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Yes, it is the Sonoran Brown. The following is the look during a cloudy-type (early morning) day. In bright daylight, it has a lighter metallic paint look.
Gorgeous looking wagon. I assume you really like that color. Did you custom order it or find it on a lot? The 20's are a nice touch.
IThe Sonoran Brown looks to me like a classic wagon color but I worry that it will make me look like an old person (I am 50 but don't look/feel it). And it appears the sonoran brown is just being offered to the E-class and S-class sedans/wagons. Maybe the sonoran brown doesn't look good on SUV's and that's why it is only on the sedans/wagons...dunno. But any help making this final decision before locked changes is greatly appreciated.
I am going with black nappa interior because I really don't personally like the two tone tonka brown / black seat look. If MB just did all tonka brown, I would probably get that interior on both the alpine grey and sonoran brown exteriors. And the neva grey interior worries me with blue jean stains, etc..
If I were ordering the Sonoran Brown, I would also do the "Night package", which blacks out the chrome on the body, except for the logos. I agree about not being a fan of the 2-tone leather. I like the Tonka brown color personally, in Nappa. In my prior E450 All-Terrain, I had the Neva Grey leather interior, and the leather stayed clean and pristine, until around 45K miles when I sold it to my brother......and at close to 70K miles now (with my brother), it still is pristine. I was worried that it is an almost-white grayish shade, but it stayed perfect, throughout the ownership.
Gorgeous looking wagon. I assume you really like that color. Did you custom order it or find it on a lot? The 20's are a nice touch.
I bought it off-the-lot, since it had the options I wanted. I drove around 200 miles to pick it up, since the dealer that had the colors and the options I wanted, was a bit further out from where I lived, while the nearby dealers did not have the colors and options I wanted.
I wanted either the Nautical Blue or the Sonoran Brown, and this dealer happened to have the Sonoran Brown with the options I was looking for.
I bought it off-the-lot, since it had the options I wanted. I drove around 200 miles to pick it up, since the dealer that had the colors and the options I wanted, was a bit further out from where I lived, while the nearby dealers did not have the colors and options I wanted.
I wanted either the Nautical Blue or the Sonoran Brown, and this dealer happened to have the Sonoran Brown with the options I was looking for.
Thanks Roweraay...I really like the nautical blue too but I haven't been able to see it at any of the local dealerships. They have every other kind of blue on their lots, but not the nautical. I won't buy a color that I haven't seen with my own eyes.
The alpine grey is stunning in person (in my opinion) but I worry that I will see it all the time on the road on a bunch of different vehicles. I like that it is a muted, low-key flex of a color. I have read that people say it is a fad and it will go away, so I don't want my car "dated" in 5 years. I like that it is non-metallic but still looks good. On the other hand, when I think of a MB wagon, I think of brown colors. People in my neighborhood where I grew up had those classic MB wagons and I always remember the brown colors and the big round headlights. Ugh...decisions decisions
Last edited by yossarian1; Sep 23, 2025 at 11:29 AM.
This is a picture of my 2022 E450 All-Terrain, to show what the "Night Package" would look like. It blacks out the chrome on the body (the roof rails, the sides and the underbody near the exhausts), except for the logos and such. So this is an option I would add, if you like a little less chrome on the body.
Thanks Roweraay...I really like the nautical blue too but I haven't been able to see it at any of the local dealerships. They have every other kind of blue on their lots, but not the nautical. I won't buy a color that I haven't seen with my own eyes.
Nautical blue is a really dark Navy blue. Looks nearly black during early mornings or late evenings. I love that as much as an earthy color like Sonoran Brown.
Given a choice of the two, I’d take the Sonoran Brown over Alpine Gray any day. It seems like most new cars I see on the road are all gray - especially BMWs. I agree that it’s a fad that will fade and will date the cars later. My son had a gray M4 Competition and I thought it was butt ugly. Just my opinion so all you Alpine Gray guys please don’t hate me.
IMO the Sonoran Brown is stunning and fairly rare to see which makes it stand out.
Also, the dealer I ordered my E450 from required a $2500 deposit so I guess it’s an individual choice of the dealer how much they want to charge
How long do you all usually see for MB to give a smaller dealership an allocation? My E53 wagon order was placed and accepted by MB a few weeks ago. Dealership said hopefully mid-this-month they can get the allocation from MB. What happens if they don't get it this month? Is it another month wait to see if they get it in November? An allocation is just saying you are now officially in the queue to get a build date? How long after allocation does the build date usually occur? And when in that process does the final "lock down" on any changes occur? Is it after allocation?
I am just worried that my smaller dealership will get passed over. Also, when it comes to allocations, are they specific to a model? Or, for example, a dealership gets 3 allocations and they can use them for any model they want?
I'd ask my salesperson but he just seems aloof and sometimes hard to get a hold of. I was thinking about changing salespersons but that might affect me getting an allocation, etc. Also, you all seem to know more about E53's than any of the various salespersons I spoke to in my hunt for a dealership.
Last edited by yossarian1; Oct 6, 2025 at 03:19 PM.
The US ordering process is maddeningly frustrating.
Right now, you have a "request" to order the car you want. That request needs to be paired with an allocation. An allocation is basically a factory build slot.
Allocations are allotted monthly. Sometimes, more than once a month, but usually not.
You are in the queue.
This is where the process sucks, because it unfairly penalizes lower-volume dealers. Whatever algorithm they use seems to give bigger stores access to more vehicles. Why a smaller franchise hasn't sued MBUSA over this is beyond me. If I owned one, I would have by now. They're all clowns.
An allocation might happen this month. It might next. It might not. Your dealer can trade with another dealer if they are open to doing so. (You should ask.)
There's no prescribed timeline for when the build is scheduled after allocation. That depends on factory capacity, parts availability, holidays, etc. I have seen it as quick as a month or as long as 6 months out.
The final lockdown is generally a few weeks prior to build, so you have plenty of time.
Allocations can be specific to a model. In the case of the E-Class wagons, I believe I was told that it's a "wagon" allocation - and valid for either E450S4 or E53ES4. Many dealers converter their All Terrain orders and allocations to the E 53.
Last edited by wdimagineer; Oct 6, 2025 at 03:35 PM.
I’d call around to some larger dealers. It’d be well worth a more distant drive to be able to get an instant order in. That’s what I did. My local dealer kept giving me the runaround as to when an allocation would come up. I called the larger dealer only a few miles farther away and they took my order upon contact.
I’d call around to some larger dealers. It’d be well worth a more distant drive to be able to get an instant order in. That’s what I did. My local dealer kept giving me the runaround as to when an allocation would come up. I called the larger dealer only a few miles farther away and they took my order upon contact.
This is the problem with the current system. I'd personally rather wait and give my money to a family-owned enterprise than some giant chain that doesn't care about me or our relationship.
The US ordering process is maddeningly frustrating.
Right now, you have a "request" to order the car you want. That request needs to be paired with an allocation. An allocation is basically a factory build slot.
Allocations are allotted monthly. Sometimes, more than once a month, but usually not.
You are in the queue.
This is where the process sucks, because it unfairly penalizes lower-volume dealers. Whatever algorithm they use seems to give bigger stores access to more vehicles. Why a smaller franchise hasn't sued MBUSA over this is beyond me. If I owned one, I would have by now. They're all clowns.
An allocation might happen this month. It might next. It might not. Your dealer can trade with another dealer if they are open to doing so. (You should ask.)
There's no prescribed timeline for when the build is scheduled after allocation. That depends on factory capacity, parts availability, holidays, etc. I have seen it as quick as a month or as long as 6 months out.
The final lockdown is generally a few weeks prior to build, so you have plenty of time.
Allocations can be specific to a model. In the case of the E-Class wagons, I believe I was told that it's a "wagon" allocation - and valid for either E450S4 or E53ES4. Many dealers converter their All Terrain orders and allocations to the E 53.
Wow!!!! Thanks for this write-up!!! Answered all the questions that are in my head!!! Really appreciate you and this forum. Great stuff.
This is the problem with the current system. I'd personally rather wait and give my money to a family-owned enterprise than some giant chain that doesn't care about me or our relationship.
I understand your sentiment, but both dealers I dealt with are large chain dealers - Sewell and Avondale.
I got a good deal on my E53 wagon with this dealership and they genuinely seemed to want the business (more so than all the other bigger dealerships closer to me that almost seemed to not care at all if I went with them), so I definitely want to stay with them. I guess I am just anxious for no good reason. I've been reading how people are getting their deliveries and loving them and I am jealous...ha ha On the good side, it will allow me to have a bigger down payment the longer I wait...
I understand I just have to be patient but wanted to make sure that my dealership was on the ball if they weren't. Guess it is out of their hands too. Maybe I can slip Ola Källenius a fiver and he can scoot me to the front of the line. ha ha kidding. He probably only takes a 10-spot or larger denomination...
Last edited by yossarian1; Oct 6, 2025 at 04:54 PM.
This is the problem with the current system. I'd personally rather wait and give my money to a family-owned enterprise than some giant chain that doesn't care about me or our relationship.
My sentiments exactly! I started with a small family owned MB dealer in 1980 (IIRC) and today they are a very large family owned business with multiple dealerships. They still treat their customers the same way they did when they were a small business.
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