they're not even wearing helmets!

 

This thread is too much fun to consider closing - everyone keeps feeding the monster

 

K-A we all understand your enthusiasm on the purchase of a nice new car but sometimes one can get carried away and take things from a push to a shove.

Keep in mind this is an MB forum with a crowd that doesn't want to be told they made a mistake. To put things into perspective, Consumer Report magazine rated both the E and 5 on their recommended list, giving MB a slight edge at 86 points and the BMW 81 points. The difference appearing to be on the used car valuation.

 

Thank you Sir. You can always count on me to add some spice to the W212 forum.

Petee: Where did I tell people that they made a mistake? Believe me I'm well aware of the virtues of the W212 as I was its biggest defender on this very board. I put over 27K miles on two combined models.
This is simply a thread that organically turned into a W212 forum stalwart who's added a piece to his stable which was previously (and for a short period still as well) the W212.

As for being "carried away", if you want to tell yourself that them go ahead. I've been driving both cars back to back so I know what's what and have expressed virtues and reviews pertaining to BOTH cars.

As for the facelift.. Looks like I'll be back here with one of my "side by side reviews".. except now from the other side!

BigBen: Just installed the spoiler yesterday! Looks great but unfortunately I stuck the adhesive to close to the edge so in some areas it's visually noticeable slightly, in direct light. Grr.

 

K-A. Looking forward to your review. It should be an interesting comparison between the F10 and the 2014 facelift W212.

Let's hope it isn't so biased towards BMW this time that it'll prompt 220S to add a cartoon BMW cheerleader to the thread!

 

I have one ready just in case....

 

I like the E63 ( if that is what it is)... It looks good there...

 

I could not agree more with the Chinese copy theory; as of late, I believe MB has lost a lot of what made them distinctive when it comes to innovation in style and design. It would appear that they have lost the ability to design cars that are relevant through time, and will be remembered thirty years from now. I own a 1994 E320 Sedan that is Black on Grey with Seven Slot Aluminum Wheels and options. I get stopped, at least once a day, by someone who tells me "You have a very nice looking car", or, "You have a beautiful car", with a couple of "wow your car is hot dude". Many people guess the age of my vehicle to be a 2004 or '06, I've even had one guess 2009; granted most, if not all, are not current on MB models in general, but for a car that is 19 years old, to still command this much respect and appreciation, reflects highly on the design, and those who designed it to endure. MB needs to break away from the herd, and resume designing cars that people will appreciate, and still want to drive twenty years later.

P.s. Does every car made today have to look like a Nissan Sedan?

 

Please post a pic of your hot E320.

 

 

QFT.


In bold, you need to add Honda also.

 

I had a 1992 420E that I still remember fondly. It was one of the first multi valve V8's produced by MB. It was considered a fast car in its' day.

I wish I still had some of my more memorable MB's. I bought the first one in the Fall of 1983. It was a 1984 blue 380SL. The letters followed the numbers then.

Yea! I know, time is catching up to me.

 

it kind of reminds me of my CLS.......and the upcoming CLA a little too

 

Totally agreed. That's one of the things that started aggressively chipping away at my enthusiasm for the brand.

IMO judging by the lack of cohesion and blatant use of every single design fad of today (not tomorrow, not focused on transcending time, but today) on their most recent and upcoming releases, M-B's design team is just trying way too hard and need to be cleaned up.

Then they should bring Sacco back as a consultant.

 

You didn't feel that way about the original W212, so is this directed at the facelift? (And GLK and SL?)

 

Yeah. IMO the original W212 was the first sign of fussy detailing which is why I didn't like it at first, but I think it's still kind of the tail end of "cohesive lines" in a sense. People do criticize it for being disjointed however I think it makes sense as that all the lines point down, the door handles integrate with the lines, things are connected, etc. It has one motion. IMO it still has a classic Mercedes vibe, albeit with a lot more trendy details thrown at it (which is why the designers have now done the injustice of about-facing it so suddenly). I wish they kept the quad headlights and classic grille, as the Sports grille looks totally out of place on it, however I can live with the removal of the Ponton fender as it can be too polarizing to some.

It started really with the CLS with the crashing lines, wayward lines, "3 part" broken up designs that give the cars looks that aren't as sleek or slender or "sprawled out" as they should be (3 part designs inherently look stubbier than "one volume" designs), reverse wedge lines on wedge shaped profiles, and a seeming massive discordance being that nothing connects with each other (CLS has no lines that follow each other, door handles go in their own random direction even, not placed on lines, things aren't tied together, etc.). It seems that lines are drawn now for the sake of it, to try and be as trendy as possible, with little focus on cohesion and "making sense", dots aren't connected, etc. The W212 facelift brings in a very organic front to an otherwise very angular car which IMO shows a different type of, yet same story of discordance.

I actually don't hate the SL, I think it's fairly resolved, however something about it just doesn't seem "special" or striking this time around.

The GL and ML as odd as it sounds I think are M-B's most cohesive and sensical designs right now, though that's not to say I particularly am attracted to them (not my thing really).

Yeah, the GLK is another one with the discordance, as they grafted a very round front on an otherwise angular design.

The next S will have a reverse wedge line housed on a wedge shaped profile that connects to nothing at the rear portion of it, as will the next C, the CLA seems to have every trend/fad thrown at it for the sake of fulfilling M-B's endless and desperate quest to "appeal to youth", the A-Class and B-Class have the most ridiculous lines I've ever seen, etc. Oh, and the new C Coupe I think looks very bland and cheap, like it could be categorized next to an Accord (what's with that hideous giant plastic door frame, M-B should only use frameless doors on Coupes!)

IMO the W212/W221/W204 are such a great lineup of Sedans, mixed with the R230 SL, the SLS, previous gen CLS, etc. I think circa 2010 M-B had a very strong lineup of "past meets future", now we're seeing their future language and so far every model's been turning me off.

That's JMO and I'm sure many here will disagree with me. But since you asked....

 

Well KA...I must say the 2012 CLS has not been sitting well with me. I want to like it, but it still has not grown on me. Perhaps that may change over the next couple of years. Those side fenders and the taillights have not been winners IMO, it looks strange. The C Class, let's just say I would never buy one. The others look pretty good, the SL and E (not the 350 I prefer the 550/63).

When I want to move from my CLS, I may go with a 2011 63 or 550 the possibility is to move to *GASP* a BMW 6 series. They are very nice with that M package. What is your thought on the Gran Coupe?

 

Agreed, Ben. And I think the 6 Gran Coupe is quite possibly the nicest "Sedan" in the world right now. I'm actually one who's not so into the "4 Door Coupe" thing as much as some (especially considering my height makes it so that I can't comfortably even drive one), so I generally prefer the "actual" Sedan variants (i.e 5 Series>6 Gran Coupe / E-Class>CLS), but I seriously have fallen for the 6 GC.

Personally, I think the 6 GC is a more natural evolution from your original CLS than the new CLS is. The lines of the Gran Coupe are very elegant and flow, connect, etc., just like the CLS Gen 1. The new CLS keeps the same basic shape and architecture as the original one, but the lines are a complete departure from the clean 1-volume flow of the original CLS.

Only issue with the 6 Gran Coupe is that PRICE! Insanely overpriced on a technical level. A loaded 640i costs as much as a CLS63 (IMO worth it on looks alone). However, the flip side of that is the Used Car Market will be punishing the 6 Gran Coupe mightily by way of massive and swift depreciation, which will make snapping up a lightly Used one a smarter bet.

 

I agree the BMW Gran Coupe is a stunning looking car.

However, the Audi S7 recently beat the BMW 650ix Gran Coupe and Mercedes CLS 550 4Matic in this Road & Track comparo.

60 MPH in 4 seconds.

These German sedans are the sexy standards of the world—put them against the best from any other country, and they'll win. They're stupendously fast, superbly luxurious, and, yes, even sexy. But none more so than the Audi S7.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-revi...-cls550-4matic

The Audi A7 also beat the BMW 640i Gran Coupe in this Car&Driver comparo.
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...omparison-test

I recently bought an A7 and it is probably the best car I have ever owned.

 

Now that you mention it.....

 

Thanks for posting the high banked track shot of the facelifted Es!!! The more I see it, the more I like it. At the risk of being virtually tarred and feathered, I will say that I think MB has done an amazing job with this new look. I was not a fan when I first saw it, but, there are many nice surface details. I was not a big fan of the current W212 from the photos I saw. It was not until I saw it in person that I liked it. I suspect the facelift will be same...much nicer in person. I especially like the Luxury setup.

 

I'm not sure if this design is going to help MB. There will be a large amount of people who will buy it because it is brand new and "newer is better". I like the back end but the front is questionable. I would have to see it in person.

 

Oh yeah..the A7 is not out of list for consideration for myself. Looks nice, I have to roll in it again and see some better options on it, the one I sat in was so plain looking outside.

 

Some MB's and all BMW's apparently have run flat tires. How many of you would dare take a cross country trip with run flats? What do you do if a tire gets destroyed and you are far from a supplier? I realize that normal punctures you can continue to drive but if you run over something that destroys your tire you are SOL. A friend, with a new SL, told me that he wouldn't dare drive from Phoenix to California with his run flats.

 

I have no spare in my Porsche. It didn't come with one and instead came with an air compressor that plugs into the lighter, and a can of fix-a-flat equivalent. And those tires are not even run flats.

I hear what you are saying MB-Jim. I just hope the services are good and fast if I ever have more than a nail puncture, or that it at least happens near a developed area with a proper tire/repair shop/dealer nearby.

I don't know if the runflats are still as noisy as when they were first introduced, but on my 212, the P-Zero Neros are noisy as well.