I realize that mercedes would lose a fair number of customers, but the e350 should not even be offered in the sports edition.....they are trying to make the car into something it isn't...and those who buy the e350 as a performance sports sedan should buy the e550 which should, by the way, only be offered in the sports edition. The e350 with P2 is an excellent and comfortable well built automobile. Whether or not Leather seats are standard is a marketing option. In canada, I think you can only get leather seats...and the car is more expensive.

It is beginning to get tiring having folks complain that the car is underpowered and has a harsh ride because they want a sports ride. Any car with 18" tires is going to have a harsh ride...there isn't enough rubber/air. The 17" tires give more clearance (curbs) and ride much better, but they don't corner as well...because they have more rubber and air to cushion. It's a trade off.

My gripes are less about driving (of course I have the diesel so my expectations, wants and needs are different), they are about interior design....I agree with those commenting on the electronics....a rear camera without lines showing where you are going is way behind technology...I had this on my 2006 M35. Navigation is better than some, but still much too wordy. The dash is unreadable (at least not easily readable during the day when driving under trees or at dusk. Too many overhead buttons with much too small writing that can't be read by anyone over 40 (anyone who needs reading glasses). Useless ashtray, should be storage for change, business cards, etc.. Connector cord for iphone is too long and stiff to put the iphone in the center console..and not long enough to put it in the cup holder...it's the worst possible length. intermittent wipers aren't intermittent when it's misty...they just keep wiping.

 

It seems like you don't really "get" this car, to be honest.

1: To most buyers, the motors performance is clearly not an issue, but yes, the competitiveness has been mended with the 2012 V6 models.

2: I agree here, it's not a well balanced ride. However, you could have selected the Luxury Model (IMO, buyers should be pressuring M-B into not eradicating their Luxury lines in the U.S).

3: C'mon now, the halogens are no better or worse than other cars with halogens. Fact is, halogens suck, if you want better lights, pay little extra and get M-B's new HID setup, which is perhaps the best on the car market.

4: Agreed here.

5: Well, they can go the BMW route, and have massive reliability issues, so it's a tradeoff. Their Tech isn't Class leading, but it's the most reliable in Class.

6: Many of us prefer M-B Tex. Not only will it look brand new when Leather seats start showing unattractive age, but they're the best vinyl in the business. All other Luxury Manufacturers use Vinyl (or Cloth) seats as standard, but none of them compare to M-B's. Not to mention, the Leather Option on the E-Class doesn't feel much richer or more "Leather-y" than the M-B Tex. I for one would be upset if they eradicated M-B Tex.

7: So now you want a Sporty Sedan? Why buy an E-Class, and why cringe at the rough ride so much? The Trans performs very well for a *Luxury Sedan* (what the E-Class really is, despite masking effects such as low spoilers and larger wheels, etc.), and is much smoother than the 5-Series' Trans. Also, reverting to "E" is something that is done with all car makers now it seems (BMW does the same).

8: An Option if you want it, from what I understand.

9: Again, if you buy the Sport model, expect aggressive styling. I wouldn't buy this car without the great looking low front end. However, I agree, most buyers should push for more *Luxury Models* as the common demographic for this car doesn't need the low front end. I've driven truly low cars, and the low spoiler here is rarely ever an issue for me, it's really not even that low (if you've driven truly low cars).

10: I'm hit and miss with rattles. My 2010 had none, and my 2011 has some that pop up, and then go away (currently, no rattles). The car is extremely sturdy, but I think what brings up any occasional rattles is the (Sport) suspensions lack of absorbing rough road havoc, and pressuring the tightly screwed together interior bits.

 

How do the 17 inch tires give more clearance? The outside diameter of the 17 and 18 inch wheels (after fitted with tires) are identical. The 17 inch does give an extra half inch of sidewall that will provide a more compliant ride, but the wheel size has nothing to do with ride height.

I think one mistake that MB makes is labeling the different cars "sport" and "luxury." People don't buy the "luxury" version because of the connotation that luxury cars are luxo-barges. They could sell lots more if they merely adopted the European naming convention - Elegance and Avantgarde. That would allow people to test drive both cars without the prejudices associated with the names. I'd bet that the ratio would change from 80% Sport/20% Lux to more luxury versions sold than sport.

 

Totally agreed. The E is a "Luxury Sedan" in itself, them then naming one model "Luxury" is a horrible Marketing move. It sucks the dynamics right out of the car in terms of perception.

Avantgarde or the like would be great. I've complained as an "MB Advisor" to MBUSA a few times about how they're doing the cars and brand an injustice by adopting the "all look the same/blatant market share grab" Fleet-Car approach, by equipping all E's with Sport Packages. Not to mention, in the long run, it diminishes the value of the car. People constantly complain about rough rides, scraped bumpers, and bent wheels, however, nobody would ever call a Sport E-Class a "good handling car" in their right mind. It handles great for what it is, but it certainly isn't a canyon carver, and doesn't handle "sportily".

People need to push for M-B to bring back the creative and more passionate approach they had with the W211. You had a standard Elegance (or Luxury) model, then you had the Avantgarde model (Sport Package in the States, with slightly revised bumper treatment, lowered suspension, and 18" wheels), THEN you had the "AMG Sport Package", which gave you the full shabang, and those of us who wanted the extra exclusivity factor, would happily pay up for it.

It's still like that in Europe, btw. MBUSA has become increasingly lazy, and frankly, boring in terms of variety providing and acknowledging the brands various values, in how they equip and offer our cars out here.

 

Well IMO E sedan (except AMG) will never be exclusive regardless which bumpers MB puts on. They just make (and sell) too many of them for that.

If memory serves me right, "AMG sports package" for W211, when it became available for 2005 (or is it 2006?), was around $5K (I think). Would I have paid that? If it were my only car - yes, otherwise - no.

For the last year of W211 production (2009) it was dropped to $1,800 or so (which I gladly paid or I would not have bought the car).

Now the fact that "AMG sports package" was free on W212 was the main reason I bought the car. I would never, never have bought the car - W212 E350 - if "AMG sports package" were not available at all or was extra $5K or so. To me, those bumpers make a day a night difference. I went straight for E550 coupe (I'm glad I did, but its a different topic) because "AMG sports package" was (and still is) not available on E350 coupe.

 

Of course I meant relatively speaking. Exclusive within the W212 camp. When I had my '06 W211 with AMG Package, I enjoyed how rare it was to see an E-Class with that equipment. I would have paid $5K for that Package, and I did pay a premium on my '06, even though it was smaller (bought it CPO).

Actually, what I was told (by MBUSA rep) was that since the '09 W211 gave the AMG Sports Package for free (it was free, btw), they didn't want to curb the momentum off of that, and offered it on the W212 for free.

I like how they do it on the Coupe much better. You have to pay up to get the Sports Package, which is the whole point of a Premium Package.

 

I know it wasn't free, so I went and looked at the sticker (have a habit of keeping stickers of all cars I buy, it comes handy at trade-in time). "AMG sports package" (it was actually called "321 Sports Package") was in fact $1,500.

The free option on 2009 E350 was 4matic, but free only for E350s. E550s had to pay for 4matic (and had to pay same $1,500 as E350 for sports package, if desired). Go figure - E350 gets something free while E550 was charged extra for same.

Of course just like W212 (especially 2010 cars), most of the 2009 W211 cars were produced with that package.

Like I said, I'm OK paying $1,500 or so for it, but not $5K. I understand that 18" AMG wheels with 18" tires add more to MB's cost, but not the bumpers. I mean come on. Actually you're right they were making us pay for exclusivity in "E Universe". I'm glad MB stopped that practice with W212.

 

I agree that $5K is a bit much. I'd pay a small premium for "E Exclusivity", so I think a balance between W211 and W212 approach would be best. Like a $1-3K Premium.

BMW still applies Premiums for each level of their Sport Packages too (same idea as how the old E's had it; Standard, Sport, M-Sport).

 

11. No heated steering wheel. (Why isn't this included on a simple "cold weather package" for us in chilly climes? When I bought my E350 last November in Boston there were 2 dozen E350's on the lot, and none with a heating steering wheel.)

 

[quote=CEB;4922108]What car has a db readout on the radio?

Any vehicle made in Asia for a start. I agree it is annoying not to have it.

 

Have no problems with my mirrors. Best way to adjust is on the highway. Drive safely so cars pass you on right an left. Rear of car should be disappearing from inside mirror as front shows in outside mirror. Then rear of car passing should disappear from outside just as you can see it in your peripheral vision. However, I still look over my shoulder if I am going to change lanes, just to be safe.
The leaning and so forth described in above post was for before they had power mirrors.

 

The dealer had to borrow a Luxury model for me to test one and took two months to do that. I had tested the Sport model and there is a huge difference in ride. There is also significant difference in appearance, if you know what to look for. Trim pieces, different grills, different bumper covers, etc.
18" tires have larger sidewalls than 17" because 17" are pure performance tires, whereas 18" are all season performance tires. Put them side by side and you will see the difference. Larger sidewalls absorb more of the bumps.
An "old" MB guy told me about difference between Luxury and Sports.
Luxury rides lot better because of comfort suspension, smaller wheels and all season tires. If Luxury with comfort suspension had not been available, I would not have purchased an MB.
Unfortunately, dealers order Sports versions because that is what most purchasers ask for (if they even know). Also Sports is marketed as free, but I doubt it really costs any more to manufactuer than the Luxury-just different parts bins on the assembly line.
BTW, the Sports package on the E Class is not the AMG package - that's another optional package. Sports package is just a different suspension, wheels, tires and some appearance items.
Personally I think MB makes too many models with too many variations in each. This causes them to expend too much R&D time and money, manufacturing time and money, marketing, etc. to make each. What is it? Nine different "E" class cars in US? So this is less money spent on developing new engines, transmissions, electronics, etc. to actually make "The Best or Nothing."
BTW, I wrote a letter to CEO (now gone) of MBUSA after having my car for six months. Listed what I liked and disliked about the car. You might wish to do this as well. Ironically I wrote to CEO of Hyundai Motor America about why I did not get a Genesis, even with big discount, and he called me. Now that is "The Best" in customer service.

 

[quote=El Cid;4926940]In actual db or just some arbitrary 1-10 reading with 1 being really quiet and 10 being really loud?

 

I will resist responding back to each comment above, but would offer up these as my Nit-Picks

(Disclaimer for the touchy....I love the car, but every car, EVERY CAR has room for improvement)

1. Seat Warmers: Why on earth does my E350 seat warmers change settings by themselves? I push the button once for three lights of seat warming power only to look down a few minutes later to see the lights have dropped from three to two...or one! WTF? I have had seat warmers in every car for the last 10 years and never have seen this before.

2. Audio Volume Read-out: Yes, truly a nit, but I agree....it needs to be there.

3. Lack of display controls on main monitor. No font sizing, no ability to customize display, no ability to change brightness of individual elements (hard to explain)

4. Horrible NAVI display: I thought my Corvette's display was bad! WAY too small fonts, POI's displayed instead of a list of coming turns (if you know how to change this, please let me know). Turn instructions sometimes only happen when literally ON TOP of the exit.

5. Plastic seats. Enough has been said on this already, but put me in the camp that thinks this is an embarassment.

6. No power plugs working once car is turned off.

7. HOMELINK stops working once you turn car off...it should work for a few minutes after key is removed.

8. Door lock stems are crazy cheap! Seriously MB...did you guys run out of money when these things came up for approval? Those black plastic and flimsy door lock stems are bad!

Remember, I love the car...but it's not perfect

 

+1 on everything listed.( except item 1 since i rarely if ever use it ) I really don't like this navi system. My 6 year old Acura did a much better job of listing street names, upcoming turns and exit info than does this one.

 

The leaning I described above was for adjusting the mirrors
While sitting still. Then u can tweak as u described above. As I have stated being 6'4" makes it impossible for me to get driver side mirror in a position that eliminates blind spot. I Have tried ever possible mirror position and there simply is not enough angle out available to eliminate the blind spot.

 

A good list of nits!! I would agree that the nav could be better and you are spot on about the door lock stems. Could they be cheaper looking? I remember reading a thread from a forum member who replaced them with premium chrome stems that looked great. We clearly shouldn't have to do that. Regards. Ned.

 

Quote:

1. Seat Warmers: Why on earth does my E350 seat warmers change settings by themselves? I push the button once for three lights of seat warming power only to look down a few minutes later to see the lights have dropped from three to two...or one! WTF? I have had seat warmers in every car for the last 10 years and never have seen this before.

We actually appreciate the power change. That has allowed MBZ to put a real boost in the initial heating to get things warmed up quickly, and then drops it down before the seats get too warm. At the highest temp, we'd be driven right out of the car unless we, or the car, turned it down.

In temps down into the 0's and in the 30's and 40's, we've found the seats to work perfectly.

 

1. Seat Warmers: Why on earth does my E350 seat warmers change settings by themselves? I push the button once for three lights of seat warming power only to look down a few minutes later to see the lights have dropped from three to two...or one! WTF? I have had seat warmers in every car for the last 10 years and never have seen this before.

Remember, I love the car...but it's not perfect [/quote] Agree with this.

The manual shows the timing for the seat warmers to cycle down and then OFF. Always starts on high. MB over-engineering again?
Others cars I had with seat warmers you turned them on, selected desired temp and it stayed there until car turned off or you adjusted it. Much more sensible. Because of back, I like to use my seat warmer, even if have A/C on sometimes, particularly on long trips. Very irritating to realize it is not on and have to turn back on again-and again-and again.
Re: volume display-on a scale from 0 to 50 or more maybe. Never went to highest, so not sure. May not be actual db's, just an arbitrary scale.

 

My only real nit is that power to the Homelink does not stay on like the rest of the systems after turning off the car and before opening the door. My Volvo maintained power to the Homelink until the door was opened. Same as with the ability to roll up the windows. Just a nit. I do find it odd that MB chose to not put any type of volume level indicator in the system. I also would have rather had MB put additional gauges in the car instead of the clock in the IP. As the clock is virtually not visible to any other passenger in the car, why does the driver need such a big clock?

 

MB has always a big clock for the driver. All other passengers are unimportant in a German car - you seem to forget that

I remember MB not having an adjustable steering column for years after everyone else because "it was the proper position" according to a senior MB exec at the time. Cupholders? You don't drink in your car so why put in cupholders?

Seatheaters and defrosters were often problematic in early MBs and that is probably why the timers are there. The homelink makes no sense. I too, like to pull into the garage, shut the car down and close the garage door before I get out of the car. There is a legit reason for not having it always on but a bit of time after you shut the car off would be nice.

 

one GOOD thing about the homelink is... IF you leave your car outside... someone could gained access to the inside of your car and open your garage door. i see it as a safety feature. my nissan on the other hand has homelink powered so someone could easily open my garage door.... which would be very bad.

 

Correct. Which is why it isn't wired for always on. The compromise would be to leave it on for a few minutes like window power or until you locked it - whichever comes first.

OTOH you could always lock the door from your garage to the house.

 

It would be great if it stayed on with the other accessories. It is no big deal to me though. It just shows how thoroughly well engineered this vehicle is. Nothing is perfect, but, I will say that my E has exceeded my expectations overall.

 

The problem is that some things that are "features" to one person are problems and annoyances for another and much of it comes down to getting used to the little things that make a car different from others.

I hate the BMW door unlock button on the center dash. You have to be sitting in the car to reach it. For those with the BMW version of Keyless GO it seems a huge mistake, but other commend it for being a safety feature.

The "cruise control stalk where the blinker should be" seems foolish on a MB but I'm sure there is logic somewhere.

And on and on.