Originally Posted by cleankutazn

They also did the same thing with the previous E Class but the funny thing is the C300 gets the AMG steering wheel with the package. The US always gets shafted.

Originally Posted by lelouch0202

We checked out the new E350 at our dealership today. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was, the quality felt great and the cabin definitely exuded a very premium feel. Contrary to many people, I quite like the weight of the door handles and the vents. If you look for it, you can find some cheap scratchy plastic used in the interior but almost everything you will regularly be touching has stitched leather and padding which is what I would expect from a car this expensive.

The car drives surprisingly well for it's size and weight, very responsive. The E350 we drove was equipped with AIRMATIC and the rear wheel steering which we optioned as well so that probably played into it, the drive was very smooth. The air suspension soaked up bumps extremely well, my old 3 series tends to be a little on the harsher side so I was very surprised when I never even felt bumps that I knew were there. The E350 had the 20 inch AMG wheel I optioned and I liked the ride on it so I have decided to keep the 20 inch wheels. The mild hybrid system is extremely well integrated, I never realized that the car was doing Auto Start/Stop until I noticed the icon in the dash when trying to figure out how to do a brake hold. Back seat seems pretty roomy as well. All in all, it is a very usable car.

I was little worried after test driving an EQS previously as the handling and steering didn't feel as precise as my 3 series, I coughed it up to the size and weight of the car but driving the new E class has definitely put me at ease. It handles very well and I am very glad I went for the new E class over the new 5 series.

The only points I could ding from my short time with the car

• Some cheaper plastic used in the interior that is noticeable if you look for it.
• No 4 zone climate control.
• The door handles are cool but I get the feeling they might also get wonky but that remains to be seen.
• No AMG steering wheel, not that the regular one is bad in any way.
• Reliability worries (Mostly electrical systems) based on recent reports.

I checked with my salesman about the AMG steering wheel again and he said you should be able to get it with the AMG packages but he was unsure. I will ask him again, since from what you guys are saying, it does not appear to be available in the US.

Originally Posted by dtd

May I ask what is the price for the car that equipped with the AIRMATIC option? I'm very interested with the new E. The price is fairly high. My budget will be no more than $62K.

Originally Posted by Robert Falcone

Does anyone know why the US gets this standard steering wheel on a AMG line but the European cars have the AMG steering wheel which I have seen in many videos?

Originally Posted by Robert Falcone

I reviewed the options with my Mercedes guy and the L5C AMG steering wheel is not available in the US even with the AMG line. Only steering wheel available is the standard L2B.

Originally Posted by BenjaminKohl

L5C is NOT available in the US. Not on the E or the S. Just a quirk of the US product planners, they're decided you can't have that steetring wheel without a true AMG in the US. Super annoying.

Originally Posted by Robert Falcone

Thanks for the additional information. I agree that it is very annoying since other parts of the world have the AMG steering available. Frustrated with MBUSA for this and other reasons, especially that they can's have up-to-date information on the website like the confiurator. It is still not available for the new E Class even though they are being sold in the US! Crazy!

Originally Posted by ssquared30

Don’t be too frustrated. Every review I’ve seen for the new E class and for other Mercedes with the AMG steering wheel have said the ergonomics of the AMG wheel are awful and all the reviewers prefer having the non AMG. The two levels of buttons make the AMG wheel extremely hard to use. It’s bad enough we’re stuck with the crappy touch controls on the wheel. I have them on my 22 e450 and always touch them by mistake when turning , and when I want to use them, they’re not precise enough to navigate the screens quickly

Originally Posted by Robert Falcone

Good point! I just like the appearance of the AMG wheel but glad that the functionality is better on the non-AMG wheel. Thanks for the feedback.

Originally Posted by hinckley

I test drove an E350 yesterday. I'm new to the brand, but believe it had the AMG steering wheel - round airbag cap, dual horizontal spokes, flat-ish bottom, terrible touchpad-like controllers.

Originally Posted by dtd

May I ask what is the price for the car that equipped with the AIRMATIC option? I'm very interested with the new E. The price is fairly high. My budget will be no more than $62K.

Originally Posted by BenjaminKohl

Facinating, do you have that car's vin? Dealership? I'd be shocked.

Originally Posted by Eaton

Originally Posted by BenjaminKohl

https://youtu.be/oA6qjir7S7s?si=F3PxIiUScf4TCMid
Great video, I really like this creator.

Originally Posted by W205C43PFL

The taillights still haven't grew on me the design of this E 53 is predictable and inline with what we all imagined will look like but a bump from 429? from previous gen to 612 is quite significant, I understand the weight is quite significant too but are they really discontinuing the E 63 or is that going to get 800 horsepower?

Originally Posted by Zee$

Car and Driver now estimating the starting price of 2025 E53 at 84k. I’m sure their estimate is subject to change, but If that is accurate, that’s a very reasonable increase from the previous generation. Especially given the power increase amongst other upgrades.

https://www.caranddriver.com/mercedes-amg/e53