S420merc

Umm i am 6'2 and my family is also tall
Hummm would love to see 5 people who are from 5'11 to 6'2 fit
Comfortably in a Focus, that would be a good trick.
Humm Hyundai all those options but no 4matic availability.
So i will take a MB E350 4Matic over any of
those cars just because it fits my Lifestyle.

hyperion667

so you're saying the E would fit better??

MBNUT1

yep

MoFetti

I thought the high cost of MB was the import? Aren't MB priced lower in their home town? Aren't fords super expensive GT500 in Europe?

And yes MB does suck when it comes to keeping up with tech, but I can't blame them because people keep buying it so why should they change. They are the Apple of the automotive world they release small changes to keep people buying. Actually I think Apple stole there business model because it's exactly the same.

If you are a tech person and want to get your geek on don't buy a MB, but if you love to drive your car in comfort and want something built to last buy a MB.

yaymitch

OP, I think most folks actually missed the point of your post. German cars are much better built and with much higher quality materials and quality is control is for the most part much better than American cars. Well at least for BMW and Mercedes. But as far as electronics and gadgets like NAV systems, etc. I am not sure why they lag behind the Japanese and American car makers. I guess you can't have everything. I have only owned BMW's and Merc's and that is what I will continue to buy because I am more into Engines, Looks and Quality than electronics.

davidbijan

Guess i am

hofb99

LOL ... don't sweat it Man! No harm in what you posted @ all...you brought light on a subject that was on some of our minds, however trivial and/or disturbing, and we (M-B "cybernaut" enthusiasts) answered the call and revalidated how M-B engineering accomplishments continually forges automotive evolution... This forum is just the place for such discussions. Let's hope your friend has landed back on Earth!

mitaka

Yeah yeah this discusion is like comparing the difference between a Timex and a Rolex watch. Perhaps the electronic movement of the Timex is more accurate than the 7K mechanical movement of the Rolex... and may have more functions. Ridiculous comparison...

brauhaus313

Haha..all the soapboxing and ****-shoveling doesn't make me feel better that a 25k car has as much if not more tech goodies than my 60k car.

Still really like my car, but per the usual, MB is behind the times on tech. How are safety and reliability covers for shoddy tech in a $50k base car?

For a fairer comparison, the new GS is a good few years beyond what the new W212's have in tech, and I seriously doubt that car is very much, if at all, less safe and reliable than a W212. Priced well to boot.

IMO, the Mercedes is overpriced, as are any luxury items. There's no way people are paying a $20k+ premium in buying a Mercedes just for safety. I'd say the nameplate is worth about $5-10k. The safety factor is more appropriately priced at a Volvo S80 level.

K-A

Man, not caring about "what Tech my car is missing" makes life so much nicer. I don't have to sweat extra time as to "where my money is going" when I frivolously spend money on a Luxury Car. I like buying cars for natural-mechanical quality over electronic quality, not even a comparison.

In fact, if I plan to keep this car, I rather some Tech go missing. To me, you have to look at a W126 to understand what M-B is about. Not Class leading in any performance or "features" regard, but always the flagship regardless, and today, the only one in its time-period-Class that's revered and worth owning.

Anyway, the facelift W212 will probably "catch up" in features.

A good rule of thumb about tech, is that "more tech, less long term viability and resale". For those who want to keep their cars for a long time, IMO the current W212 is a perfect combo of "goodies" and lack of goodies to ensure certain little things that would cost big money wouldn't go wrong.

brauhaus313

Rule of thumb according to who?

I dunno about you, but I won't pay more for a car without or a 5h!tty version of nav, bluetooth, uh power windows, power seats, etc than a car with those things or better versions of.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your opinion, I just don't think you're right. Haha.

BTW, IMO despite what MB marketing and dealers say, there's no way the W212 is going to go down as a watershed moment in Mercedes bloodline. I'm not even convinced its better than the facelift W211. It's just different, meaning not as sporty.

K-A

LOL. That's a good line.

It's a rule of thumb if you look at resale of any tech heavy cars for their time. S-Classes plummet in value, because nobody would take one for free when they get old enough (post W126) due to the liability, the W220 introduced lots of revolutionary tech for its time: Airmatic, ABC, etc. etc. yet those things go wrong, and they cost the car in the long run. These issues are never mechanical, as M-B's will go forever, but it's the electronics that price gauge their future buyers to the point of "no thanks". The W221was M-B's first mark to returning to its "true classic quality ideals", but even that will suffer, with things like LCD digital display, how much do you think that "cool little feature" will cost when it goes out? The more tech you cram into your car, the more tech that can go wrong. It's very catered to the Lease-and-dump crowd, but long term, it hurts resale 'cause nobody wants to touch the cars. It's the reason why Honda's that cost a fraction of an M-B's price, will cost the same as the same M-B when both are over 7 or so years old.

I think the W212 will be a hallmark moment for M-B, as it was M-B's truest testament in bringing that no-nonsense classic M-B durability back. The W211 launched with a plague of problems, and the W212, not a hitch from the beginning. Much of this will also be remembered as IMO it's M-B's homage to the W126. They carried over tried and true drivetrains, introduced immaculate passive and active safety, gave it all the tech one would realistically need, but kept it seemingly focused on long term viability as well, IMO. I think it'll be a future classic. I think the W211 will be in a way as well, but only aesthetically, as its legacy will always be partially tainted by those disastrous early models.

With my 2011, the only current thing that has me questioning wanting to keep it is how SOMETIMES the materials inside decide they want to creak and groan when the suspension tries to act "sporty" over rough roads, giving the car stupid amounts of harshness transmitted inside. The amount of harshness transmitted to the frame because the Sport suspension doesn't do its job in absorbing rough elements, has me wondering whether even the Award-Winning frame this car employs will be enough. Then, after I get so annoyed and pi$$ed, all of a sudden the same materials will be super quiet over harsh roads.

brauhaus313

Cool, I like your enthusiasm for the car. However, I think the "more tech, more to go wrong" sensibility is from Mercedes and cars in general from yester-year.

I like the car, but I'm not sold on the marketing superlatives. Particularly as far as the chassis goes. I haven't had a car creak and groan from chassis flex as much as my current car does since my 1993 Corrado.

The W126 was special for it's time. I wouldn't say the same about the W212.

ImInPA

It is unlikely you are hearing the chassis creak. Try this. Get a can of spray silicon. Spray all of the rubber seals on and around the door openings, and the door hinges. Don't forget the seal around the sunroof. Every once and a while, I get creaking sounds (in every car I have owned.) This will fix it. If it doesn't, you missed a spot. These cars just do not flex enough to have real body creaks.

K-A

Really? I wonder if it's really chassis flex. The chassis on the W212 is incredibly robust. Highest amount of High Strength/Ultra High Strength/Mega High Strength steel usage of all time at the time of its launch, Crash Test aftermath pictures that show a safety cage that looks impervious to anything (best you'll find really), and a victory in "Best Body Shell" in which it won over the Audi R8, Jag XJ, BMW 5 GT, etc.

All that said, I hear some disconcerting noises in which the STUPID Sport suspension can't absorb harshness, but I don't think they're chassis flexes.... hopefully? Or else the suspension is passing ALL the impact to the chassis, thus slowly but surely diminishing the values of the chassis. With my car, the chassis feels incredibly robust, but the materials inside seem to take a beating whenever I go over rough stuff. Again, however, it has me thinking as to whether the Sport Suspensions poor absorbing capabilities ARE affecting the chassis' purity.

MBNUT1

So I spent last week in a Ford Fusion SEL with V6 rental. I drove it around the Boulder area and through Rocky Mountain National Park including a drive to the top of Mt Evans. Being aware of this thread I formulated a comparision to my previous '06 E3504matic.

From a purely practical standpoint the Fusion is heads and tails a better value. During the week the average fuel mileage was 29.2 mpg. At one point I hit 33 mpg. My old E3504matic would not have been able to do that in a thousand years. The car handled better than my E350. The steering was better. The ride was not a smooth but it was never close to being unacceptable. My E350 was much quieter partly due to the 30k miles on the Michelins MXM's which I had on my mercedes and were never noisey but I had only 20k on them when I sold the car.

The styling of the car is acceptable but not beautiful as the Mercedes. Everything about the Mercedes felt more luxurious and refined from the leather quality to switchgear, refined engine sound, the way the transmission shifted and again the overall quietness. and whether one wants to admit it or not one is aware that one is driving a Mercedes, I think one poster describes it as a sense of occasion.

Several times when our host got into the Fusion she remarked that it was a nice car. As a designer she agreed that it was unfortunate that Ford diminished the interior design with gimicky looking blue accents on the speedometer and the pink accent lighting around the cupholder.

Objectively the Fusion outscores the W211 in the IIHS testing but the Mercedes feels more substantial from the door closing to it's wieghtiness on the road and given the choice I would take my chances with the Mercedes. Of course a part of that is the confidence that the 4matic brought to the table.

In summary if one isn't an auto enthusiest and in particular in love with Mercedes for all of their qualitative attributes the Ford Fusion is good car. I would certainly buy one if I couldn't afford a Mercedes. As it stands I wouldn't buy one because I would feel I was missing out not having the refinement and sense of subtance that a Mercedes brings

hyperion667

well said MBNUT..........

"the best or nothing"

K-A

Thanks for the review, MBNUT1, and well said.

Being that you're comparing the previous E with what is soon to be the previous Fusion, I'm sure your comparison will be pretty much mirror'd when you compare a W212 to the next gen Fusion, which looks like it will be leaps and bounds ahead of the current one actually.

xolinlevh

Ive noticed this for a while, my mom got a brand new Subraru Forester last year, and its Navi kicks Benzs ***. Mostly in that you can actually search for a place by name, i type ikea into it and it shows every one within like 100 miles. Type it into my Benz and I get like 3 of them, in AZ, NJ, and Cali.....useless. That all being said, the ride quality of the Benz is always going to win in my book....which is why im buying my new E next week

K-A

For some reasons the Germans are always behind in Nav tech (makes sense, as the Japanese are on the forefront of technology, Germans would be the forefront of engineering). The Bimmer guys complain about how useless their iDrive Navi is as well on their Forums.

hyperion667

LOL, sounds about as valuable as Ikea.....that stuff sux!!!
I never even use my nav........maps work, planning ahead works.....
many ways to evade the NON-navi in our cars

Arrie

Why are so many complaining about the poor navi in MB cars? The only poor quality I find is insufficient map data. If I go somewhere and need to find a hotel or something else that is not in the navi in my car I use my phone to find it and then just enter the address in the car. Or I press the button in the car and the nice people at the older service (no Mbrace) will beam the address to me in just 15 seconds.

After adress is in I don't see how other navi systems are any better.

xolinlevh

I have the worst sense of direction on the PLANET. That being said, i just got a new house with a couple friends and we furnished it almost fully out of Ikea Cheap but effective. That was just the most recent example lol, many large chains never show up: Best Buy, Target, places that have been around for ages dont show up even with the new updates.

I usually use my iphone to grab an address or find a place near by, THEN punch it in and route my way there. That being said i do enjoy the simplicity of not having to do that, typing the name in and actually having the car pull up the location...seems like a simple request. Though once i pick up my E this afternoon and have mbrace working i should be happy

achu10303

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...-mercedes.html


Mercedes is way better than Ford. Just test drive any Mercedes and you will get the answer. It’s quieter, more luxurious, more comfortable, more reliable, more fuel efficient and in my opinion all Mercedes cars look a lot better than Ford. The only difference between Ford and Mercedes is the purchase price and the maintenance.
Ford is a great car company, but Mercedes-Benz is a lot better and it can't beat the luxury and quality of a Mercedes Benz.


To know more about Mercedes Benz, visit:

http://www.akshayamotors.in/

jahquan3

This opinion I disagree with. The Fusion and Mustang look just as good or better then many variant of MBs. Of course this is just my vs your opinion but when I had my Fusion I got more compliments then with my E. There's no denying that some of the compliments the E gets is strictly due to it being a Benz. However, I feel that no one complimented the Fusion because it was a Ford but more so because it was just a beautiful car at that time.