All BMW look the same to me, any model is same look. If you had bmw for all them years, just try something new for a change.You might like it, seats not very comfy but the rest of the car is amazing!!! good luck with your new ride!!

 

Agree on mbtex, absolute crap...had it on my last E....who wants plastic seats in a lux sedan? ..never again

 

Dumb

 

Obviously you. Nice

 

I tend to prefer BMW a little over MB but the wife is more of a MB fan.

Although I don't have a problem with MB tex in my current or previous MB. I don't climb into my 335 and think "This leather is so much better than the MB tex". Its just not a deal breaker to me but I know it is to many others.

 

Never had an issue with seats in this car. I have done multiple 10 our days and not a bit of discomfort. The active massage is awesome. If the one you are looking at has that, all the better. The only seat that is more comfortable to me than what is in the E is what is in my S class. Both are very comfortable.

 

I see another MBTEX vs. Leather debate coming.

 

Next years 2017 E-class is certainly going to be better.

 

*****-r-us, what's your point?

 

That your annoying and a nerd.

 

Makes sense your in new Hampshire.

 

LOL, That's what I thought, no actual point. Still butt hurt that I said your interior wood is badly faded? Waaa

 

Oh annoyance is back. however you are extremely nerdy.

 

And you live in new Hampshire without an AMG or any Italian cars. Bwahahahahahah

 

You really are not able to make an actual point, are you? Oh yea, you really owned me, inpressive...I'm done, carry on lil fella

 

Point is proven, your annoying. How many times you track my posts for my E550, go on to my profile. What are the sheep not awake yet to groom.

 

You are hopeful & wishful with the comment, but so incorrect

 

This was supposed to be a thread about E class vs A6 and 5 series. Guys please do not diverge from topic. The OP needs help in making decision. Thanks.

 

My thoughts based on my car search for my wife 15 months ago. First, I have owned Audi TT roadsters since 2001 and love them. I've had A4 and A6 as loaners when I take my car in for routine maintenance and I liked them too. My wife has a bad back, so seat/ride comfort was paramount and after searching about a dozen brands, it came down to the A6 vs E350, She liked the seats and ride in both. (She found the BMW seats too hard so she never even drove it). Here are the factors that swayed us to the E350.

Price. The MSRP of a new E350 is about $10K higher than the A6. On Audi, a 6% discount on MSRP is about the limit you will be able to negotiate (not including trade-in which always muddles the true cost). MB offers massive discounts, almost 20% if you are a decent negotiator. Still, a new A6 costs less than the MB. Personally, I wanted to be in the $35K range so we were shopping for low mileage (under 10K) 2012-13 CPOs. IMO a CPO E350 is one of the best car deals around. You can get a very low mileage 2-3 year old car that is still under warranty for about 40% off of MSRP. That means the "driving it off the lot" depreciation on a new MB is about 20%! Plus MB is always offering incentives on their CPOs that are typically worth an extra $2K-$3K. You also get an extra year of warranty. So even if I were interested in a new E350, unless you had money to burn, IMO the CPO route makes the most financial sense. I car shop in SoCal because prices on luxury cars are much less than here in Vegas. There were dozens of CPO E350s in my price range but the CPO A6 was about $4K higher. An Audi CPO also gives you 2 extra years of warranty compared to the MB's one. So summarizing, a new E350 is more expensive that a new A6 but the converse is true for a late model low mileage CPO. That means the A6 has better resale value.

Maintenance cost - My CPO is still under free maintenance (thanks to one of the several CPO incentives I got) but talking with my service advisor, routine maintenance of the E350 is over double what my Audi dealer charges for my TT.

Style - The A6 exterior styling is very bland. IMO the E350 wins this easily.

Performance - There is a hidden factor in the costs above. The base A6 has a very peppy 4 cylinder engine while the E350 comes with a 6. IMO, and in the opinion of most professional reviewers, the A6 4 cylinder provides all the power you ever need. If you want a 6 cylinder A6 you have to upgrade trim level and pay extra for the 6 and the MSRP becomes about the same as the new E350 but because of discounts offered, the new MB is cheaper. However, a A6 CPO with the 6 adds several $K to the CPO price. My wife and I agree that for general driving, performance of the E350 and the A6 4 is a wash.

Comfort - It is almost impossible to find an E350 anywhere in the Southwest that is not a sport model. I had a lot of concern about this initially but the ride of the E350 sport is very smooth, as was the A6. What drove my wife to select the E350 was one button! The E350 comes standard with electronic lumbar adjustment on both front seats. The A6 does not have this on the passenger seat. When we go on long trips, which is frequent, my wife prefers that I drive and the E350 passenger seat was much more comfortable for her bad back with the lumbar adjustment. To get electronic lumbar adjustment on the passenger side on the A6, you have to move up to the highest "prestige" trim (and the 6 cyklinder engine is now standard) for an added $4K in MSRP and $2K for a CPO.

The end result is that we are very pleased with the E350. My wife has had full size cars for about 20 years and the E350 has the most power, best handling, best ride, and best gas mileage of any she has owned.

 

The "standard" real leather seats in my E550 are comfortable, even on 8-10hr drive I never felt fatigued. They are not super plush, but they just seem to fit right, same as my old CLK430. The leather feels a little stiff to the touch, but when you sit in them they feel perfect. Any BMW or Audi I have driven feel like sitting on a plank, even the BMW seats that adjust 50 different ways. The exception was an old 2000? A6 that my cousin had. I remember driving that once and thought the interior was very comfy and amazing. Maybe I was just excited to drive such a car, since it was probably the nicest I'd ever driven at that point.

The only option I really wish I had that I don't is the Dynamic seats. They really adjust and hug you with air pockets, and they inflate to support you as you turn. If you haven't tried one with these seats, I highly suggest you do, it's really cool, especially if you drive this car aggressively, it makes up a little for the somewhat soft suspension.

 

1. I have had vehicles with leather seats. MB Tex is just as good IMO. It is high quality vinyl.
2. Drove a car with Dynamic seats as a loaner about a year ago. Very annoying every time I rounded a curve or changed lanes. Finally turned them off and left them off. MB's regular seats are very supportive as designed and constructed.

 

Even if you don't like the feeling of the seats changing as you drive, the adjustment of the air bolsters on those seats makes a very snug and comfortable fit.

 

Yep!
My son has my dad's old 2000 A6, and the seats are superb.

 

Seat comfort is a very personal thing, but Mercedes seats are always pretty comfortable. The multi contour seats in my CLS has the dynamic side bolsters, they are great for lateral support. The mechanism is more of a mechanical one and not a air bladder. Mercedes' multi-contour seats also has a message function, ventilation and adjustable thigh support. The same functionality in the BMW and Audi seats cost three times as much.

 

Many of my friends and in-laws have BMWs. So I don't drive them often but I ride in them from time to time. I feel as though the MB is more comfortable ride wise and has a better look in the interior. I can't really vouch for or against Audi since my experience is limited in them. Also, since I don't personally drive BMWs much I can't say if they perform on par with the Es currently. I guess you best bet is to test drive them all and let wifey have a crack at it as well.