New article positioning all three as 'tough' competitors and the cars to watch in this segment. They will later do some performance comparisons. If you can't read German, you still have the pictures.

http://www.autozeitung.de/auto-neuhe...sten-vergleich

There are typically more engine choices in Europe, especially in the diesels. They rate the E350 V6 as having 292 hp and being a DI motor. (I do realize that hp is always higher in the ROW than here....)

The 350 with DI and the 7 speed tranny: 350 CGI, ein 292 PS starker V6 mit Direkteinspritzung und Siebengang-Wandlerautomatik.

Denke Schoen!. I like what they said about the day in, day out overall superiority of the MB. (Actually, not sure if they said anything like that at all as I am not fluent in German, but one can hope.)

Here are some pics from another comparo. I think this segment is the best segment out there right now, all doing what they do best, although, BMW's 5'er is inching closer to M-B territory.... Still, it makes me like it even more-so.

For me, the E take #1, 5'er #2, and A6 right behind it at #3. The A6's front is very over styled IMO, it seems like the Marketers were so underwhelmed by the carefully evolved styling, they said "you need to do something crazy with the front". What followed is a front end that looks too goofy and crazy for such a clean and pure car, the front actually makes the sides and back look very dated IMO. Otherwise, I respect them for not making the rest of the cars styling gimmicky, and having the confidence to do a clean and careful evolution, in this day and age where every maker is scrambling to do something goofy as the "next big thing".

Thanks KA, I so much was looking for a sizzling HOT Audi A6, I was disappointed, TBH I think it's now their blandest cars. I always liked the BMW's, performance and handling but again the styling was rather pedestrian, and at the time the incremental cost was not worth it, at least for me. I vote the MB W212 number 1 all around, and not because I have one but because I really do think it's a better car from a value and performance standpoint.

Wow the wood trim in the Audi is FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGLY.

As one who has owned both a 2011 BMW 535i and a 2011 Mercedes I can tell you there is no comparison. The Mercedes has the BMW beat in appearance, ride, quality, you name it.

I say a Toyota Avalon today and realized that from the rear it looks like a BMW 535i except better. The Toyota has a strip of chrome across the trunk lid that adds some class to the appearance. The BMW is just plain looking from the rear.

Nice job K-A!!! The new Audi is visually unimpressive both inside and especially outside. They took all that time to come up with that!!!!!. Being an unbiased Mercedes owner for 20+ years, I think that the 212 is the all around winner from both an interior and exterior perspective. I really think they did a great job. It wasn't easy for me to like the 212 and initially I resisted. I was emotionally invested in the 210 body being an owner of the 2000 e320 and the 2001 e55. I never fully warmed up to the 211 body and thought a lot of the interior felt cheap, especially the controls for the climate control, which I liked better in my 210's. I'm very sensitive to cheap feeling knobs and controls. While I have not driven the new BMW, I have driven the last 535ix that my sister owns, good but not great. The new Mercedes 212's are just built so well and feel so solid. And obviously drive like a Mercedes. That's enough for me. The winner and still champ!!!! Regards. Ned.

I believe that the current European E350 CGI is a DI version of the M272, i.e. the current V6. This is not the same engine as the new DI V6 due in 2012.

I quite like the A6 wood trim. It's certainly different and quite Scandinavian looking.

Overall though, I think the A6 interior looks a bit BMW-like.

FYI. I you open up the 220S's link that opens this thread and click on the image, it will give you a pretty good in and out tour of each car. Regards. Ned.

Thank you, and agreed! Actually, I feel the W212 is more a continuation of character of the W210 than W211, so I think you'll be continuously pleased with it. I initially revolted against the W212 considering I love and owned a W211, but I obviously dropped my own guard quite a bit.

I too am extremely sensitive to cheap feeling knobs, controls, and materials. Funny side topic: Today I sat in an SLS, and the radio is straight out of the C-Class, with flimsy buttons that feel much cheaper than the W212. Weird. And I agree about the W211's Climate Controls, weak link of that cars interior by far, and feel pretty cheap.

Audi interior quality is generally quite nice, but the pop-up display systems, even on the A8, always left me with the impression it was an afterthought addition.

I drive my mom's F10 time to time and I love the new 8spd tranny.

My sentiments exactly. Looks like there's significantly more lateral leg room in the benz cause of the narrower center console as well. I think the Audi looks good in those pics but in reality it doesn't look that good. Those pics don't do the benz justice either. Always said that about the MB.

How do you like the car overall, compared to your E?

What do you guys think of the flat instrument cluster without the 'hooded dials' in this photo? I prefer it.

IMO the use of hooded dials by Mercedes is getting out of hand. The 2012 C-Class and CLS are good examples of this.

I like that classic look, however I actually really like the hooded dials. M-B is having a tendency to go WAY too far with styling gimmicks these days, enough so to make it seem like they're "beating on a dead horse".

I agree that the hooded dials in the E are OK, but the new CLS has what looks like three 'tunnels' attached to the instruments. Complete overkill.

To me, F10's interior feels so much better than my E.
Much wider screen, more user friendly iDrive, and the seat felt more comfortable.

I hate to hear that, but I gotta say that the F10's interior feels outstanding, and looks mostly great. I've only sat in F10's with fully loaded Options, and Nappa leather, so naturally, the seats were a lot cozier.

I do know that I love the E's exterior more though.

I felt the same way, I prefer the BMW seats as they're more comfortable to me, too. I also found that the latest iDrive is excellent and very easy to use. The graphics, the screen size and resolution, the detail of the maps with Nav; all the functions its capable of and its overall usability as a complete system is now really great compared to what it was years ago. MB needs to get on the ball quickly with the next version of COMAND. And I'm guessing it will soon be more competitive.

I do like the fluidity of the F10 interior design. I think the main thing that bothers me about the W212 interior is the use of silver paint esp on the vents and the chunky rectangular V-shape of the center vent surround. Also the chrome surround gauges and the 1960s Corvette style 'tunnel' hood of the gauges. It's just all too 'chopped-up' and 'clunky' looking, imho.

I also don't like the wide flat center consoles of both the Audi and the W212. They're just fat and flat and 'sit' there. They need some slight shaping or something, even something minor so they don't look like a slab. And the W212 needs a cleaner three spoke steering wheel like the others instead of the clunky looking 4 spoke that MB decided to use (it looks like an old Porsche wheel from 1994.)

The W212 just needs some 'de-cluttering' done to clean it up a bit, imho. It's too choppy with odd shapes here and there that make no real design sense.

If I could get an AMG (or MB V8) motor, tranny, and suspension attached to the rear end of the F10 and the front end of the W212, and the side profile of the A6, and also get the F10 interior and iDrive system, then I might be a happy camper.

p.s., anybody know for sure why the E Class doesn't have an electric parking brake like the rest of the world instead of the ancient foot pedal?

I agree with you but I think I would also be happy with just an F10 iDrive in the W212 and the rear end of the Jaguar.
What do you think about the new steering whell in the new CLS, C, and SLK? I was thinking that MB might put it in the W212 at some point.

The thing that keeps multiple car manufacturers in business is different tastes.

I have owned both a 2011 BMW 535i and a 2011 E550. IMHO the command system in the MB is more user friendly than the idrive in the BMW. The active ventilated seat in the BMW is like an afterthought the way the lower part of the seat extends and leaves a huge "valley" that looks bad and is a trap for debris. The massage seat in the BMW is more of a weak vibrator than a massage. The need to pull the inside door handle twice in the BMW to open the door is a pain in the a**. (I will not comment on the significant differences in ride and engine performance between the two cars since the N/A V8 compared to a 3.0 turbo V6 is an apple to oranges comparison.) Styling is certainly in the eyes of the beholder -- from my perspective the E class wins both interior and exterior. The MB has more interior storage space with the compartments under the two front seats. The BMW from the rear looks like a Toyota Avalon without the trim piece on the trunk lid. Granted, the BMW did have some better features than the MB. The Nav screen is larger, the rear camera has effective guiding lines for parking, the Sat radio display tells you what is actually playing on all channels that are being displayed not just the channel one is listening to. However, overall the MB is a much more comfortable car and much better looking.

When similarly equipped, the 535i is not much less than the E550 and several $K higher than the E350.

Yeah, if we include the Jag I'd add much of its design philosophy to my list.

I like that new wheel a lot. And the hefty thumb locks at 3 and 9. Actually I like the interior cockpit of the CLS a lot better. But I have a feeling they won't use that 3-spoke wheel as standard in the W212. I think the W212 is more the "mature" buyer's car (as is the S) and a different demographic than the CLS and SLK (and the C tends to be more of a younger buyer.) It seems like people who shop non-AMG W212s are generally older and more conservative and also like wood steering wheels, etc.. But maybe it could be an option? And/or maybe it can be easily installed later if so desired.

Just for the record, my impressions/comparisons are based on the 550i and also the M package 550i versus the E550. And again, it's all subjective and merely my observation (I think the rear of the W212 looks like a Camry or Hyundai if we are speaking Japanese comparisons.) I agree nothing will be perfect for everybody, and I have major likes and dislikes with all three of the cars I currently own (BMW, Porsche, and AMG.)

I like the sleeker center consol of the Mercedes. Both the Audi and the BMW have fat center consolsand seem to make the driver compartment more cramped looking. BMW interiors have always been that way. Regards. Ned.