wagonsrock

May 16 we took delivery of an E400 wagon in Sindelfingen and returned it to Simovic Car Service in Sindelfingen May 28. The following are my thoughts about the car, the ED process and how it compares to BMW ED, which I had done previously, and our trip.

The car:
E400 Wagon Diamond Silver
Sport Styling
18" 5-Spoke Wheels
Macchiato Beige/Black leather with Macchiato Beige head liner
P3 package
Acoustic Comfort Package
Heated & Ventilated Seats
Warmth & Comfort Package
Air Body Control
Natural Grain Black Ash Wood and Center Console



This configuration was a compromise between what I wanted and the limited choices dictated by MB for interior colors versus sport/luxury styling and suspension. My preference would have been the interior colors I chose above but in the luxury styling package without a lowered suspension. I chose Air Body Control as a means to be able to raise the car when driving on poorly maintained roads, over speed bumps, on steep drive ways, and in parking lots with raised concrete space markers, all of which are common where I live in the US. Based on experience in Europe with similar conditions during our trip this was a good decision, with the limitation that you have to remember to raise the car before driving over obstacles etc. The manual says that in comfort mode the car is supposed to automatically raise its self when the speed drops to city driving, but that seemed not to work.

I was dubious about the value of the P3 package and the autonomous steering function, but on a 6.5-hour drive across the Alps, including crossing the Brenner Pass twice, as well as on moderately high-speed Autobahn driving, as well as in stop and go traffic, drive pilot with autonomous driving, coupled with automatic speed limit detection, and distronic car following, really made the trip much less tiring. That said, it’s not perfect, and you have to be ready to intervene when the car suddenly decides it can't drive itself, and more importantly, when it makes mistakes, such as not detecting a car cutting in front, or when it drifts out of its lane. Overall I'm pretty happy and appreciate that MB still import a large wagon for those who want it in the US. My prior car was a BMW 5-series wagon which is no longer available in US, so hats off to MB.

Don't even think of skipping this on your ED trip


Delivery floor in Sindelfingen


Crossing the Alps in Austria


ED comparison: In part this is determined by the experience of your dealer, but in addition MB USA plays a major role, and I was surprised at the poor communication and conflicting information that came from Atlanta. BMW was much superior on the US paperwork side of things which was seamless from my perspective. By contrast, MB delayed my delivery date by a day after issuing a confirmation of order with a confirmed date, and then a couple of weeks before delivery sent another email with the Confirmation of order which included highlighted text indicating that they needed power of attorney forms, advance registration information, and a copy of my passport, all of which they already had. Apparently they do not check this in Atlanta, and just request it all again.



On the plus side, MB gave us two nights’ accommodation (one extra day due to the change in delivery date after we had booked our flights) in a really nice hotel in Stuttgart that is just 5 mins walk from the main train station, while BMW does not include a hotel in the deal. We really needed the two nights, because it’s a hectic schedule trying to visit the outstanding MB museum on the same day you fly into Europe, but the museum is fantastic. In the delivery center, BMW wins hands down with delivery of cars on illuminated rotating platforms making for an unforgettable experience, while the MB delivery room is a rather understated and large bare bones room holding about 20-25 cars parked in rows for the delivery process. The factory tours for both BMW and MB are about the same (I thought MB was a bit better) and an absolute must since you came all this way to get your car. The MB delivery center hosts a large number of tourists who come just for the factory tour, so there will be just a few people doing ED in your group, but in the restaurant, where we had lunch after the tour, the staff seemed to go out of their way to give the ED customers special treatment. We did not use the whole of our MB 60 Euro voucher for lunch, so our waitress insisted we take a large box of Swiss chocolates and two liters of mineral water to make up the balance. Overall, it was a special day which we much enjoyed, but we did not get on the road until about 2:30 pm, which limits how far you can drive on the delivery day, especially considering that you are jet lagged and still tired.



Our trip: Leaving Sindelfingen we headed south to Ulm the birth place of Albert Einstein, where we spent the night. It was a comfortable 90 min drive, and the city is well worth a visit, with its famous church, old town, and numerous streams. We had dinner at zur Forelle which specializes in trout and is highly recommended (make a reservation, its popular).



We then took the A7 down to Austria, purchasing a 10-day vignette at a gas station shortly after entering the country so that we were legal on the A12 highway you drive on to get to the Brenner pass via Innsbruck (it’s essential to do this because they check and fines are high if you do not have a vignette and use the Austrian Autobahn equivalent); you don't need a vignette for other roads, but it’s hard to cross Austria without using the highway. The alps in Austria are spectacular. The Brenner pass was a potential horror story which was not so bad due to strict rules that limit trucks to the right-hand lane of a two-lane highway (it’s a dual carriageway with two lanes going north and two lanes south). We passed literally mile upon mile of trucks that were not moving at all, while in heavy but flowing traffic, cars were able to proceed at reduced speed, which made the trip tolerable, especially with the P3 package. The digital instrument cluster seems endlessly configurable and provided lots of entertainment during the drive. The navigation system worked nearly flawlessly during the trip, and the heads up display is excellent, especially when using the autonomous driving aids. Once into Italy, things cleared up a bit, but there were occasional jams on the A22 Autostrada toll road leading to Trento. Tolls were easy: we payed cash and the cash lanes are very clearly marked. We spent a long weekend visiting friends in the Sud Tirol, who drove us around, so we avoided narrow country roads in the big Benz.

We then retraced our route, taking the A7 A8 and A5 Autobahn, passing by Stuttgart to enter France, crossing the Rhine at Strasbourg, where we spent a few days before driving south into the Alsace wine country, staying in Riquewihr where we were fortunate to have a space in a private parking lot. We ended by heading back to Sindelfingen. Driving on the Autobahn is a real pleasure, even with a car that's limited to 120 km/hour during break in. German (and French) drivers are exceptionally well disciplined, always keeping in the middle or right lane, except when overtaking. Our delivery specialist told us that occasional sprints up to 130-140 km/hour were OK, and on the final drive back, with 1300 km on the clock, we drove for brief periods at 150-170 km/hour, at which speed we were passing almost everyone but its essential to be prepared to brake hard if somebody does pull out in front of you. It’s rare but it does happen.