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2019 Dune Silver Metallic E-450 Mercedes Cabriolet NEW Mercedes 2020 GLC300 graphite gray SUV
I look at the 212 series before I bought my car. While I like the exterior, the interior IMO didn't cut the cake. Those old, outdated buttons just to dial a telephone number and that small screen killed it for me. When I looked at the 213 CABS, the exterior and interior was heads above anything the 212 could offer. Buying a new 213 certainly has not disappoint!
The beautiful, sweeping large screens and the digital dash won me over instantly. The Distronic and other options are a marvel of science. I couldn't be happier with my E450 CAB; still can't get used to the constant complementary comments I get from other drivers!
I have a good 7 year warranty with it, so I have years of worry free driving ahead of me. Those that like their 212's, good for you. It's a fine car. But the E450 CAB is the finest car I've ever owned.
I loved my 212. It used more steel in the structure and as such felt more sturdy. I had the 350 with the 302hp NA V6. It was perfectly fine for that car. I actually liked the phone pad on the dash, makes for quick access to radio presets. My C238 (213 coupe) is the very best car I've had. I won't compare the exterior as I now have a coupe versus the sedan previous, but the interior is leagues better. I mean really so much better (for me).
All that said, if you prefer actual buttons for most functions, prefer simplicity then the 212 will suit you better.
I loved my 212. It used more steel in the structure and as such felt more sturdy. I had the 350 with the 302hp NA V6. It was perfectly fine for that car. I actually liked the phone pad on the dash, makes for quick access to radio presets. My C238 (213 coupe) is the very best car I've had. I won't compare the exterior as I now have a coupe versus the sedan previous, but the interior is leagues better. I mean really so much better (for me).
All that said, if you prefer actual buttons for most functions, prefer simplicity then the 212 will suit you better.
I like the buttons much better than a touch screen (have another car with touchscreen). It is also easy to switch from Nav to Music Register to Disc to Radio to phone, etc. As you said it is real quick to change radio stations.
One disadvantage I have found for touchscreens is how much more time you spend looking at the screen than the road ahead.
One disadvantage I have found for touchscreens is how much more time you spend looking at the screen than the road ahead.
This was exactly why I chose a 2019 E450L (due in a few days) over a 2019 A6. I like a touch screen for some things, but not to the exclusion of almost all physical buttons.
On my A6 test drive I found myself spending way too much time looking at the screen.
We looked at used W213 and W212 4-Matic Wagons recently. We could have chosen either. We bought your perfectly mechanically sound and clean 2013 W212 wagon at a deep discount under the original MSRP ($72K) that you dumped because it was going out of the factory extended warranty and you were worried
I would not have considered a four cylinder in a vehicle this heavy. Deisel version is not available on the wagons in the US. The 2013s E350's came with the 302HP V-6. So we searched for 2013 & up. Surprisingly, the N/A V-6 has plenty of power and was not a game changer over the newer turbo V-6's. Turbos add extra parts and stress on the engine. The AMG Wagons were above our price-point comfort level.
The W212 HK Command stereo takes audio CD's and video DVDs. This was important to my technically challenged wife for some reason. The pre-facelift W212 Adaptive Bi Xenon headlights are superior to the LEDs in the W213. The analog/digital dash is nicer looking on the W213s but we didn't like the full digital version at all. It looks like someone just stuck a long screen there. The W213 has semi-autonomous lane assist with the steering whereas the W212 has a less autonomous system that will steer you back into the lane using the brakes. The W213 has multi-colored accent lighting.
I have also noticed that most folks on the street don't know the vintage of the newer 2003 & up MB wagons as long as they are in excellent cosmetic condition. Overall the earlier W212 wagons are better looking IMO, in the sense that from the front, they don't look like every other newer Mercedes on the road. They need to work on that.
"One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn't belong"
See Sleeper Benz's post for pictures. For an E or S Class, I much prefer the Star on the hood, rather than in the grille. Not only does the grille with 3 or 4 bars look more traditional, but in my opinion it looks like a Mercedes-Benz luxury sedan. In the 2010 - 2012(?) version, the Luxury version had four bars and Sport had three. The 2010-2012 also had the four headlights which traditionally set the E class apart from all other M-B's. I miss that.
I think M-B has gone overboard with the BIG Star in the grille. It makes all of them look alike. One or two bars doesn't make much of a difference in appearance. Also the big vents on lower fascia are too big. Just my opinions and why I plan to keep my 2010 longer.
So I owned a 212 and there were certainly some things that I miss that were present in the 212. Some of those things included the headrests (the best; they had such a classic look when the headrest was fully extended), the storage containers under the seat, the standard metal pedals with rubber studs, and the standard rear sun shade. Definitely love my 213, but there are just certain things that the 212 possessed the they totally went away with and that I truly miss.
So I owned a 212 and there were certainly some things that I miss that were present in the 212. Some of those things included the headrests (the best; they had such a classic look when the headrest was fully extended), the storage containers under the seat, the standard metal pedals with rubber studs, and the standard rear sun shade. Definitely love my 213, but there are just certain things that the 212 possessed the they totally went away with and that I truly miss.
Standard features vary by market. I wish the pedals you describe were standard. I had to add them on my 212 and 213. I do miss the little storage container under the front seats.
But I agree, one of the best E-classes ever, my friends Dad had one, unfortunately the Cleveland winters ate it up in five years, the closest I ever came to one was my first Mercedes, a 190 E. Two completely different cars that looked somewhat similar!
So...Would you guys choose a W212 over a W213?
i'm afraid i haven't had the pleasure of driving a W212.
What's better about a W212 than a W213?
On the other hand, is there anything that the W213 series does better?
I am just curious =)
Well, I have a 212 2012 E350 4magic, luxury,I love it. When my wife's car of 16 years {2003 S500] was wrecked in a parking lot we went shopping, I was concentrating on 2017 and 2018 used 213"s, after driving five or six and going home from the test drives in my 212, we decided to buy another 212 instead. liked the 213's interior, hated the back-end and front was a wash between the two. also my 212 was faster, handled better and felt more substantial. We bought a 2013 E350 with AMG sport package.
Although t looks like my luxury 212,, it's totally different car than my other one, handles different, rides like a truck on anything not recently paved and gets 3 MPG less than the Luxury. my 2012 has Blue Efficiency so that might be the difference, it also has 485 suspension,sits almost an inch higher and rides more like a Mercedes to me.
That said, the AMG Sport package handles better, turns better, stops better, is quicker in sport mode {noticeable} and has a bigger gas tank. In fairness my cars are 2012 and 2013 respectively and both have less than 40K miles. In fact the 2012 has yet to turn 30k. Yes we drive them both weekly, we just don't go far, our commutes are less than 4 miles each way. Here's an interesting note; For the first 2-3 hours of a trip the luxury is wonderful, after that I find myself wishing it was less floaty, the first 2-3 hours of a trip in the sport is brutal, I find myself saying "and why did we take this car?" but after three hours on the road, I like the tightness of the sport better, go figure...
Last edited by pierrejoliat; Apr 18, 2020 at 01:44 PM.
Reason: Misspells
To me the 212 was a really good cross between luxury and performance. I just was not comfortable in my 213. It is geared more towards raw in your face performance.
Yes, we both miss the S Class for road trips, after 16 years of ownership it had almost 60k miles when it was wrecked by a golf cart! The E class is better for around town, especially parking. And amazingly a much bigger trunk. The hardest part was finding an E with the luxury 2 package. After the issues with the S class air suspension, I was not interested in an E550.
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