Zinny

Even when you upgrade to the leather you lose the smell?

K-A

I was gonna get a Leather W212, and after sitting in it, smelling the inside, etc. I was REALLY disappointed in the leather quality (and smell). It really didn't feel (or smell) much different to me than the M-B Tex.

I'm all for nice, and rich smelling leather, but if the leather doesn't feel premium (a'la W221 S-Class Nappa Leather), than I'd rather go M-B Tex, as it's a very tried and true quality "imitation", that wears better and more durably.

That said, if they threw in Leather for free, of course I'd take it.

reckrab

Sorry for the confusion. This is my first Benz and it doesn't have leather because they typically don't come that way. I'm sure you will get the leather smell if you ordered the car with leather.

hyperion667

yesterday I went to the dealer to get a couple of things done......I was blown away
by how this place works! it was my first time getting to see the shop too.....very impressive........those places are a real machine!
and of course......like everyone knows.....the 550's power is ridiculous!

pmb600

I was in an E-Class Coupe with the optional Nappa leather and it smells amazing. The S-Class "Premium" leather upgrade is actually another step above it is Semi-aniline, no nappa on offer for the 221 S-Class.

MCF

Oh I have to disagree. I made sure I got leather. Not only is the covering different, the entire seat is different. The support is better, the bolsters are better, and they are MUCH softer to the feel. I test drove many with MBTEX and only one with real leather. Went with the real leather. I would kick myself every time I got in the car if I didn't get leather. And yes, it does have a nice smell, just like all new cars with leather, but again, like all cars with leather, that smell disappears eventually, but the soft touch and the non-sticky breathiness (is that a word) of leather never goes away. Like another member once said, they don't make horse saddles out of MBTEX for a reason.

Zinny

Do the E550 come standard with nappa leather?

K-A

The one thing the Coupe has on the Sedan IMO is those outstanding seats. Not even does the E63 come with Nappa.

To the question above, the E550 does not come with Nappa. The Leather it uses, to me personally, is a bit too close to feeling like the "plastic" of M-B Tex. I wrote about it in depth when I bought my car.

But to each their own, many people refuse to sit in a plastic seated Premium Luxury car that costs $60K, and for good reason as well.

I figure, for me, I find that Nappa and above are satisfactory Leather seats to me, and M-B Tex is about the only Vinyl that I find to be acceptable. Being that I got the Vinyl, two things I can tell myself to try and make me feel good about it are: I'm not sitting on cow skin, and it'll wear more durably and withstand much more abuse.

As for smell, my car smells like a rich "new car" right now, and I'm sure Leather could only enhance that. When they start wearing (both materials), they'll obviously start smelling even more differently.

M-B had it right with the pre face-lift W211: Real leather on the front seat inserts (where you sit and touch, for the more supple feel), and M-B Tex everywhere else (for the added durability) on non-leather cars. Too bad they cost-cut that out as well.

MCF

I agree 100%...."M-B had it right with the pre face-lift W211: Real leather on the front seat inserts (where you sit and touch, for the more supple feel), and M-B Tex everywhere else (for the added durability) on non-leather cars". This is the ideal compromise.

Zinny

Do those massage seats work well? And the ventilation?

K-A

park423

Agree on the need for power folding side mirrors
Also, no guidelines on the back-up camera, my wife's ML has them and they are extremely helpful
550 Power is very nice

BenzE350

Agree on the power folding mirrors, but especially the lack of guidelines on the back-up camera. What would be the incremental cost of adding a few lines?

Also agree on not using real leather for the seating surfaces. I recently purchased some beatiful home-theater power recliners and to save money I got real leather on the seating surfaces, but everything else is some version of the MB-Tex. Good compromise.

RW C55

I want to conplain about the mileage left thing in the dash display. Normally it tells you how muc distance of gas you have left in your gas tank, but when the car is running low with fuel and the indicator is on, the computer doesnt tell how much further u can drive anymore, instead it shows u fuel level low or something like that. I mean, no **** i know the fuel is low from the fuel guage, but i want to know if i can hold on a few more miles before refueling. My w203 was able to do that even when the indicator is on. I wonder if all the w212s are like that, and if there's any way to change it.

That leads me to another complaint, the red rear turning signal lights. I've always thought they looked cool until last night, when my car stalled on the middle of the road(was on my way to gas station too!!!). So I had my emergency lights flashing, but guess what! The cars kept waiting behind me unitl i got out of the car and pointed them to the other lane. Only a few people changed lane before coming to a complete stop behind my car. My guess is that people are not used to the red turning signal lights, and Im not sure MB made the right decision changing it from amber.

Other than that, Im quite suprised how well the car is built. Granted it's only 9 months old, there no mechanical issue(except the recent reall.. but i havnt recieved any words from the dealer?) nor any squeaks/noise. I hope it'll stay this way for a few more years

El Cid

I looked/test drove cars with MB Tex and Leather. Obviously a difference, but not one I was willing to pay extra for.
Since I got an E350, leather would have been $1,500 extra. If free, probably OK, but not worth it IMO based on my experiences with three previous cars from three different makes.
As for "leather" smell, either it goes away or I got used to it pretty quickly.
Spoke to other MB owners and they actually recommended the MB Tex for color fastness, ageing ability, wear resistance, etc.

Zinny

I have that on my Audi and it really helps!

I have a feeling there may be a patent issue with it.

SL Boy

A couple of you have commented on the poor navigation system. I live in the UK and it is an absolute piece of cr*p. Mercedes acknowledge they have made a major mistake with the W212 E class satnav system - 5 disk upgrades have occured since the model launch last year and Mercedes made an announcement six months ago that all new E class owners in Europe would get 3 years worth of updates free of charge.

Even the latest update - Sepember 2010 - falls woefully short of acceptable. The route planning software is incapable of planning the quickest/fastest route to anywhere, the system often directs you in the direction opposite to that you are supposed to go and the POI (points of interest) information is a complete joke. For example, the restaurant database comprises listings of catering companies and indian and chinese takeaways. The French restaurant listing comprises indian, chinese and pizza houses, not French.

K-A

I agree about the turn signals. Sure, red is a cooler and better looking color than Amber, and vanity wise may be preferable, but the functionality of the taillights is too monochromatic, and can be confusing. M-B should have stuck with the amber markers for the U.S (Europe still gets them ), I'd go as far as to say they may be sacrificing a smidge of safety without them.

That sucks your car stalled! Hopefully you don't have too many miles so that poor AMG motor didn't have to suck up too much crap.

I forgot to add. If I had black seats, I'd be way more inclined to go with leather. My Almond seats were a big influence as to why I accepted M-B Tex as well. As light colored leather calls for WAY more attention than I want to give it (plus, I'm afraid of stains, etc. moreso with leather). Not to mention, the Almond to me adds a sense of richness to the interior, that makes up for the lack of leather, subjectively speaking. All in all, I just am a big hater of doing interior conditioning treatments, I put enough attention to my cars outside, I just want the interior to be tough and durable enough to look new for a lifetime by simply keeping it clean always via wipedowns.

Arrie

If the comment of papent issue relates to lines in Back-Up camera at least in Germany MB has the lines in the picture.

Perhaps patent issues keep MB from having "parking lines" in back-up camera picure here in U.S. but in Germany (means probably whole Europe) they don't.

pmb600

One of my favorite features of the W212 is the HOLD function on the brake. I've gotten so used to it now, I really miss it when I'm driving a car without it.

Zinny

What is the hold function?

Tjdehya

The car holds the brakes for you so you dont have to have your foot on the brake pedal at traffic lights or in traffic.
I test drove a BMW X6 that had the automatic hold function. IMO that works better than having to tap the brake in our cars.

Zinny

Wow...that sounds like a cool feature. I did not even know the w212 came with that!??!

jp2369

About the leather comments I have a e350 sport white and have the natural beige/black(its actually an almond or peanut butter color) leather package .When i was looking for car i said i did not need this package but once I saw and sat in it I loved it !! What a huge difference from the mb-tex and you can def smell the diff .Had a w211 with mb tex and now I'll never go back.The seats are actually Fitted differently with more design to them.



And for the valve stem caps My car actully came with metal caps that say nitrogen on them. Never saw that before but not complaing

hyperion667

LOL, nobody is controling my brakes but ME, lol.......that's nuts!
and you know, I still can't find the backseat coffee grinder!!