It is about time for a Mercedes 4 door and I have located the following at a Mercedes dealership:

2012 E350 Sport 8,000 miles, P1 18" wheels, clean, actually in show room, clean CarFax, lifetime maintenance, remainder of 50K mile warranty and 50k more from dealer. Un-negioated price $48K

2014 E350 new near zero miles, P1, 17" wheels, etc. The Sport comes with the new style grill with the star on the grill, firmer suspension. Un-negioated price $58K.

2014 E350 new, near zero miles, P1, etc. The Luxury comes with the traditional grill with the STAR on the hood. softer suspension. Un-negioated price $58K.

Both feel good on the road. We sort of like hood Star but are not sure if the Lux has the tail pipe tips showing. (which we like).

Any comments would appreciated.

Joe

 

Wait the lux has firmer suspension than the sport? that doesn't make sense. What is the lifetime maintenance on the pre owned?

 

If you like the softer suspension and the star on hood then go for lux.

I personally prefer the sport as (to me) it looks way way better than the lux.

 

If you want better suspension lux is the way to go but you'll lose the rear tail pipes. Sport you will get a rougher ride (personally I find it smoother than the 2013). I'd go with sport 2014 or the 2012 but only if you can get that 2012 price down more.

 

I went with the sport version, the ride felt much more connected to the road I test drove it on. It was the same road I drove my 2010 on also, and I went with the sport version then too.

The sport will have the exhaust tips showing, as my garage pics show.

 

I went with the lux version. I like the star and hidden tail pipes, too. I thought there was definitely a suspension difference. It is softer on crappy Midwestern roads between 30-45 MPH. At other conditions it feels much the same as the sport suspension.

 

I don't like to sport because:

1. Ride is better on the luxury version
2. I want that hood ornament sticking up
3. Better ground clearance when you're parking at a curb in front.

That said, buy what you like, not what I like.

 

I forgot about #3. Good point.

I wanted to point out that even though 80% of buyers go with the Sport, the Luxury form is the factory standard. Sport is a free option to make it look sportier and to slightly stiffen the ride character. I think of it akin to make it more like a BMW.

I want it more like a Mercedes Benz.

 

All preference of course but I like the softer ride in the a big sedan and the ground clearance. I am pre facelift so star wasnt and issue but I like it on the hood. I guess 80% of people prefer the sport based on production? When I bought mine the cars on the lot were about that ratio (mine was only luxury BTC of 4 or 5 BTCs available).

 

I believe the 2014 Sport front end looks mean and not at all elegant for a luxury car.

 

If you feel no difference in ride then it gets down to looks that you prefer and some practical considerations like.....sport trim tires and shocks don't last as long, same with brakes but only marginally. Road clearance with the sport is an issue if you care about scuffing underneath the front air dam even though you can't see it. If you drive a lot on twisty mountain roads you'll appreciate the Sport trim and if you do nothing but city and freeway/throughway you'll appreciate the Elegance.

 

I too like softer ride but Avantgarde by this means delivers you soft ride as well . You may not believe in me but it still rides better than my dad's Fleetwood .I can't imagine how soft the Elegance models are
However ,the space between wheel arch and tire is a big issue for me , I dislike if I see too much gap between tire and wheel arch . This one of the reasons why I opted Avantgarde instead , the lower the car the better the appearance unless you slam it to the ground lol
Ground clearance might be big issue depending on where you live assuming these are same for either model but ride height is different
Avantgarde vs Elegance ?
This is where shoe pinches because either models has some pros /cons in my respect .I like "distinguished" exhaust pipes but dislike big giant bumper cover integrated MB logo
BTW, steering wheel also differs in Elegance model unless you opt 318 code or buy AMG version but latter overrides Elegance exterior that means you will not have standing MB hood logo
If I happen to buy any FL car I guarantee you I will tackle some exterior mods under any circumstances
In this respect :
Elegance for sake of proper MB grill and hood standing MB logo but needs AMG's rear end including exhaust pipe, bumper cover mod
Avantgarde for sake of sportier look but swapping it with Elegance front end

BTW, E Classy where have you been ? I would like to see your inputs on various topics that float around

 

If I lived in an area were the roads are generally good, I might go with the sport. If I lived in a part of the country, as I do in the North East, with questioable quality roads, I might more strongly go with the luxury. Don't fall into the trap of thinking I'm not manly enough if I don't go with the sport!! You will also reduce the odds of a pothole blowout with the 17 inch rims and softer suspension of the luxury. Happy hunting. Regards. Ned.

 

"If you feel no difference in ride then it gets down to looks that you prefer and some practical considerations like.....sport trim tires and shocks don't last as long, same with brakes but only marginally. Road clearance with the sport is an issue if you care about scuffing underneath the front air dam even though you can't see it. If you drive a lot on twisty mountain roads you'll appreciate the Sport trim and if you do nothing but city and freeway/throughway you'll appreciate the Elegance."

Above from prior post. Having owned a Ferrari F355, I really don't think ground clearance is an issue at all. Now that car would rub with no effort at all with only about 3" ground clearance. I'm thinking the E350 sport must have around 4"-5" ground clearance.

 

Ground clearance for Luxury is 5.75" Sport is 5.51" I don't think ground clearance is really an issue on the luxury vs sport debate!

 

I have the luxury. Love it.

 

FLASH

We went back to the dealer, they sold the 2012 with 7,694 miles I wanted. We looked at his inventory and decided on a new 2014 (6 miles on odometer) Sport model as shown below. Right now I am really excited. We were given about an hour presentation /demo on most of the cars features. I will start another thread later.
Thanks for the advice for those who replied.


Joe

Options & Packages
OEM CodeDescriptionMSRP
MODEL OPTION
321Sport Package$0.00
PRIMARY PAINT
040Black$0.00
SEAT TRIM
111-0BLACK, MB-Tex Upholstery$0.00
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT
P01Premium 1 Package$3,870.00
Power Rear-Window Sunshade
COMAND System w/Hard-Drive Navigation
10GB music register
Heated Front Seats
Rearview Camera
SIRIUS Satellite Radio
SiriusXM Traffic and SiriusXM Weather (w/6 month trial)
Premium Sound System
Dolby Digital 5.1

993Lane Tracking Package$850.00
Lane Keeping Assist Package Code
Blind Spot Assist
Lane Keeping Assist

PORT INSTALLED OPTIONS
137-0Comfort Box$290.00

 

In Sport trim the air dam hits curbs and parking stops. If the stop is higher than usual and you force the car over it (easy to do) you can rip off the front bumper cover when backing out. It's something you just have to remember and get use to when parking. I just measured my clearance at the lowest point and it's 5".

 

To echo what mikemargolis said above, I went with the E350LUX because.

1. Ride is better on the luxury version (especially on crappy mid-western roads)
2. I want that hood ornament sticking up (it is great to see from the drivers seat)
3. Better ground clearance when you're parking at a curb in front. (the half inch addl height makes the difference in whether you will clear certain parking blocks or not)

 

I found a solution to high curb heights vs. my 2014 E350 sport ... I mapped the 360 camera to the star button and every time I pull into a parking place, I turn it on and stop when the red line is above the curb edge. I've never hit a curb, and I never come close.

After my MY2010 scuffed a few bumper bottoms, I found this solution to be perfect.

 

Samkimg, tellme more. What option has the 360 camera?


Joe

 

Smart solution

 

This is the package to get the full 360 camera:

996 Parking Assist Package:
PARKTRONIC with Active Parking Assist,
Surround View Camera

 

I did that too with the star button -- wish there were more "favorite" buttons .. sux there's only one..