I know a lot of people do not like Consumer Reports, but it is a valid and reliable source of data from lots of owners.
MB reliability fell 11 places from last year's not very good one. Much of it is placed on the CLA, which rates as one of the worst cars for reliability. New model not withstanding, it is an MB. "S" class did not fare well either, although CR really likes the car, and neither did the GL class.
The major culprit for most makes, especially European, was too many gadgets with faulty components. Apparently Toyota/Lexus' lock on the top spot is due to releasing electronic gadgets and so forth slower than others and after proving they function.
Of 28 makes, MB palced 24th, ahead of Dodge-Ram-Jeep-Fiat.
Remember, this is based on what individual owners said about their cars.
One thing that does not bode well for us is that with all the CLA, "S" and GL problems, it will be harder to get in and out of dealers for service.
Good news is that the "E" V6 sedan still ranks fairly well at 8th in luxury cars.

 

You haven't given the whole story. CR also published an "Owner's Satisfaction Survey".

If you look at CR's Survey for Owner's Satisfaction, the E250BT comes out on top with a score of 88%, in answer to the question: "Would you buy that car again ?"

E550 V8 had a score of 81%, E350 V6 @ 75% and way down the list is the BMW 535i @ only 70%, followed by 528i @ 68%.

The lowest score was for the Acura RLX @ 59% !!!!

Although Acura might be rated high for 'reliability' , the owners are apparently not very satisfied !

 

As a long-time Lexus owner / buyer, I switched just sides and pulled the trigger on my W212 based on strong reliability ratings from the following sources: Consumer Reports, JD Power and Edmunds. Later I saw much the same from USA Today. (I looked primarily at the W211/212 and less so at MB on the whole.)

Trust me when I say that my long-time positive Lexus experience worked to build an unbelievably high bar. They just didn't let me down in the quality and reliability department. Unfortunately, Lexus doesn't make anything that I wanted this time. After being a Lexus homer for so long, it's hard for me to believe that I'm not driving one.

Based on my Lexus experieneces and 3rd party reliability info, the expectations for my W212 are high. Time well tell.

 

As far as reliability goes gadgets that break and can be fixed during the next oil change are not nearly important to me as something that leaves you dead in the water. So is it important stuff that is breaking, or is it some gismo that the other higher rated cars do not have? I have not seen the report. What is said about the E Klasse specifically.If I really like how a car drives I am willing to put in a bigger effort to sort out warranty issues. All bets are off if it rattles that is my weakness (obsession).

 

CR's 2014 New Car Issue shows the 18 categories carrying RED DOTS for the 2012 C250 4 cylinder

That's impressive to this sailor!

ez

 

What important issues to me are the ones that can leave you stranded .I don't take such little niggling things into consideration such as slower internet connection , I- you know not what Thing gismo devices' connection problems,Album covers don't be seen in Bluetooth Audio option and such things like this .
Another thing to say is engine type can have different issues . Let's say E350 Bluetec has got NOx sensors that are not available with gasoline engines neither do they AdBlue additive .
If you see complaints about AdBlue , NoX sensor failures,piezzo injector problems in smaller diesel engines you can not have extrapolations all the W212 engines are trouble bags because these are only diesel issues .
I recently read X204 GLK user car report and it was said it was built like a tank as it's big brother G Wagon . Although I have seen some GLK 250s with AdBlue problem that would not daunt me from buying a one if I like

 

[QUOTE=DerekACS;6212967]You haven't given the whole story. CR also published an "Owner's Satisfaction Survey".

Not in the magazine I received and I don't have access to the website.
I place less confidence in Owner Satisfaction than anything else. It is far too subjective. It requires that people say they made a mistake in getting the car they got if they say no. Most people I know do not want to say that.
Regardless, the issue is reliability of MB vehicles in general. There are some good ones, but "The Best or Nothing" should have more, many more.

 

For a more accurate gauge of reliability than Consumer Reports, I suggest looking @ www.truedelta.com

They monitor actual repair frequencies, based on quarterly reporting from owners of W212. You would see that the 2014 E Class actually fares better than other makes and is thus far one of the more reliable cars.

 

I participate in True Delta and trust it. However, it is a different type of measuring and with a much lower number of participants.
BTW, my original post was about MB in general, not about the E Class.

 

I have owned almost every type of car over the years. They all have some type of flaw or something wrong with them. I never had a car that had as many problems as the new Mercedes I bought that has less than 4000 miles and less than a year old. The biggest complaint is the navigation system. In 2014 they changed mfg of the unit. Went to a cheap piece of crap. I live 20 miles from where my navigation says I live. My $20 garmen has the correct address but the $70,000 car does not. You have to trick the navigation system where you live to get close to where you live. The other problem is the jerky flow in transmission from 1sr gear and 4th gear. If I had to do it over again and I know what I know now I do not think I would have bought a Mercedes. I bought the care for reliability and reputation. So far I am disappointed.

 

Interesting comments about the 2014 navigation system. Just returned from a 6500 km road trip through eight states; my 2013 E350BT Navi system never made any errors in guiding us to each daily destination. I wonder if any other forum members have had a similar experience to yours with their 2014 E Class ?

As for your transmission jerkiness, do you ever use the paddles to shift down manually ? I have found that since I started doing this occasionally, my transmission seems to shift smoother in auto mode. In any case, I would report your transmission issues to your dealer's service department and ask them to rectify the problem.

 

After an 1100 mile road trip my navigation was flawless especially when paired with the Sirius traffic.


My transmission is smooth as silk and an absolute joy after the BMW I had.


I am beginning to think I have the worlds best car after the seats, rattles, navigation and transmission issues people seem to be reporting recently.


I love my new 2014 E350!

 

My address works fine on any 2013 model or older. It only does not work on the 2014 models in any style of Mercedes. Mercedes Benz USA is aware of the problem in the 2014 models. As far as the trans problem Brought to dealer and they said I had the most recent update for the trans in the car but they said they reset to learn again. Mercedes Benz USA is also aware of the trans problem in some models and they said they are working on a solution. I have never used the flippers. and I do not use the eco. Also the drivers wheel bearing and knuckle had to be replaced at 3000 miles. it made a humming noise. I love the car and the ride and looks, only it has a lot of problems for a Mercedes which I did not expect for a Mercedes. The Germans must have been sleeping when they made the car

 

The Best or Nothing?

 

Very strange !

Yours is the first report. that I have read, about issues with the 2014 Navi system.
I hope that MB can sort this out for you and any others affected.

 

Several months back there were a lot of other people complaining about the 2014 navigation on this forum One guy said the navigation put him living in a corn field. I am not in a rural area I am in a good size city but it will not put me near where I live instead they say I live 15 miles away in another big city. They said when it comes out with and updated system it should correct it. When it comes out you normally have to pay for it but they have on record that mine is bad so I will get the free upgrade. we put my address in a 2013 and a 2011 and it works fine. Only on the 2014 system because they changed Mfg. of the unit. I believe Garmen will be making them but some how when they load the program in it messes up with some addresses and locations. It is livable but it is something that should not have happened.

 

My BMW won't get me home either. It puts me into some endless loop, getting on and off the highway repeatedly, even though I'm only about 1-mi from home. There wasn't even any new road construction in the area. I ignore it and most other addresses work fine (or get me close) but there are still some screwups. MB is not alone. I suspect the map program/data/logic (Navtech, or whatever company supplies it), whereas the hardware seems to work adequately.

 

Is it ever totally accurate, dbldpr?

I had an issue with my '05 211 where the GPS system would, basically, loose track of where the car was. It wasn't just my home location through, it could be anywhere.

Problem turned out to be the connection between the GPS antenna wire and the signal splitter. I pulled the left interior trunk panel off, disconnected the lead, cleaned, and reassembled. Solved it.

 

Most of the time it is very accurate. It just does not like where I live. I live in a area surrounded by Buffalo Grove Il. 60069. IT says I live in Deerfield Il 15 miles away. If I put in an addresses to go to I would say it is accurate 95% of the time. It just will not allow me to put in where I live. The other year cars will let me put my address in. Only works bad on the 2014 models. and that goes for all the models not just my car so I know it is not the car it is the unit they purchased. Cheap garbage that should have been tested before they started using the new units.

 

Yes, it sounds like the 2014 navi system is temperamental ! Maybe another good reason for me to hang on to my 2013 E350 V6 diesel ? The navi system is accurate every time - 'she' never makes a mistake ! This car has been absolutely flawless !

 

I don't have your model of car, so I can't address the specific issue, but I've had GPS Nav systems in all my cars since 1991. Of course, the early ones were portable, or custom installations. But, rather than calling them "cheap garbage", I'd suspect that there is a reason. Many things can account for such issues. Some postal addresses are not in the correct physical city. Such as a friend had a Scottsdale mail address because of postal (USPSP) delivery address that was a couple of miles inside of Phoenix, AZ city limits. Some Nav systems use a metropolitan city name, rather than the suburb name, and vice versa. And, I live on a street that on most maps it is called "Lane", but the street signs say it is "Drive". It is not unusual to find duplicate street names in close vicinity. A couple of things that you might try is to check the postal web page, put in your address and see what they say about it. Also, post your address in a couple of different on-line map apps. Finally, being as it is your home address, "Mark" it on the nav screen and save it as your "Home" and the problem is solved (for your home waypoint plot). Then, you can see what your GPS thinks is your location & if it is different from what you inserted (if it shows that data). Also, there is always "Lat/Long", if the GPS shows that. There are free computer map apps that display Lat/Long. Also, you can go to the GPS map and move the destination location to your actual street position, which will represent your "Home" waypoint. I'm not suggesting that you are not inputting correct, but that there is likely a reason and a solution for what the GPS is plotting. There is another issue that might be encountered. Some streets are on boulevards, circles, etc. They run in different directions (or in a big circle) & don't work well on a "grid" system, which the GPS ultimately needs. If the straight east/west, north/south grid isn't followed, addresses can be off. For instance, in a actual street circle, how will the nav plot know whether to plot a east/west house street number on the north side of the circle or the south side? It'd be nice if all GPS navs could use a satellite view such as Google Maps, for then you could pinpoint your waypoint, which will be considered a lat/long fix. That conforms to the grid requirement and will have no errors. But then the nav map provider will incur contractual expenses with that satellite view provider that would be paid for by us consumers. We get what we pay for (hopefully).

 

No MBZ owner would like to hear that its quality is going down but it is a fact that MBZ must hear and do something about it fast!

 

Generogge. I spent 3 hours with Mercedes benz usa trying to figure out what is wrong. We even tried lat /long and nothing would work. They put my address in there own car that was a 2013 and 2011 and it worked fine. Mercedes benz usa said there is a problem with the 2014 unit. We even talked to the people that provide the program that goes into the unit. they stated that the program is fine but the unit would not accept all of the program. To me that is a Cheap garbage unit. What would you call it? A unit with defects. If Mercedes benz kept the old unit mfg then there would be no problem.

 

You are the only one with this particular complaint about the nav system. As several people have tried to explain to you, it is the map data and your specific location that is the issue, not the MB navigation device.

 

One could pick a designation that is close and directly on the way home that you could always find your way home even in your sleep. I have never had a system that I would trust on longer trips so I study a map to make sure I am not being lead down a street with a lot of traffic and stop lights. I use local knowledge and that is my final route. Maps are still relevant and I do not like to be lead around by the nose mindlessly. Navigation systems are at there best in complicated urban environments with a lot of quick turns and one way streets. Good luck finding a work around .