MinnBobber

X2. I also think the Airmatic rear helps mellow the suspension.
The black ash is usually very subdued/ very classy.
Another pic of it and this one also shows more grain/contrast than
what usually shows inside the vehicle.

klobbr

That's gorgeous. Can. not. wait.

How crazy we've had the same car! I really loved owning it, and my brother in law is going to buy it from me for his daughter when the Benz arrives. Very stout car, should be great for her.

Nuru

Sport vs Luxury - Front bakes are sport brake on the sport, not on the luxury, back brakes are the same.

adrien

Interesting thread. When we were shopping, the only wagons around here (metro DC) were sport, P1 only, often with dvd players for the back. Lots of emphasis on the bling.

We drive up to Canada regularly, and roads up there are not good. And my wife doesn't like "twitchy" cars, so sport was not an option. She also much prefers a light headliner -- that feels like luxury to her.

Our luxury wagon has p2 and all the assists, plus cooled seats. Exterior is the very dark blue, interior is ash. Love the car, and it is very stable, quick, responsive. I've personally seen exactly one other luxury wagon in the new body shape in 11 months. It's a rare car, and everyone comments on it.

ImInPA

I wish MB would come out with a Bluetec 4Matic wagon here in the US. That would be my perfect vehicle.

adrien

Couldn't agree more. I researched this at some length at the time. Apparently the NHTSA requires every model and sub-model to be crash tested, which is a significant investment for the manufacturer. Since wagons are so unpopular in the USA (land of the monster SUV larger than most apartments), they made the decision to bring in only the most-popularly-specced model. This is also why you can't have parking sensors on it, apparently.

M156

You will love your new S212. I think you'll also be pleasantly surprised at how quick it can be when in "S" shift mode. I would not worry about the sport suspension being too harsh compared to your A6 4.2.

When I was at the Sindelfingen MB factory tour a month ago, one of the displays was an S212 bodyshell showing the double firewall and weld points. It is a very well engineered and built vehicle.

Best of luck with your new wagon!

klobbr

I watched the production of the e class sedan at Sindelfingen on You Tube. I wish I could get footage of my actual car going through some of that assembly process, but that's certainly not going to happen.

I put a factory direct Sportline suspension on my 93 300 CE cabriolet and it has vastly improved the ride on that car, it has very heavy AMG Monolock II wheels on it as well and IMO it is the best riding (touring not track) car I have ever owned. All the new bushings and heavy sway bars,springs and struts (plus wider staggered wheel set up) make it super stuck without being too fast or harsh. I think if I would have gone with lowered, stiffer springs a lot of the interior would be crumbling off onto my lap.

The 4.2 non sport is definitely too soft for my tastes now, glad to hear your review of the s wagon. We cant stop talking about it.

Cheers,
Bob