So went tire kicking with my 15 year old son today to let him see different types of cars. Went to carmax at one point since they have so many different types and brands. While there, I noticed they had 3 W213’s. When i got into them, they all had the same problem - cheap plastic squeaks on everything you touched. I was truly shocked at how bad they’re aging. One or two, i could chalk up to poor upkeep and hard living. But the third one was obviously well taken care of, and yet just the slightest pressing on anything in the center or dash or door trim, snd creak creak creak..

I hope MB didn't let the W213 designers anywhere near the new 214. Otherwise this 212 of mine truly is the last MB E series I will probably ever own. Man what happened to MB with this 213? Why? Just why?

Sorry, I don’t mean to bag on the 213 crowd.

when compared to the Audi A4’s and A3’s they had in that section, it was a no brainer. The Audi’s were still basically new feeling cars with 50k and 5 years of age on them. Whereas the 213’s, honestly felt like they had all been in a wreck or never once slowed down for a speed bump.

 

No idea, but happy with my 213, no complaints about no cheap plastic or anything else.
That being said, you put any car under the microscope and problems may appear.
As for quality and German Engineering, I find my W213 to be rock solid, but I only have 14k miles on it
with TLC and inside storage,
In a nutshell: No complaints, all good.

 

Excellent and good to hear! Perhaps the ones I looked at were some kind of mass buy from a rental company or something. As an owner of a 213, I would be willing to bet you would have come away with similar thoughts as me on the ones I saw today.

 

I looked at a W213 Wagon for sale at "Off Lease Only".
It was low miles but in bad shape: It had a previous accident, dirty, filthy and parked in the sun and rain for months with no wash or detail.
The asking price was mid-50s, but I walked away disgusted.
Found my present 213 two months later at a BMW dealer in West Palm Beach, same vintage, same model and almost same miles.
Night and day difference and I was happy to pay $10k more for a pristine used Wagon with 6,700 miles on the meter.
That was 19 months ago.
I enjoy the 213 every time I drive it: It is pristine with the new car smell and not a hick-up.
Great cars, no regrets.

 

My current S213 was bought new, but mine does not sleep under the sun. I think they fixed the creaking on the panels in 2019, but it also depends on the materials used, and which factory put it together.

 

I looked at a 2020 loaded E450 as a proxy for my mother and was not impressed. Even if the 214 is a quality product, the interior is terrible, so this will likely be my last E-Class.

 

What aren't you impressed about though if it is your last E-Class then what are the cars you are shopping?

 

I'm becoming disillusioned with the direction of modern cars and I'm only 40. I might eventually get late teens S-Class coupe, but in terms of Mercedes most of my future purchases will probably growing a collection of older MBs prior to the Chrysler merger. A shame Audis are so unreliable, they still have decent interiors and handsome exteriors.

 

Since you are talking about German brands, I guess your don't like Porsche or BMW as you didn't mention them.

 

Porsche is a VAG product, but from what I understand their purpose built non-platform shared cars are OK. BMW is getting just as whacky as mercedes (at least the exteriors), but if you get an inline 6 and a ZF transmission, at least there are only so many window regulators and electric motors to fail.

 

To be fair on my criticism of the 213, I looked up the 3 cars I saw last weekend, each had either a "corporate" or "rental" previous ownership history. None had the burl walnut wood either, just black pieces, and all were 19's with the dial dash instead of the screen (which I personally think looks better than the screen). So, I'm guessing hard lives. That being said though, there is a noticeable difference between the two models when it comes to certain aspects, and I do think the 212 is holding up better than the 213. I think MB was trying to make a statement back in the 2010-2016 period, trying to get back as close as financially possible to the old ways of building and designing them to fully shake off the Chrysler stigma era they got tag by. I can't find it anymore, but on YouTube there was a reviewer who flew into Denver and rented a 212 and took it up into the mountains to test it and review it. It's the one that convinced me to buy one myself 6 years ago. He said "it drives big, it rolls into the corners like a big Mercedes, but is flat and goes exactly where you want it to go with absolute confidence. Its suspension is crashy and not the best, and the transmission performance is the worst of the group across Audi A6 and BMW 5, and it is obvious Mercedes doesn't care about either one of those elements. It is not trying to be an A6 or 535, it's not trying to be the fastest sport sedan. It is trying to be the Mercedes we all used to know and love, lumps, bumps, warts and all, and they nailed it, which is exactly why I want one myself".

The 213 doesn't have that. What it has is nice, but it doesn't have "that", and I don't think we'll see "that" again anytime soon, if ever given the speed of which electric is coming on and all of the techno gizwisgadets that come with it. I think if anyone wants a sense of the old ways of Merc, good and bad, it's most modern era to find that ended in 2016.

I'm in the same boat as DubVBenz, I don't particularly care for the direction of modern cars either. Not too many out there that actually catch my eye that I would be willing to pay the price for. Too rounded, too dull. And if I have to remember one more damn password in this life, I'm going to lose it! I will say that VW treated me the best (for 10+ years across 3 GTI's) of any car brand I have ever owned. That last one I had MK7 2015 was so well built and set up, a true gem, that I would put that build quality up against just about any other car out there. That frame architecture of theirs is fantastic. That car was a solid piece of metal thru and thru. No car is perfect, but would certainly not say my VW experience was any worse than any Toyota / Lexus vehicle I ever owned as well (4 of them over the years). And VW never once argued a service claim, sometimes even doing a couple of things for free when they really didn't have to. I would have no issues with buying a used Audi and certainly not a Porsche 911, 918, etc. In my opinion, I think they're probably the last two standing that offer designs that appeal to me. I will never own a Porsche though, just not in my budget wheelhouse. I could see a used A4, A5 convertible, or SQ5 someday though.

 

That vintage of Golf was so good that I have read that Mercedes delayed the release of the C205 because of it. When I have drove them all I could think is that this is a small Mercedes and actually more so than the way the W205 felt.

 

Rumor had it that once VW was able to get full control of Porsche, they basically handed them the Mk7 Golf and asked them to make it the GTI they would sell themselves. I believe the guy who set up that GTI was the same who did the 911 GT3 series.

I had the Mk6 (2013) too, and that one felt like they went over to the Audi side and said "class up the GTI". that one had the best interior of all of them. The Mk7 had the best overall driving characteristics of any GTI.

 

This is the direct result of Mercedes tightening their budget. I had an 18 E300 as a loaner for a week and the 4 banger was terrible.

 

I've been shopping for a year now, the 213 so far has been disappointment, the 4 cylinder is loud and strained, the fit and finish is not as good as the 212 and I would miss the 300 hp. maybe the 214 will be better? Either way, I am ready for one new car and the 213 is not it. Audi seats are too hard, BMW is ok, I've had a couple and they were pretty decent.

 

+ 1. I was actually impressed with the finish in the Genesis cars.

 

I see

 

Did you drive a pre-facelift W213 or facelift? The facelift W213 with the "E 350" designation replacing the "E 300" in the USA has a different four cylinder and was more refined.

I guess that four cylinder will fit the W205 C 300 better but I also heard people enjoying it in the pre-facelift V167 GLE 350, a way heavier vehicle than the W213 E-Class but now facelift V167 GLE 350 has the 48V mild hybrid system to support it.

 

That is interesting info thanks for sharing, didn't know there was such a history.

 

Super interesting, thanks for sharing.

 

My Dad had the Genesis sedan, it was a 2013 with the V8, he absolutely loved it, was the fully loaded model so had parking and auto cruise, my parents drove it all over the country. I"d bet they're even better now.

 

Yes this was a 2019, I drove some 2018's a few years ago, I have not driven the facelift yet, but at your suggestion I will.

 

The problem with the facelift is that if you opt to get the 6 cylinder, it's the new M256 inline 6 mild hybrid. The engine looks like a marvel of engineering, but on the 53 forums they have been nothing but a nightmare and I can't imagine how they will age. I drive less than 10 miles a day, get me a C140 with an M113/ 5g tronic and I'll just ride it out until I'm dead.

 

My sister has a 2020 E350 sport. It is a nice enough car. I will say the driver seat was pretty hard compared to my W212. It handled a lot better and as a result was more fun to drive but I have to say it didn't blow me away like her 2013 sport did when I got to drive it when it was new. It would be worth a drive.

 

Facelift I guess always help in solving quality issues, that is usually what happens, take the "constructive feedback" from customers the past model years and implement it in a midcycle refresh...although we can argue the facelift doesn't look as nice as the pre-facelift, that is a story for another time : )