rbrylaw

After going back and forth between SUV (GLE) and sedan (E Class), I made the decision to order a 2019 E450 Today. I test drove the E400, which has tremendous power, so I can only imagine what the 450 will feel like, but I'm betting it will be great.

For 2019, Mercedes has simplified the option packages. Here's what I ordered:

E450 4Matic in Lunar Blue
Nut Bronw/Black Leather w/Natural Grain Brown Ash Trim
Driver Assistance Package
Parking Assistance Package
Premium Package (there is only one now as opposed to three)
Exterior Lighting w/Intelligent LED
AMG Line Exterior
18" AMG Wheels (I wanted the 19", but they strongly recommended I go with 18")
Heated and Ventilated Front Seats
Panoramic Roof
12.3" Digital Instrument Cluster
All this greatness comes in at MSRP = $72,580

Now the wait begins. I doubt I'll see the car before October at the earliest. But I'm pretty stoked at the moment!

kingston

curious- why did they recommend the 18" over the 19" wheels?
did they give any discount on the car?

rbrylaw

They recommended the 18" wheels for the very reasons I've read, which is on 19" wheels the sidewall is shortened and can lead to more bent wheels and bubbled tires if you hit a pothole. I knew that 19" wheels are not necessarily better, but I just like the actual wheels that you can get over the 18." They also said that the 19" tires will wear out faster than the 18" and given these tires are expensive, I just prefer to not be dealing with buying tires sooner if I can avoid it. So I'm getting the 18."

This is what I wanted:



This is what I'll be getting, which are still good looking:



And yes, I'm getting an amazing discount. Truly. But I'm sworn to secrecy as I've bought more cars in 20 years from this dealer than I have fingers and toes and they give me a major discount off MSRP.

JTK44

Was there any discussion about tariffs?

rbrylaw

Yes, but only in the sense that it would be bad for Mercedes, Mercedes customers and the automotive industry as a whole. Currently, there are no tariffs on imports to the US. I remain confident this won't come to be. High ranking officials in Congress have publicly said they want to kill the study, so I'm not particularly worried at this moment.

Steve2018

I am new to the forum and am planning to also order a 2019 E450. I was wondering what the forum thought about the designo Macchiato Beige/Saddle Brown combination. I really like the beige but can't tell how the brown will play off of a Selenite Grey or Lunar Blue metallic exterior versus the Macchiato Beige/Espressor Brown Nappa interior I also wanted to know what you all thought of the Driver Assist Package and how intrusive it might be to a control freak driver like myself. I don't want to pay the money for the package just to manually turn off a lot of its features. I thought I would ask the group. This is my first post to the forum and yes, I am coming from a Ford Fusion hybrid, so we are talking about a big, big change in driving experience for me. My last question is: based on previous models, what sort of discount off of MSRP I might expect when considering a final price for the order? I apologize if some of these questions are naive but I thought I would ask all the same. Thanks in advance

rbrylaw

Welcome to the forum. While I like the Machiato Beige, I have a friend who has had this combination and the light leather is hard to keep clean. Jeans in particular seem to bleed into the light color. If you go with this (and I admit it's really pretty) you should pay for a really good leather protector package to ensure stains are easily removed. To your question about the driver assist package, I'm getting it for sure. I like knowing my car can do things to protect me faster than I can. As to discount, there is no standard. I've seen anywhere from 5 - 12%, so shop around to get your best price. One option would be to register on truecar.com and get the internet working for you. Your interest will be communicated to a number of dealers in your area and you can see what kind of deals they may offer.

cetialpha5

Don't worry, 18" wheels will also get bent and cracked too. Maybe the replacements will just be cheaper than 19" wheels. I also have 17" wheels on another car and those had 45 series tires on them and I still ended up with 2 bent rims. The 18" I had two bent rims and one cracked one. Had to replace the cracked one, but got the bent ones fixed. We probably need at least 50 or 60 series tires to avoid bent/cracked rims from potholes, but manufacturers don't seem to be going back to those anytime soon.

haibieb

We have the DAP in our 2018 E400 and it takes a few minutes to get use to it, especially the feature that "draws" the vehicle back into the lane when not been attentive or fail to signal on time. But otherwise, it is a great safety feature to have on your vehicle. Strongly recommended. And with regards to the choice of 18" or 19" wheel size, I prefer the 19". Nice rims and both are prone to sidewall and rim damages easily. Its matter of choice (style and cost). I have had them on my past two MB's (CLS and E400"s). Good luck with your new car.

JTK44

Three points:

I came from BMW with leather seats and was highly suspect of the MB Tex. (prior to that an Audi 8L, BMW 740's and a few S Class all with leather seats). I have the light grey interior. After three years and over 23,000 miles the seats are as clean as when I got the car. Neither my wife nor I can tell the difference between the leather seats in our prior cars and the MB Tex in our E350 - other than the leather smell which goes away after several months. The MB Tex is neither hot in the summer nor rigid in the winter. The heated seats work perfectly with MB Tex.

If your MB is your daily car, here in the north east with all our potholes 18" wheels makes much more sense than 19" or 20" inch wheels. Granted the 19" and 20" look great, but the ride will be harsher and more prone to wheel damage. Fixing and/or replacing those 19" or 20" wheels can be very, very expensive!

Discount from MSRP: Again here in the north east Costco partners with Mercedes Benz. I am using the MB dealer in the Costco program and their prices, without negotiations, are much better than the dealer I have been using who is not in the Costco program.

rbrylaw

I have the same wheels on my 2016 C300 and have not yet suffered a bent rim, so hopefully, I'll have the same luck on the E450.

Thanks for your thoughts.

The issue for me, is I live in Florida. I don't have any issue with MB TEX. They look just like leather and wear perfectly. The problem is living in Florida I have to have cooled seats and that's simply not an option with MB TEX clad seats.

JTK44

You are correct:

From the DOG item 401 "Heated and Ventilated Front Seats" requires Premium Package (PO1) and Leather (2xx) or Nappa Leather (8XX).

Too bad, as $450 for the ventilated seats while expensive is nice to have in Florida, but leather really is expensive!

rbrylaw

If cooled seats wasn't an extremely important option for me, I'd go with MB TEX. In years past, when you paid for leather seats, ventilated seats came as part of the leather option. Now they've made it a standalone option.

ua549

Not exactly! Currently there is a 25% tariff on imported pickup trucks and a 2½% tariff on cars. Both of these tariffs have been in force for decades.

rbrylaw

Yes, of course. I meant the tariffs that have been proposed are not in force and I truly believe they won't be.

Steve2018

I appreciate everyone's replies. I also live in Florida so the ventilated seats are important to me. So is trying to keep the car from getting to 120 degrees in a parking lot so I was hoping to keep the interior color light and stay away from a black exterior. I certainly don't want to pay top dollar for an expensive leather option just to have my jeans bleed through so I appreciate the advice.

rbrylaw

Have the windows tinted with high quality tint that blocks out most of the UV light and keeps the car cooler in the sun.

ua549

Make sure to get the acoustic comfort package. The IR reflective glass is worth it.

JTK44

Point of information:

If you order the Sport styling (321) and want ventilated seats ($450) you must order leather 201, 214 or 215, $1620 (total $2070) but if you order the Luxury Styling (167) to get the same ventilated seats you must order either Nappa leather (801. 814 or 815) at a cost of $2990 (total $3440) or Designo leather at a cost of $4,900.(total cost $5350).

This makes no sense!

Am I reading the DOG correctly?

rbrylaw

I don't believe that is correct. This is what is stated for heated and ventilated seats:

Heated and Ventilated Front Seats Requires P01 Premium Package and Leather (2xx) or Nappa Leather (8xx) Upholstery Not available with heated front seats (873)
All Models $ 450

JTK44

Yes: I previously posted POI plus leather:

However, according to the DOG with the Sport Styling (321) the leather option is $1,620. With the Luxury Styling (167) there are two leather options: Nappa cost $2,990 or designo cost $4,900.

In the DOG for Luxury Styling there is no $1,620 leather option.

Am I missing something?

rbrylaw

I just went and looked and you are correct. If you're going to order the Luxury version and you want ventilated seats, looks like you'll have to pop for Napa Leather. Wow, I guess they really want to emphasize the "LUXURY" in Luxury.

JTK44

I prefer the Luxury styling as the wheels are bigger (softer ride) less prone to pot hole damage and there is extra 1/2 an inch (10%) of ground clearance important for me in parking lots with concrete bumper stops and in snow conditions when I go north for skiing. With the luxury styling I do not have to worry about hitting the lower part of the front fenders (spoiler) when I park!

In any event I guess if you want ventilated seats you get the sport and not luxury styling!

rbrylaw

Of you just spend more $$$$ and get what you want.

mobster600

Besides the engine change, what else is changing on the E450 compared to the current model? And what made you want to want to buy the E450 over the current E400?