adrien

Figured I'd share a final post here, as I've signed a deal for, well, not a Mercedes.

I like wagons, and before my current E350 4matic (2012, luxury, p2 with distronic) had an Audi. Audi's cutting of the A6 from the US market brought me to Mercedes. At 72,000 miles, it gets 30-32 mpg open the highway, goes forever, and is comfy for 10-hour drives. Great in the snow, just the right size; I really love this thing. Issues have been minimal and always addressed quickly -- screen went blank, which was fixed by a software patch, and the car recently had an oil sensor replaced. That's pretty much it. But it's getting older, and off warranty in 2 months, so it's time given the milage I do in the middle of nowhere.

New car will be a lease as my job situation is different, and I now get a corporate lease. So off I went to MB to get a new wagon.Which is where it all went sideways. Mercedes doesn't back wagons in the USA. Money factor and residuals are terrible, cars are basically order-only, and the lease I was looking at was the same for a 75-80k wagon as it would have been on a $100k SL. It didn't help that you couldn't get distronic without P3. It was also 35% more than a comparable sedan. So in absolute money terms, a three-year lease would have cost a premium of over $10k for a wagon over a sedan.

I was shown all manner of SUVs that I don't want, and faced a lot of shrugs from the staff. Silly.

So there's a BMW on its way. Not as pretty, but they back it and for comparable power, space, drivetrain, and AWD, it's 35% less expensive.

I have loved this car, so much so that I looked for a used one. I wish Mercedes would back them, and if I were buying outright (as I did with this one) I would likely buy another. Perhaps when I retire.

KEY08

That is a great story about your experience and the brand. Sorry your desires and the current MB lineup has hit a crossroad. Lots of things happening in the auto industry right now and we are on the cusp of big changes. Look at Ford dropping all sedan models. SUVs rule the markets now. Good luck with the BMW and post a couple photos if you get the chance.

adrien

thanks. Learned a fair bit: lease value is driven almost exclusively by whether manufacturer backs it. Looked at Audis, and fully loaded lease on say an S5 was the same as a new E350 wagon, making audi the worst value on leases (so a $55k car leasing for the same as a $75k car). Ended up with a BMW 640, with an $80k car leasing at less than both of those. Just weird.

As for the endless push to all manner of SUVs, it seems to be the perception of safety that comes with height. I grew up driving (motocross and the like) and had multiple track cars (miatas and RX-8s). Cars simply do things much more predictably when not on stilts, because of physics. It's just disappointing that MB makes you pay for it.

SMG_CT

The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Wagon Is the Ultimate Family Car

adrien

Yup. There's one near me, but a used one with AWD and 3 years of warranty is essentially the same price as a new E450. Sigh.