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I guess I'll be looking for a CPO wagon next year. The new inline 6 is a good move but the exterior cladding and increased ride height is not my cup of tea. Doesn't Daimler sell enough SUVs already without turning the elegant E Class wagon into a SUV wannabe?
I guess I'll be looking for a CPO wagon next year. The new inline 6 is a good move but the exterior cladding and increased ride height is not my cup of tea. Doesn't Daimler sell enough SUVs already without turning the elegant E Class wagon into a SUV wannabe?
Agree. This is the latest example showing that M-B has lost its way in the North American market.
Don’t wait. Strike now. Explain to the dealer the All Terrain will make the current version old hat but you would take one off their hands for a suitably deep discount.
I guess I'll be looking for a CPO wagon next year. The new inline 6 is a good move but the exterior cladding and increased ride height is not my cup of tea. Doesn't Daimler sell enough SUVs already without turning the elegant E Class wagon into a SUV wannabe?
Several prior posts on this topic share your dismay with the exterior cladding and increased ride height SUV wannabe. If you care send an email to MB saying that you are a current owner, but won't be buying this ugly contraption. If enough people do this the dumbheads at MB NA might reconsider and also sell the conventional wagon like Volvo does.
As an aside, BMW NA made this same mistake a few years ago, by stopping the 5-series, and then 3-series wagons for the US market, and replacing them with 'GT' versions, which were overweight, had less luggage capacity, and generally ugly. These wagon replacements sold badly and BMW lost its share of the US wagons market, including me, which is why I'm in an E400.
These companies spend gobs on market research. I wonder what survey told them to go rustic with black rubber cladding on so many of their cars. It's as if they want to be in the same class as a Subaru or Toyota. IMO it's a deal breaker. New E tail lights also.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Just to mention, the non-All Terrain wagon will still be built and available in Germany and some other countries, but not in the USA. Yet another brilliant move by MBUSA! That said, even if they did import it, the redesign they have done to the Luxury Trim grill is just horrendous, IMO. This is what it would look like:
That 2021 luxury grill sure looks inexpensive. Be interesting to see if MB/MBUSA come to their senses. I have thought the USA import subsidiaries just follow each other figuring if they all do the same thing they all can’t be fired.
Hopefully the new E Class SUV Wannabe wagon will not sell in the US and MB will bring back the traditional Estate Wagon. I am absolutely not a buyer of the All Terrain model, I'd buy an Outback instead for less than half the money. I do hope I can find a nice low mileage CPO E400 or E450 in a couple years when the lease is up on my X5.
49, I‘ve driven Outbacks and they are zippo compared to an E. Rather than a MB All-Terrain, I would go for an Audi All-Road (lot of imagination in the names department) with the all paint option. Audi wagons are not bad. I wish the folks at BMWUSA would get with the program and bring in the 5 wagon. I saw the Buick/Opel wagon on the road and it looked good. Probably super inexpensive these days.
I was kidding about the Outback. The new Audi has the same issues and BMW bailed on wagons. Not much choice in the US. GM was selling a rebadged Opel wagon as a Buick but I think it's also been axed.
Things change. The Audi wagon has come and gone. Same for Caddy and Buick. Benz is the only consistent player.
Volvo still sells V60 and V90, in both regular and CrossCountry guise.
Audi A6 allroad has full air suspension so the normal ride height is the same as the sedan or regular wagon. If you opt for painted cladding, it looks just like a regular A6 Avant but with wider stance. The A4 allroad has coil suspension and does ride about an inch taller than normal wagon. But it's not a deal breaker with painted cladding... looks almost like a normal Avant.
What an ugly mess! Just another reason why I will look at other brands hard on my next purchase. After 25 years of MB loyalty and many, many Benz cars I am seriously turned off by the brand. They are just another car company now, nothing special.
If I am not mistaken, most of those moves were baked in well before the CW Virus hit.
I think the rub is that the changes seem to apply to the US or North American market. The eliminated models contine to be sold elsewhere.
Adding insult is the fact that the available alternatives, all-terrain vs. wagon for example, have features that seem to cheapen the brand. That black cladding is at the top of my list. Maybe an option package will be available in the future, a la GLE with the AMG option.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
