Sharing my thoughts after 6 months, 8000 miles ownership. E450 Wagon lux, Silver, I've come really close to selling the car a couple times, even calling dealerships passing vin to them and getting to a reasonable range to bother coming in. (I was planning on returning to a new Golf R, or to a used 911.) But each time I've come back to enjoying the E450 and loving the interior. There's also an aspect of wanting my original plan of owning this car for a long while to work out. I had OptiCoat Pro+ applied, and a set of winter wheels, and the extended warranty. Those would basically evaporate value wise in a trade.

1. Sport mode! I've been driving in Sport mode much more lately, and that makes the biggest difference to my enjoying the car. For awhile I thought the low down torque in comfort with bigger gears was what I wanted to feel- but it's actually the responsiveness and power in sport. Sport+ is fun sometimes, but Sport has become my main bit. I wish I'd gotten the sport suspension.

2. The interior beauty never gets old- I have a designo interior, grey leather, alcantara roof liner, natural open grain black wood. It's serene and beautiful. There is a "downside" in that it has the effect of me not wanting to make the car work or sweat too much. I won't be snow day rallying like I did in the R. And while I've had a coffee in it, never food.
- car is quiet -no rattles, mine has impeccable build quality. The only "unlike MB" item I have is a faint, slight moan occasionally I think has to do with the air leveling rear.

3. The rear storage is immense. My golf clubs fit without a seat going down, almost just straight in. And the kick gate works flawlessly for me and I use it quite a bit as the grocery getter for my house.

4. I'm glad I got the acoustic comfort package. Highway driving is this car's strength- it's when I notice the acoustic difference the most- maybe tuned for wind?

5. The driving position could be improved. I'd like the steering wheel to extend further towards me. I'm tall, but also like my arms at 90 degrees or so like I'm driving a race car. The steering wheel also doesn't feel quite exactly centered to the seat. The pedals are also offset too far to the left, and there needs to be a better footrest for my left foot as well. And the transmission tunnel sure is fat. There's no hitting the gas with just a big toe, not enough room to the right of the gas pedal. I find myself with my lower body slightly pulled/angled left all the time.

6. I don't find myself using the drive assist features much. But I never have used cruise and such on most cars I've had. When I have the lane assist on I get annoyed fairly quickly and turn it off, I guess I cut too many corners or use the whole lane to give more space from others. First rule- separation.

7. I've used the massage more than I thought I would, and I enjoy the dynamic bolsters a great deal too.

8. The run flats still have to go. More & softer tire sidewall will compliment this car greatly. I'd get 17 inch wheels, but I'm not sure they'll fit over the brakes. My 18's winters are much better and removing the irregularities in the road. I'll get a summer set soon enough.

9. The heated seats and steering wheel are the best I've experienced.

10. The ability to adjust my passenger's seat has proved more frequently useful than I thought. Although the passenger headrest seems to block my view more often than I think it should. With teenagers' cars in my driveway I have to back out into the street occasionally (thru my tall hedge) and it's then I notice it most. Between the B pillar and headrest a lot is blocked. So- I use the adjustment to line them up a bit more when no one else is in the car.

11. I forget my phone on the charging pad frequently. Also a discrete cable exit from the center console would have been nice, it closes with so little "panel gap" in the lid that my passenger can't charge and use their phone from there.

12. Opticoat Pro Plus was worth it- so easy to clean, and indeed stays clean longer.

13. I haven't changed the LED colors again since the 3rd week.

14. I'm fearing these oil change/ 10K 20K service costs.

So all in all I'm pretty happy with the car. I had frequently missed a more "athletic" feel, but choosing Sport mode (and disabling auto stop/start) is now an automatic habit and has helped. And I am looking very forward to getting a new set of tires on it. We''ll see if I pop for those too soon, I had to get thru my possible selling it phase first.

Happy Benz-ing!

 

Great post. I'm a year into my E400 Wagon ownership, and many of your points are exactly how I feel about the car. I came from a BMW 535 wagon, and while the driving experience of the E400 is less exciting, I've come to appreciate it. I never considered trading it in, but there are so few full size wagons available in US now that it was not really an option.

I'm content using comfort mode. Its a big wagon, and even in comfort mode I regularly pull ahead of traffic with little effort. I have air suspension, and use it all the time to raise the car when pulling into parking spaces with raised curbs, and when going over big speed bumps. Our driving styles must differ

Agreed: interior is amazing and understated, and I've also adapted to a more serene style of driving compared to the BMW. At first I felt odd, but I've come to appreciate the 'luxury car feel'. I've got a creaking visor that needs fixing, but otherwise the car is super quiet, especially on long highway trips. I'm beige/black, which looks great, but needs frequent cleaning to keep the seats looking new.

No golfer here, but kick gate and immense storage space make home depot runs a breeze.

I'm totally with you on the acoustic comfort package, and super glad I got it. The reduced interior heating by sunlight is a nice side effect of reduced IR transmittance, but eventually the car heats up.

Agree with all of this

I use drive pilot extensively on highways, where it really adds to a relaxed trip, but lane assist is very annoying, and I've turned it off.

Don't have these.

I'm getting used to them.

Agree 100%

Surprising but true!

Sigh ... I leave my phone on the inductive charging pad all the time and have to go back to the car to get it.

Not done, probably should do.

Almost with you there. I've selected a set of about 4 colors that I like, and occasionally change to for interest, but its dazzling only for the 1st week or two, and quickly gets annoying.

Just had service A and feel totally ripped off. On the BMW I used to do my own oil changes but MB now make even resetting the service indicator a challenge.

Have fun with your new wheels.

 

Definitely glad to hear that you are enjoying your E. I too am enjoying mine; I've had it for a year now and as I look at other cars on the road I believe I have something good. The car inside and out has defined appeal. Sport mode - yeah, it's definitely a plus for the car and I typically drive in that mode. The sound of the engine in Sport mode compels drivers on the road to try to race. True story - a Dodge Charger tried...I made him think I would race him, but let up off the gas during the onset. Chargers are like the Dodge Neons of the present...lol

 

They are great cars, I was looking at mine on the lift yesterday while getting the new wheels, it looks very well built from the underside. I'm generally in sport plus mode with mine around town and comfort mode on the highway.

 

Thank you for posting this. I find myself in agreement with pretty much everything for my wagons.

 

I believe that your extended warranty can be refunded if you sell and haven't used it.

 

Hey Merc, what wheels did you end up getting?

 

I think that depends on the terms of the warranty purchased. I just got a refund on one that was an actual Mercedes extended warranty, but many dealers seem to only offer third party extended warranties.

 

I got the Mandrus 23 wheels. Really like them nice to have no vibrations now over 70.

 

If it's the one's with the mirror cut finish, those are sweet!

 

I traded in a GLE that had one and was given fairly decent compensation for it.

 

I traded a 2016 in on my 2019 and had purchased the extended warranty. I got a 100% refund for the 2016. I believe Mercedes will do this for anyone who stays in the MB family, i.e., purchases a new Mercedes.

 

Agreed , They love loyalty more so than any other brand I have owned BMW included