My Mother is getting to the age where getting in and out of her 2016 W212 E350 is becoming more difficult. I've suggested a small or medium sized SUV as a replacement, and am now beginning to research things. While I believe the W167 exterior and interior are a step up from a W166, the only real engine option is an M256, which I fear is not nearly as reliable as the M276 it replaced, largely due to the hybrid and 48V system. Four and Eight cylinders will not be considered, the former due to how terrible MB's 4 is and the latter because it's overkill for her.

The only alternative made after 2020 would be an X5 or X3 with a B58 and I'm going to be doing my research on those as well.

I own a 2015 W212 E400 with Distronic Plus , the park assist and 360/cams. For a 2015 era car, it's pretty impressive in what it can do with regards to distronic and being able to do basic parking maneuvers. That said, if we're going down the route of a newer car for my Mom, I would like for the safety and convenience features to be a step up from the W212 era with regards to optics , active and passive safety features.

Given that a W166 is basically of the same era as a W212, my assumption is things like Distronic Plus and Park Assist are identical in terms of functionality, but I wanted to see what owners had to say. I don't want her to end up in a 2019 MB SUV that has the same basic functionality as a 2014+ W212, as that would be just a lateral change with slightly easier ingress/egress.

So can anyone who is familiar with both speak to whether or not the FL W166s are improved upon as compared to the FL W212s in terms of self driving, park assist and any other newer safety features that I may not be aware of? One that comes to mind is the radar equipped tail lights that my GMC truck has that scans to the left and right out of the camera's field of vision and can detect moving objects (people or vehicles) from 20+ feet away to assist in reverse maneuvers. There may be plenty of others that MB has since introduced that I'm unaware of.

Also, if anyone is passionate one way or another about the 167 with the M256, please speak up. I've heard horror stories about the platform AND engine, but perhaps things were ironed out by 23 or 24? Any car produced from March of 2020 through the end of the 2022 MY from any manufacturer will not be considered.

 

Well, it is very hard to find fault in the W212 E350, such as great car and the 3.5 is a great engine. I know there are a number of SUV's from the same era with the same engine (and interior controls). Maybe for ease of use it makse sense to look at an GLE350 from the same era...keep as much as you can the same (but for the right height) .

 

Thanks, but since we have to spend the money anyways, it would be nice to get one with features that were unavailable in a 2014 E-Class. This will likely be her last car and will hopefully allow her to drive for another decade, so if there are improvements to the driver's aid and safety systems that came in later W166s, I'd like to know. If not, I need to make other plans.

 

Go with 2016-2019 GLE 350, 400. If you can find a 450 or 43 AMG go for it. It has the same reliability as the W212. I had 2014 ML350 before I bought a 2021 GLE450 and sold it after a year because of the battery problems I had then went back to the old platform. For almost 3 years now I have ZERO problems with the 43 and the car is 9 years old.

Find one with the distronic and airmatic. Dont be afraid with the airmatic. Safety wise is just the same. Your mom will love it. Soft close doors are rare but if you can find one, get it. If your mon does not carry lots of stuff a 550e is also good as it is a PHEV vehicle with a v6 engine and is comparable with a 63 in terms of torque without being a gas guzzler.

With regards to safety etc.... it will just be the same as the w212. To be honest the self driving capabilities of the newer gle is not there yet. I will not trust it.

 

Make other plans.

The safety of the W166 is safe. It meets government regulations. It has, for practical purposes, the same safety features as the W212.

 

Not exactly a 166, but close enough,
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BwgCoZ446/

 

Thank you for clarification.