Last year I purchased a W205 sedan and it is really a beautiful car with a very high spec. Unfortunately I did not think its practicality through and it just isn't big enough for a family with a small baby.
For this reason I am considering getting an E class estate and am in a dilemma whether to wait for the W213 or to trade in for a W212 estate which is already in stock and waiting.

I have a few concerns

1. My current c-class has a 204 bhp diesel engine, same as the E250. However the E250 is obviously a much bigger and heavier car. Does this engine still have enough grunt for this size of car?

2. In my current car I have command online, however with the W212 in stock it has a garmin. Is this Sat Nav in any way comparable to the command online system?

3. Should I just wait for the new e-class to come out?

I guess it's very subjective, but would love to hear from W212 E250 owners

this is the car I may purchase: http://www.autoscout24.ch/de/d/merce...?vehid=3835098

 

The only difference In the comand function is that with Comand -APS NTG 4.7 you can use cell phone data to connect to Internet directly. In the W212 earlier versions which use Comand APS NTG 4.5, you can use iPhone drive kit plus to achieve the same function. The later (post 2013 models use the latest version anyway). The functions are otherwise similar.
Now if you are the type of person who gets buyer's remorse after getting an older generation of car you should wait till the new ones are on the lot. Otherwise enjoy the great savings. Good luck.

 

Having owned both an E350BT and now a E250BT 4Matic, I can offer you some feedback. My E250BT never seems to lack power, even when driving over high mountain passes. It's passing performance is slightly less than the V6 powered E350BT. The fuel economy of the E250BT4M is impressive, easily achieving 50+ mpg (imp.) for highway, quite remarkable for a car that weighs about 4300 lbs.

As for your dilemma on W212 vs W213 wagons, you might be better off going for a proven, reliable W212 rather than buy a newly designed and newly produced W213 wagon. The first two years of W213 production will likely have some issues, just like any other new generation car.

Also, I gather that MB will soon be introducing for the W213 a new 2.0L diesel with only 191 HP and substantially less torque. Both the new engine and new chassis will weigh less than the W212 engine and chassis, so performance might be similar? However, I would not wish to be a guinea pig for a new engine and new chassis during the first year of production.

 

I have owned a 2016 E250 4Matic for about 2 months now. It is my first Mercedes and first diesel, so I don't have a lot of direct comparisons to other Mercedes vehicles. My last car was a 2005 Volvo S60. Somewhat similar to you, I had to retire it because the size just did not fit my growing family (plus it has 230k miles on it now). Still have it and it runs great, but for local trips only -- just in case.

In any case, to the E250, I really do like it. Hard to comment on the power question without a direct comparison to another car, but I am very happy with the power. Granted I am no speed demon, in my opinion, it has all the passing power and acceleration I need. No issues at all. Rides awesome on the highway at cruising speeds and definitely has the pep I need to scoot into an open space in traffic as I merge onto the highway.

Of all your questions, I guess power will be pretty easy for you to figure out after a test drive on the highway.

You mentioned Command navigation. Actually, that is one of the few things that I dislike about the car. I don't know what the Garmin system is like, but I have to believe that it would have to be better than Command. I am ALMOST tempted to use my $100 Garmin portable unit over the built in Command unit. I really can't stand the Command unit, whereas I really am hooked on my Garmin portable.

The only other thing that I don't like (and didn't have a choice about it) were the run-flat tires. I would prefer normal tires and a spare tire in the trunk. But nothing I can do about that if I want a diesel.

Lastly, with respect to buying a W212 versus holding out for a W213, I took a lot of comfort knowing that my W212 had been in production for a number of years and hopefully they have worked out all of the kinks. I would personally be wary about buying the first year of the W213, despite how nice it might look and despite what cool features it might have.

Again, I acknowledge I don't have a lot of hard comparison info to give you other than that in the first 3,000 miles, I really love my new car. Very comfortable, drives well, and finally nobody complains about seat space. (I still dislike the Nav system though).

Good luck!

 

The equipping of the E250BT with RFTs seems to be a USA market decision. E250BTs for Canada come equipped with all season radials (either Conti ProContacts or Pirelli PZero Neros) - NO RFTs !!! In lieu of a spare tire, Tirefit kits are provided.

I certainly concur with your last paragraph ! The W212 of late has had a very good record for reliability.