BenzE350

20 minute change over? You must be Mr. Goodwrench.

If it's really that easy I'd recommend you pop on the stock for a few weeks to see if you like it more.

20 minutes...it will probably take you more time to read all the replies to your question.

K-A

THIS! (except I'd never take the stand up Star off of my hood!)

COME BACK PHILLY?!

Star grille is generic throughout the model range now, and IMO looks pretty cheesy and devaluing on an E. It also looks like a "I wanted a Coupe but my Wife made me buy the Sedan" type of thing.

Stock grille is so dynamic, clean, and complimenting of the design. My GF saw my car from the front the other day (randomly, so she assumed it was somebody else's car), and said she thought it was the "fanciest looking front end she's ever seen".

Also the stock grille on this car is almost evil, in a confident, stately, and classy/luxurious way. IMO, that all goes out the window with the Star grille (when the proportions of the front are not designed by M-B to fit the Star grille in the first place, that is). With the Coupe grille, you just get this oddly fitting/distracting/taking way from the overall picture, funny "hi, how are you doing" kind of smile.

OK, that's my ever-so-humble opinion. Worst case, you can always change back and forth from one to the other, when you get bored!

BPhillyBenz

Game over - No need for even a two minute warning. Stocks win in a landslide 18-2. Wow!!! Thanks for all the feedback guys...Im headed out to the garage now. Going to swap it back. New Poll will be a Over/Under to see how long it takes my wife to notice. Vegas places the odds at 2 weeks!!!
Enjoy the Super Bowl Everyyone!!! Thanks again.

K-A

HAH! Looks like your Wife is like my GF.

And I quote, another thing she said when she unexpectedly and randomly saw my car: "I was at first thinking, wow, that guy's car looks like something my BF would want to drive".....

WTF is it with them?

She once mistook my Rental Hyundai Elantra (Silver), with my old S500 (also Silver).

MCF

HA...see!!! Your GF (tell her I said hi btw...hehehe) mistook an Elantra for an S500 and you wonder how my wife can't tell the difference between a Sport and a Luxury. I parked the two side by side and she literally said, "I can't really tell any difference". Women (most) are simply not as OCD about cars as guys are...as long as it's clean, looks 'pretty' and nice, most don't really seem to care too much.

BPhillyBenz

Transfer is complete.

JP465NY

Did you replace the hood emblem also?

BPhillyBenz

Yep, I went back to the upright star.

threeMBs

I already have coupe. My wife demanded star grill for her W212 sedan (its her car). She also had star grill on her W211 as well. (Both cars are white/pano, so these star grills look quit good for that combo).

FYI, MB dealers' parts department(s) have Star grill (its a bit different than one pictured above) for W212 ... its about $500. They also have it for W211 (this one became available about 4/5 years ago) for about the same $$. So MB offers these grills (not identical to pictured here, but inferior looking IMO, while being well made) as accessories. This W212 star grill above is $185 shipped to your door, and is much better made aftermarket star grill (on par with MB's $500) than most aftermarket star grills for W211, for example, that I saw.

threeMBs

Would you have gone back to stock had this poll produced a different result?

K-A

Just to clarify; what I meant by "proportionally", is how M-B designs the grille openings to look appropriate with one or the other, i.e there isn't a "one size fits all" in terms of how they design the whole front end.

For example, the W204 C-Class was clearly designed in mind for the Star grille, which is why it looks funny and weird with the Luxury grille (narrow vertically, yet wide opening).

The W212 (and Luxury Grilles) stand taller, have taller openings, which don't work well with the Star grille's (hence why when you see W212 aftermarket grille's, they keep that big chrome border at the top, which M-B never use on genuinely design Star grille's).

BPhillyBenz

Hi threeMB's. Good question...Yeh, I was thinking about returning to OEM for the last month or so. When I got the Star Grill, I thought it was the bomb (and still do like it), however the more time I've had with the car, the more I thought I was just messing around with the integrity of the look too much (I also missed the upright star). I was really surprised at the lop-sided-ness of the poll (game) results, but I was going to change it back regardless. Who knows, maybe I will change it back n forth whenever I get tired of the look. Thanks for asking anyway. Enjoy yours!!! Go Packers!!!

MBBobby

Another vote for stock!

BTW, Philly- Transformation not complete until avatar is changed.

Enjoy!

fromthebeginnin

Brian glad your back, stock all the way, KA beat me into the ground so I never even tried it!!

Post the pictures.

BPhillyBenz

Yep...I was fighting K-A all along thinking it was better on "the dark side". Glad I switched back. Both are nice...this just feels right to me now. I will post pictures once this lovely freezing rain moves out of the East Coast. Man... I miss California.

K-A

LOL! It seems to be a big pet peeve of mine, doesn't it.

FTB, that picture is a perfect example of how well the grill is designed to perfectly compliment, and characterize the W212!

Glad to have you back Philly! Looking forward to some pics.

BPhillyBenz

Did I just have "an out of body experience" or did the Mercedes commercial during the Super Bowl feature Four new 2012 models, ALL with the Star Grill?

Arrie

I tried to locate the E350- E550 in there too but all was, like you said, star grilles. Is the star grille MB is going for?

That would be cool as I have the star grille and still like it.

K-A

Yeah, all M-B's but the E and S have the Star grill.

This is why things are changing, as the Star grill got popular because it was the rarer option (only on the SL, S-Coupe really, for a period). Now, the Luxo grill is the rarer option, so it brings the value and visual impact of it up.

For the record, I love M-B's Star grill when the Designers DESIGN the front to fit with it (not the case with the W212), but the Luxo grill looks more unique right now, and the newest iterations (W212, and facelift W221), are just ultimately bada$$ IMO, and better looking than the star grill look on newer M-B's.

Also, on a personal note, nothing on a vehicle is more prestigious and iconic/classic to me than the upright Star on the hood. I love the visual of it when I'm driving. I feel like it'd be naked without it!

Tjdehya

They were all sport coupes. Mercedes coupes only come with the star grill.

golfster

And the C sedan as well as SUV's and R.

K-A

Basically, it's as simple as this:

Two cars get the exclusive Luxury Grill: E and S Class.

You don't have bulky American made SUV's, and lower priced entry-level models invading on your territory.

Tjdehya

Right now its only the Sedans (C, E, and S) have the Luxury grill with the standing star. I wonder if MB will make the star grill an option for the E and the S sport trims at some point.

Merc_F1

stock luxury grille and paint it matte black

T_Bone

+1 for stock. IMO the star grille is just too "in your face"