We don't hear from you much since you've "upgraded" to the P-cars. It's nice to see that you still read this forum. I still miss your well researched comments that so often humiliated me and a few others.

 

Not that passionate about it one way or another. I will miss the quad headlights...

 

Is that a bigger nav screen?

Also, what is the sensor on the side of the bumper? Looks like the extended the bottom trim piece too.

 

Doing fine. Hope all is well with you.

Hey Petee, how's life up in the tundra? And how's the 997.2 holding up? I did regretfully sell my 993 but it was probably the time to do so (going on 16 years old with the mileage creeping up on it, and I used it to help finance the 991.)

My partner ordered and is now driving a 2013 C-350. After many years owning BMW 3-series models, she made the switch. Partly do to my suggestion and partly due to the fact that she couldn't stomach the new 3-series interior with its pop-up nav screen, etc., and also that she could no longer get a non-turbo 6 cylinder motor (the BMW IL 6 was a great motor.)

She doesn't want a larger car. She doesn't like driving big cars. She wanted a 3-series sized car but with the amenities of a larger premium sedan.

She ordered the C350 'sport' model with all the options including distronic plus with pre-safe brake, active blind spot assist, active lane keeping assist, parktronic, keyless go, leather package, panorama, lighting package with adaptive HIDs, and the multimedia package (same Nav, same color instrument cluster panel, etc..) The MSRP came out to about the same as a base W212. And it has the same 3.5 V6 motor that's in the W212 (and all the other V6 optioned Mercedes models.)

The build quality doesn't seem any different than the W212. It doesn't seem "cheapo" to me. It even shares many of the interior bits from other Mercedes models (Daimler does do parts bin sharing among models.) It has the same steering wheel in the pic above that K-A posted (the W212 sport wheel is the same in the W204.) I'm not so sure that the car is a "cheapo" version of the W212, but simply a smaller version. The center star grille is on all 'sports' models of Mercedes vehicles, as you know. No way around that unless you get the non-sport versions. The center star grille looks 'normal' on the C350 (and with distronic plus there is that gloss black background for the radar.)

btw, her salesperson claims that many owners around here (particularly women) are downsizing to the C350 from W212s and even W221s. Anyway, she seems happy with the car.

 

The exhaust styling looks exact the same as a Toyota model called REIZ, not sold in the US. You guys ca google it. What is up with that?

 

It does not seem to flow very well. I was never a big fan of the previous gen E class but this new one seems even worse.
The interior seems to be a step up and taking a lot from the CLS.
I like the CLS much better and August 2013 can't come fast enough.

 

I don't quite understand all of the negative comments here about the update. It seems that people are focusing on the wagon design and not the sedan design as the wagon design is quite a bit changed if you compare it to the sedan. The sedan basically has the same grill and it also still has the star on the hood. The major differences I can see are the headlights and taillights but beyond that the changes are pretty subtle IMO.

 

front change is quite apparent as you pointed out the sedan will feature a non-logo grill rather than the wagon version with large-logo shown in the picture. however, shape is everything. the shape of the grill changes dramatically from angular design to a more rounded shape which does not flow with the rest of the car.

then again, beauty is in the eyes of beholder. i do much prefer the new interior design; however, exterior wise, i think W212 got it right the first time in 2009. anything after that before a complete new E comes out is redundant.

 

this is the Toyota Reiz which came out a few years ago.


mm........


i thought all mercedes tail pipe will start adopting the black series design...... apparently not.

 

They are two different lines.

Sedan is shown in luxury styling (Elegance), wagon is shown in AMG sport styling. Both looks will be available from the factory on all non-AMG baumusters (sedan and wagon), it's just a matter of which style(s) MBUSA decides to offer.

 

So when will these cars hit the North American showrooms? Will it be the fall of next year as usual for a new model year?

 

There is some good and bad here. Looks like the interior took some parts and styling cues from the CLS. The clock and vents are all CLS.

The exterior is a mixed bag. The headlights are okay, but they should be more angular. The confused creases in back seem poorly thought out. The front airdamn is a little cheesy. The tuck in the middle of the front fascia looks very Acura - and nobody shold be coping Acura these days.

I've owned 3 E-classes and was not thrilled with the 2010 redesign. This update does not make things much better. Which is why I am moving over to a CLS next year.

 

i think you forgot to attach the pic . here you go:

 

That precisely my point. Why trust this design team anymore? They clearly haven't the ability to design timeless cars with proper foresight anymore. While BMW, Porsche and Audi are building an iconic modern design language with core designs that need little changing to keep people interested, thus not rendering mere pre-facelfits "irrelevant", M-B is scrambling to keep up with drastic changes akin to any generic manufacturer, dating cars prematurely.

Between the big W212 change, the W204 interior full redesign during the mid-cycle, all new GLK front, all new R-Class front, one thing is clear (to me), M-B designers aren't world class and aren't carrying this historic brand properly. if they were, they wouldn't have to do such drastic "about-faces" time after time, showing no conviction or confidence in their designs. If they "screwed up" before, who's to say this current rendition, or anything else coming out isn't a "screw up" as well?

Idk, I'm just not happy with M-B's management and direction. They look to be frantic amidst BMW and Audi and Porsche who are coasting along with a very clear and precise styling language/vision.

IMO, Gordon Wagener is turning out to be "Chris Bangle Part 2", except unlike Bangle, he hasn't brought anything unique or original to the market-place, and hasn't created a revolution, and frankly isn't being copied.

 

And again, it's not the facelift I'm upset about in terms of how it looks so much. It looks fine, though IMO it shows more incoherentness within the design teams as angular old-style rear and sides just don't flow with the insanely round and organic front, but I'm just getting more and more over M-B's design management as a whole, and I think people who actually *bought* pre-facelfit E-Classes shouldn't be too happy that from the front of the Sport model (which is all we'll see in the States anyway), the W212 V2 literally can pass as an all-new car from the front. Won't be good for resale.

 

It's interesting that they dropped the ponton ("dog haunches") from the rear. There was such publicity about connecting to a "Mercedes design heritage" with those. And now they dropped them? I thought the whole idea was to have their own "Hofmeister Kink" like BMW has done since 1961. I realize that the ponton reference was somewhat polarizing to some people (Jeremy Clarkson certainly bashed it), but wasn't the idea to make a statement with that historical design reference?

It shows some sort of a lack of confidence and conviction, and I'd probably agree with your assessment on that aspect alone.

While the 'same sausage' philosophy might be a negative to some consumers, at least there is a continuity to the brand (I can certainly recognize a BMW, Porsche or Audi on the road.) With Wagener it seems like he wants each model to have its own identity as opposed to an overall brand identity.

 

Totally agreed. They put so much emphasis on the "Ponton" and quad lamps, then abolish them after just a few years, very uncharacteristic and shows that not only do they maybe "not know just what they're doing", but it shows they're designing for quick popping smoke effect, trends and fads that even they admit are passing. To me as an enthusiast, it shows me that many of these elements I like and hoped would be timeless, aren't even being backed up by the people who designed them, and by taking them away so soon, the general market will be forced to see them as "about-face dated". Enthusiasts who have a pre-facelift W212 and appreciate the quad headlamps and Ponton arch can rest assured that at least in their eyes, they will have a unique and "limited MY run" rendition of an E-Class, I guess, but that's a personal thing.

You got a 991 BTW? I thought you got a 997 Turbo? I friggin' love the 991. One reason why I want a 911 so much is because Porsche are showing just how a careful and iconic design idiom can keep gaining in popularity. Porsche said that the 991 chassis will live on for like over 10-12+ years of production, if I remember correctly. Gives one a lot of confidence to know that if they decided to keep the car for a very long time, it won't get replaced so soon or anything.

 

Both the 997 and the 993 were sold to subsidize the 991. The 991 and the Cayenne work well as two differently purposed vehicles and they are all I need these days.

I saw a video somewhere of the 911 body morphed over time from 1963 to today. It really reveals that the design is a true evolution that retained its key iconic features over such a long time. One can dislike the design, but they can't deny that a 911 is a 911 no matter the year it was built.

I noticed you were on Rennlist a while back asking about the 991. I think you'd enjoy owning one and you should seriously consider it. They may be quick but that's not all they are about. You don't have to be a red light boy racer to enjoy them. The chassis and the tactile feel alone is worth the price of admission. And if you do need an adrenaline rush, just go out by yourself up in the canyons when there's no traffic. It's a car that needs no advertising that you can go fast; that's already understood by anybody. Plus you can join the PCA and participate in sanctioned events to get your speed needs taken care of safely and legally.

Bear in mind that space is limited and trips to Home Depot can require advanced planning for alternate transport. Forget Ikea. If you still have your Malibu, then that will work for the times when you can't get something in the back "seats" or in the front "trunk."

And it's totally comfortable for long distance trips. A month long cross country trip with just a backpack in the front trunk and a credit card in your back pocket should be on your bucket list.

 

Nice. Yeah a few months ago I was dangerously close to rationalizing a 991, lately I've had to re-acclimate my sights on certain things so the rush has been muted I guess. I have a friend willing to take over my E-Class Lease and I told him if he does, then great, if he doesn't, great, as I can just ride out the Lease and by then 991's will have come down in value some (lightly used I'd assume). Also, I've really realized that treating ones E-Class as the utilitarian beast it's intended to be and not giving a damn about pampering a car, period makes life soooo much easier. I'll enjoy it while it lasts, 'cause I know the second I get my next "squeeze" it'll be game over again.

It's really the perfect car for me (991). I don't need to be all racer-y with it, but the performance is more than intriguing enough, done by Porsche's engineering excellence and "Black Magic" where somehow they use their horses more efficiently than many other manufacturers. The comfort, and most importantly, generous headroom (impossible to find on a Sports Car for my height), make it a "perfect fit". I want something a little more unconventional next, more "exotic", yet still classy and understated, and most importantly, something timeless.

 

I can vouch for that: I am loving my 911

 

I think the change of headlights is really sad, the 4 headlight arrangement was the trademark of the E-class. Now it's gone. How are they thinking?

 

Sad to say, but in my opinion, the classically simple and elegant lines of the W-220 are hard to beat. Even after twelve years, I still receive compliments on the car.

 

Those wheels look good!

 

So just so I understand you right - you've decided that the W212 is a "stylistic screw-up" since the facelift is so drastic, yet you still liked the pre-facelift styling enough to buy two of them? Shouldn't you have realized how "irrelevant" the original W212 styling was long before the facelift was revealed?

 

I dont like the redesign at all! I dont think the there should be the huge star in the grill unless its a coupe, roadster, or SUV. I also dont like the redesign of the tail lights, the head lights and the new design of radiator grill. It looks just awful!