W212 E500 Navigation, back up camera
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 36
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2004 E500
W212 E500 Navigation, back up camera
I have a friend looking at a W212 to purchase, he wants an E550. I would like input on reliability, things to look out for and differences in the model years between 2010 through 2015. I realize the engine changed, and am leaning towards the 5.5 litre.
Navigation, iphone integration and back up camera are very important to him. Are these available in all the model years Did they improve in any way in the later years? I don't see much written about that.
Thanks for your input!
Navigation, iphone integration and back up camera are very important to him. Are these available in all the model years Did they improve in any way in the later years? I don't see much written about that.
Thanks for your input!
Banned
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 4,957
Likes: 1,640
Yes, those 3 items are available in all years, but quite frankly they get more complaints than just about any other option on these cars. I’m surprised you weren’t able to dig up threads from disappointed owners. If those are important to the friend you are asking for maybe look at other brands who do those better. I think the 360 view camera is a must have, so your friend should make sure he/she gets that at a minimum.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 6,190
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From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
Well there was no 2015 E550 so that just makes it the 2010-2014. All E550's had real leather, it was an option on the E350 and most had MB-Tex which is a vinyl like leather, but not real leather. I believe airmatic was standard on the first couple of years and then an option in later years. Airmatic tends to be expensive when it goes, more of a maintenance item so the more miles a car has, the more likely the airmatic will go. Navigation, bluetooth and backup camera I think were pretty much standard. Navigation was part of the P1 package and probably 95% or more of those cars had those packages, you might find one or two oddballs where the dealer ordered a stripper model. The real nice options would be the pano roof, bixenons or dynamic led headlights, keyless go, dynamic seats, rear entertainment system, heads up display, driver assistance package (distronic, lane keeping, blind spot), power trunk closer, parktronic, etc.
Super Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 865
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From: Bay Area
14 550 sedan
2010 and 11 would be your only options if you wanted the 5.5. 2012+ went turbo. 14 is when the headunit slightly updated. I don't see 10-13s with the 360 cameras around here so maybe it's a 2014+ option. So many options to consider as listed above, definitely use a Vin decoder like datamb.com to compare options if anything.
