One year with 300E
Took delivery a year ago of 300E with P3 package. Here are my observations:
Likes:
-Not all will agree, but I really like the 4 cylinder engine. It's very peppy, good acceleration and my gas mileage has been around 30 mpg. The engine can be noisy from outside the car but it's quiet inside.
-The car is very comfortable and rides and handles well.
-The poi feature of the nav system is great. You can say "navigate to ______" and 90% of the time it will find a restaurant, store, landmark, etc.
-After some issues right after delivery, my car has been trouble free (knock on wood). I know this involves some luck and others haven't been as fortunate. However, Consumer Reports recently rated the new E class as well above average in reliability--unusual for a new Mercedes model.
-I love seeing my speed, speed limit and navigation information on the heads up display.
Dislikes
-The navigation system seems designed by someone who didn't know what they were doing. There is no way to preview the route it's going to take you on. When it proposes a detour there's no way to see that route. You are notified of a freeway exit 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile in advance. If you're driving 60 mph in the left lane, you have seconds to move to the right lane. My $100 portable GPS is far superior and has many more features than the built in one on the Mercedes. The
-To adjust the drivers seat, you have to press the appropriate button (such as "driver 1" and keep pressing until it's in position. When my wife has the seat far forward, I have to stand outside the car in the rain, cold, etc. and keep my finger on the button. In other cars, the key fob will adjust the seat or pressing the button one time is all that's needed.
-The systems are much too complex and there are too many menus within menus.
-The self driving features need more work. I don't see much point in a car that supposedly steers itself when you have to keep your hands on the wheel anyway. The lane correction can be too aggressive and startling at times.
-The engine stop/start at traffic lights, etc. can be pretty rough. I've driven other brands where it's barely noticeable.

Overall, I look forward to driving the car. If they would just fix the navigation and seat adjustment issues, I'd be happy.


 

Interesting - thanks for posting!

I’ve only had my 2018 for a few days but have noticed that the self driving is much improved and the nav system is demonstrably better, but I also don’t use route guidance at all so I can’t soeak to that.

 

zorz,
Can you provide any details on the improvements to the self driving and nav system in the 2018 model? I realize you don't use the nav system very much but do you have any idea whether Mercedes has added a route preview so you can see where the nav system wants to take you and whether they have increased the notification of an upcoming freeway exit from the 1/2 to 3/4 mile in the 2017 model?

 

So after a few days of highway driving I’ve not had it weave back and forth in the lane. I’m in California and on interstate highways for the most part it has been very stable, more so than the 2017 I drove only a week ago with the same package prior to mine arriving.

For the nav system the menu layout seems to be moderately different with the nav being easier to access, but on reflection I’m not sure if route preview exists or if directions are better - apologies if I seemed to be saying that. I only use CarPlay for directions, though in the 2018 model I have the touch pad and wheel touch pad both work with it in addition to the click wheel.

I’ll try it out tomorrow morning when I go to work.