E550Shopper

Picked up my new 2011 E550 Sport last week -- originally ordered in February, with the interior and exterior designo packages. Also got P2, driver assistance, parktronic, drive-dynamic seat, wood wheel, couple of other things. Since I got a late 2011 build, I did get the color instrument panel, which is quite nice.

As for designo: It's cool, and I prefer to have it than to not have it, but between the additional $7500 and the 5 month wait, I would probably make a different decision next time around if the program doesn't change.

For exterior, I went with Platinum Black -- it's kind of half way between black and steel gray, but it's very metallic. I think it's a cool color, but again, maybe not worth $2300. It does hide dirt quite well though.

On interior, I went with black seats and piano black trim. To me, the leather on my car does not seem of substantially higher quality than the standard leather -- though, I didn't see them back-to-back. But, it's not as if you get in the car, and think "Wow, this is nice leather." Most of the seams on the seats are white piping rather than stitched leather -- I wasn't so keen on the white piping when I ordered, and still don't like it much, but it's not as bad as I had feared. The piano black is also nice, but again, it's not so different from the usual black ash to be worth the extra cost.

One thing that designo gets you that is much nicer than the standard build is the alcantara headliner -- it definitely gives a different vibe to the interior, and of all the designo features I got, it would certainly be worth the cost as a stand-alone option.

Designo also gets you a wood wheel even on a Sport build, which I don't think is possible, at least from the factory -- maybe you can get it as a dealer add-on.

They did not give me a leather dash, despite the fact that the Dealer Ordering Guide at one point said the package came with a leather dash. This was quite disappointing, and if it had come with leather dash, I think the package would have been well worth it.

Though I think the particular designo features I got were not worth the money, to some extent that's my fault: designo does get you many different interior and exterior color options that you simply can't get on a non-designo car. I just didn't happen to get any of them. And, I think the answer to my objections are not to stop the program in the U.S., but rather expand it: Give people more choices, not less. Why is extended leather option (Y80 - leather dash, doors, etc.) not available in the U.S.? Why can I not get the headliner, along side standard seats? All of this is configurable in Europe, and it's confusing and disappointing why it's not available here. I do appreciate that MBUSA has set up the existing program, and I hope that going forward they can find ways to expand and improve it.

All this said, the car is great and I'm very happy with it! I thought I'd share this with you guys in case any of you are considering these or similar options. Thanks to all of you on this forum that offered up advice and great information as I was deciding what to get.

ngerstman

Congratulations. Sounds like you got most of what you wanted from going Designo!! My e550 is equipped similarly(not designo) without the Parktronic, which I would have liked. My color is Indium Grey which I like a lot. I saw the Platinum Black on an e350 in the dealer show room when I bought my car and absolutely loved it, but wasn't willing to wait for one. My 2001 e55 is Obsidian Black and I think the Platinum is nicer. Enjoy. Ned.

telemakhos

I haven't seen a car with an Designo interior. Would love to see some pics.

RJC

Nice! Platinum black is the best black.

E550Shopper

Here's a few interior shots.

Exterior looks pretty much like every other gray / black E, at least in photos. Hard to get a feel for Platinum Black in pictures.

K-A

Very nice. I kind of have to agree about the designo interior, at least with it being all black. Aside from the Alcantara, it just doesn't exude much more than OEM to me. However, perhaps they have different options that would cater it more toward my tastes (contrasting colors, and I'm not big on Piano black as I prefer the depth and warmth of wood).

The seats do appear to be questionably similar to the OEM ones, just with some different piping/stitching.

Anyway, enjoy your ride, it's clearly a very well optioned and unique E!

YYZ-E55

Beautiful car. The seats are nappa leather; a huge upgrade from the standard 550 leather. Spend some time in both cars and you'll notice a big difference.

Leather dash isn't available for NAFTA variants due to the additional crash test certification that is required (and very expensive). ARTICO dashboard (a la E 63) could probably be custom ordered for MY12 - it will be standard on E 550s for Canada and included with leather seats (vs ARTICO) on Canadian E 350s for 2012.

E550Shopper

Thanks guys! Just to be clear, I'm very happy with the car and at least for me, I would rather have the designo options than not. I'm more so making a statement about the value for the particular options I chose -- and again, the fact that a number of options were unavailable.

hyperion667

hell yeah e550shopper!! congratulations!!!
I know how long you've been waiting....much longer than I had to wait....
it's a very nice car, wow.....
don't beat yourself up about the designo....it's killer.....
I'm sure it'll grow on you huh?
a few comments from family and friends and you'll be loving it you know?
I kind of like the piping; reminds me of my old chef coat days, hehe.....
glad to know the alcantara is a good thing....I'm having that in my next car!

congrats again and I'm sure it will be enjoyed....
drive safely

E550Shopper

Thanks hyperion! You'll love the headliner. It's hard to fully appreciate it in pictures -- it's kind of a tactile thing. Good luck with the rest of your wait. :-)

RJC

The interior looks great and the pics dont do the piano justice; for those that aren't sure about piano black wood go check it out on a new Steinway if your dealer doesn't have a car in stock with it; I ordered it for the XKR along with a black suede headliner.

How about some pics of the paint in and out of bright sunlight.

Are you leaving the car stock? Not suggesting you need mods at all

E550Shopper

Thanks RJC -- hopefully your order turns out as well as mine, only faster. I'll probably get around to taking some exterior shots at some point.

I got tints, but otherwise no immediate mods planned. I might get different wheels at some point -- it's hard to find wheels I like though, most are kind of out there for my taste. I do like the Vossen's that tjdehya's got on his car (VVS-083?) and I also like the 19" 20-spoke wheels that are on the S600. Would be happy to take recommendations -- first car of this kind that I've owned.

RJC

I think the stock rims are fine but have to admit the car needs 19's, maybe you can get a set of new take off AMG 19's/tires from someone else on mbworld. I recently changed my order on the XKR from the stock 19's to 20's...I NEVER thought I'd do 20's but the Jag is a big coupe/cab and they fill out the fenders perfectly; but with that said 19's on the 550 are perfect especially if they are AMG's

Want to see that sweet platinum in the sunlight

Many miles of smiles in the new ride...

SDMF

Congratz! A very unique W212!

What is the color of your headliner?

Enjoy your new ride!!~

MB_FanAddict

Again, congratulations!

The Black designo interior looks great! Hopefully when it's not raining you can take some pics of the exterior & maybe a few more of the interior without the flash. I would love to see the Platinum Black!

Enjoy your new ride!

hyperion667

haha, I'm sure I shall.......
that wait was hell was it not?
spend all that money to WAIT WAIT WAIT, lol.....but it is worth it in the end huh..........many miles cousin, many miles

K-A

I was at a Jag Dealership recently, snooping around the new XJ's, and I agree that Jags need 20's, as even 19's look ill-proportioned and meager. Though, I gotta say that I'm happy with M-B for keeping most of their cars looking proper and flavored with 18's. I also agree that 19's would be ideal for the E-Class, but I think the 18's are the perfect all-arounder for this car.

hyperion667

the thing I like about the Jaguar dealership (in my neck) is the sample books of material they have to actually LOOK AT and TOUCH and feel.....
plus don't you get a pamphlet when you get a Jaguar? I got no such thing with my car: no fancy magazine, no color samples or wood samples.........pretty much nothing.......
I will say Jaguar has very good ways to browse and shop.....unlike MB.....

K-A

Yeah I was just thinking about that. They're very eager to give you "old school" pamphlets. Kind of nice and gives you that classic "Premium Product" feel, that you got when you were a kid and went to a dream-car Dealership, and got a cool book of pictures and info to look at. M-B and the like are way too cheap and bean-countered to do that nowadays.

In fact, the Jag Dealership was all out of XJ books, so the guy couldn't even find me one.

I haven't gotten any gifts either. Some stupid Saks card last time, and some solicitations in the mail, but nothing else.

.... In fact, the nicest thing (aside from said cars) that MBUSA has given me is a compliment over the phone by a nice Operator: "You are amazing, you've had 3 accounts with us so far, and we appreciate your business" or something along those lines. Hey, when you're forking over some extra dough for the Premium-Car experience, it can go a long way for them to give you those little things.

hyperion667

no doubt, and not making you feel like a shmuck because you're trying to find the best deal or price.......as they would be, so ironic.......

E550Shopper

Thanks again for the compliments guys...

On the rims: I wouldn't mind going to 19, but I'm still enjoying the novelty of the car as it is. I'll probably wait until that wears off, then go wheel shopping. If anyone has any recommendations for a good set of 19's, please pass them on -- I'd be looking for more "classy" than "sporty".

The headliner is "anthracite", i.e., "black". It looks more like a deep charcoal than a black. (SDMF -- I think you have the same one, yes?) In the U.S. designo program, that's the only choice you get.

MB_FanAddict: I took a few without flash yesterday but didn't think they looked as good -- I've attached them here.

I'll try to remember to take some exterior shots when I get the chance.

By the way, special thanks go out to MB_FanAddict, who was super helpful throughout the ordering process, particularly on the designo options!

hyperion667

e550shopper: whats the news cousin?