MBWorld.org Forums - Thoughts on best buy: 212 E350 VS CLS55/CLS550 VS Used S550

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A message for K-A!

Sorry K-A try it again. I hope you remember me. I'm the professional industrial/graphic designer that found fault with your design critic. If you want unique you need to move to northern Alabama. Now before you po-po northen alabama it is the home of spaceflight and the successful Moon Landing It is also the Silicon valley of the southeast As a matter of fact Dr. Walter Hauserman who was part of Werner Von Braun's developement team and developed the computer guidance system for the first moon landing is a relative of mine and is 95 years old.

If uniqueness is your concern, and sure it is, then do not get E class. Very common, like Camry or Accord. At least in my neighborhood everyone owns E class (last generation for sure, but in two years). CLS is very unique and tells for owner, he isn’t ordinary housewife driving E class. Regarding warranty, Mercedes is recognizable as very reliable car, and I am confident it is. I owned Lexus and can tell it ages really fast, 3-4 years old car looks like 10+. 10 years old Mercedes is still new car and smells new car. So I guess you got idea. You can ask me what I do in this forum since like muscle and unique car. I do shopping for my wife, so getting CLS for her is cool, but not really practical with small kids.

Ahh, the Attached pic isn't showing up on my Comp, lol.

Drove it to Vegas this weekend, as expected, the comfort and coddling levels of the car are supreme. I got drowsy on the way here, and the detector didn't go off (one of my favorite Features of the car), however, I never got to the point of "falling asleep" where I'd started swerving, etc.

The car has Sirius, and mixed with that bright screen right in your face, feels like a rolling entertainment system compared to what I've been accustomed to on these drives.

BTW, this car does play DVD's correct? Does it play them while driving? Or any "cracks" to allow that to happen? (I probably wouldn't do it anyway, as I don't want to tempt myself to do something stupid).

Not being able to enter Address in the Navigation while driving SUCKS. You can play with all the Radio and Sat Radio stuff, but not enter Addresses huh.... :rolleyes:

There's a lot of sharp lighting going on in this car at night, keeps things warm and bright, the ambient lighting, the sharp graphics, etc. I do miss the 211's "Halo" light, but I'd choose the surround-lighting of the 212 given the choice.

The car drives so solid and confident, that's its biggest difference VS the 211. Both give warm and great long distance cruising experiences, yet in very different ways. The 212 feels much larger and more "open" too, the Pano helps with that as well. I'd say, the 211 allowed me to notice and appreciate individual areas where materials and designing were obviously done to extensive detail, the 212 really concentrates on an overall experience and vibe more-so.

I DID find some "clunking" coming from the dash area when under stressful roads. Sounds like something around the passenger side of the front dash is just doing a hard vibrate/rattle, hopefully it was just some stuff I had in the car. Also, the suspension does get a little upset when under hard roads, but the 211's did too, this one handles it a bit smoother, but there are some more "clunk" sounds coming from the wheel areas when it starts hopping around. Nothing to really annoy me much yet.

Aside from that, this car is SO quiet.

I gotta say I'm surprised by the attention it gets as well. Quite a few comments, however, lots of people are seeing this car who never saw me in my 211, as I didn't drive that car to some places I've taken this. I've had a few Valet guys I know make some "comments" about me all of a sudden popping up in this car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dema (Post 4096955)

Yeah, that is my biggest problem with this E. I just cringe when I see a "Housewife" in an identical car. Again, I don't mind owning a NICE car that is common (hey if it's good people will want it, and I can't help that I like big/ish 4-Doors), but I just want a more "exclusive" looking version of that car. My 211 did that great, as it's rare to see AMG Package ones (before the slower selling '09 MY), and the Pewter gave it a kind of unique-ish twist. Again, I don't care how other people view it, *I* really don't like seeing an exact replica of my car, and can notice even subtle, but substantial enough changes that make me feel all warm and fuzzy and special inside. :D

CLS is cool, just not for me. And I was thinking, although I don't like what I've seen from the new CLS so far, in the case that I do, will I have hit myself for buying a car that is about to get "replaced", when I don't even know what the replacement looks like in person.

I still hate that M-B put the AMG kit on every W212 so all the grannies driving it have that aggressive styling.

Oh well, whaddaya gonna do.

You might wanna check out Mid City Engineering (a sponsor here), they have a VIM kit for W212 for ~500USD, which allows u to watch video in motion (hence the name) as well as enabling address entry for COMAND.

Got the picture up...sort of ruins the moment though! Check my last post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by steelgrey (Post 4096880)

Ahh, that picture is just wrong. :rolf::smash:

Northern Alabama sounds nice, and it does seem tempting to jump some notches in the "car exclusivity" area, however, I think I'll stick with Cali for now. :D Thanks for the info and, erm, appetizing picture. :cheers:

OK so some initial pics, didn't wanna post these as they suck, but oh well. Gonna get some proper ones once I get things all Tinted this week (hopefully some with the car all original as well). Been so crazy these weeks haven't gotten a sec:

http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_1738-1.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...c/IMG_1722.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...c/IMG_1744.jpg
http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/a...IMG_1737-1.jpg

Nice!! It's my no. 1 combo. But with dogs and renovating a house there wasn't much to do about it, had to pick black...

Very nice, K-A. Congrats! :y

Although, I do think those chrome strips on the bottom of the doors look out of place.

No pictures of the tail lights? They actually grow on you over time & the design will start to make more sense. Mirror image of what I own except mine was a 3/10 build so I need to avoid getting hit from the sides.

I still can't get over the funky monkey styling of the W212. Blah. And I never will, trust me! :nonono:

Next car is a 997TT or F10 M5; if it's a MB it'll have to be the S65.

But I'm not going to take over K-A's old position here on the forums :rant:

So don't worry. :p:

Quote:

Originally Posted by ipp (Post 4098791)

Nice!! It's my no. 1 combo. But with dogs and renovating a house there wasn't much to do about it, had to pick black...

Thanks! Yeah, I know what you mean, I haven't had to do more than dust an interior of my car in a long time, I'm already afraid of having to literally "clean" off an interior that is light enough it can stain. Hopefully it's worth it.

Side note: As expected, I'm not too thrilled with the dash material on this car. It's the same as the C-Classes it seems, and a little less "polished" and smooth than the W211's. It does seem more tough and durable (perhaps that's why M-B went with it? Or it that wishful thinking), but it ATTRACTS dust, and gets these white "dirt spots" out of nowhere, which the 211 never got. Rental W204's always drove me nuts as the interiors always had these dirt spots on the sticky-ish/rubber-y dashes, and unfortunately it seems the 212 has the same problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuadBenz (Post 4099856)

Very nice, K-A. Congrats! :y

Although, I do think those chrome strips on the bottom of the doors look out of place.

Thanks bud! Do you have the gorgeous F01 yet?? :naughty: On second though, maybe THAT will be my next whip, hehe. :D

You're right about the chrome strips, I noticed that when looking at my car today, like "what is the meaning of that, just so M-B can stick chrome on the doors like the older models, where they actually looked proper"? Then they take the needed chrome off the handles of the non-P2 cars. :crazy:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ninjaryder (Post 4099926)

LOL, no I'm just saving those until I get the rear lights smoked, hehe. I got the model-emblem debadged, and it looks a bit better and cleaner already I think.

I don't hate the back, I just feel it's very down the middle, safe, and doesn't seem to make much of an impression. I'm hoping my "mods"/clean-ups will fix that to me personally, I think they should. With the smoked lights, clean look, and black windows and Pano, I think the rear should hopefully look wicked. Worst case, if I'm still not happy, I'll fork out the extra dough for a Lip.

Either way, I know what you mean, and I hope and hopeful that the "method to the madness" comes across to me, and the rear really ties in and makes sense. Some M-B's and cars in the past have tended to do that.... And some just stay obviously no better explained than "flawed", lol. I can see myself really falling for this cars rear though, once I do some personalized things to it (mentioned).

LOL, I'm sure the W212's before 4/10 are still safer than about any other car in Side Impacts. WTF did M-B change with the "door trim material" anyway? Seems identical to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 220S (Post 4099967)

LOL! Someone's gotta still do it! :D :rolf:

Naturally, as an owner, my tastes will conform to it, and I'm gonna choose to see if for its plus points, but I still and always will acknowledge what I love and/or hate about it, etc. Love her or not, she's a funky looker! I guess that can be a good thing or bad thing, depending on who's answering, lol.

Today it seemed everyone took out their beautiful AMG/AMG Package equipped W211's just to mess with me. I'm probably the only W212 Owner who stops and stares or turns my head to appreciate the W211's great design, haha.

These are such different cars, the 212 just flatters me in a whole different way than the 211 does, comparing them just does each injustice, as they have absolutely polar opposite personalities, yet of course, the natural M-B/E-Class design similarities are still there, which are incredibly important to maintain.

Driving wise, that's where there is no question. The 212 is an obvious evolution of the 211 in that respect, and feels like it does everything just that much better, it truly is just something special to literally drive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by K-A (Post 4100035)

Thanks bud! Do you have the gorgeous F01 yet?? :naughty: On second though, maybe THAT will be my next whip, hehe. :D

F02 actually (F01 = swb, F02 = lwb) :p: hehe, but no. We actually placed an order for one but canceled it before it made it to production. As much as I love the new 7, I can't see myself with a BMW and feel the MB brand, especially the S, has much more prestige than the 7 which leaned me toward the S again, despite just getting rid of ours and the issues we had with ours. I've been seeing a few deals on used S65/600s with low miles that are just way too tempting and makes $100k+ on a 750Li seem absurd. Still can't make a decision however. At this point, I'm going to possibly wait it out on the S550 with the new V8TT.

Nice! I agree. That's why I just didn't wait for the F10. Love it and BMW's new (which is going back to the old basically) direction, but M-B is just more for me, and has always had a higher cache built into me. After some years with the new 7 and 5's on the road, I think BMW's "stock" will start to rise naturally again to me.

Yeah, I would go with the TT V12's! Especially a slightly Used one, great bargain really.

Quote:

Originally Posted by K-A (Post 4098775)

Looks awesome dude. Love the color combo and wheels! BTW I'm totally good with the tail lights

K-A, this is for you. You need to reach deep into the recesses of your brain and tap into what you wrote here on these forums many months ago before the MB dealer you visited last week offered you that cup of KoolAid :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF4QtGwfb2M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E2dNnIlIQI

I drove a F10 550i yesterday afternoon with adaptive drive. My suggestion: don't test drive one. :v:

Where do they have F10's avail for drive???? I will not be able to help myself, lol.

We'll see what happens, hahh.

I definitely remember (and still hold as truth) most of my notes toward the 212. Funny thing is, the SALESMAN I was with didn't even love the 212 all that much, we were both criticizing our identical pet peeves (materials, hood shutline, etc.), yet somehow I ended up in one. Unexplainable really.

Like I always said, I can get myself to fall for the styling if I have to, it was the interior, the rear and the commonality of the AMG Packs all identically equipped that were the deal breakers.

So I guess I'm doing okay, the interior combo and Options I got disguise enough of my materials-problems (except the stupid dash as expected just absorbs dust, like the 204 C-Class), the rear is just something I'm gonna deal with, and like a bit more with the tint, we'll see if that Lip becomes a mandatory, lol.

You have a little write-up to provide regarding the F10??

How much did the one you drive Sticker at??

Quote:

Originally Posted by K-A (Post 4104779)

The F10s are everywhere now. Go to South Bay or BH. The 550i had HUD (really nice system); Dynamic Handling Package (a must); Premium 2; Sports package (with 18 way multi-contour seats.) It had a few other things like Smartphone integration and anthracite trim. It came with the 8 speed sport adaptive auto tranny. And yes, you can still order a MT! The MSRP was $71k. You can also get the plush Nappa leather for an extra 1k MSRP.

I'll write up briefly what I thought, but remember that I come from a different want and desire than you and others here on the W212 forum. Mercedes has little meaning for me in respect to the luxury thing and I couldn't care less about the cachet of the name. In fact, the whole Mercedes stereotype turns me off (I debadged mine right away.) You also know that I had a 2009 E350 that I couldn't stand. It was the most boring car I've ever driven. No wonder they now have a "falling asleep coffee cup icon reminder" LOL. Just understand that performance is the number one issue for me personally. By that I mean I want to be engaged in the driving of the car 100%. I've driven the new W212 350s and 550s and they will put you to sleep. But if that's what one prefers, that's perfectly fine.

Anyway, the F10 with dynamic handling gives you a ride that's notably smoother than the old BMW chassis. No more banging around if indeed you do want to sleep. But in the sport modes it's right back to the BMW ultimate driving machine. This car rocks with having a choice now. The steering is still BMW precise and you can flog it into the corners. There's no body roll whatsoever (at least I couldn't feel any.)

HUD is pretty cool. Not just a gimmick but something that allows you to keep your eyes on the road and still monitor everything. Now HUD is in multiple colors instead of just one (makes it easier to distinguish the different read outs.) Only problem is that it gets lost with polarized sunglasses.

The car is quicker than the E60 550i and with no lag whatsoever. A way stronger torque (450 ft/lbs) and it's now in the lower street usable rpms due to the TTs. The 8 speed sport tranny seems to shift pretty crisp and quick. Although I didn't mess around with it as much as I wanted to (next time I will.)

The car handles BMW precise, yet can be set to comfort if you're on LA cr*p roads. Comfort smooths everything out without you feeling like the car is driving itself (like in the W212.) I'm hooked on Porsche and the classic BMW suspension dynamics but there are times when it's just too stiff because of our bad roads. Now that's all fixed with the F10.

The exhaust is pretty quiet, not very throaty. I'm guessing the M5 will sound a lot better. I noticed the 550i has the squared tailpipes, I guess to help differentiate between the 535i. But I do miss the sound of the E60 V8; the F10 sounds a bit more subdued even at WOT.

I'm going to drive it again in a few weeks at my local dealer. They are a Jag, BMW, Porsche, and MB dealership. So I'll try and set it up with a W212 and F10 back-to-back. Anything you want me to specifically compare?

K-A, I know the inside little bits and pieces are important to you. So, let me say that the interior is more "Scandinavian" feeling than the W212. By that I mean it's much more clean and minimalist. The materials are really nice and most of all, the ergonomics are set up for driving. Clean lines, very smooth and no frilly chrome-like stuff. Every piece conforms to each other. I dislike the W212 because it tends to jump all over the place. In the F10 each piece works with each other, there are no abrupt jumps. It's a full turn-around from the blander E60. It's a richer feeling but not at all overcooked. The multi-contour seats are really comfortable (for me) and although the leather isn't rough like the MB standard leather, I'd personally get the Nappa.

Anyway, each to their own. This car fits me now after that E60 weirdness! The M5 will be ready next year. Then we'll be able to see how the F10 fares in the real world. Concerns are the turbos (heat) and the HPFPs. But MB will be facing those issues, too. With DI, FI, and high pressure pumps, reliability issues are suspect. We'll have to see.

I'll be waiting until autumn of next year before I make the jump. My rule is still to never get the first year model of anything. But the F10 looks to be on the money for me. The M5 should be a real performer (no more SMG and no more too stiff a chassis when you don't want it to be.)

I'm curious ... how old are you and what do you do for a livng. Please don't BS me. Generic terms will be fine. Thanks.

Awesome, thanks for the review.

How would you compare the interior materials in each car, plastics, etc.? Would be something if BMW outdoes M-B in M-B's own home-court.

So are F10's for Sale already, or just on display, for Test Drives, etc.? I gotta try and make it out to drive one when I get the chance.

If I did go for the F10, the 535 with M-Pack would have had to be the one I'd want. I'm certain that it would probably be more than what my E MSRP'd for (I hope, or else that's a helluva bang for the buck that I missed out on, due to that V6 TT motor VS the 3.5 V6).

As for comparisons, I guess aside from the obviouses in performance (which I don't think will be much of a question), I'm curious to know which drives smoother, considering equal cars (528/535 VS E350, 550 VS E550, etc.), feels stronger, etc. All the boring stuff that can't really be put on paper, lol. I have high hopes for the F10, meaning, I expect it to keep the BMW performance over M-B, but apparently, it's supposed to hang in the comfort, quietness, etc. areas as well. Now that I have the 212, I'm rooting for the F10 to fall short in those areas for sure, lol.

How'd you like the styling in person? I see opinions ranging from "Gorgeous, sculpted, more interesting in person than in Photo's", to "Boring/bland, not much more interesting sheet-metal work than what you see in Photo's".

I like that the interior is flowing in it, I do find the E's waay different approach to provide a great driving environment on its own, but I always appreciate sensual lines, and cohesive workings.

Quote:

Originally Posted by steelgrey (Post 4104986)

I'm curious ... how old are you and what do you do for a livng. Please don't BS me. Generic terms will be fine. Thanks.

Me?

I'm 28, and to be extremely broad, I work in "Entertainment" related fields.

In other words, "I'm a Hustler baby". :D :rolf:

No, I just work hard, and I save well, and don't spend much money on anything, besides cars. I should be investing in property.... Maybe that'll be next. I'm not "wealthy" or anything yet, however, I had $0 to my name at the age of 24, so I'm trying to enjoy what I have worked for, while still being as wise as I can with it.

I like to buy things Cash, usually, as I hate making high Payments every month, makes me feel more comfortable. But decided to do it the other way around, more or less, this time.