Yay production : ) !

 

I think the main idea is raised ride height and just high profile tires, hopefully enough to convert some SUV owners, only because there are way too many SUV owners and especially for those who like to corner a lot, SUV just doesn't cut it.

 

Interesting, that sounds pretty nice actually.

 

Forum member Eaton will have an ordering guide once it is circulating in Netstar.

 

Ya that plane was such a disaster , not to mention many lives were affected after the first incident and second and that Boeing did almost nothing as far as I heard. Hopefully MB doesn't have issues like that, MB is about safety after all, right... right...?

 

In the case of the brake light, there are the main brake lights but as you already know, a third brake light as well just in case, although like you said not legal to have any brake light out. There should be a backup supply (module?) in case the system detects a module is not working. For example I think servers have their own set of backup machines so when it does go offline, for major corporation like Google, they have another set of systems on standby. I believe Mercedes does have this protection in place, so if one fails the other one takes over, at least temporarily. Some planes theoretically can operate on one engine and as far as I heard even glide if all engines are offline through a turbine that pops out from beneath the plane to provide electricity for critical instruments.

 

Good question. I mean, the less options the less likely something will go wrong and it also helps that lesser options means cheaper for the vehicles to be purchased at start as well. So, I believe it is the base diesel with very basic options equipped with these vehicles.

 

REEEEAAAALLLYYYY not liking the size of the fake airscoops in the lower front corners. They're out of proportion with the rest of the car's face.

 

I hope they don’t make it too Subaru and double down on the ‘lifestyle’ appearance, materials, and off-roadiness. The current car looks and drives like a sport sedan or luxury sedan depending on suspension setting and wheel option, with a bit more ride height available when necessary. IMO, that’s all the S214 needs to be as well.

 

I think the current All-Terrain appeals to the true wagon buyers. It’s really a wagon, and not even pretending to being a ‘crossover’. In today’s day and age, low-riding wagons are a very tiny market that appeals to an aging/aged demographic…..purely talking about the US. A demographic that’s dying out.

So if Mercedes can appeal to the wider marketplace, by doing some ‘crossover’ tweaks, while retaining the practicality of a wagon, I don’t think I’d fault them.

 

Oh I disagree...have had many thumbs-ups and compliments from suprisingly young people. It's a niche for sure, but price limits E-class wagons to a primarily older demographic.

 

Yup I guess they don't say it is for the richest Mercedes customers for no reason:
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...n-reliability/
https://www.motortrend.com/news/inte...r-joe-stauble/

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by W205C43PFL

Yup I guess they don't say it is for the richest Mercedes customers for no reason:

My bad, just realized I should had just included the quotes to save time for those who don't want to read the whole thing:

First link: "Mercedes says that, in the U.S., the E-class-wagon owner has among the highest average household income of all its customers, rivaled only by that of G-wagen buyers. "

Second link: "What are the demographics of the E-Class wagon buyer? It's definitely one of our wealthiest demographics. Compared to the E-Class sedan, which is about $200,000 median household income, the E-Class wagon is about $375,000. Some of these buyers grew up in an E-Class wagon and feel nostalgic. They value it for their children, wanting their kids to be in the same car that they were in."

 

Of course the people (in the US) who opt for the E-wagon are older and wealthier. That’s the whole point. It is a product meant for a really old demographic, and it genuinely appeals to them. That really old demographic will slowly die out, and Mercedes wouldn’t want product development strategy to center around a dying demographic. They’d want to lower that age bracket, and can do that by re-packaging it as a wagon-like “crossover”. Take away the “stigma” associated with the “wagon” tag, while retaining all of the wagon goodness.

I think that was the primary point in the “All Terrain” moniker (to appeal to a younger demographic), even though they did not go the whole hog in making it a true “All Terrain”, when it came to the W213.

I personally like the Audi All-road, especially since it retains every bit of the wagon goodness, while appealing to a wider/younger demographic. And Mercedes seems to be taking a leaf out of the Audi book, by making the W214 a true “All Terrain”, than merely naming it so.

PS: I personally am not in the “really old” demographic, and buying the All-terrain, was a deliberate choice, since I personally love wagons. But as a wagon buyer, I am more of an outlier than the norm, especially when it comes to US new car buyers. Also, I doubt an E450 sedan buyer is hard-pressed to not be able to buy the wagon, if he/she so desires. The sedan buying decision is a deliberate choice.

 

There's more to it than that. Mercedes does not market or incentivize wagons in the US because they would rather sell you an SUV. Trucks and SUVs have lower emissions requirements and are better for CAFE, and most Mercedes SUVs are built in the US and are therefore more profitable. Starting price for a wagon is $71k; starting price for an E-class sedan or SUV is $56k. They are not a value proposition, so do not appeal to most buyers.

The 'All-Terrain' treatment does widen appeal by capturing some would-be SUV buyers. But I do not think it is an age-related marketing move.

What is it about the Allroad (I assume you are referring to the A6) that you think makes it appeal to a wider/younger demographic, and more of an "all-terrain" vehicle? I think the opposite...with its ancient drivetrain, it was not something I even considered (although I did look at the RS6).

 

 

The only place in the world where the term “wagon” kills the appeal of the product, is the US. In Europe, Mercedes sells both the regular wagon and the All-Terrain, side-by-side, with the All-terrain having the black wheel claddings and a couple of inches of added ride height. People really like wagons in the rest of the world, including the younger, hip crowd.

In the US however, Mercedes brings only the All-Terrain variant. No more regular wagon. The older demographic actually likes wagons. The younger demographic (in the US) runs away from anything with a “wagon” in its name. The term “All Terrain” sounds innocuous enough.

So the introduction of the “All-Terrain”, is certainly an age-related marketing move, even though IMHO, Mercedes did not go far enough to make it a true “All Terrain”, when it came to the W213.

In addition to the lack of good ground clearance (7” to me is minimum for an “All-Terrain”, in the comfort mode), the worst feature of the W213 All-terrain is the lack of raised roof-rails, which prevents the panoramic sunroof from opening fully, when the cross-bars are attached……the roof rail/crossbar design of the W213 All-Terrain, is almost like an engineering afterthought, than a practical All-terrain luxury vehicle design. A wagon is the epitome of utility, and the utility of the wagon is curtailed if the attachment of cross-bars, interferes with other core functionality…..and I hope the W214 “All Terrain” will address these shortcomings.

 

Looking good! Very muscular

 

Nothing to disagree with.

But here is the reality: In the US the E Class wagon is fully loaded. In Europe and other countries the wagon is more utilitarian and can be had for thousands less. In the US a GLE 350 starts at $57,700 the GLE 450 AWD $67,700. The All Terrain E starts at $71,250.

So for those of us who think the E Class is not big enough, we face a conundrum: If we need extra space, does it make sense to buy the wagon, which has less space than the GLE, for more money?

In my particular case, I prefer a sedan to an SUV. The E 450 starts at $65,500, $6,000 less than the wagon. We also have a Ford Edge when we need extra space. For the few times my wife was using our SUV and I needed the extra space of the wagon over the sedan, I could not justify spending $6,000 extra. I lease and that comes to about $100 a month extra for the wagon over the sedan. For the extra space 2 or 3 times a year, I could not justify $100 a month extra.

Plus a Sedan, where the rear wheels are in the trunk, is quieter than the wagon.

Just my $.02.

 

@Roweraay I guess we will have to agree to disagree.

And I sure hope they don't put raised roof rails on the S214. Standard sunroof solves any interference issues without ruining the elegant wagon roofline.

 

Yeah, people have different preferences, and thus perfectly alright to disagree. After owning vehicles with panoramic sunroofs, the standard sunroof looks ancient and archaic….takes me back to the late 90s. I personally would always prefer a pano version, now that we’re in 2023. Either way, the fact that the pano roof does not open properly, when the Mercedes crossbars are attached, tells me that the cross-bar design, has not undergone the engineering I expect in a Mercedes product. Mercedes getting lazy and sloppy…..and I bet they will address that in the W214, even without the raised roof-rails.

 

I’d have bought the GLE, instead of the All-Terrain, if a single GLE450 was available (with a beige or magma grey interior), anywhere in the country. Unfortunately, there was not a single one available, when I bought the E450 AT. There were plenty of GLE350s, but not a single GLE450 !

In hindsight, I am not complaining, since the AT meets all of my current and future needs, and I have really grown to like the E450 a lot. And I also like its relative compactness over a GLE. People riding in the E450 are shocked at how good it rides. Current reading is that it will be a keeper for the next 10 years !

 

I see you are in Washington state:

As you go south the thermal heat would make the car uncomfortable during the summer in sunshine.

I only have the "moon roof": When it is sunny and temps are above 85 to keep my E450 comfortable I must set the auto temp to 70. If I close the shade to achieve the same level of comfort I raise the temp to 74.

Running the AC is a drain on mpg. The higher the temperature setting the better the mpg.

On the reverse side in the winter, the thermal gain will be more with the panorama roof vs. the moon roof.

 

My car has a high-end nano-ceramic film ($1600) that covers every glass area in the car, including the front windshield, and the panoramic moonroof above…..and I have done that to every car of mine. The film is clear, and does not have the dark tinted look at all. The film has no metallic content in it, and thus does not interfere with the electronic signals like cellphone etc. The film also cuts out 100% of the UV and over 99% of the IR (Infra-red - the heat you feel). I could come back to a car that’s sitting in 90 deg heat, and the car would be barely warm. The AC barely has to work to instantly cool the car down……and thus the Pano roof poses no heat management issues to me !

PS: I moved from Columbus, OH to the Seattle area, just 3 months back……took on a new role that required me to be based out of WA.