So we all knew that the price we had to pay for those batteries is the loss of under-floor storage. Any good solutions for keeping things tidy in the hatch? Shopping bags, umbrella, raincoat, etc. all need a home.

I stashed a first aid kit behind the little door on the driver side but that’s about it. My bmw wagon had an umbrella holder under the hatch cargo cover - that was a neat trick. Appreciate any thoughts on how to get this under control!

PS to the dude who was upset about the loss off a few inches in trunk space in the E53 because of his dog crates - we already know your feelings on this topic

 

Do you have rear AC? I believe that further reduces space on the drivers side. Not sure all have that door you are referring to?

 

I do have the 4-way AC control. There is a crappy little carpet panel that snaps off - you can stash a first aid kit in there. It’s shown in the owner manual.

 

I didn’t order the first aid kit as it didn’t seem like there was a place for it. Is the space big enough for anything else? Small jack, maybe?

 

there is definitely space for the fist aid kit and maybe a few other soft items. Would not recommend anything hard as there are wires and such back there. The Mercedes first aid kits can be obtained on eBay for about $20. There is also a spot to store the emergency vest in each door pocket and the emergency triangle in the rear hatch door.

 

VW Luggage legos
I still have these from my old VW sportwagen. I plan to find some sort of storage box with multiple spaces to use and I'll use these to anchor it.

something like this:

 

I use one of these

 

One of those came with my car. Very handy to keep small items in place.

 

I use a Thule Go Box. It's soft and collapsible and works fairly well. WeatherTech makes those velcro blocks (similar to what Volkswagen offered) that can help keep things in place.

Interesting to know about hiding the FAK behind a panel. Mine is just strapped to the side of the boot. I moved my warning vests from the door pockets to the glove box. Would love to move those somewhere else, too.

 

I use CargoTech: Cargo Organizer Blocks | WeatherTech, a collapsible crate, and a Black and Decker Matrix tool bag. If you get some G's going around a corner, the WeatherTech blocks don't hold, but they are good for bringing grocery bags home.

I keep a Repel collapsible umbrella and hiking poncho in the driver door map pocket.

 

Speaking of first aid kits, who says the Germans don't have a sense of humor. My build sheets lists Standard Options: Code 634 - "Omission of first aid kit". Further down the page it lists Added Items: Code D49 - "First Aid Kit"...$35.

 

I use 3 of the M-B collapsable crates in the back of my wagon - I bought 2 extra from FCP Euro when they were on sale. Those crates are grippy enough on the bottom that they don't move around when they are on carpet. I have a Weather Tech trunk liner that I put in when I anticipate potential messy loads. The 3 crates, side by side, use the width of the trunk to stay in place on the more slippery Weather Tech (when I have it in). I find that keeping items in the crates makes for very quick unloading of the trunk when I need the space for other hauling.

 

It's not a joke. 634 is the EU mandated and required first aid kit that every car in Europe must have and gets. D49 is a port installed much poorer quality kit that you can opt to get with the car in the US where it's not a requirement to have one.

 

The Mercedes first aid kit is Ok, but I prefer to use this as a base: . It has nice sections to organize. It fits in the car easily. I put it in a suitcase when travelling.

I do the following custom additions to the kit above:

Instrument Section
1 TickKey
1 TweezerMan
1 Swiss Army Knife - Rambler
2 Splinter Out
1 SpacePen X-mark bullet pen
1 3 x 5 index card to record use of medical kit items for replenishment when I return home.

Medication
2 Zyrtec (individual packets)
2 Lip Balm (packets)
1 Hydrocortisone

Wound/Burn/Blister
2 Burn Cream packets
2 Steri-strip 1/4" x 3"
1 Steri-strip 1/2" x 4"
1 Cold Pack 4" x 5" (it can't freeze and must be stored below 104 degrees F, so it isn't ideal for a car kit.)
1 Moleskin pad (additional to what is already in the kit.)
2 Tincture of benzoin

Cuts and Scrapes
2 Triple Antibiotic packets (4 total)
2 Povidone - iodine pads
2 Waterproof bandages
1 Pair sterile gloves

With the additions above, many of which I have added out of experience, it's a solid kit for hiking, travel or just having in the car when doing normal life activities.

 

I like this rain poncho for the car:
It fits in a bag similar to the size of the Mercedes reflective jackets. It fits nicely in the door map pocket. It's reusable. It takes some effort to stuff it back in the small bag, but it goes back in.

One thing I don't like about it is that it blows around in a windy rainstorm because it is so light.

 

So I picked my car up yesterday and was surprised to see it is configured differently than another E53 wagon the dealer had; on the drivers side mine does not have the little square door but instead has open space behind the rear wheel and a bungy net very similar to my old W213. Thrilled there is space to toss dog leashes and whatnot to keep stuff from rolling around back there. I had seen photos on-line of both, but apparently my assumption about rear AC is not the differentiating factor (mine has rear AC).

 

You must not have opted for the AMG Dynamic Plus Package. On cars with it, that area has an extra control module or two for the active differential and roll bars, and is covered.

 

Ah that makes sense! Now even more glad I did not opt for it…I used that space almost every day with the old car.

Edit: Wait a sec...active roll bars? Does any version of the car have active roll bars?

 

ok I have the unnecessary dynamic whatever package and now I am curious to see the trunk differences. On the right side I have an elastic strap that can hold something small and flat and an odd Velcro strap of sorts towards the rear that I belive is to hold the tire inflation kit.

 

Brain fart: was thinking GLE. These do not have the active rollbars. What I meant to type was dynamic engine mounts.

 

Both are the same on the passenger side. I'm away from my car, but without the Dynamic Package on the drivers' side there is a some space secured by bungy net like on this E450:

 

I honestly might not have gotten the dynamic package had I known this. I would use that storage more than I will the go-fast stuff. And would have saved some coin while at it. Oh well.

 

I think if you are getting the E53, I would 100% opt for the dynamic package, and I think you did right, despite losing that nook in the hatch area. It is an AMG-lite product, and these are the subtle handling bits that differentiate it from the standard E450.

 

Have you driven an E53 both with and without the dynamic package? This is inconsistent with how others have described the package as pretty marginal in day-to-day driving.

Any E53 is going to have a much stiffer/sportier suspension vs. the E450 AT.

 

I have not driven the E53 yet, since there are some shortcomings with the E53 wagon, that rules it out as an option for me. Repeated ad nauseum in several posts, in several threads, and thus not being repeated again. When I sat in it, what I really liked were the Sport seats, that were head-and-shoulders better than the comfort-oriented seats that come in the E450 wagon.

However, going by what I hear, unless you are an 80 year old grandpa, who gets his daily thrills by going 70 in a 65 zone, via a ramrod straight Interstate, you should be able to take advantage of the dynamic package. This is an extrapolation from my experience with the GLE53 that comes with the package, and the GLE53s that do not come with it (I have driven both versions of the GLE53). Neither of these GLE53s (with or without the dynamic package) compares against a full-fledged AMG product like the GLE63, in terms of sheer capability.

The E53 is an AMG-lite at best, and not the fire-breathing machine that a full-fledged AMG product like an (as yet unreleased) S214 E63 would be. In fact, I would be disappointed if they introduced an E63 and it performed anywhere close to an E53. But at the same time, if I am getting an E53, I would definitely opt for the dynamic package, based on my GLE53 experience.