Thanks for posting.

I for one would jump on the chance to buy an E class L.

I originally had a 740i then upgraded to the the 740iL.

IMO, there are two major drawbacks to the E Class: small trunk. From what I have read the trunk has been increased from approximately 13 cu ft to 18 cu ft. That is almost a 50% increase. The second is the tight rear. The L would have solved that problem.

From the article I note the E300L is produced in China through a joint venture with Mercedes. Does anyone know if the "L" is produced outside of China and if not does China export the "L"?

If you want adequate and/or extra legroom in a sedan it is a shame you have to buy either a Honda, Toyota, Chevy, Cadillac or BMW 7, Mercedes S or Audi 8!

 

I disagree: I own an E450 and would jump at the opportunity to own an E450L!

If you remember many years ago Audi, BMW and Mercedes all carried the standard length 8, 740 and S plus the long wheelbase model.. All were dropped in favor of the long wheel base models.

The US market is totally different than Europe: In Europe 99% of Audi 8, BMW 740 and Mercedes S are chauffeur driven. In all my trips to Europe I never saw a women behind the wheel, (unless she was a paid driver) in a Audi 8, BMW 740 or Mercedes S. Where I live I would guess 50% of Mercedes S are driven by women!

The Audi 6, BMW 540 and Mercedes E are no longer "sport sedans". They have become luxury sedans. A long wheel base makes sense to me and makes sense vs. a SUV which does have more legroom!

Many buy the SUV vs. a sedan not only for the added storage space but also the extra legroom in the rear.

From memory my first Mercedes was a 1982 E300 Turbo Diesel: Boxy, high greenhouse. Plenty of headroom, rear legroom, large trunk and you didn't need a back up camera: Just looked out the rear window when you backed up!

For CAFE, models have become lower and shorter.

All this is of course moot: we will not get either the luxury model or the L model.

Just my $.02

 

If they sold the E450 and the E450L side-by-side in the US, I wager that the “L” version will outsell the standard wheelbase version 100:1. The demand for the “L” version will disproportionately outstrip the demand for the standard version. You are literally getting half-a-foot of rear legroom for free in the “L” version, which makes a huge difference for the rear seat passengers. And despite this additional rear legroom, the E450L will be significantly smaller than the S-class. For folks interested in a Honda Civic-sized interior, the C-class is always there !

 

If it were 100:1 it would be produced and sold here. We see comments here all the time that are similar for the hood ornament, yet in reality, despite a vocal minority on the forums, the general majority want the sport package and the models with hood ornaments sit at dealers. Its the same type of people who vocally complain about the loss of manual transmission vehicles, and then never buy them. At the end of the day, forum members don't represent the general public. MB seems to be very complacent with the size of the E-Class.

 

Motor1 claims that the new X214 E-Class All-Terrain will debut in September at the annual IAA Munich Auto Show alongside the new Mercedes Entry-Level concept which will ride on the all new EV-supported MMA platform.

 

100%. I never get anyone complaining about the rear room in an E Class. I did mention that when I saw the new 24 E wagon it looked like there was more rear leg room in it.
If there WERE truly a market, Mercedes and BMW would bring over the LWB cars they make for China. The S90 sells in tiny numbers. The only reason it is brought over here is that it is made in China and is more cost effective than the Sweden built SWB S90.

 

I don't complain about rear leg room because I don't consider it fit for passenger use. If I need room for more than one passenger I use a different vehicle. There is only 6" (measured) of room between the back of the front seat and the front of the rear seat cushion. IIRC only the long wheelbase S class is sold in the US.

 

I posted above and asked: Is the L model only made in China only and if so is it exported?

If it is only made in China through a joint venture, then regardless of demand, we will not see it here in the US.

 

Car and Driver
MotorTrend
Edmunds
Motor1

 

Oh no, look at the seats, they are destroyed (so dirty already).

 

I assumed you meant the pre-facelift W213 right?

Anyways, I just find the side profile of the W214 stunning, and really the star of the show is that side profile! Just in my opinion though.

 

Forbidden fruit :/

 

I think its just a weird contrast/saturation filter.

 

@Eaton do you have an idea when the ordering guide will be released? Thanks

 

Huh, if true and not dirty seats, what is the benefit of using those camera filters?

 

 

It's bad filter/image processing to normalize the exposure and make fake HDR between the inside of the car and the view outside the windshield.

 

I believe they did offer the regular S-class and the LWB S-class in the past, and due to the demand disparity, they got rid of the regular version and made the LWB version as the only version available for the US. The non-L version simply remained unsold, since the buyers had a choice. Nothing to do with vocal complaining and everything to do with the choice people make, when they have an option.

Bottomline, the “L” version of the E-class would simply make the interior as roomy as a Honda Accord. Nothing more. We are not talking a pseudo Limo at all. The current version is a compact Honda Civic sized interior and the US customers simply haven’t been given an option to choose. When the S-class sold in both versions, the market spoke…..the L version prevailed and Mercedes got rid of the slow-selling non-L version.

 

The E and S-Class' have vastly different customer bases however and represent different markets. The S-Class, even in America, are used a lot as a chauffeur/company car for a lot of customers, even myself included. If you go to NYC you will see tons of them being used for government officials and high status clients. If there was any real and large demand for a LWB E-Class, it would have been done already. @mercedesmax already stated this, and he has worked at MB for quite a while now. Mercedes knows what they are doing, even when we think they do not. BMW and Audi aren't releasing LWB 5er/A6's anytime soon for the same reason.

 

 

I really do not know where you are getting your information: It is not accurate.

Government officials in NYC use either Cadillacs, Escalades and Yukons not Mercedes.

As I posted above, where I live 50% of S classes are driven by women - basically housewives. I hardly ever see chauffeur driven cars including Rolls and Bentley. 99% of the luxury cars here on Long Island are driven by owners.

Maybe it is different in Florida - I do not know.

What no one has answered is whether the L based E Class is exclusive to China. I think it is, it is manufactured in China, and that is the reason it is not imported to the US - not lack of demand.

 

The last time I was in NYC last year there was some sort of political conference (diplomat cars) and the streets were littered with Escalades and Black S-Class' every block as chauffeur cars. Every time I go to NYC there are S-Class' used as chauffeur cars for exclusive clients, that was my point.

Yes, the E-Class LWB is produced in China, but just because they are assembled there, that is not the reason they are held back from the US. MB could produce a LWB E-Class anywhere and bring it to the US, it is not hard for them to produce a car, especially since the majority of MB's share platforms, parts, etc. Again, if there was demand for such a car in the US, it would have been brought here. 2 posters on a forum does not equal successful sales. An E-Class LWB is not happening in the US. In addition, a LWB E-Class would also result in a larger car (over 200in long) which is perhaps a tradeoff E-Class shoppers would not want to make.

 

You state:Is this a fact or your opinion? Unless this is a fact, the contrary may be true: Being built in China, may make it exclusive to China. For example GM build Buicks in China that are exclusive to China.Rather than speculate, wouldn't it be better to let the market, US buyers decide.


My own gut tells me, that the L Eclass being built in China is exclusive to China.

But the bottom line is, like the luxury line in Europe, the L E Class in China, neither one is coming to the states - which in my opinion is a shame.

 

Chinese built cars haven't and won't sell well in the US. First, there is the 27.5% US tariff on Chinese assembles cars imported to the US. Second, there is a hesitancy by Americans to make major purchases of Chinese manufactured products most likely due to politics. A look at the made in China Buick Envision US sales shows that they were down over 44% 2021 to 2022 YoY. IMO Buick is morphing into a Chinese company. The Buick brand is in a death spiral in the US. I haven't seen a Buick on the road for a very long time.

 

Thanks for posting: I didn't know about the 27.5% tariff which would make the L E class non competitive in the US. This is the most sensible reason yet why we do not have an L E Class.

I agree with you about Buick as well.