I'd say go with the 2012
I was on the same boat as the OP when i was going to the MB Showroom to book my car 0.0
But after taking a test-drive of all 4 models.
E350 (2011) Petrol And Diesel
E350 (2012) Petrol And Diesel

I paid up and booked the E350 2012 Petrol and to be honest i can't be happier.
I also wanted the "hockey stick" LED's but to be honest, are you gonna be inside the car or staring at it outside? Yes the exterior does matter but hey you should be bothered about how comfortable you feel driving the car, how much power it has, how is the interior because mainly that is where you will be most of the time.
But its totally upto you.

Sorry for the long write-up :P

 

No worries. The more the better! I enjoy reading these posts. Did you get a Sport or luxury? How's the performance?

 

I got the Luxury! :P I had a W211 Sport.
Well compared to both of them they both have their own ups and downs.
But i prefer Luxury the best. The performance is great and it gives me quite a great mileage being automatic + driving on sports mode sometimes + driving not less than 120 + being a V6 lol (i know there are higher engines :P)

 

Ticky, ticky? If you compare BlueTec with gasoline engine, you can hear the difference but it is diesel and it is supposed to be like that. Is it annoying? NO, not at all. Frankly I have no problems whatsoever. In fact, I may say I like it.

 

Glad you liked my idea. Please come back to report after the test drive.

 

I would also consider if I was a buyers remorse type of person. I don't think that you would have any buyers remorse if you bought the 2012 but you might if you buy the 2011. Something to think about. Regards. Ned.

 

UPDATE: So I went to test drive both E350 luxury and sport sedans. Luxury was smooth and felt kind of heavy when accelerating and while driving. The sport felt like you were in control at all times and felt like you were a racer at times. I'm having a difficult time deciding between the two because I have to make a decision very soon. I will test drive both again to make my decision because I don't want to regret choosing the wrong one.

 

Didn't realize there was that much of a difference. Good to know.

 

i don't have a luxury so i'm 100% sure. you can go back and test drive the luxury w/sport setting, if there is any. it might solve your issue if you are worrying about the "rough" ride in sport pkg.

 

There are no suspension controls on non airmatic e class sedans, only settings for the tranny shift points. Regards. Ned.

 

and while you're out test driving, drive the e350 bluetec/diesel. It may confuse you even more, especially if you are considering leasing where it may be significantly less cost. Think at least 26 mpg in the city and over 35mpg on the highway and glance at the gas pumps as you drive to do your test drive.

I don't think there really all that much difference between the sport and the luxury...after the first 50 miles you will never tell them apart. Suggestion: make sure you check the tire pressures when you do the test (ask the salesman how to see them on the dash). If one has 42 psi (factory inflation) and the other has 35 psi (recommended settings) that would be enough to really throw your perception off. The luxury with 42 psi is like riding on wooden wheels. At 35psi, it's just a wonderful drive/ride.

To me, if you want a real sports sedan, then buy the e550...if you want a luxurious comfortable (and well performing) car, buy the e350 luxury (and I would suggest buying the diesel). Both the e350 sport and the bmw 535 are sedans posing as "almost" sports sedans. Also, the luxury is about 1" higher...so you don't risk pulling your front bumper off as you pull in too far when parking

 

I know what you mean and would agree with your assessment. I had an e350 for three weeks before I traded it in for the e550. The e350 felt heavier and drove like a bigger car, almost like a scaled down s class, which mind you is not a bad thing if that fits your needs. I think a lot of people go for the sport due to a machismo thing even though they would prefer a more comfortable ride 95% of the time. The sport version delivers what it is supposed to deliver and the trade-off is a harsher less plush ride. Trade-offs. Your call. Regards. Ned.

 

UPDATE: TEST DRIVE #2: So today was the second straight day of test driving both sport and luxury sedans. My decision is going to be with the sport. I like the way it feels when you drive and accelerate on the gas pedal. The luxury is sort of heavy compared to the sport while driving. I feel more in control with the sport sedan. There were two sports in their inventory, one with panoramic sunroof and one without. It's not necessary to have the panoramic roof when you have to pay $1,000 for that feature and you're not really going to use it. The standard roof top is just fine. The cool thing about these sports is that they come with the rear sun shading with a push of a button. Now, it's all about negotiating for me. I want to pay out of the door without financing or owing any money to the dealership. What was your price when you guys bought this E350 sports sedan? Did you guys get a good price and the negotiating part was easy/hard? Let me know on your personal experiences fellow MB luvers.

 

Hi,
you may want to post where you live and get a suggested dealer in that area. My experience has been that pricing has an ENORMOUS range, mostly depending on which dealer you use.

For example, when I asked one salesman about discounts he said, "we sell for full MSRP as we found that works really well for us". I'm sure it works well for them if they can get full MSRP.

Folks from your area could steer you to dealers that readily negotiate.
Just my opinion.

 

I have been waiting to see if anyone posted about the differences between the 2011 and the 2012. I will start by saying the 2012 (in my eyes) is light years better. The small changes really addressed all I disliked with my 2011 and its now a car that can compete with BMW and Lexus without feeling like Sunday nights left over dinner.

I had a 2011 with 17k miles and MB had a mind boggling 8 month early pull forward to I got into a new 2012 for nothing out of my pocket other than the 795 acquisition fee.

I noticed 3 great changes that I think made the car distinctly better. These things are small items but when taken together I feel the whole character of the car changed.

1) The 34 hp difference is huge. Sure the E63 drivers will still laugh at the E350 but the old 3.5L motor was very long in the tooth and it lacked low end torque, refinement, and its MPG rating was deplorable.

The new motor loves to rev, makes an easy 6 mpg more on the highway, and has low end torque that feels as if there were a small turbo on board. I think the motor alone is worth the added cost.

2) The transmission is 100% improved. The 2011 car could not get into 7th gear fast enough. The motor lacked torque and it shifted at 1500 rpm because Obama's MPG regulations forced them to take all life out of the car. When you wanted to actually make a quick start the transmission slopped around wondering what gear to use and it still upshifted before actually getting into its power band. Every time I drove the car I wanted to write a letter to MBUSA saying how revolting the TCU tune was for a car in this class. I think the transmission killed all ability to enjoy the car as it only cared about keeping the MPG rating out of the gutter. Also, to top it all off, it still had all sorts of 7g shifting issues that have been around since 2004. The new 7g plus is fantastic. When you want soft seamless shifts its perfect but also wakes up at WOT and actually snaps off redline shifts in an effort to keep forward momentum going.

3) Ride and Handling: Again a small change here has made the car feel more solid, more responsive and more stable on uneven surfaces. I know ball joints were changed for 2012 and the shock/spring rates clearly were modestly revised. Every year MB will make small changes to the suspension and this update really feels nice. The old car became sloppy if the road surface became rough as you pressed along a twisting road. The new car still feels connected with the road and tries to react a bit more like a W204 and that is a good thing.

Sure I could talk about the NAVI system being better and everyone seems to be tied up in the LED lights for some reason. I think those items are almost pointless to discuss but the three things above really made the 2012 a great car. The 2011 was a fantastic car quality wise but the 2012 is just a step better. Buying the old car saves you a couple bucks in a lease payment but the updates make it worthwhile to get the latest and greatest.

2012 is a better car. And the 2013 will be even better with the coming facelift and other interior improvements. Time never stands still.

 

Interesting about the suspension changes on the 2012, first I've heard of it. Do you have any data to back that up (not doubting, but genuinely interested)? You said you *know* the ball joints were revised, but I'm guessing you're assuming the Shocks/Spring rates were revised?

As for the 7G. I had every 7G problem you could have with my '06 E350. However, my 2011's 7G (and my 2010's 7G) are flawless. Perfectly smooth shifts, and actually quite alert when you want it to be (I'm convinced that my 2011 is a "factory freak" of sorts, as it is far more responsive and peppier than my previous E350's). I couldn't notice a difference in transmission behavior on the 2012, but I'm sure it's either a contributing factor to the cars extra "lightness" of feel, and/or may be more noticeable if I lived with it.

I've driven a 2012 pretty extensively, and did notice those extra horses when I wanted to feel them, the car feels a little snappier and lighter. However, during 99.99% of my driving, it felt like the exact same car. I certainly would love the new drivetrain, namely for the MPG factor, though, but I couldn't give up the Hockey Sticks at the same time.

What MPG do you get on the Highway? Curious to get some real world numbers from the 2012 E350's (nobody's really posted them up).

 

I drive 48 miles each way for work right now (annoying as heck but only for a period of time) and I get 30 mpg every day. I drive 70-80 most days and I will get on the gas once in a while to get around a nut going 60 in the fast lane. I do try to be restrained as I just get excited to see 30 mpg daily where as my 2011 rarely saw 26 mpg.

I have some friends who are master certified techs and the said the suspension had physical changes to the ball joints and I know the valving on suspensions changes with these updates. I am not saying its now a lotus elise but rather a series of subtle changes can make for a very nice upgrade.

I cant say how much I love the 7g plus. If I had to keep just one update from the 2012 that would be it. At WOT it has the old fashion snap you used to get from a 722.4 with the bowden cable adjusted for agressive shifting. I have had a quite dislike for the 7g until this year. In normal driving its spot on and I could not ask for more. It even rev matches downshifts now where as the 2011 just slurred shifts for while in an effort to keep coffe from spilling. As usual the last year of a transmission is always the best. Next year the new 9g shows up and it bet it will be rubbish until the sort out the issues.

P.S. There are actually two new E350s in the drive way and they replaced two 2011 cars. Both cars have the same tires as before and and they are set to the same PSI as before. I just wanted to add this to keep my perspective equal. While I am saying that why on EARTH does MB use the Conti touring tire on this car. That tire makes the car feel mushy and twitchy at the same time! The P-Zero Nero M+S is no race tire but it suits the character of the W212 much better and has better response and grip with little decrease in ride quality. I miss the days when MB used to import cars with z,w, and y rated tires for the normal production series vehicles. These all season touring tires kill the character if you dont ever seen snow.

Oh one more point.... brake pad compound changed too! My 2011 always had dirty rear wheels and clean fronts because they switched to a low dust front pads. for 2012 the dusting is equal front to back and the brakes do feel better. I managed to make my old 2011 fade terribly while driving down a twisting road at speeds just 10 mph over the legal limit. I was not racing or being a young nut case and I was shocked to see it happen. MB used to test these cars with glowing rotors and tests through the Alps but for a while there they seemed closer to a Cadilac than a German luxury car.

 

Wow, interesting news.

If the 2012's really are less harsh than the 2010/2011's, then that's an even bigger deal than the motor, IMO, as the harshness hampers my enjoyment of this car, and my motor personally doesn't so much.

About the Conti's VS P-Zero's, I have to disagree there, as my 2010 had P-Zero's, and they were incredibly harsh on an already harsh suspension (only over rough roads), while the Conti's feel a bit softer and more forgiving.

Also, something to take into consideration, and at this point nothing is factual (with M-B's D/I engines), is how these D/I engines will behave in the long term. Lots of other manufacturers have had issues with their's, especially as the mileage gets up. I read on another Forum that someone getting an M-B with D/I was told by the Service Rep to "Drive more carefully and be diligent to service the D/I motor, as the carbon build up can eventually decrease performance by 50+K mileage".... which of course could be BS.

 

If you're going with the new one, I would get the carsdirect.com price and use that as your baseline for negotiating. I would also look at www.truecar.com which gives you a representation of what people are paying.

 

I don't know if it's true if you buy a new car towards the end of a month, the dealer will give you a discount?

 

Thanks for your reviews . I honestly prefer Contis over Pirellis . I somewhat find Pirellis a bit harsher and documents I have read so far suppors that lol

It's good to see 2012 gets a big improvement than 2011 and earlier models.I just ordered Carlsson performance kit too

 

last day of the month usually works out the best as they need to meet or beat quotas.

 

Usually this is the case.

Let's put it this way: Your best chance of getting the best deal is the last few days of the month. That doesn't necessarily mean you won't get the same deal earlier in the month, but the pressure is always on in those last few days.

I've been selling cars for 70 months. Guess which 70 days have been the busiest?

 

Just got my car today MB LUVERS!!!!! 2012 E350. Black exterior & interior w/ walnut wood trim. Just wondering, since I have to add this car to my insurance on Monday, does the MB dealer automatically give you coverage up to 14 days of their insurance?

 

wow didn't add it yet?? that's bonkers......
dealers can issue insurance??

weird......

but congrats all the same!