MB-JIM

I took a drive in a 2014 E350 Luxury Model this morning and was very impressed. It simply felt like a much finer automobile than my 2012.
The engine wasn't noisy like mine and the ride seemed to be much improved. There didn't seem to be as much road noise and the Electro Mechanical steering was very positive.
The luxury front end looks great but I felt the sports grille simply didn't go with an E Class sedan. It belongs on coupes and high performance models.
I'm going to get my wife to drive a 2014 and if she is as impressed as I was we will have one on order this week and I will be selling my 2012 Luxury model, with leather, that has only 6,800 miles.

Nuru

Have you driven a 2013? you may find some interesting similarities in ride and noise. A couple of dealers I spoke to indicated that the interiors are essentially the same in the 2013 and 2014, and that could well play into the sound factor.

captlst

The interiors are not essentially the same. I spent some time in a 14 today and there is definitely differences.

aprevo15

It could be due to the fact that the 2012 is couple of years old already. I bet if you got in to a brand new 2012, it would feel better than the your used 2012.

Nuru

Ok, I guess there are some differences, however, the differences are no where near as drastic as the difference between the front ends.

no_mulligan

Good for you MB-JIM!
Do what best for you and your wife. I haven't seen one yet but there are certainly lots of opinions. The most negative one was from a avid former MB owner (now drives a black BMW) that used no less than 28 different adjectives and qualifies as a thesis for 3 out of 4 online degrees!
Please report back on what your wife thinks.

MB-JIM

I have not driven a 2013 model so I don't know if it is different from my 2012. The road noise and loud sound over tar strips was there from the beginning on my 2012. My seats have venting and the 2014 did not. I believe that the more comfortable seats may be because it doesn't have my cooling fans that take up seat cushioning space.
The burled walnut seems richer than on my car and the new instrument layout is very classy.
I was surprised how much sharper the electric steering feels.
One thing that is important to me is still having a spare. I had completely ruled out any BMW with their RFT. Once I had a tire sidewall destroyed by metal on the road so now I would not own a car that didn't have a spare. Living in the West there are many places where you drive for miles, where you could be stranded, so it is essential that you have a spare.

jmatero

Just drove brand new 2013 and 2014 E350 sedans with under 10 miles yesterday and driving dynamics were identical. Sound levels, power, steering, brakes, everything. I actually am not a fan of the 2014 sport AT ALL. They grafted a non-elegant rounded nose and rear bumper to a car with a chiseled body. In fact, the first thing I thought of was the 1985 update to the Plymouth Reliant when they ditched the formal grille and hood ornament, and grafted on arounded nose/tail onto a square car.

K-A

That's what I thought. I payed really close attention to the driving dynamics due to some review saying that the '14 had slight improvements to the steering and suspension. I felt it drove identically to what I was used to from the W212's, as well did the salesman who has 2 W212's of his own. However, at the same time, I thought it drove very proper and handled everything well (brakes felt weaker/softer than I remembered, however), so who knows. The "new VS used" thing plays with your mind as well.

I wonder what exactly the steering or NVH differences would be, if there were any, in terms of performance.

I wonder if the Luxury Models had more differences between them (I've only driven Sports of each). Which could make sense in steering and suspension characteristics. My biggest complaint from the W212 was the harshness therefore loudness over anything but perfect roads. It'd make sense for M-B to improve on that, HOWEVER it was said here by some Members that they already did than on the '12 and '13 models, which apparently have a higher ride height as well due to said apparent modifications.

I'm surprised to hear that the engine noise was less in the cabin than the same engine'd '12 models. I found the '14 to have a surprisingly loud motor sound that creeped into the cabin at higher RPM's. It's a nice throaty sound, however the car certainly wasn't isolated from it.

And LOL at those comparisons, haven't seen one of those cars in a long time.... maybe since my Dad once bought one from an Auction when he was going through a tough time and it caught fire in our driveway. Interesting. I get what you're saying and obviously agree about the grafted elements of the new E not correlating with the inherent design/proportions. I think in the future the pre-facelift will be the "legacy" version of the W212 "versions" as they can now essentially be considered from each other.

Mit2013

I think it will take time for current owners of W212 to like the new 2014 facelift. When the F10 BMW first came out, I didn't like it at all but after looking a lot of them on the street, now I like it more than the previous version. "It will take time to love the new one"

K-A

Especially considering this is still "just" a facelift (though almost looks like a new bodystyle) I especially don't think that people who may not like it (once they see continuously it of course, pics only tell one part of the story, as do first initial-pop impressions) will genuinely or "artificially" get themselves to prefer it over the pre-facelift, necessarily.

I obviously love the F10, but let's be honest, it didn't have to work too hard or pull any tricks after the E60 generation which was fully guilty of both of those things.

Nuru

The only BMW I would consider is the 7 series, however I have not driven a 7xxi in a long time.

instantfob

....then it's a great time to pick up a 740i. They are blowing those out the door. 700-800 per month tax included with basic drive offs.

Nuru

Well, I guess I will have to wait a bit longer to get one LOL!

MB-JIM

I had great hope for getting a 2014 E350 but it isn't going to happen. My wife, who is the primary driver of the E, said she preferred a 2014 GLK 350
so that is what we have ordered.
So now, I'm going to sell our 2012 E350. I'm a little concerned on how difficult it will be since I have the Luxury version with leather. In my area, practically all sales are for Sports versions with MB Tex.

boylston

Jim- have you considered trading the C350 and keeping the E? The E sounds like a very nice car but one you'll take a big hit on. Your wife will love the GLK, I love mine except when I'm forced to have more than one passenger.

boylston

Yes, they just destroyed that Reliant when they took the ornament off the hood!

MB-JIM

My wife is 5' 1" and she feels the E is too large. The GLK is easy for her to get in and out and she says it handles better than our E. Frankly, I like my C350 so much that I will drive it as long as it is practical. Yes, I will take a big hit on selling the E. Even though I only have 6,800 miles on the 2012 E which was $62,000, in today's market I will lose more than I ever have on past MBs.