer pops out all the time than maybe it's worth it....

But after having this option on my prior CL.... I thought this was waste of money.....

It did impress many guy friends and specially girls

 

Hi DrRx,

I'm also looking to lease a e350 in Toronto. How much are you paying for yours? Did you get a discount? I assume you placed your order at the Burlington Dealership so how was the customer service?

 

Thanks everyone for your feedback! Clearly a common thread to the responses is that the Night View Assist is not a highly recommended option!! Very little passion out there for this system. This kind of confirms by initial thoughts that the novelty would soon wear off and that it likely would not be overly usefull to everyday driving situations.

I was really hoping that it might provide some benefit when driving at night in adverse conditions (such as the snow storms we occasionally get up here in the great white north!). However, being a system based on reflection of IR light, it won't help cut through snow, rain or fog as the precipitation will do a fine job of reflecting the IR beam and lighting up the dispaly, and thus the system won't help improve poor visibility in these conditions.

HiTach
Thanks for the vote of confidence in the color and the links to the pics. In the mean time I also found these pics of an E63 AMG in Indium Grey, which helped me firm my decision. The car looks great in this shade of "grey"!

Scroll down to post #148 in the link below:
http://www.germancarforum.com/merced...-thread-6.html

Nickia
I initially tried to deal with Burlington in their gorgeous new facility (WELL overdue as their old shop was an embarrasment to the brand!) They are just 10 km to the west of me so it would have been quite convenient. However, I went there with a number in mind and they started playing games - Couldn't get approval from the manger who was out of town, It will be a 2011 so we can't deal that much, The cars are in such high demand, etc. I left and told them to call me back ONLY if they could meet my price. They called back and tried to bargain again. So ....

I went to the dealer in Oakville who is just 10 km to the east. I gave them my proposal while I went out for another test drive, and when I returned, they agreed to my $5000 off MSRP. Maybe not such a great deal south of the border where dealers seem to have a bit more room to negotiate, but certainly a good deal up here (I think!!). This is the 3rd MB I lease from them so that may have played a part in their decision - that and their awareness that the new Burlington dealer is actively trying to win their customers and they are trying to protect their turf.

My production date is now firmed for June 3, so I should see the new vehicle here in early July. Once I have the VIN I will be able to track its voyage across the Atlantic to Halifax and then it's train journey to Toronto. Gotta love that new fangled internet!

 

I have the Night View Assist. It is a bit of a novelty, and fun for your passengers. My kids think it is great.

It works well quite, but ultimately it is not positioned in the right place. It should be in the main instrument cluster, and not away from view in the Comand screen.

Btw - I agree with your experiences of those 2 dealers. Oakville is the better dealer overall.

 

I also have NVA and agree with Wig's comments 100%. Nice but not necessary. After the first few weeks of novelty, I haven't turned it on since.

 

Just a quick word of thanks to everyone for saving me $2500 CDN!! We should have a blow-out party when the new E350 arrives!!

 

great!!! Your E350 will be one helluva car

 

You made a good choice doctor, this optionis a waste of money unless you
drive the unlit country roads with lots of deer or moose in the woods. I hope
you ordered Distronic Plus though! That is a great option...See my posts about it

 

I have nightview. Its marginally useful at night on back roads in good weather. Useless in snow and moderate or worse rain. as I suspect for many others here it was on the car I wanted already and I would not have ordered separately.