Airmousam

^^^
Agree distronic is a must!!

Nuru

Yeah, it worked very well in my 2012 E-class, and it does in my 2012 S-class. However, the latest/newer version works a lot better.
Here is a video of a German fooling the system to self drive longer than the

10 minutes or so it allows today.

E 200 CDI

I had a BMW 520i touring MY 2013 as a rental car for 4 days.
I found it a bit tight/small inside, not only in front, also in the backseat and trunk.
The car was pretty fast, good engine. It was a gasoline engine, not my cup of tea, to high fuel consumption and I miss the diesel noise from my 136 hp diesel in my E 200 cdi.

jahquan3

Distronic is one of the few features I don't have and now I wish I knew more about it. On the next re-up I think it'll be a must have.

cc16177

I forget how amazing it is until i'm using a rental car or driving someone else's car and I go to turn it on... then I realize how much I use it.

It's especially nice where I live as i'm constantly in traffic that varies from like 5-30mph... but never coming to a complete stop.

I can't wait to get a newer one that can turn the wheel as well!

jahquan3

Yeah that feature is awesome. I just won't be able to help myself but try and spook some near by driver as I pretend to read the paper or something as my car is driving along with no issue. If only for a few seconds I know it'll cause a stir.

Dema

I have distrinic plus, and although it keeps a distance well, steering isn't really good. It works only on low speeds, and car doesn't moving straight. although still keeps the line. Reading newspaper isn't really possible, but if you have a passenger, then you can communicate with her using two hands. It is hard to find a car with distronic plus in dealer's lot nowadays. It looks like dealers are trying to order cars with minimal configurations, or add some stupid options as panorama roof.

michael61

I don't understand why more people don't just order what they want.

That's what I did with my E250. It's exactly the car I wanted.

Dema

People are lazy. I ordered what I want when got my 535i, but I was expecting I won't get problem just get what I want from a lot for E. I was very wrong and now ordering is too late. Perhaps it is my destiny to drive some other make for next 2-3 years.

cc16177

Money, maybe? That's like saying "why bother shopping used and trying to find a certain color when you could just order it that way"...

Dema

An ordering a car also ties you to a particular dealership, it reduces your flexibility in a negotiation of a final price.

Nuru

I am a former 2-time W212 owner, If you go up to an used S-class, Distronic plus is much more common. My car is great at keeping distance and at least staying inside the lane, but it does not have the additional lane keeping software turned on and the additional cameras required. But it us very good at keeping the distance you set between you and car in front of you. I could definitely read a paper (carefully) in stop and go traffic, and using my knees to steer LOL! I am considering trading in my 2012 for a 2014 or 2015 in a few years. Those newer cars can keep the car in the middle of the lane at freeway speeds.

Rovel

This thread is old, but ...

I would advise to read more about the 550i engine issues before making a decision.

Friend of mine, a huge BMW guy, decided to buy an Audi S8, after reading about issues with that engine. He was so upset, that he wanted the car so much, but didn't want to buy it before that engine was probably the worst engine that BMW had made in recent years.

ngerstman

Is he happy with his s8 purchase? Very different kind of car. Interestingly enough, I just bought one as well after being a Mercedes customer for 30 years. I wasn't happy that my local dealer wouldn't discount a loaded e43 or that Mercedes didn't offer a standard v6 option, just the AMG lite. They pushed me to Audi and a class up! So it goes. Regards. Ned.

Rovel

Hi Ned,

He says that he likes it, although I haven't driven his car myself yet. I like the interior better than that of the E class, but I think it should be compared against the S Class, which has the best interior in my mind.

But would I buy an S class? Only if they had short versions. I don't really need that long of a car. So S8 has an edge in that meaning.

Speaking about the latest E class (W213)... I have only driven E300: didn't like the engine; the interior build quality have gotten much better, but didn't like the plastic - feels like the white synthetic foam that you get in the box when you buy a new TV. Perhaps E43 with leather package would feel different.

ngerstman

I drove an s550 and didn't like the feel of the suspension, to floaty. The s8 is much more fun to drive, especially considering the size. The engine is an absolute beast. Very comfortable, the technology, while ok, could be a bit better. For example, they use Google maps but not their search engine for directions. Regards. Ned.

Rovel

I know, S550 is a different car - mostly build for people seating on the back seat.

Currently I own almost fully loaded E550 and very like it. But considering that no V8s on E class from MB anymore, unless you get an AMG, I think my next car can be an Audi. Or perhaps I earn enough money to buy MB GTS


Also what I like about Audi and other cars made by VW is that there are so many buttons on the dash. I like it and don't understand people complaining about it. It really feels like an aircraft with so many buttons. And it is the fastest way of accomplishing things. In the new E class, it takes about 4-7 seconds to get from Radio to the Seat settings to turn on a massage. That is quite distracting when you drive fast on a highway.

But that video quality on S8 when backing up... Gosh, the video quality looks like you turned on VHS video cassette.

No car is perfect, but I am leaning towards Audi for my future car.

BetterTomorrow

I used to like Audis until I got a 2004 Audi A8 and it was a complete nightmare on maintenance and reliability. Ride was great but things just did not work when you need it (like rear defroster that turned on when it was warm+, not with ice).

I also do not like how Audi's drive train (quattro) is setup with nose heavy design (as much as 600 lb past its front wheel in some cases, that is almost like carrying a refrigerator on your front bumper area). This also leads to really long front over hang that looks longer than a lot of "front wheel" drive cars. Personal taste but I find cars with long overhang aesthetically challenged and not proportional.