So ... having read a lot of comments both for and against the E300, I thought it might be interesting for y'all to read what I have to say after driving my E300 for almost 6 weeks and recently having the opportunity to take an E43 for a test drive. And to add perspective, I told my salesman that I would never go with a 4-cylinder engine, and yet here I am, and I'm loving my car more every day I drive it.

Elsewhere, I told the story of MBUSA buying me out of my lease on my CLS 550 because they couldn't fix a problem with the Distronic system ... won't go into details except to say I did not plan on getting another car at this time. However, life doesn't always go as planned. And after much shopping and test driving, I went with the E300, even though I have an E43 on order. And I'm glad I did.

The E300 is balanced and refined... the E43 is exhilarating and brutish. Both are great cars, but are surprisingly different considering they share a common platform. When I got into the E43, I was expecting to have a bad case of cognitive dissonance... and for a moment I did. There's no question that the exhaust sound and the AWD impart a very different feel. But the one thing that I really expected to make me slap my head ... the acceleration... didn't really wow me. Sure, it was faster, but not THAT much faster. And it just didn't feel as smooth and refined as my car.

There were some features in the interior that I liked better in the E43, specifically the stitched dash and the carbon fiber dash. But it wasn't so far superior that I wanted to trade my car in. Fact is, I love my car and how it drives ... and those that talk about the clatter of the 4-cylinder engine really haven't spent much time in one. And remember... I vowed I wouldn't go with a 4-banger! Just this morning I was thinking it felt more like a small 6 with a great transmission that is far superior to either my 2012 w212 or my CLS.

So ... those are some initial thoughts ... I still the E43 on order, and I have been thinking of how I could justify having both cars. But if I have to make a choice, I will stick with my E300. Now ... three years from now, who knows?!

 

You nailed down the characters of the 2 cars. I'm also contemplating the E43. However, the balance and refinements of the E300 out-weight the power short coming, making it the better choice as the daily driver in my commute and traffic conditions. The E43 would be a great car for the weekend warriors and canyon carving.

 

I pretty much agree with you assessment. The 300 is truly fast enough. However, for the enthusiast like myself the E43 is much more rewarding proposition. Though it doesn't feel that much faster, trust me, it is in spades. Plus, the faster you go the more obvious the difference becomes, the 2 sec difference to 60 becomes four seconds by 100 and a 15 mph difference at the quarter mile. Those are huge numbers but if you're never going to drive over 75 they really don't make a difference. On the other hand, for us with a more boyracer attitude, its nice to know that 99% of the time you wont have to worry about getting smoked at any red light or worry about passing that 18 wheeler on a 2 lane road Ten years ago a 4.5 sec to 60 was the realm of ultra cars costing 3 times as much or more. Even today cars like the 700 HP Charger aren't that much faster since its so difficult to get all that power on the road from a standstill. Though the E43 has "only" 400 hp it can get all that power down without any traction or handling vices.

 

Lest I forget, for another fat wad the E 63 probably won't have to fear anything on any public road

 

I actually had a $85,000 plus 2017 CLS 550 on order before my wife killed it

i just took delivery of a $60,000 MSRP 2017 E Class

i was pleasantly surprised

i mean it it pulls better than the six cylinder hybrid system in my wife's Lexus 450h

and it is way smoother

 

i personally feel the E43 is a ripoff

a $65,000 so Euro spec 333 hp E400 was what I originally wanted

but now I am okay with the E300

i just don't think you are going to get that much adrenaline with a $70,000 plus E43

with a V8 E63 yes

i own a 400 hp 991 Carrera S which is a truly exhilarating car

if you go sports car you should go all the way

V8 AMG, M4, 911, GTR, McLaren, Ferrari, Lambo, etc.

 

I think it all depends upon what you want to do with the car. I'll be watching the E43 as the possible successor to my TT E400. . . whenever that has to be.


Nobody ever expects the grey-haired dude in the grey sedan to smoke them at a light!


I've also taken a vow that I will not own a 4-cyl car until they stop making 6 or 8 cylinder cars. No electrics, either. If I can't burn up a couple of dead dinosaurs on the way to work in the morning, I'm not having fun.

 

The E63 is another category altogether, its a real AMG. The fact is "real" AMG's are really meant for the track or for "posing" they are not meant to be a daily driver. The E43 is a practical car to drive every day, it simply can do it faster than the overwhelming majority of cars on the road can. Personally I would be just as happy about it if they had labeled it as the a plain Jane Mercedes. Personally, I don't suffer from label envy.
Is the E43 a good "deal"? That is kind of an oxymoron all Mercedes, in general, are probably all bad "deals". Most buyers buy them either as a status statement (CLA anyone?) or because in more expensive models, you get a "Mercedes" driving experience.
The E43 is not a bad deal at its starting 72K, however, when you load it up with options as I did it definitely isn't. Same thing will be true for the E 63, will the S version be worth another 15k than the regular one? Of course not, but in a luxury brand that is exactly what you would expect, you're paying for "wants" not "needs". If we were looking for the best deal car we would all be buying Honda Fits!!!
For me, the real difference between German lux brands and others is that the Germans build cars to be driven on the autobahn at 100 mph on a daily basis thus they offer a feeling of adroitness at high speed driving that is absent from non German brands. The major Japanese and American manufacturers can also build very excellent cars but are limited by the fact that, in general, their cars are engineered to be used at much lower highway speeds. The only thing that I wish is that Mercedes would be as reliable as a typical Toyota/Honda.

 

It isn't the e43 that is a ripoff, it is the e300! The e 300 with the 4 should have gone down in price versus the 6 of a year ago. That car is the basis of the pricing of the e43. With the significant engine upgrade, standard air suspension, standard leather, standard p1 and other stuff, probably priced in the zone of reasonable versus the e300. Regards. Ned.

 

Tje E 300 is an improvemnt on its predecessor in essentially every parameter including the engine and overall powertrain performance. Considering the number of cylinders as an all important consideration is foolish. The same reasoning was in order when Ford replaced the V8 on the F150 for the turbo v6. 5 years later more than 90% of f150's have eboost engines. The drivetrain on the E 300 is better than tge E 350 in all respects. Smoother faster, more thrifty. I call that well worth a few more bucks. The interior of the new model is orders of magnitude better too, the previous model was starting to look geriatric!

 

Whether the new engine is better than outgoing engine is a matter of conjecture and opinion. I would like to see how the outgoing 306hp engine might perform with the new transmission. There is no doubt a whole less metal and weight to the 4 versus the 6 which just costs a boat load less. Mercedes has historically charged big bucks to move up in engine displacement so why not a price reduction to move to a smaller engine? Why defend the greed at Mercedes? Just making a point. Doesn't mean I wouldn't buy one, it is what it is. Regards. Ned.

 

The e63 is brutish

the e43 is not

 

So what's the point, we know that, it's a tweener. It also costs a lot less. A kinder, gentler AMG. Regards. Ned.

 

To some E43 is an overpriced V6 (just like E300 is an overpriced I4), but to others (me included) E43 is a true "AMG" car (not just the badges, since everything in the car is AMG tweaked), but just much more affordable and probably much more street usable than E63 will be (just one look at E63's front seats tells the car's purpose).

 

It is almost exactly what I want these days, wish it came with 18 inch rims and regular tires for a bit less, but so be it. Regards. Ned.

 

My ordered E300 was just build and awaiting shipment to the USA. A month of production delays.

With all the back and forth dialogue regarding concerns over a 4 cylinder motor, which is repeated and repeated and repeated on so many threads by the same people, it is very nice to see satisfied owners surfacing. We are the targeted market who understands the important advances the E300 represents.

I am sure the E43 is very nice but personally, I am happy with my choice of an E300.

 

Well, they added a bit more standard content for 2017. My 2013 E550W4 with P2 and Airmatic came to over $76,000 MSRP. My 2017 E300W4 with P3 added Panorama roof, Multi-function passenger seat, a whole bunch of exciting new technology (12.3" Second screen, 4G LTE Wifi, Internet Radio, Active Body Control, Drive Pilot, Active Curve LED headlights, Heads-up display, Burmester sound, Acoustic Sound package, etc.) and came in at almost the same MSRP of $76,450). I think that it is a fair trade-off in price. The 4-cyl engine is certainly no 402 TT V8, but it has more than enough seat of the pants acceleration for my tastes for my every day driving of interstates and local routes. The 9G transmission makes up for a multitude of sins of the engine and always seems to be in the correct gear for the most efficient combination of power and efficiency (around 1800 rpm). After 1600 miles on the clock, my average MPG is 28.6 with 60% local, 40% interstate. The mileage on the interstate according to the mpg meter runs about 33 steady state (after running at 70 mph for about 65 miles). I consider that more than acceptable. My overall mpg on my E550 was around 22.6. So, I gained about 22.6% better gas mileage as a side benefit.

Net, I continue to be impressed with this car. The only issue that I have encountered over the last 6 weeks was a problem with the initial setup of the internet connectivity due to a missed step at the VPC which was fixed last week. The suspension is far more refined than that on the W212 Airmatic. Setting the suspension and engine to sport very much changes the behavior of the vehicle in a surprising and satisfying manner. Comfort setting is very composed and the car absorbs road imperfections without a lot of fuss and noise.