W212 E400 Anyone?
11-18-2015, 11:54 AM
#51
Super Member
Thread Starter
This is just anecdotal info, but my SA said that the E550 (and now E400) makes up only about 10% of E-Class sales. From the stats I've seen, E-Class sales are expected to be about 45,000 to 50,000 units this year (US sales only, I think), which means about 4,000 to 5,000 units/year nationwide. In the US auto market, which is now running at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 20-million cars, that nearly rounds to zero.
11-18-2015, 12:19 PM
#52
Banned
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 424
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
2016 E63 AMG S SEDAN, 2010 E550 SEDAN
Yes, it does - I think that was covered earlier in this thread.
cocksaurus, I am trying very hard not to take offense at the tone of your posts, but you are pushing the line. . .
I purchased the E400 not as a replacement for the "lost" E550, but as a car that will perform much better than the E350. It does this, by a large margin. I believe that for cars that are driven in daily use, on US streets and highways, the superior performance of the V8 can rarely be used. For my driving (70% suburban main streets, 30% busy interstates), the E400 is fully adequate, even when compared with my prior car, which was a 4.3L V8. There just isn't enough room to get to the extreme speeds you need to really see the difference between the TT V6 and the V8. Car and Driver found the difference to be between 0.5 sec and 1.0 sec for 0-60 MPH and for the 1/4 mile. If you're down to a half-second difference, the driver's reflexes can make that much of a difference.
Yes, the V8 should be superior in an all-out performance contest, but most of us never get to enter one like that. The fact that the V8 is no longer available limits our choices, especially if we choose not to buy used. I, for one, won't buy a used high-performance car since all too often these cars are driven hard, then discarded when they are ready to start needing major maintenance. My car is a daily driver, not a hobby. I cannot be bothered with constant trips to the mechanic to fix all the things that will go wrong on a car that has been abused. Also, I do not see an AMG as a good daily driver in a city environment, as these cars are just too highly tuned and stressed to be dependable for high-mileage use.
This is all just my opinion. I will share it, but make no effort to convince anyone else to buy into it. That's just how it is.
cocksaurus, I am trying very hard not to take offense at the tone of your posts, but you are pushing the line. . .
I purchased the E400 not as a replacement for the "lost" E550, but as a car that will perform much better than the E350. It does this, by a large margin. I believe that for cars that are driven in daily use, on US streets and highways, the superior performance of the V8 can rarely be used. For my driving (70% suburban main streets, 30% busy interstates), the E400 is fully adequate, even when compared with my prior car, which was a 4.3L V8. There just isn't enough room to get to the extreme speeds you need to really see the difference between the TT V6 and the V8. Car and Driver found the difference to be between 0.5 sec and 1.0 sec for 0-60 MPH and for the 1/4 mile. If you're down to a half-second difference, the driver's reflexes can make that much of a difference.
Yes, the V8 should be superior in an all-out performance contest, but most of us never get to enter one like that. The fact that the V8 is no longer available limits our choices, especially if we choose not to buy used. I, for one, won't buy a used high-performance car since all too often these cars are driven hard, then discarded when they are ready to start needing major maintenance. My car is a daily driver, not a hobby. I cannot be bothered with constant trips to the mechanic to fix all the things that will go wrong on a car that has been abused. Also, I do not see an AMG as a good daily driver in a city environment, as these cars are just too highly tuned and stressed to be dependable for high-mileage use.
This is all just my opinion. I will share it, but make no effort to convince anyone else to buy into it. That's just how it is.
11-25-2015, 06:46 PM
#53
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 49
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
'15 E400 Sedan '08 BMW 335i Coupe
Took delivery of my 2015 E400 sedan (E400W 2WD) just over one year ago – have put slightly less than 12k miles on the clock though. Only trouble was a very small coolant leak at the thermostat housing – easily remedied.
Was originally considering a new E350 but when checking the numbers – the E400 was clearly the better choice.
For the model year 2015 2WD E sport sedans, the base E400 MSRP was about $10k more than the base E350. However - the base E400 came standard with the Premium One package, leather, lane tracking, KEYLESS-GO, 18" AMG wheels and a MB-Tex dash. These features would add about $7.5k to the base E350 (may have missed a few other differences - don’t think the E400 dash treatment was even available on the E350).
After adding in the options that I wanted such as Nappa leather, the LED lighting package, Parktronic (with surround view), Distronic (Driver’s Assistance Package), active driver’s seat and a few other things …. the difference between the price of the two sedans was about 3% of MSRP.
Went to MBUSA online today to check on the price difference between the MY2016 E400 and E350 with the same configuration I have. The E400 came in at an MSRP of $72,095 and the equivalent E350 totaled $69,695 …. a difference of only $2,400. Interesting .. looks like the surround camera option isn’t available now (seem to recall reading something about that here).
That’s not much for the performance advantage of the E400’s newer M276 DELA 30 3.0 liter twin-turbo engine
Last year , I drove a new E350 coupe for a few hundred miles on the coast, some fast back roads and then highways .. a good mix. Took the same route a day later in the E400 sedan. Not sure about weight or gearing differences between the two cars so not an exact comparison.
The E400 engine certainly pulls better everywhere .. superior low end torque clearly shines through. The M276 twin turbo V6 is smooth and throttle response is very good with no appreciable lag. The engine sound is subdued - perhaps quieter than the E350. My fuel mileage for the 300+ mile loop was measurably better in the E400 - both cars driven in much the same way and in the same conditions.
Given the differences between a new E400 and a similarly equipped E350 sport sedan .. and their respective prices once optioned .. the E400 makes for the better choice (most certainly when considering a fully optioned E350 .. will add "imho").
It will be interesting to see what Mercedes has done to squeeze more out of the M276 in the C450 Sport and other performance oriented applications – folks tuning this engine in the C400 have reported significant gains with modest increase in boost.
Greatly enjoying the new sedan – only regret is that it I don’t get to drive it more.
J.
Was originally considering a new E350 but when checking the numbers – the E400 was clearly the better choice.
For the model year 2015 2WD E sport sedans, the base E400 MSRP was about $10k more than the base E350. However - the base E400 came standard with the Premium One package, leather, lane tracking, KEYLESS-GO, 18" AMG wheels and a MB-Tex dash. These features would add about $7.5k to the base E350 (may have missed a few other differences - don’t think the E400 dash treatment was even available on the E350).
After adding in the options that I wanted such as Nappa leather, the LED lighting package, Parktronic (with surround view), Distronic (Driver’s Assistance Package), active driver’s seat and a few other things …. the difference between the price of the two sedans was about 3% of MSRP.
Went to MBUSA online today to check on the price difference between the MY2016 E400 and E350 with the same configuration I have. The E400 came in at an MSRP of $72,095 and the equivalent E350 totaled $69,695 …. a difference of only $2,400. Interesting .. looks like the surround camera option isn’t available now (seem to recall reading something about that here).
That’s not much for the performance advantage of the E400’s newer M276 DELA 30 3.0 liter twin-turbo engine
Last year , I drove a new E350 coupe for a few hundred miles on the coast, some fast back roads and then highways .. a good mix. Took the same route a day later in the E400 sedan. Not sure about weight or gearing differences between the two cars so not an exact comparison.
The E400 engine certainly pulls better everywhere .. superior low end torque clearly shines through. The M276 twin turbo V6 is smooth and throttle response is very good with no appreciable lag. The engine sound is subdued - perhaps quieter than the E350. My fuel mileage for the 300+ mile loop was measurably better in the E400 - both cars driven in much the same way and in the same conditions.
Given the differences between a new E400 and a similarly equipped E350 sport sedan .. and their respective prices once optioned .. the E400 makes for the better choice (most certainly when considering a fully optioned E350 .. will add "imho").
It will be interesting to see what Mercedes has done to squeeze more out of the M276 in the C450 Sport and other performance oriented applications – folks tuning this engine in the C400 have reported significant gains with modest increase in boost.
Greatly enjoying the new sedan – only regret is that it I don’t get to drive it more.
J.
Last edited by J.Raymond; 11-25-2015 at 10:53 PM.
