I've been looking recently to replace my A4 wagon with an E350 wagon, an E400 would be nice, but that's out of my budget. Specifically I'd be looking at 2014-2016 model years, I've been searching here and there but can't seem to find any general consensus on the reliability of the E350. I've found various posts, but not real information.

So, how reliable are they? I'd be looking to keep it for several years so want something that's not going to give me constant trouble (as long as maintenance is kept up with).

Are most jobs DIYable? I do most work on the A4 myself and would like to do that with about replacement vehicle. What about known small issues? For example, the A4 has a cam follower that needs to be replaced every 35k miles or so, the glovebox hinges always break, that sort of thing.

I'm looking at Sport models, rather than Luxury, easy enough to tell the difference between those, but what about specific options? Are there any must haves? And what's the easiest way to tell what options a specific car has?

Anyone replaced the audio system in them? I'd be looking at installing a full aftermarket set up, DSP, amplifiers, speakers, is that way enough to do? I'm assuming the stock head unit is fairly integrated into the car, so that may stay (as long as it's not as maddeningly poor as the one in the 2nd gen Cadillac CTS)

Thanks.

 

Funny, I own both a B8 A4 Avant and an E400 Wagon. The wagon is my wife's car and has plenty of room for our two kids.

There are definitely some differences between the two brands, and overall I'd say I still prefer Audi, but the MB is very nice to drive. Some things to note are the lack of tinting passenger side mirror, lack of display configurations in the center display (compared to Audi), inferior HVAC system (In my opinion. Seems that my feet are always cold in the winter if I use auto mode. This has never been an issue in my B6 or B8).

The Audi DIY community is SUBSTANTIALLY larger. Pretty well any known issue has been documented and a thorough DIY and support base is there. Not the case here, at least so I've found. Most threads here consist of "Take it to the dealer" solutions. Which is fine if the car is under warranty.

My car is still under warranty, and in the 5 months I've owned it it's been to the dealer twice. Once for an intermittent hatch issue and non-functional start-stop system, and once for a noisy wastegate and loose sun visor. All of this was fixed free of charge, but I'm not sure how I feel about a 3 year old car already needing this kind of work.

On to the plus side. The car is VERY nice to drive. The engine is smooth with plenty of power (much more than the 2.0T in the B8). Suspension is a little soft for the sport package, but is great and very comfortable for cruising. (Not like you're going to take this thing around the track anyways). Steering feel is a little soft but oh well. Cabin noise is minimal.

Distronic Plus (adaptive cruise) works pretty well, but feel that it comes up at slower traffic way too fast to the point that I usually initiate braking. I've driven a few other VW's with adaptive cruise and much preferred how they take a little more distance to slow down to the car ahead. Automated steering in cruise is also a little unresponsive/laggy when following road lines compared to others.

Also, forget about any sort of easy to use/affordable VAGCOM type solution.

Would I buy another MB? Maybe. Probably an AMG to have some tire smoking fun.

 

Thanks for the reply, my A4 is a B7 and while I'm still happy with it, some guy was asking me yesterday if I'd sell it, so of course I'm considering it. I truly wish Audi had offered an S4 Avant (newer than the B7) in the US, it would have made replacing my A4 simple. The B8 is nice, but the newest one is almost 8 years old now. Been looking at allroads, but I don't want a raised wagon (simple enough to fix, I'd just rather not have to if that makes sense). More power than the 2.0T, and the smoothness of a 6 cylinder would also be nice. I do really like the DIY community with the Audi, the closest Mercedes dealer to me is over an hour away, so that community would definitely be something I'd miss.

Tough one really, whatever car replaces my A4 I'll want to keep for several years so it has to be something I want to live with for several years. Such slim pickings when it comes to wagons!

 

While I don't have a 2014-2017, I do have a 2013 which is basically the same vehicle pre-face lift. It has been very reliable in the nearly 7 years I've owned it (although I've only put 39k miles on it). If you don't like auto start/stop system, 2013 was the last year they did not have that system.
Very comfortable on long drives. The sport pkg handles much better than the lux without giving up too much in ride comfort.

I'm going to be selling mine soon, my kids are out growing the 3rd row in the wagon, so I'll be getting a GLS to replace it.

 

Yes, definitely slim pickings for wagons and hence why we ended up with the E400. Consider looking at an A6 wagon with the 3.0T.

 

Easiest way is to use a vin decoder like these two:

https://www.datamb.com/
https://www.vindecoderz.com/EN/Mercedes-Benz

Must have options? Well I usually start by seeing if it has the lighting package and then the driver's assistance package which is distronics. Then try adding in the pano roof, parktronic, massage seats, heated & cooled seats, keyless go, real leather, rear entertainment package and before you know it, it's a real unicorn as you'll be lucky just to find one with the lighting package.

Select the wagon and then select features to see what the options were for that year.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/merc.../e-class/2014/

Sound system is semi decent, Harman Kardon, not too many people do the aftermarket set up, kills resale value. Aim for 2016 if you want Apple Airplay/Android auto. As for the other poster with cold feet, get your system scanned with an MB specific code scanner, there's lots of temperature sensors and if one of them is bad, maybe that's why your feet are cold. Won't trigger any CEL codes but when you scan for MB specific codes, you might get one that says a temperature sensor is bad, it's got a lot of them. I had a bad one in the footwell before that I never knew about til I got it scanned.

 

The car has gone to the dealer a couple times and been scanned for other things, I would hope they would have mentioned this if it showed up, but could be worth checking into. If I manually adjust the heat to to to the footwell it will warm my feet, I just find that the Auto mode does a poor job of keeping the entire cabin at a consistent temperature.

 

I have had a 2015 for 17 months and approximately 15,000 miles. So far I have had a camshaft solenoid seal (oil leak) and the AC / heater blower motor (chirping sound) replaced under warranty. Both of those were probably DYI-friendly. The only thing I have done so far myself are mid-year oil changes as I like to keep my cars for a long time and it is inexpensive piece of mind for me. For that I am using a topsider oil extractor to avoid the belly pan removal. I do plan on doing my own general maintenance and easier repairs like brakes once the warranty and negotiated prepaid maintenance runs out.

I have the sport model and while I love the looks, I'm not a fan of the low profile tires. I haven't had an issue yet, but find the ride a bit on the harsh side and like the ride of the winter tires better due to being on 17" wheels with larger sidewall profile (50 vs 40 series). After reading the many horror stories on here I found and purchased a pair of used wheels for $250 each to have on hand in case I bend one. The seller had bent one of his and put on 4 aftermarket for less than the price of one factory AMG. The upside is, the tires handle pretty well. When cornering, the car has a little bit of body roll but quickly settles and remains flat. It'll corner better than your passengers or dog are comfortable with.

I have the lighting package, real leather, ventilated front seats, front and back heated seats, pano roof, parktronic and the driver's assistance package. The dynamic headlights are fantastic, and I would consider those and the ventilated seats to be my must have. I know some do not like the pano due to creaking, and mine has made the popping sound a few times but it has to be an unusual pavement transition for it to happen. I enjoy the light the pano brings into the interior and dislike solid roofed cars as they feel claustrophobic to me. I also like the convenience of keyless go despite all the concerns on here about battery life or key sniffing thieves.

It's a great cruiser and can get 32 MPG on a road trip. The only thing I would change on mine is the slightly harsh ride, but so far the pretty wheels have won me over.

 

Good to know, unless something changes I typically only drive about 5k or so a year so that's useful to know that over 39k miles yours has been good.

My only issue with the A6 and the 3.0T (despite it being by all accounts a really solid car) is the same as with the B8 wagon, the newest ones are closing on 8 years old already. Not a big deal if it is reliable, but I'd rather get something newer.

Thanks, I found that datamb.com site on another post and used it to look at options the other day, that will come in handy in any future searches. For me, I think I would really like to have the lighting package, pano roof, massage, heated & cooled seats (really, I'd be happy with just the heated & cooled) and keyless go. Anything on top of that is going to be a nice bonus, so hopefully that makes it a little easier to find one if I decide to go down that route. Aftermarket set up killing resale value may not be a problem for me, assuming I like the car enough I'd be keeping it until it is virtually worthless anyway. I have Android Auto in the A4 (aftermarket head unit, the car is from before head units were fully integrated into so much of the car) and while using Google Maps is nice, I don't really use any of the other features it provides so it's not going to make any difference in the search.

 

I have a 13 wagon for a little over a year now, put 20k miles on it with what I consider minor maintenance, car has 100k on it now.
My must haves were real leather, keyless go and black walnut trim inside as it doesn't seem to be prone to fading.
Got all three in mine, no distronic nonsense, I did also get adaptive headlights and dynamic seats which are great.

 

For the pano roof, it's just a few screws you can tighten. Use locktite otherwise it will loosen again later.

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ml#post7064544

 

I love my E-350 Wagon! It has 197,000 miles on it and doesn't leak or burn oil. Had to put a used tranny in it last year as the U-Joint failed and the U-Joints are enclosed in the transmission and can't be replaced! Kind of crazy. It doesn't have tons of H (268) but enough torque to let you pass easily. I really like driving it. Thought about a newer E400, but I think I'm good for another 50k or 75k. Plus, it's only worth about $8k, so why trade? I also have a 2015 GL550 and 2013 SL550 Edition1. I like driving the E-350 better than the GL550!

 

I bought a 2014 with 65,000 miles in July. I wanted the Luxury suspension (seriously, I live I Pennsylvania near Philadelphia. With terrible roads). It certainly handles well enough for me (I am not exactly slow driver). I also did not want a black interior as I have a 120 tan dog who can be pretty disgusting.

So those two criteria eliminated about 75% of the wagons. I kept searches going on autotrader and ebay, and there was a few new cars every week. I ended up flying to Raleigh to buy it after reviewing the Carfax from a very large used car dealer.

I have put 5,000 miles on it. It is a great car. I really don't know why I would get a rougher riding car. The Sport model also has a huge emblem in the schnozz/grill, which is a little tacky by my taste. The Luxury models have the traditional hood ornament.
I wanted the adaptive headlights, keyless go and leather (see dog). I liked the 2014 over the earlier W212 because of the more powerful engine and better fuel economy.

The car I bought ended up being almost fully loaded, with just about every option except the panoramic sunroof. The whole driving shebang. The super-dooper massaging seats are great.

So far, it hasn't been to a dealer, but I am going to have to go soon. The (electronic I believe) parking brake is reluctant to release, and the start/stop feature suddenly stopped working. Plus I sort of "forgot" to get a Pennsylvania inspection....

Now, the driving package I can see why "boomers" would be indignant and hostile to the new-fangled technology. I am no spring chicken. Furthermore, this is first generation technology so it is not exactly seamless. But, wow, it is really awesome stuff. I tend to get overly aggressive and irritated in heavy traffic like I270. 2 lane bumper to bumper traffic. well the driving technology really helps keep my blood pressure down (and helps keep my wife from harassing me as well!). I am really, really glad that I not only got it but I tried it with an open mind. It is NOT a self-driving car! but I love having the technology there when I need it. Now, on the open road, it is a pain in the *** and I turn it off. But that's the thing. You CAN turn it off.
The parking assist. I have not even figured out how it works yet. It really does weird me out. I don't do much parallel parking anyway, plus I am pretty good at it, so am not bothered by it.
While the backup camera is imperfect (remember this is old technology), I do love the overhead view.
The navigation system is mediocre but the traffic updates (with my Sirius XM subscription) actually would have saved me considerable time avoiding accidents if I have understood what was going on. Two separate occasions (one on I-95 south and once on the PA turnpike) the system suddenly woke up and told me to take the next exit RIGHT NOW. I didn't and both times hit several mile long backups caused by accidents.

So, overall, I am happy to say this is the best car I have ever owned and I have enjoyed every second I have been in it. The driving experience on the open road is sublime.

 

The thread is over 2 months old so not sure if OP already found a wagon or not. I've had my 2016 wagon now for 5 months and I've added about 5000 miles. So far no issues.

But for me, the must have options were Premium, Keyless go, and real leather. Everything else is nice to have and my car has the lane tracking pack, full LED light, 18" wheels, ventilated and massage front seat, wood steering wheel, and 110V plug.

And also, the sport and luxury trim difference for the US market is purely cosmetic on the wagon - basically the front grill and style of wheels. Unlike the sedan, all S212 wagons came with the same (luxury) front suspension + rear air suspension combo.

 

so 2014 e350 wagon has air ride in the rear?

 

All wagons come with air suspension in the rear.

 

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I saw it was going back a bit in time, but when I was shopping I did look at a bunch of threads so I put my two cents in now for future users. Which you astutely pointed out was only 1 cent because the wagons don't have a sport suspension Oh well. I somehow missed that fact! But still, I do prefer the traditional hood ornament to the "garish" snout. I also prefer the 17" wheels. The car mags I read say that in general "smaller" wheels ride better. and given my druthers, I would prefer a slightly softer ride to slightly better handling. Plus, of course, 17" tires are cheaper! And as I will go to snow tires on an extra set of wheels, more savings
Having found a sweet spot with the Distronic, I wonder if I would make it a requirement. Don't really know. It is more money, but I do like it. And the active seat? Wow, never though that would make a difference but yeah I want that.