AZEZ

Its comments like this that ruin this forum. Do you really need to make everything about you? Do you really need to pick cat fights with everyone that doesn't share your opinion? Get over it.

No one agrees with rbrylaw. Accept that. Not everyone has to agree with you all the time. The ONLY person needing to make any decisions based on the opinions here is the one asking the question. I'm embarrassed that you exposed a new forum member to your incessant cat fighting. Your latest comment quoted above is simply unnecessary and quite honestly, childish. Please stop yourself. The 300's are dogs in the engine department. There are redeeming qualities outside the performance aspect. If that's okay with you, then you buy the car. If you want a better performing car, then you won't want a 300. That's clearly the consensus, and you just need to stop picking fights with everyone because your partner recently bought that car and his feelings got hurt. And if that's not the case we don't care. You don't need to keep defending YOU and your partner. The world doesn't revolve around YOU. This string is not about YOU. Move on and stop picking cat fights with everyone.

rbrylaw

Wow......pretty harsh, but I'll accept it and move off this thread.

superangrypenguin

Guys, we are all in the same online 'family' here which is mbworld. I'm just a participant like all of you but I do hope we can all get along. It's just the internet, folks :-)

And I thought I was the angry one given my online handle

PS - the enemy isn't each other, it's Audi

superangrypenguin

Ok fair point but in order to prove anything further you would have to repeat the same test using your same phone at roughly the same conditions using the E400. But anyways, I think this horse is so dead its soul has moved on and come back reincarnated as a frog, so best we move on.

To bring this thread back on point, MBs rule, Audis fail. Actually, can I share a quick story? I had a B7 A4, and it was an absolute disaster. I sold it 2 years after I bought it and bought a C300. I've had this car for 6.5 years and I am having real trouble getting rid of it. It's been as reliable as a blond failing math test, (no offense, just a dumb joke) and it's been a true part o' the family.

I've looked at the 2018 Lexus LS500 (concerns about rusting, and the NVH is worse than the S)
I'm looking at the 2019 S450 but I don't like the interior (I'm not kidding).
I really want the 2019 Audi A8 (but every first generation A8 is a disaster reliability wise)
I'm thinking about a W213 E 450, fully loaded with the air suspension, but it's been pushed back, and given MB Canada's incentives the S is only $20K more

All of this aside, I'm so pissed off looking/researching/driving cars that I think no matter what I do, I'll keep the W204.

So all of this being said...as frustrated as I am with MB service, at this point, I'll just stick with Mercedes Benz. So all things being equal, even with a budget north of $100,000, my 204 has been truly awesome so yeah, I'll stick with MB. It seems like Benzes are decent cars.

JTK44

Real FIRST world problems!

pop.tremuloides

WOW!

Sorry to have "kicked the hornet's nest" here!

Glad that we are all in the same boat. Passionate about our cars!

I have taken ALL of the comments in here and it seems the general consensus is that the E Series (is superior in many ways) to the C series. Noted! The big test will be the test drives and how both of us feel about the cars. The biggest concern my wife has is the size of the E series. We pulled up our 2017 Macan S side by side to an E series at the dealer and there really isn't any noticeable length between the two. I'll have to dig up the stats on the A5 so show both the E series and the A5 to show my wife.

For me, the noise factor is not much of an issue as I am ALWAYS loving engine rumbles/braps/pops....LOL....but that is why I love P cars and will be retrofitting our Macan S with a sport exhaust next year. However, when simply cruising down the highway or out around town, I like to have a nice quiet ride and so does my wife. The majority of the decision resides with my wife but I definitely have VETO power. She had the same on my 2003 996 TT, after many hours of "discussions " I won out...but not by much...LOL!

Our commutes are 40 miles North and 40 miles south of from our home. 90% of our drives are on the interstate. We also LOVE to take a day off and simply drive in the mountains. Performance is important...even on both of our daily drives, merging onto the interstate stinks when the vehicle can't make it into its "place" in traffic.

We both have been trying to find any and ALL information on the 2019 E series. Unfortunately, the "interweb" is lacking a bit so any info would be terrific. I did see the DOG PDFs that were posted on this site but some things were hard to figure out. Will be looking at them again later this week.

We are definitely NOT opposed to ordering something and having it delivered from Germany. We have done that previously and while the anticipation and inevitable delays may not be for the faint of heart, we have had zero issues. If MB is anything like Porsche then perhaps our Sales Advisor would be able to give us some updates. We even watched our ship cross the Atlantic and when in range we could see exactly where the ship was before/during/after entering port!

One thing that we would love to get .. Ventilated Seats. Having them in our Macan has been a GODSEND! I love them immensely and my wife more so!

Anyhow that's kind of where we stand at this point. Hopefully on Saturday we can take some test drives and see what we both think!

Thanks again for all the responses!

tonecas

can you explain what models are you referring to? E63, E53, E43?

pop.tremuloides

Hi folks,

Sorry to derail this thread but after searching around here....does anyone know anything about the CLS coupe for 2019??? My wife and I saw the C257 and we are both REALLY considering this.

Being so new to Mercedes-Benz this might actually be something we will get. Still trying to decipher the E450 stuff and after a bunch of "clicking around" on the web my wife actually found the C257 but there is NO info on it.


I know these are in two different areas but suggestions?

We will be at our local MB dealer this weekend but can't really find anything on it.

Also.....Did MB do away with the full touchpad in favor of a different steering wheel option on the 2019 steering wheels. Looks like they reverted back to actual dials and what appears to be some sort of small black touchpad.

Pop

superangrypenguin

Any E class AMG model that features air suspension prior to the 2019 model.

E.g. E300/E400 with air suspension = 4 wheel air suspension
Everything else with a AMG badge (real or not) = front suspension = coil, rear suspension = air.

2019 onwards anything with air suspension = 4 wheel air suspension

superangrypenguin

I would strongly urge you guys to try out a S class short wheel base too! But yes, we're all very passionate about our cars and we respect others who are too (in this case re: Audis and Porsche's)

tonecas

trying to recall some lost physics knowledge but i believe 3dB is doubling of power and usually you want to refer to 6dB as doubling of sound intensity or pressure.
human ears on the other hand will note a sense of doubling the loudness on each 10 dB, hence the logarithmic scale. so usually we will be dealing with 6dB for real doubling sound intensity or pressure and 10db for perceived doubling of loudness.

phone mics + apps can get +-2dB errors or more on their measurements, but it is a good reference.

assuming also that we are using dBA.

pop.tremuloides

Thanks Penguin!

We will try one......my wife just found the CLS coupe online and OMG she is REALLY loving it! We don't have much info but the new Audi hoods on the S5 destroyed the "beauty" of our other one.

This CLS coupe, looks like (C257) is the best fit between performance and styling she likes. Unfortunately we are limited on what we can see online. Thankfully we have some time!

tonecas

thanks, didn't know that. do you have a reference to that?
all that I read was that the differences in this MY19 would be the new steering wheel with the cruise control losing the lever and an update to the driving assistance based on the map of the road ahead. changes in suspension is totally new to me :|

pop.tremuloides

Can you point us towards a short wheelbase S Class.......again we have only hit the dealership last Sunday and all the S Class cars are VERY BIG.

tonecas

while I understand the idea of superangrypenguin from what you describe you can skip testing the S class. yes it is on an upper level but it looks bulky and drives more like that. it is really big. stick with the E class and you will be better according to your needs. I would also not go bellow the E400

i'm also a Porsche fan. before going for an E63 S i was considering the Panamera Turbo S, hybrid and non-hybrid versions, and the new BMW M5 but decided on the MB for the looks, interior and driving experience (sound and motor+transmission character). In my view MB is not at the level of Porsche however, in terms of quality, customization and attention to details.But these are more decisions from the heart however...

superangrypenguin

I learned this from my most recent test drive of the E43 "faux" AMG. The sales person told me that and he is also a friend and a HUGE MB geek.

superangrypenguin

I'm not so sure what models you get so please take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. A short wheel base S class can be bought in my neck o' 'the woods, and is only 5 or 6" longer (wheel base wise) versus a E class. I have driven the prior model E550 (outfitted with the optional air springs). and between that and the S class, there isn't really that much of a difference. Both are bigger cars and both do not handle like a Porsche.

That said I am after the most comfortable ride within my budget, so a short wheelbase S class makes sense to me. If you are after anything remotely sporty, then an E class may fit your bill better (but if you are after anything sporty in general, obviously avoid MB).

Non 4matic S classes in the US can be had with Magic Body Control - which uses a pair of stereoscopic cameras to 'read' the road in front and can thus enable predictive suspension. I drool at this because all S classes here in Canada can only be had with 4matic which thus does not have MBC. Imagine speed bumps disappearing....

To me, that'd be a solid reason why I get an S class over an E. That difference is made less here in Canada, but still, while I'm torn between an S and a E, it is not because of sporty handling characteristics. It's more a function of the fact that an S is only $20K more than an E here (both specced to my heart's content), so.....why not?

pop.tremuloides

Germancar1

Where are you getting this from about the E43 and E63 only having air springs in the rear? The current E43 and E63 have a 4-corner air suspension.

M

tonecas

agree. that's my idea. and the air thing suspension still uses coil springs. the front is a 4 link axle and the rear is a multi-link axle

AZEZ

Again I find myself agreeing with superangrypenguin. I'm moving to Benz after 20 years as a BMW enthusiast. Benz's standard stuff is not sporty to me. BMWs are smooth and responsive & you don't find that so much with MB except in the AMG models where you have the air suspension, AWD and more responsive engine. So, for me moving from a sporty BMW drive, the AMG line is a must. I drove the C and E and S (just cant afford the S - its a child support related restriction). The C43 and C63 AMG are great fun but not as smooth and comfortable for my every day car but certain this is the sporty ride I would like. The E400 drives nicer especially with AWD and the air suspension; without it, the E400 is super nice and more beautiful but not really comparable to BMW or Audi in terms of the driving experience. For this reason, I ordered a 2019 E53 AMG Cabriolet. This model has AWD, the air suspension, and an inline 6 biturbo with a battery boost giving performance about the same as a standard Porsche 911. Here we get the superior beauty and elegance of Mercedes Benz, together with a drive comparable to BMW, Audi, Porsche. You can load up an E53 AMG Coupe in the $85k range, which is really a steal for the technology beauty and ride it brings. The Cabriolet is about $8k more.

superangrypenguin

removed.

superangrypenguin

I suspect this is correct.

pop.tremuloides

So have any of you researched the E Coupe?

Here is probably one of the most entertaining video I have seen to date on the MB E series coupes.





We are leaning this way...I sent snips of the vid to my wife at work. She is ALL IN...depending on our P, A, MB vehicle test drives!

I am in the same boat ....test them all and see what SHE likes...then the debate happens!

Pop

superangrypenguin

The Straight Pipes is awesome. I actually know where they film as I live close to them!

Well, before you pull the trigger, just make sure you check out the S class review they did. (just for fun). You might change your mind