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I just got back yesterday from a twelve day road trip. I drove up from Austin TX to Toronto Canada to visit family and friends I'd not seen since Sep 2019 due to COVID and the border being closed. My E450 wagon had not seen a ton of use due to COVID and working from home so decided to drive it up. My itinerary was as below:
Austin to Knoxville TN (1026 miles) - I went through both MS and AL which I've never been to before. It was a long 14.5 hour driving day but wanted first day to cover more mileage while I was still fresh.
Knoxville TN to Erie PA (637 miles) - Much easier day and much nicer scenery, I went through the WV mountains which I've never seen before. Also connected with a guy in a Ford Focus RS and we took turns leading and following to lessen the risk on speeding tickets which also made the drive a little more interesting. I've driven by Erie PA dozens of times but never stopped there. The scenery was great, see the pics below.
Erie PA to Toronto Canada (215 miles) - This was an easy drive.
I spent a five days in Toronto visiting family and friends and then did a 550 miles road trip with my mother to get some quality time together. We drove up to Tobermory Fathom Five Marine Park (I used to SCUBA there most weekends in the summer and fall when I lived in Toronto) where we spent the night. Next morning we took the ferry to Manitoulin Island which is a two hour crossing. We then went around Georgian Bay and spent the night in Gravenhurst which is a lovely little town on Georgian Bay. Next day we drove back to my parents where I spent three more days before my 1650 mile drive home in two days. The car performed perfectly and after this trip I love it even more. I averaged 28.9mpg on the long highway parts of the trip despite doing 75mph to 85mph. My best mileage was 30.4mpg on the backroads of Manitoulin Island with average speed of 65mph.
The only negatives of the trip was 90 minutes into the start of my trip a semi kicked up a stone which has caused a small crack in the windshield about the size of a dime. There is also a good size chip where the glass is missing so think it will need to be replaced. Then yesterday morning at 6:40am as I was crossing into AR from TN, I got a speeding ticket for 18 mph over the speed limit. The road was virtually empty but sneaky AR state trooper was sitting behind a crash barrier right at the border. I have no idea what the cost will be as they set a court date. If I was to avoid the court date I can call the court and pay the fine but the ticket doesn't show an amount which is odd. Gas in Canada was an insane $4.23/gallon after conversion from Canadian to USD. That was for premium. It cost me $122 Canadian to fill it up twice.
Here are some pics from the trip.
Going through the WV mountains:
Erie PA Lake Erie Pics:
Tobermory Fathom Five Marine Park Pics:
The town is quaint and lots of boat activity during the summers. At this time of the year things have slowed down and less tourists but still a lovely place if one likes water activities.
fleuger99,
Thanks for sharing, epic trip. last month I drove from Virginia to Boulder , about 1650 miles 1 way, My Audi A5 Cabriolet ran over a truck brake shoe 250 miles away from home on the return, went thru engine and totaled the car, would have loved to do it in my 2017 e400 wagon!
Need to get the app WAZE, gives warning on Police sightings and marks on the map, saved me from getting at least 4 tickets, where the troupers were out of sight, or in unmarked cars.
Somehow the drive from Austin to Toronto to me seems it would be considerably longer than me going to Boulder, Was a Retail Regional that used to go to Austin a lot, much nicer than Houston or Dallas.
Last edited by makiii; 10-06-2021 at 06:00 PM.
Reason: spelling
fleuger99,
Thanks for sharing, epic trip. last month I drove from Virginia to Boulder , about 1650 miles 1 way, My Audi A5 Cabriolet ran over a truck brake shoe 250 miles away from home on the return, went thru engine and totaled the car, would have loved to do it in my 2017 e400 wagon!
Somehow the drive from Austin to Toronto to me seems it would be considerably longer than me going to Boulder, Was a Retail Regional that used to go to Austin a lot, much nicer than Houston or Dallas.
Yeah, a stone on the windshields sounds much better then a truck brake shoe through your engine. Yes, one way from Austin to Toronto is 1650 miles as well. I then did another 700 odd miles on the road trip within Ontario and then the 1650 miles home again. I went home a different route through NY, PA, OH, KY, TN, AR and back into Texas. I have done this trip in previous vehicles, two years ago in my diesel X5 which drove nicely and got 30mpg with the diesel engine. The E450 wagon though is the perfect vehicle for long distance cruising as its comfortable, fun to drive, has lots of space, gets good range with decent MPG and a big tank. It also gets some attention. I had two different people come up to me, one at the hotel in Erie PA and the other at a gas station in Centreville OH. They asked about the wagon, performance, comfort etc.
Have you taken your wagon on a long distance trip yet?
hi
I live in the Shenandoah valley of Virginia, Bought the car in Buffalo N, Flew into Buffalo, flight was 5 hour delayed, of course, got to the dealer around 6:15pm, did the paperwork, they answered my ?'s, had a few , this is my 3rd "new - post 2008" Mercedes then hit the road home at about 7:45pm - it's about 485 mile,, got home around 2:30am. left home for Dulles airport at 5am. Tried the messaging seats but made me too sleepy, at around 10pm turned on the adaptive headlights - was memorized the rest of the trip. filled up once and stopped for coffee 5 times. it was fun!
Have had to run up to Wash. DC a couple of times 280 round trip. total miles since 8/27 2036
hi
I live in the Shenandoah valley of Virginia, Bought the car in Buffalo N, Flew into Buffalo, flight was 5 hour delayed, of course, got to the dealer around 6:15pm, did the paperwork, they answered my ?'s, had a few , this is my 3rd "new - post 2008" Mercedes then hit the road home at about 7:45pm - it's about 485 mile,, got home around 2:30am. left home for Dulles airport at 5am. Tried the messaging seats but made me too sleepy, at around 10pm turned on the adaptive headlights - was memorized the rest of the trip. filled up once and stopped for coffee 5 times. it was fun!
Have had to run up to Wash. DC a couple of times 280 round trip. total miles since 8/27 2036
does this count?
I think you just squeak in I did something similar for my delivery. I bought my wagon from MB of Akron in Ohio. I flew in and my sales guy picked me up at the airport. I stayed the night in Akron and then drove the 1340 miles home over two days. It provided lots of time to check out all the features while driving home. I think buying like that versus locally makes the experience even more special.
Ya, the E450 Wagon is a good highway car for Trips, although at least with mine I have to be very careful anywhere theres bumpy roads as the front end tends to bottom out and then it tends to bend rims or damage tires. I regret not getting the upgraded massauging seats with mine and the upgraded leather, I guess I get spoiled from my S560 as those seats are more comfortable and that is even a better car for trips, now if only they made a S560 Wagon I'd probably only have that one car, lol. I've done a lot of trips in both cars between Florida and Rhode Island.
Ya, the E450 Wagon is a good highway car for Trips, although at least with mine I have to be very careful anywhere theres bumpy roads as the front end tends to bottom out and then it tends to bend rims or damage tires. I regret not getting the upgraded massauging seats with mine and the upgraded leather, I guess I get spoiled from my S560 as those seats are more comfortable and that is even a better car for trips, now if only they made a S560 Wagon I'd probably only have that one car, lol. I've done a lot of trips in both cars between Florida and Rhode Island.
Mine has bottomed out only a few times, although on this trip entering PA the expansion joint to the bridge I was crossing hit the car pretty hard and I was concerned I'd bent a front wheel. Later when I stopped to fill up I checked them thoroughly but didn't find any damage and there was no new vibration or shake in the steering wheel so felt thankful that there was no damage. I've heard from a few people on this forum that the Nappa leather in our E-class is not that durable so I went with the MBTex and I find it decent and the seats are comfortable after 14 hour drive days. The massaging seats didn't 'tickle my fancy' so didn't look for a car with them. Does it work well?
Sounds like a great trip OP. Except the chip and the ticket of course… connecting with parents is always nice. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks. I called the courthouse in Memphis today and the lady told me the ticket was $272. I felt I got off decently as I read online that anything over 15mph of the speed limit in AR can be deemed as reckless driving and has an associated fine of $500. I paid the $272 ticket over the phone and they will mail me a receipt which might be good to carry in the event I drive through AR again
Ya, sorry to hear about your ticket. Glad it didnt turn out to be too bad. These cars are so smooth it's so easy to be doing over 80 mph like nothing and not even know it. Ya, they are great cars no doubt, I've missed mine, has been in storage the past 6 months but about to get it out soon. The good thing is it's keeping the miles nice and low. I plan on having the car a long time, no way am I going to a 48 volt system Hybrid and really not all that crazy about the All Terrains. Beautiful pictures. That Hotel on the lake looks like a nice place. Sounds like overall a good trip. I saw your other thread about the windshields. On my last S class I'd used Safelite and had pretty good luck. The insurance paid in full but insisted I use Safelite and I had no issues, the car had the Distronic adaptive Cruise and Safelite was able to adjust the cameras and the other tech while I waited in the waiting room for the windshield to be replaced. I traded the car in at a Benz dealer last November and they said nothing about the Safelite glass.
fleuger99 I bought my 1st Mercedes in 1979 from Geller Mercedes , Akron OH - Geller family sold dealership in 1995. , it was Mr. Geller's 1971 280sl. Sold my 73 Alfa spyder to scrap together down payment on our 1st house. 70's Alfa's did not have a great reliability reputation
but the Mercedes was in another dimension - most expensive worst car I have ever owned. sold it 3 years later for $3000. - was paid in $20.00 bills.
Didn't look at Mercedes again until 2008 when I picked up a CLK350 Cabriolet. - drove it for 5 years 100,000 miles and NOT 1 repair.
fleuger99 I bought my 1st Mercedes in 1979 from Geller Mercedes , Akron OH - Geller family sold dealership in 1995. , it was Mr. Geller's 1971 280sl. Sold my 73 Alfa spyder to scrap together down payment on our 1st house. 70's Alfa's did not have a great reliability reputation
but the Mercedes was in another dimension - most expensive worst car I have ever owned. sold it 3 years later for $3000. - was paid in $20.00 bills.
Didn't look at Mercedes again until 2008 when I picked up a CLK350 Cabriolet. - drove it for 5 years 100,000 miles and NOT 1 repair.
That is interesting, that it was Geller Mercedes. Now they are part of the Ganley chain of dealerships. I grew up in South Africa and Alfa's were super popular there. They had great performance but required lots of maintenance to keep them running. A buddy had a Alfetta in the late 80's and that thing hauled. It was also a lovely looking car back in the day. CLK was a nice looking car, I've never driven in one. My wagon is my first MB, I've had several BMW's and Audi's as well as VW's. Recently had a Golf wagon which I bought to drive daily and to haul my two Greyhounds in to the park almost daily. I ended up getting the infamous panoramic roof leak and VW wouldn't cover it. This will definitely be my last VW ever (Audi and Porsche the same). I won't support a company that won't stand behind their products.
Ya, sorry to hear about your ticket. Glad it didnt turn out to be too bad. These cars are so smooth it's so easy to be doing over 80 mph like nothing and not even know it. Ya, they are great cars no doubt, I've missed mine, has been in storage the past 6 months but about to get it out soon. The good thing is it's keeping the miles nice and low. I plan on having the car a long time, no way am I going to a 48 volt system Hybrid and really not all that crazy about the All Terrains. Beautiful pictures. That Hotel on the lake looks like a nice place. Sounds like overall a good trip. I saw your other thread about the windshields. On my last S class I'd used Safelite and had pretty good luck. The insurance paid in full but insisted I use Safelite and I had no issues, the car had the Distronic adaptive Cruise and Safelite was able to adjust the cameras and the other tech while I waited in the waiting room for the windshield to be replaced. I traded the car in at a Benz dealer last November and they said nothing about the Safelite glass.
We'll see what my insurance company say about covering the replacement through MB dealer for $1700 less my deductible. If your car has been in storage for 6 months, what is your daily driver?
Porsche Cayman S, Mercedes W213, Nissan Titan, BMW X5, Chevrolet Suburban
Originally Posted by fleuger99
I just got back yesterday from a twelve day road trip. I drove up from Austin TX to Toronto Canada to visit family and friends I'd not seen since Sep 2019 due to COVID and the border being closed. My E450 wagon had not seen a ton of use due to COVID and working from home so decided to drive it up. My itinerary was as below:
Austin to Knoxville TN (1026 miles) - I went through both MS and AL which I've never been to before. It was a long 14.5 hour driving day but wanted first day to cover more mileage while I was still fresh.
Knoxville TN to Erie PA (637 miles) - Much easier day and much nicer scenery, I went through the WV mountains which I've never seen before. Also connected with a guy in a Ford Focus RS and we took turns leading and following to lessen the risk on speeding tickets which also made the drive a little more interesting. I've driven by Erie PA dozens of times but never stopped there. The scenery was great, see the pics below.
Erie PA to Toronto Canada (215 miles) - This was an easy drive.
I spent a five days in Toronto visiting family and friends and then did a 550 miles road trip with my mother to get some quality time together. We drove up to Tobermory Fathom Five Marine Park (I used to SCUBA there most weekends in the summer and fall when I lived in Toronto) where we spent the night. Next morning we took the ferry to Manitoulin Island which is a two hour crossing. We then went around Georgian Bay and spent the night in Gravenhurst which is a lovely little town on Georgian Bay. Next day we drove back to my parents where I spent three more days before my 1650 mile drive home in two days. The car performed perfectly and after this trip I love it even more. I averaged 28.9mpg on the long highway parts of the trip despite doing 75mph to 85mph. My best mileage was 30.4mpg on the backroads of Manitoulin Island with average speed of 65mph.
The only negatives of the trip was 90 minutes into the start of my trip a semi kicked up a stone which has caused a small crack in the windshield about the size of a dime. There is also a good size chip where the glass is missing so think it will need to be replaced. Then yesterday morning at 6:40am as I was crossing into AR from TN, I got a speeding ticket for 18 mph over the speed limit. The road was virtually empty but sneaky AR state trooper was sitting behind a crash barrier right at the border. I have no idea what the cost will be as they set a court date. If I was to avoid the court date I can call the court and pay the fine but the ticket doesn't show an amount which is odd. Gas in Canada was an insane $4.23/gallon after conversion from Canadian to USD. That was for premium. It cost me $122 Canadian to fill it up twice.
Here are some pics from the trip.
Going through the WV mountains:
Erie PA Lake Erie Pics:
Tobermory Fathom Five Marine Park Pics:
The town is quaint and lots of boat activity during the summers. At this time of the year things have slowed down and less tourists but still a lovely place if one likes water activities.
Ferry to Manitoulin Island Pics:
Waiting to board the ferry
On the ferry pics
From onboard the ferry
Driving up Manitoulin Island Pics:
Enjoy
Sorry to hear about the windshield and the ticket. Otherwise it seemed to be a really amazing road trip experience.
Sorry to hear about the windshield and the ticket. Otherwise it seemed to be a really amazing road trip experience.
Thanks. Yes, despite the ticket and windshield it was an awesome trip. I'd not seen my family since Sep 2019 so it was long overdue. It was also my first real vacation in 18 months so it was nice to forget about work and recharge the batteries. I'm planning my next trip which will be in Apr 2022 and its a motorcycle trip out to Roswell NM. I've always wanted to go see the UFO Museum there so figure add the bike into it and it will be lots of fun.
It is a 2020 that I paid for in late Dec 2020 and took delivery of in Jan 2021. They gave me the best deal by far from any other dealer I reached out to with cars I was interested in. I got 12.5% off sticker.
It is a 2020 that I paid for in late Dec 2020 and took delivery of in Jan 2021. They gave me the best deal by far of any other dealer I reached out to with cars I was interested in. I got 12.5% off sticker.
Sounds like you got a great deal. I was dithering in December about buying the 2020 and building the 2021 All Terrain. I chose the latter but never stopped questioning my decision. Enjoy your ride!
Sounds like you got a great deal. I was dithering in December about buying the 2020 and building the 2021 All Terrain. I chose the latter but never stopped questioning my decision. Enjoy your ride!
Thank you. I was in the same position as you, in Nov/Dec 2020 where I wasn't sure if I wanted a 2020 or wait and order a 2021. In the end I preferred the styling of the 2020 being a more traditional wagon versus the raised and cladded 2021 model. By Dec there were not a lot of 2020's left with the equipment I wanted but I was lucky and got a great deal with everything I wanted, including a few things I didn't but beggars can't be choosers.
Thank you. I was in the same position as you, in Nov/Dec 2020 where I wasn't sure if I wanted a 2020 or wait and order a 2021. In the end I preferred the styling of the 2020 being a more traditional wagon versus the raised and cladded 2021 model. By Dec there were not a lot of 2020's left with the equipment I wanted but I was lucky and got a great deal with everything I wanted, including a few things I didn't but beggars can't be choosers.
I like the 2020 styling as well. Back in March of '20, I was literally within a day of buying one, and then the pandemic was declared and I punted to December. So that 2020 will always be the "one that got away", but I'm still enjoying the All Terrain nonetheless.
I like the 2020 styling as well. Back in March of '20, I was literally within a day of buying one, and then the pandemic was declared and I punted to December. So that 2020 will always be the "one that got away", but I'm still enjoying the All Terrain nonetheless.
You could always pick up a low mileage 2020 when they begin coming in off-lease if you still really wanted one. That is always an option.
10-04-2021, 11:12 AM
