I got the wagon to replace a 2023 S60 T8 Polestar sedan. You're def right about the tech because I love the plain interior of the Volvo and the MB looks like a night club. I'm sure I'll get used to it but it will take time. I love the idea of a PHEV as my daily and there aren't many options for a new wagon so here we are.

 

Was anyone able to order Pinnacle package with mb-tex? The website says it's possible but my dealer says it is not

 

Yes, I have the MB-TEX/microfiber seats with red stitching and the Pinnacle package. I've included pictures of the interior of my car below. My build also includes the AMG illuminated natural grain grey ash wood trim, AMG Dynamics Plus Package and Driver Assistance Package. I selected the no cost option to have black seat belts instead of the red seatbelts that come standard in this configuration. The red seatbelts would make it look even more sporty. The top of the seat has perforated Alcantara. The seat bottoms and backs are in a non-perforated suede-like material. The details on the seats add visual interest. The seats are supremely comfortable. Luxury sport seats are one area where Mercedes is ahead of everyone else.

Unless Mercedes changed something after they built my car, you can order the Pinnacle package with MB-TEX. The "Multicontour Seating Package" with ventilated seats and massage is not available with the MB-TEX/microfiber seats. As far as I know, that is the only package that cannot be combined with the MB-TEX/microfiber seats.

The main reason I optioned the Pinnacle Package was to get the heads-up display to show CarPlay navigation instructions. The heads-up display is great. The E-Class navigation system is well done, so I now use both CarPlay navigation and Mercedes navigation. The only downside to the heads-up display is that with the sun at a certain angle there is a light reflection on the windscreen presumably from the heads-up display glass. I haven't experienced that in other cars with heads-up display systems. The reflection on the windscreen is a relatively rare occurrence, but I did experience it this morning. I would still recommend the heads-up display. The MBUX Interior Assistant comes with the Pinnacle Package. I have never been able to get it to work, but I don't miss it. I keep the "active ambient light" turned off. It looks like it would be too distracting to have on while driving. If a light is going to flash at me, it should be because I need to be aware of something, not just flashing to music. My family wanted the 4-zone climate control (which is listed as two zone on the build sheet.) An automotive cabin is not that large, it's not like you can realistically have 4 different temperatures in the car. The best thing to do is to set the temperature to 70 degrees and synchronize the temperature inputs. Having the four-zone climate control does give passengers the feeling that they have some individual control of the environment. Thus, in my opinion, the heads-up display is the reason to select the Pinnacle Package.

If I was to build the car again, I would keep the same build, but I would likely add the Dynamica headliner to match the Ultrasuede on the seats and steering wheel. I posted earlier about removing the microfiber headliner on my build since the Mercedes mbusa.com website priced it at $450 when I added the headliner versus $1,600 on the dealer configurator. With the microfiber steering wheel and seats, I would seriously consider going max microfiber by adding the $1,600 microfiber headliner to complete the theme. After the front seat picture was taken, I swapped out the sun visors for the Dynamica covered visors with no airbag stickers. The visor swap was a bit over $500. I like the tactile feel of the soft Dynamica. BMW does the sunshades a little better. In the BMW, the Alcantara sun visors are softer. They feel more luxurious. The Mercedes sunshades feel hard under the Dynamica, but the Dynamica does make for a better feel compared with the hard, cheap feeling standard sun visors.

In the pictures you can see the optional high pile floor mats. I swapped them out for the rubber mats in the winter. As we get past snow season, I'll swap the high pile floor mats back in. The high pile mats look like they might be a challenge to keep clean, but they look nice when they aren't dirty.

I optioned the rear seat heaters on my build. They aren't listed on the mbusa.com website, but they are available on the dealer configurator. My order was one of the first E53 wagon orders from the USA. Sometime between the initial configuration and the manufacturing of the car, the heated rear seat option got dropped from my build. The car uses an electric heater. In 7 degrees F temperatures, the car can become comfortable in two minutes. It makes seat heaters less necessary, but I would still add rear seat heaters if I was building a new E53.

Other folks on the forum had previous cars with Alcantara/Ultrasuede/Dynamica steering wheels and specifically wanted to avoid having the Alcantara wheel in the E53. On the steering wheel, Alcantara can collect dirt and get matted. I bought a Sonax Alcantara brush and keep it in the center console. I give the wheel a light brushing a few times a week after returning home to keep the Dynamica from getting matted. My family started laughing the first time they saw me brushing the wheel and accused the car of being my "girlfriend." Having a well brushed, soft wheel is important. It isn't necessary to brush the seats, but over multiple years, the leading edge of the driver seat may mat down or wear a bit. Compared with leather seats, the wear on the MB-TEX/Dynamica seats is minimal. I haven't had to apply Sonax Alcantara cleaner to the wheel over my three months of ownership. I also keep a Costco microfiber towel in the car specifically to wipe the steering wheel. I wiped the wheel once with water just to see if it was getting dirty. I also purchased some Riparo touch screen driving gloves in matching black with red stitching from Amazon. I'm finding that as we get 70 degree weather, I prefer the feel of the Alcantara wheel in my hands, but this winter, the touch screen compatible gloves came in handy.

In front of the driver sun visor in the picture, there's an E-ZPass toll RFID transponder cover in MB-Tex.

There are many nice interior options for the E53. One of my favorites is the MB-TEX/microfiber seats with the AMG backlit grey ash wood trim. I'd highly recommend the MB-TEX seats and Pinnacle package combination that you are considering. I like getting into the car just to experience the sport-luxury combination of the interior. It fits the personality of the E53. Have the dealer run the configuration through their configuration system

 

Unfortunately you can't have ventilated seats or multicontour with the MB-tex so it was definitely a no-go for me no matter how sporty they look.

 

Can't get the Performance Seat Package with MB-Tex/microfiber either (at least not in the US).

 

Right, but the take rate on that seat is so low that it's a non-issue. Those seats are literally the lowest picked option at 7.4%, people rather buy the wheel locks or the 3D screen than that. That seat is terrible if I want to be frank. 64% opt for the multicontour seats. Less than 5% of the cars have MB-tex.

 

^ I love them, wouldn't buy the car without them, and given the option (as in Europe) would have paired them with MB-Tex/microfiber. To each their own...

 

Indeed! Just because you're in the minority it doesn't mean you're wrong. I merely pointed out that out of the 380+ E53 wagons it would have been exactly one customer that would have opted for MB-tex and the sport seats in the US if such thing was offered. Ironically the EU Edition 1 was not locked to the sport seats unlike their US counterpart. We test drove both seats and both me and my wife agreed that the multicontour was the clear choice for us. I drive an RS e-tron GT and those seats are fine for me.

 

Yep. Many Americans are going to want ventilated and multicontour seats on a car in this price range, so the MB-TEX/microfber seats will be a low take item just from that perspective. I'm glad Mercedes offers the MB-TEX/microfiber seats in the US even if it isn't the most popular seating option.

Before getting the car, I was wondering if they didn't offer ventilated seats with the Dynamica microfiber seat bottoms and backs because the Dynamic is not perforated. But the top of my front seatbacks are perforated Dynamica, so Mercedes could put a perforated microfiber on the seat if they wanted to..

 

They could but remember, this is literally the base option. They are not going to invest effort and cost into something when they can just sell you a $3k nappa leather option that most Americans will gladly take. I'm in Texas and there is zero chance I would have ordered this car without ventilated seats.

 

That would be a sweet option.

 

I bought the the overpriced leather seats. After seeing the microsuede ones, I think that I would have got them instead if I could get the ventilated option (with the red seat belts)

 

The last untitled Edition 1 for sale is this one with 2300 miles on the odo: https://www.benzelbusch.com/inventor...H6DB5TA200297/ Get it while it's hot :-)

 

They were asking 112 for it when I inquired in February

 

Don't see how they can sell it as "new" when it has over 2000 miles on it. Someone has been driving it as a demo vehicle. In my view, new means recently built and not used other than what is necessary to get it to the customer. My car had 15 miles on it which I thought was a lot. I understand that it must be driven on and off the ship and some in parking lots which I would expect between 2-10 miles max for all of that. At 2300 miles it's 25% to its first service. I would expect deep discounts for this car.

 

NEW means never titled, not never driven. I've seen "new" demonstrators with over 5k miles on them.

 

That's probably why they have it on the lot for 4-5 months already... Similar car with similar mileage, titled was sold around 105 in s jersey not mb dealer.
Most likely it was driven by a GM or something like that.

 

I know what it means. I'm saying I disagree. New means not used. Just because it's not titled in the traditional sense doesn't mean the use doesn't count. The car does not decide to forgo all wear and tear just because it's not titled to a someone other than a dealership. There should be a law against selling something as new if it has been used beyond what is minimally necessary to get it prepared to hand over to a customer. I'm sure those 2300 miles have been rough as the person using it likely doesn't care about the longevity of the vehicle since it's not theirs. It's probably the worst 2300 miles of that cars life. While the dealership can call it new, I would only consider a used "new" car if it were deeply discounted to closer to used rather than new price. Aside from actual condition, a cars value should be based on age from manufacturing date and miles driven.

 

Yep, and it will likely stay on their lot until they drop the price to a reasonable price for a car with 2300 miles (assuming they don't continue using it) or they get some sucker who will pay new car prices for a used car.

 

Your wishes and definition of a "new" vehicle is different from the legal definition of a "new" vehicle which is "never titled". That's not going to change as it has been used that way since WWII. More recently the term "new vehicle," referring to a vehicle that has never been titled, is defined under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975. term "new vehicle," referring to a vehicle that has never been titled, is defined under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.

 

Those 2300 miles almost certainly are punishing test-driven miles, and in a turbo-charged performance oriented car, it is an especially big deal. And disregarding definitions on whether it is titled or not, this is a heavily used/abused car, and not something I'd buy if I intend to keep it for the long term......even if it comes with steep discounts, since I'd always be second guessing myself on what those 2300 miles represent, in the car's critical early life.

 

Even if only 100 miles, I will never buy a car that has been used as a demonstrator. 10 miles is my limit on buying a new car. Most of the time a new Mercedes has 4 or 5 miles on the odometer.

 

My special ordred E53 had 11 miles on it when i took delivery. Practically worn out!

 

Those miles were probably done at the track.

 

My wagon has been in the Baltimore port for 3 weeks apparently, at least I’ve got a VIN I guess?