MB500

Walking around Rome this morning I came across a tourist admiring a W212 wagon. I was quick enough to snap a picture. W212 is a beautiful car and people admire them everywhere in the world. This one looked like a fully loaded one outfitted with distronic, folding side mirrors, xenons, etc.

By the way, I have never been a fan of wagon but a white one with pano roof looks stunning

VJORDAN

I want my 300TD ...LOL This is one beautiful car..thanx for the pix

leapingpoint

It's funny that right behind the E wagon is a Porsche 911 and the curious tourist was just staring at the wagon

BenzV12

Good spot leapingpoint , W212 is the best looking car and I think this lady knows something about cars as well
Thanks MB500 for taking a shot of this terrific moment as well

BM2BZ

i said it before and will say it again. i never like wagon but don't mind a w212 wagon at all. btw, i think the lady was actually looking at the car in front of the w212 wagon. probably her husband was backing in that tiny stall.

hyperion667

would always rather have a wagon than a mini van!
I wish I could go to Rome.....

K-A

Eh, 911's are boring, that Wagon looks so much more dynamic in front of it.

I do want a new 991 though.

Cool pic O/P! I hate Wagons, would never buy one, but the W212 Wagon is the only "cool" looking Wagon I think I've seen. What a marvelous design, it actually can look better than the Sedan to some people.

MB500

There was no car in front -- the lady simply started turning my way when she noticed me taking a picture of her looking at the car She must have thought that I was a weirdo

MB500

By the way, I also snapped this one last Monday in Munich. This is the ugliest color I have ever seen on a taxi but even in this case W212 looked cool.



By the way, W212 taxis in Germany come outfitted with a stick shift (a manual transmission).

K-A

I'm gonna be in Europe on Tuesday! London, quick stint in Frankfurt, and Paris. I love seeing M-B's in their natural habitat, even the Taxi's are such a trip and awesome to see everywhere (though with an Americanized "ego", beware as it may call upon an inferiority complex after seeing enough )

MB500

I will be in Paris on Wednesday and Thursday flying back to US on Friday. If I see an American-looking guy taking a bunch of pictures of W212s in Paris, I will know who you are

K-A

Haha, yes indeed! Look out for the guy who's checkin' out all the Taxi Cabs.

I actually get in on Thursday night!

BenzV12

I must say that I dislike wagons too but there is an exception
W212 Wagon

Yup, that color in taxi looks weird and reminiscent me of creme puddling lol

BM2BZ

she was thinking this kiddo must find her sexy ! did she give you her phone number ?

BM2BZ

what is that color called ? smaller wheels and no chrome around the quad drl.

MB500

Well, you have to realize that you are looking at a 'cost-reduced' version of a W212. I have never ridden inside one like this but I would imagine that it has cloth seats. Therefore you don't see much chrome on it either.

BM2BZ

a friend of mine who lives in germany and who is a german told me before, "who would like to buy a mercedes? if you want to ride in one, just call a taxi!" he is a long time bmw guy. enough said.

BM2BZ

i wonder how much those "base model" cost in germany .

BenzV12

My dear friend, here is a link for you

http://www.mercedes-benz.de/content/...VznS:16cvqnmls

The most affordable W212 is around 40K Euros which is E200 CDI
I intentionally didn't say the cheapest lol

El Cid

Slightly off topic, but in their day Packards and De Sotos were both popular as taxis in the US. They were cheaper versions of the main line cars, but primarily were preferred for their larger size and comfort compared to Fords, Chevys, Plymouths, etc.

Mtl20v

My wagon is almost identical that that one. I love it...soon to be trading it for a black one though. In my opinion, the Wagon is MUCH better looking than the sedan. It is also very rare and exclusive. If you "like" wagons, i dont see why anyone would buy the sedan.

In Europe the E class is a very normal car. They are pretty much the equivalent to the Chrysler 300 in the USA.

K-A

They're common, seemingly mostly for Taxi use. Especially well spec'd E-Classes aren't priced for "commoners", as they can get very expensive, therefore the common M-B drivers are either Taxi drivers or people in higher Tax brackets. Though, the A/B Classes have softened that contrast quite a bit.

From my experiences, M-B's brand is so strong in Europe, that it's the go-go guy for Taxi use (a testament to its quality as Taxi drivers can pick whatever they want, but M-B's are bought because of their durability, comfort and quality), yet at the same time, it's still "impressive" to have a higher up model, a'la E-Class. Of course, this is crowd specific, however I'm speaking of "normal folk's" perceptions out there.

I'll update with my most recent observations quite soon.

Paxfobiscum

No, they have leather seats and majority are diesel but somewhat barebones. There are still a lot of taxis that are W210 and W211s. I was just in Munich and Cologne a few months ago.


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Paxfobiscum

I could swear that this car looks exactly like my wagon now.


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Mbenz260e

I have been in FRA twice in the past 4 months. Nothing quite like walking out of the FRA terminal the floor above the trains where the LH check in counters are and seeing lines and lines of W212, W211, W210, quite surreal looking after a long flight lol.

Most I think are txt not leather or cloth and never seen a non-diesel. Seen alot of manual but more so autos these days but they console shift 5psds as I guess they are all the smaller diesel motors. The coolest feature I have noticed (def in the W211 can't remember about the others) is the built in taxi meter in the MB rear view mirror

I don't know why people think London Taxis and cool, when most Taxis in FRA/MUC/TXL and I am sure elsewhere would count as sedan services in the USA Every time a VW Caddy pulls up instead of an E I almost want to walk away lol