alizansari

Hi all,
So I picked up the new E200 from the local dealer here in Dubai about 4 weeks. High-levels specifications below:
- Exterior: Polar White
- Interior: Tonka Brown / on brown
- Engine Trim: E200 (E350 for the North American market I think?)
- AMG interior and exterior package
- 20 inch AMG Multi-Spoke alloys
- Super Screen
- 5 year service package
- 5 year warranty

I swapped the above with my old 2021 E200 which had less than 40K KMs on it. The "must-haves" for me with the new generation were:
- Climatized (aka ventilated) seats (too hot here in Dubai to be without them)
- Head-up display
- MBUX NTG7 with all the bells and whistles (including digital key)
- Panoramic sunroof

I got all the above with some additional goodies which were not a must-have but are still nice:
- Super Screen (still find no practical use for it, but looks nice)
- Real leather seats but not Nappa (vs ARTICO in my old 2021)
- Instrument panel in ARTICO (looks very nice)
- Keyless-go with the "kick" trunk opening feature
- AMG line steering wheel (with the flat bottom)

After driving it now for 4 weeks, my general impression is that it is a much more refined version than the outgoing W213 (which was a great car). More impressions below:

Nice:
- Smooth drive (going back to the “magic carpet” feel on older e-classes (even with avantgarde suspension)
- Very quiet cabin, even without the insulated glass.
- Look and feel generally great (and solid feeling)
- Use of material is exceptional, much better than the W213.
- Interior with the ambient lighting looks amazing.
- MBUX is great (and stable with no hang-ups or boot-ups as some reported)
- Very light steering wheel which is easy to maneuver
- Tail lights look great in person (I was almost not buying the car because I felt they looked a bit too tacky).

Not that Nice:
- Standard audio system is rather disappointing (no richness, no depth, no bass (even at 10)). For the first few days, I was actually wondering if some of the speakers were faulty. I was driving my wife’s Telsa Model Y while waiting for the delivery and the audio system in her car is surprisingly good.
- 3rd screen is pointless – a very expensive option just for a screen saver. If I had the choice, I would not have opted for it. The open-pore wood with Mercedes logos would look much nicer IMO.
- Digital Key is inconsistent / sometimes it works, other times I have to fiddle around with it. I need to read up on the technology and make some sense how to use it.-
- Had some strange quirks which seem to be workmanship issues at delivery for e.g., the “airbag” badge on the B pillar / left hand side is upside down. It seems that they put the right-side badge on the left side. Very strange.
- The car did not come with run-flats and the provided spare wheel is stored in the trunk but not under the cover. It is practically stored on top of the cover taking space. I would have instead preferred a tire repair kit.
- Standard instrument cluster dials cannot be changed (unlike the older MBUX version), plus I can no longer see the oil temperature gauge (only the charge / battery gauge in it space). Maybe it’s not needed anymore?
- Engine seems underpowered (unlike my W213), it does not have that punch and I do feel that the car sometimes struggles with its weight. Could be wrong (again wife's Model Y could be to blame).

Some features which I regret not having chosen (mainly due to extended delivery periods):
- "Exclusive Package" with the upright Mercedes star and the grill.
- Active ambient lighting (not so much for the music) but for the different shades of colors within the same strip (I was regrettably told by the service engineer that "non" active ambient lighting would have this feature but alas no).
- Burmester 4D - this is my biggest regret.
- Digital light (only because it looks better than the high-performance LEDs). No practical use though in Dubai as the roads are very well lit.

That's all. Thanks for reading.