Road Trip - results and observations
03-07-2011, 01:11 AM
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Road Trip - results and observations
Just completed a 750 mile round trip in my 2011 E350 to LA and back on US 101 and thought I’d share my experience of the E350 on the highway. Overall, a wonderful ride that was so smooth and quiet under all the road conditions (sunny, rainy, crowded, empty) that it was comfortable enough to put my wife to sleep. 
Here are the highlights:
*I logged a very respectable 26 MPH average for the trip which beat the sticker by 2 MPH. Not bad for such a heavy car.
*The rims stay very clean. On my old Audi the brake dust built up very quickly on similar rims, but it doesn’t appear that’s true on the E350…makes for longer runs between washes and a generally cleaner look.
*The angle of the hood seems to slope lower than other vehicles, which makes for a great look but also seems to attract more debris hitting the windshield. I’m not sure there’s a direct connection, but I thought I experienced a lot more impacts than in other cars. Unfortunately I did sustain a windshield crack from a rock thrown up from the road, but it’s on the passenger side and less than an inch, so I hope a windshield repair guy can suck it out. We’ll see.
*For the above reason, I wonder if all the plasticized chrome on the grill will take a beating over the years.
*The rear of the car, below the spoiler, seems to pick up a lot of dirt/grime as some other posters have mentioned. The top of the trunk is quite clean actually, but below that spoiler – blech.
*The Sirius Traffic service isn’t always accurate. It identified traffic en route several times that didn’t materialize, even though we were only a few minutes ahead of the identified area.
*The driver wakeup feature did activate at one point when I had been driving for an extended period and it was a welcome nudge to get off the highway and grab a cup of coffee.
*The massage feature was a great back saver.
*I discovered by accident that there are two sun visors, the main one and a smaller one that allows the driver to move the primary visor to the side window while still having protection for the front.
*Being able to drop a gear via the paddle shifters to merge or pass was really cool.
*At first I thought the cruise control was a bit weird (increments of 1 mile or 5 miles vs. a non-specific setting in other cars) but in fact I liked being able to dial in the exact speed. Gave me a lot of confidence when passing by CHP’s watching the highway.
*The trunk capacity really impressed me. We crammed that thing full of stuff and it still had extra space including enough room for two suitcases and a kid’s bike. Wow.
So, there you go. I still continue to be really impressed with this car.
Here are the highlights:*I logged a very respectable 26 MPH average for the trip which beat the sticker by 2 MPH. Not bad for such a heavy car.
*The rims stay very clean. On my old Audi the brake dust built up very quickly on similar rims, but it doesn’t appear that’s true on the E350…makes for longer runs between washes and a generally cleaner look.
*The angle of the hood seems to slope lower than other vehicles, which makes for a great look but also seems to attract more debris hitting the windshield. I’m not sure there’s a direct connection, but I thought I experienced a lot more impacts than in other cars. Unfortunately I did sustain a windshield crack from a rock thrown up from the road, but it’s on the passenger side and less than an inch, so I hope a windshield repair guy can suck it out. We’ll see.
*For the above reason, I wonder if all the plasticized chrome on the grill will take a beating over the years.
*The rear of the car, below the spoiler, seems to pick up a lot of dirt/grime as some other posters have mentioned. The top of the trunk is quite clean actually, but below that spoiler – blech.
*The Sirius Traffic service isn’t always accurate. It identified traffic en route several times that didn’t materialize, even though we were only a few minutes ahead of the identified area.
*The driver wakeup feature did activate at one point when I had been driving for an extended period and it was a welcome nudge to get off the highway and grab a cup of coffee.
*The massage feature was a great back saver.
*I discovered by accident that there are two sun visors, the main one and a smaller one that allows the driver to move the primary visor to the side window while still having protection for the front.
*Being able to drop a gear via the paddle shifters to merge or pass was really cool.
*At first I thought the cruise control was a bit weird (increments of 1 mile or 5 miles vs. a non-specific setting in other cars) but in fact I liked being able to dial in the exact speed. Gave me a lot of confidence when passing by CHP’s watching the highway.
*The trunk capacity really impressed me. We crammed that thing full of stuff and it still had extra space including enough room for two suitcases and a kid’s bike. Wow.
So, there you go. I still continue to be really impressed with this car.
Last edited by marka5083; 03-07-2011 at 09:54 AM.
03-07-2011, 04:55 AM
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Porsche Macan S SportDesign / Ex M-B's: 11 & 10 & 06 E350's, 02 S500
Just completed a 750 mile round trip in my 2011 E350 to LA and back on US 101 and thought I’d share my experience of the E350 on the highway. Overall, a wonderful ride that was so smooth and quiet under all the road conditions (sunny, rainy, crowded, empty) that it was comfortable enough to put my wife to sleep. Here are the highlights:
*The rims stay very clean. On my old Audi the brake dust built up very quickly on similar rims, but it doesn’t appear that’s true on the E350…makes for longer runs between washes and a generally cleaner look.
*The angle of the hood seems to slope lower than other vehicles, which makes for a great look but also seems to attract more debris hitting the windshield. I’m not sure there’s a direct connection, but I thought I experienced a lot more impacts than in other cars. Unfortunately I did sustain a windshield crack from a rock thrown up from the road, but it’s on the passenger side and less than an inch, so I hope a windshield repair guy can suck it out. We’ll see.
*For the above reason, I wonder if all the plasticized chrome on the grill will take a beating over the years.
*The rear of the car, below the spoiler, seems to pick up a lot of dirt/grime as some other posters have mentioned. The top of the trunk is quite clean actually, but below that spoiler – blech.
*The Sirius Traffic service isn’t always accurate. It identified traffic en route several times that didn’t materialize, even though we were only a few minutes ahead of the identified area.
*The driver wakeup feature did activate at one point when I had been driving for an extended period and it was a welcome nudge to get off the highway and grab a cup of coffee.
*The massage feature was a great back saver.
*Being able to drop a gear via the paddle shifters to merge or pass was really cool.
*At first I thought the cruise control was a bit weird (increments of 1 mile or 5 miles vs. a non-specific setting in other cars) but in fact I liked being able to dial in the exact speed. Gave me a lot of confidence when passing by CHP’s watching the highway.
*The trunk capacity really impressed me. We crammed that thing full of stuff and it still had extra space including enough room for two suitcases and a kid’s bike. Wow.
So, there you go. I still continue to be really impressed with this car.
Here are the highlights:*The rims stay very clean. On my old Audi the brake dust built up very quickly on similar rims, but it doesn’t appear that’s true on the E350…makes for longer runs between washes and a generally cleaner look.
*The angle of the hood seems to slope lower than other vehicles, which makes for a great look but also seems to attract more debris hitting the windshield. I’m not sure there’s a direct connection, but I thought I experienced a lot more impacts than in other cars. Unfortunately I did sustain a windshield crack from a rock thrown up from the road, but it’s on the passenger side and less than an inch, so I hope a windshield repair guy can suck it out. We’ll see.
*For the above reason, I wonder if all the plasticized chrome on the grill will take a beating over the years.
*The rear of the car, below the spoiler, seems to pick up a lot of dirt/grime as some other posters have mentioned. The top of the trunk is quite clean actually, but below that spoiler – blech.
*The Sirius Traffic service isn’t always accurate. It identified traffic en route several times that didn’t materialize, even though we were only a few minutes ahead of the identified area.
*The driver wakeup feature did activate at one point when I had been driving for an extended period and it was a welcome nudge to get off the highway and grab a cup of coffee.
*The massage feature was a great back saver.
*Being able to drop a gear via the paddle shifters to merge or pass was really cool.
*At first I thought the cruise control was a bit weird (increments of 1 mile or 5 miles vs. a non-specific setting in other cars) but in fact I liked being able to dial in the exact speed. Gave me a lot of confidence when passing by CHP’s watching the highway.
*The trunk capacity really impressed me. We crammed that thing full of stuff and it still had extra space including enough room for two suitcases and a kid’s bike. Wow.
So, there you go. I still continue to be really impressed with this car.
I've driven the thing through many harsh weathers and elements, and it always makes it back proud, and looking great. The rear is indeed the area that collects the most dirt. I think the aerodynamics keep things clean, but sweep it all back there.
Sucks about the windshield, and I kind of agree. Fortunately, and I'm knocking on wood, but he hood seems to be at an angle that makes it steer mostly clear of chips and such, while the grill is a magnet for rock pits. Good news is, with such a big chrome face, the grille kind of protects the paint. You can barely notice imperfections on the grill, and worst case, buy a new one for a couple hundred or so bucks, beats having to repaint chips (which is like one of my worst nightmares).
Last edited by K-A; 03-07-2011 at 04:58 AM.
03-07-2011, 11:25 AM
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2016 Audi S8 Plus/ 2011 Mercedes e550 4Matic//Gone:1985 500SEL/2000 e320 4Matic/ 2001 e55 Kleeman
Just completed a 750 mile round trip in my 2011 E350 to LA and back on US 101 and thought I’d share my experience of the E350 on the highway. Overall, a wonderful ride that was so smooth and quiet under all the road conditions (sunny, rainy, crowded, empty) that it was comfortable enough to put my wife to sleep. Here are the highlights:
*I logged a very respectable 26 MPH average for the trip which beat the sticker by 2 MPH. Not bad for such a heavy car.
*The rims stay very clean. On my old Audi the brake dust built up very quickly on similar rims, but it doesn’t appear that’s true on the E350…makes for longer runs between washes and a generally cleaner look.
*The angle of the hood seems to slope lower than other vehicles, which makes for a great look but also seems to attract more debris hitting the windshield. I’m not sure there’s a direct connection, but I thought I experienced a lot more impacts than in other cars. Unfortunately I did sustain a windshield crack from a rock thrown up from the road, but it’s on the passenger side and less than an inch, so I hope a windshield repair guy can suck it out. We’ll see.
*For the above reason, I wonder if all the plasticized chrome on the grill will take a beating over the years.
*The rear of the car, below the spoiler, seems to pick up a lot of dirt/grime as some other posters have mentioned. The top of the trunk is quite clean actually, but below that spoiler – blech.
*The Sirius Traffic service isn’t always accurate. It identified traffic en route several times that didn’t materialize, even though we were only a few minutes ahead of the identified area.
*The driver wakeup feature did activate at one point when I had been driving for an extended period and it was a welcome nudge to get off the highway and grab a cup of coffee.
*The massage feature was a great back saver.
*I discovered by accident that there are two sun visors, the main one and a smaller one that allows the driver to move the primary visor to the side window while still having protection for the front.
*Being able to drop a gear via the paddle shifters to merge or pass was really cool.
*At first I thought the cruise control was a bit weird (increments of 1 mile or 5 miles vs. a non-specific setting in other cars) but in fact I liked being able to dial in the exact speed. Gave me a lot of confidence when passing by CHP’s watching the highway.
*The trunk capacity really impressed me. We crammed that thing full of stuff and it still had extra space including enough room for two suitcases and a kid’s bike. Wow.
So, there you go. I still continue to be really impressed with this car.
Here are the highlights:*I logged a very respectable 26 MPH average for the trip which beat the sticker by 2 MPH. Not bad for such a heavy car.
*The rims stay very clean. On my old Audi the brake dust built up very quickly on similar rims, but it doesn’t appear that’s true on the E350…makes for longer runs between washes and a generally cleaner look.
*The angle of the hood seems to slope lower than other vehicles, which makes for a great look but also seems to attract more debris hitting the windshield. I’m not sure there’s a direct connection, but I thought I experienced a lot more impacts than in other cars. Unfortunately I did sustain a windshield crack from a rock thrown up from the road, but it’s on the passenger side and less than an inch, so I hope a windshield repair guy can suck it out. We’ll see.
*For the above reason, I wonder if all the plasticized chrome on the grill will take a beating over the years.
*The rear of the car, below the spoiler, seems to pick up a lot of dirt/grime as some other posters have mentioned. The top of the trunk is quite clean actually, but below that spoiler – blech.
*The Sirius Traffic service isn’t always accurate. It identified traffic en route several times that didn’t materialize, even though we were only a few minutes ahead of the identified area.
*The driver wakeup feature did activate at one point when I had been driving for an extended period and it was a welcome nudge to get off the highway and grab a cup of coffee.
*The massage feature was a great back saver.
*I discovered by accident that there are two sun visors, the main one and a smaller one that allows the driver to move the primary visor to the side window while still having protection for the front.
*Being able to drop a gear via the paddle shifters to merge or pass was really cool.
*At first I thought the cruise control was a bit weird (increments of 1 mile or 5 miles vs. a non-specific setting in other cars) but in fact I liked being able to dial in the exact speed. Gave me a lot of confidence when passing by CHP’s watching the highway.
*The trunk capacity really impressed me. We crammed that thing full of stuff and it still had extra space including enough room for two suitcases and a kid’s bike. Wow.
So, there you go. I still continue to be really impressed with this car.
03-07-2011, 12:44 PM
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You know, I didn't notice anything too significant. The ride is definitely smoother/quieter below 70 mph, but at 80 it still felt pretty good, esp. compared to my old Audi A4.
03-07-2011, 05:09 PM
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Porsche Macan S SportDesign / Ex M-B's: 11 & 10 & 06 E350's, 02 S500
I don't Ned. Did a little with my W211 and it drove me crazy, with my W212, no notice of wind seeping in.
