bradeer

Okay, so I'm finally getting an 11 E 350 this week, Prem1, heated seats, wood stearing wheel, luxury pkg. I'm torn between Iridium/Black or Capri/Almond. I'm leaning towards Silver because of maintenance and swirl marks. Any thoughts??

Tjdehya

Everyone knows that Black is the fastest color. They brake better, corner better and ride smoother than any other color E.
It’s a known fact that a black E350 is 2x faster than a white E550 and 1.5x faster than any other color E550.
My E550 is faster than all E63's but the black one.

So forget about the Iridium/Black or Capri/Almond and get Black/Black.

boschk

They don't feature silver on black in the vast majority of ads for nothing. BUT, I will say, black IS easier to repair chips on . With silver, impossible to get chips to blend.

K-A

That's interesting to hear. Why is that? Because of the Metallic? And I'm assuming that you're speaking about using Touch-Up Paint? Also, how well is it to match White? I'm assuming easy, as it's also a solid/non metallic color.

Pntblnk

Have had the rainbow on various makes and found that for me it comes down to the "Big 3".

Black - Hands down looks the best when clean...unfortunately that is a fleeting moment and one that lasts about 1/2 day after washing. I spent an inordant amount of time trying to keep my black cars clean....dusters, spray detailer, etc... It was an impossible task. Also shows every imperfection in the paint.... major or slight. dings, dents, scuffs, scratches, swirls and rubs are all your enemy.

Silver - one of my classic colors, a timeless shade that sheds dirt, dust, and grime. Always looks clean unless taken though VERY dirty water or heavy bugs. Weak spot it that scratches show big even if only on the clear as they take on a white line in the silver. My last two silver cars killed me to wash / wax after the first couple years as scratches accumulated.

White - Classic color like Silver and sheds dirt almost as well as silver. Can't hide brown / black road grime well on lower panels and get's dingy when ignored for too long. The major Advantage white has over silver is that it hides everything including scratches amazingly well. For me it is the perfect blend of easy maintenance, good looks and style. YRMV

For me most other colors come and go or have very specific applications - EX. red's, yellow's and green's are more for sports cars.

BudC

We were going to get another white car but Mercedes went to all black interiors with relatively small inserts in the doors that match the color of the seats. We didn't like the looks of that (tacky?) so we got silver with black leather.

You can no longer get lighter colored interiors (dash, roof lining, etc.). Mercedes has one color fits all now. It must reduce manufacturing costs.

E550Shopper

Actually, you can get interiors of all one light color, but only on the "Luxury" models. Unfortunately dealerships often don't stock these -- they stock the Sport models, which have the two-tone look you describe -- so you have to order them.

Here's a pic:

http://www.insideline.com/mercedes-b...t-gallery.html

BudC

Light interiors are no longer available on the 2011 W212's. I just ordered a new Luxury E550 and there was only one option, all black dash, roof lining, etc. My salesman was surprised to learn this but he verified that it was true.

Go to MBUSA and configure a car and you will see that it is so. My wife and I were so mad we almost decided to keep our white '08 E350 with the beautiful Cashmere interior.

E550Shopper

Hm, I don't know. Luxury models have never been configurable on the E's on MBUSA.com, as far as I know. It's only ever been Sport options. This isn't true of Sport/Luxury only -- there are a number of options you can build at the dealer that you can't build online, e.g., 115V outlet, heated steering wheel, rear side window shades, etc.

I have a build sheet from back in November / December on an E550 with Almond/Mocha interior. At that time you also couldn't configure Almond/Mocha online either.

BudC

Go to MBUSA and configure an E550. You will see that Sport Styling is an option under Packages. You will also see there is no longer a Mocha option. I believe that 115V is standard.

I can't address the heated steering wheel but I haven't heard of that being an option on an E-Class.

When I had my salesman on the phone, he checked to see if the Mocha option was still available and he said that it wasn't.

Victor

In canada E550 is only available in sport models so Canadians are stuck with two tone colour. I also like one tone interior.

I am waiting to order my 2012 E550 and hoping that they change that with 2012 models but not hoping much on this.

BudC

In the U.S. the only thing that makes the Sport unique so far as interior color is concerned is that you can get something called Natural Beige leather. If you select this color, you automatically get the Sport option.

BenzE350

I won't offer any advice on color because it's so subjective - but I think pntblnk summed up the color choices spot on.

However, unless you have great eyes I would suggest you consider the P2 option for the superior bi-xenon headlamps. The standard lights are pretty weak.

BudC

The P2 option also gets you Keyless Go. We have it on our 2008 and my wife insisted we get it on the E550 we ordered. The only problem is that if you have another car without it, you'll keep jerking the door handle trying to open the door

ngerstman

I think that Mercedes has a great palette of colors, lots of great choices. I fell in love with indium grey after seeing it at the dealer. I've had a silver e320 and also have an obsidian black e55. While Indium grey is a less popular color, I don't regret my choice at all. Still love it. Look at them all in person, spend some time with the one you think you want and then decide. Regards. Ned.

samkimg

+1 on the P2 pkg., the features make the cars look better and the lights at night are amazing!

The 792 Paladium Silver / 201 Black Leather combo should also be considered. They used it in the "My Car Did" commercials as modeled after my car's configuration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9Jcdq3EGdY and during the car shots , it looks fantastic.

As for Black being the fastest MB around? I'll leave that to other's imaginations ... LOL

fromthebeginnin

Great write up, but as someone said in the past (not sure who it was) "keeping a black car perfect is part-time job", my last three MB's were black and he was surely correct. I'm sure you will be happy whichever color you select.

E550Shopper

Just so we're on the same page: "Mocha" is probably never an option, though it will show up on a proper build sheet. The color scheme is "Almond / Mocha", i.e. the seats, door inserts, door panels, and headliner are all in "almond", and the dash and the area just below the windows are in "mocha".

I've been to MBUSA.com many times. I'm just saying that as far as I know, Luxury colors have never been included in the online configurator -- this is nothing new, and I don't think it really indicates anything. However, Luxury color schemes have been buildable at the dealership. I built one in December, and also sat in one that the dealer had on their lot around the same time.

115V outlet isn't a standard option -- it's an additional $115 option. But, it's not listed as an option in the online configurator. Again, this is just to say that the online configurator is a fairly limited subset of what's available to build.

It *is* available in NetStar, the MB's dealer configuration tool. But again, it's not listed online. Other options available at the dealer that don't appear online include rear side airbags, manual rear window shades...probably a couple of other things I'm forgetting.

For that matter, designo exterior paints have been available for order for quite some time, but you'd never know that if you were just looking at the online config tool.

In my experience, most MB salesmen don't know what they're talking about when building cars -- they "specialize" in selling cars off the lot. On this very issue, I had two separate issues with salesmen. One told me that only two-tone was available. Then a week later I was sitting in an almond/mocha car at his dealership. Another dealer told me that you couldn't order a 550 Luxury. I pointed to the E-class brochure where they show a 550 Luxury. He told me you can't trust what you see in the brochures (what?). I asked him to check it out in the computer. 10 minutes later, he comes back and tells me it is in fact possible. Needless to say, I didn't get a car from either of these dealerships.

As I mentioned earlier, I built an E550 at another dealership that included the Almond/Mocha Luxury scheme back in December. I guess it's possible that they've run out of the parts since then, or something, but that seems hard to imagine.

Anyway, I'm just trying to help you out man. If it were me, I'd be calling a different dealer and pressing them on it. But to each their own.

BudC

I went to the German and England websites and they do not have Mocha as an option either.

If you will take the trouble to check MBUSA now you will see that Sport is optional so you definitely can configure either Luxury or Sport. Sport has an additional color that's not available on the Luxury and if you choose it, the configuration will automatically select the Sport option.

I was the one who told my salesman about no longer having Mocha as an option and he checked and found that I was right.

My salesman has been selling Mercedes for years and he's a manager at the dealership. He goes to the factory in Sindelfingen once a year and he's going again at the end of March.

I can't change my order because it's being built a week from Friday. It's too late. If I thought there would have been the slightest chance that Mocha was available I would have ordered it. I'm convinced it is not.

It was available earlier in the 2011 model year but not now.

hyperion667

LOL, and they stay cleaner longer..........



but yes, go for the black!

ImInPA

While it is common knowedge that E-classes in Black are the fastest, keep i mind that the non-metalic black is considerably faster and better handling than the Obsidian Black. Most importantly, remember, black is not so much a color...it is more of a lifestyle.

LaicepsYdobon

Silver is the "official" MB color because of its racing heritage and they tend to showcase their cars in Silver. I didn't want to get black because it is a b*tch to keep clean (but there is nothing hotter than a shinny black car) and it also hides some of the angles of the body. I didn't want silver because it was too light and there are already too many silver cars on the road so I got the color inbetween; Steel Grey. Darker than silver but lighter than black. Steel Grey on black; I personally love it...

El Cid

Have had many different colors of cars, but only one was black. It was too hard to keep clean and showed all kinds of swirl marks from washing and waxing. Have a friend who came to same conclusion re: black.
I went back and forth on colors and finally opted for Palladium Silver over light gray interior Luxury model. Had to order it, but only took about six weeks to get here.
Very happy with the color. It almost looks like a light gray in most light. Barely shows dirt/grime at all.
If at all possible, you must see the actual color on a car-neither the website nor the brochure shows the colors the way they really are.

bradeer

Thanks for all the feedback, this forum is always helpful. I think I decided on the Iridium Silver. I'm going to buy and keep for awhile and I think for the long term it will hold up the best.

BudC

If you live in Arizona, the term hot as it applies to black has more than one meaning