Does anyone know whether MB will offer a Swarovski adorned headlamp for the sedans anytime in the near future?

At first, I thought it was just another gimmick for the coupe but when I saw it in person, I was truly mesmerized. Definitely worth the 4k asking price up here in the north.



Another question: I do understand that the Magic Sky Control is coming to the sedan in 2016. Given others' past experiences with it on other models, is it either opaque or transparent, or are you able to set it in between? I'm also assuming that you're able to tilt the sunroof in the opaque setting.

Two major gripes of the panoramic sunroof that I have is that you cannot tilt it with the shade closed like the normal sunroof and the the sunshade in general; sometimes, you just want to have some ventilation without the sun glaring down on you or the noise of an open window while other times, it's just too dark with the shade closed and too bright with it open.

I'm not trying to be too nit picky but I do feel that those are some valid concerns.

You and everyone else SHOULD be nit-picky when the price of admission is $100K+. The Panorama Roof was a great OPTION on the W221 and an OPTION it should have remained. I hate that frigging thing. I used to tilt open the sunroof on my W221 and that was nice when needed. This gigantic mass of ugly black glass that sits above my head is absolutely useless to me and I hate the way it looks on lighter colored cars. I would have paid $5K extra to get a W222 WITHOUT it.
Regarding the jeweled headlights, all I can say is that the Cadillac Escalade crowd is just drooling over them. I think those lights show about as much class as someone wearing one of those sequined MB caps the dealers sell in their "boutiques."
I'm sorry, but MB just seems to be headed in the wrong direction these days. They are falling all over themselves to provide us with jeweled headlights and cabin atomizers, but they can't provide a simple spare & jack in a $100K+ car. Go figure.

Interesting question about Magic Sky. So far, no car with it has the option to open it. It's already available in the Maybach model. I need to check but I believe it may even have a headliner you can close on it. Magic sky normally has no additional liner/screen.

But to answer the question, there is no inbetween. It's either transparent or dark blue.

streamliner: what DO you like about the car??

I love my pano roof. Way cool and it makes the car pop, mine is white.

From what I've seen in photos and videos, the dark blue in Magic Sky seems ever so slightly translucent. Can anyone confirm that?

One minor gripe with the exterior of the pano-roof on the W222; the glass doesn't extend to the rear of the vehicle. If I had a light coloured vehicle, I would personally wrap the body colour on the roof. The black stripes just ruin the overall clean lines of the car.

Regarding the Swarovski crystals, I understand that some may find it tacky and too blingy, but with or without crystal, I find the tiny dotted LEDs far superior aesthetically compared to the large parallelogram LEDs pattern-wise.

I like the Exclusive Nappa interior and the Warmth & Comfort Pkg. If I could have those items in a 221 of my choice, I would gladly go back in time. I HATE that frigging Pano Roof. I HATE that MB has taken that choice away from me. Tesla offers THREE roof options on their car. Why can't MB offer at least two: Pano or no Pano? And I can't believe that there isn't much more outrage over the lack of a spare or even the frigging PLACE to put one. We should all be screaming at MB about this. Everything is fine.......until it isn't.

Recently, I was talking to a salesperson at an MB dealership about Magic Sky in the SL. He said his wife drives one and that he needed to put a TRIPLE tint under the roof, because it got so hot in the CA sun. Wonder what it would be like in AZ or NM? There is NO FRIGGING sunshade on the current SL with Magic Sky. Magic Sky is a truly horrible option, but thank God it's still an option and not standard. MB is truly stepping in IT BIG TIME, in so many areas, while they try to be everything to everybody. If they would concentrate on luxury buyers: IE E Class and up, we would all be so much better served and so much happier. I think it is time for MB to SPLIT in two: MB Classic and MB Everybody Else. CLA = The Best or Nothing? Ask J.D. Power about that.

No offense, but the E class is not a luxury car. The W211 model was far more luxurious than the newer ones, but even that is far from being a luxury car...

Well, that certainly is a matter of opinion. I do believe that the vast majority of people in the developed world would tell you that an E Class is, indeed, a luxury car. If you were brought up riding in a new Rolls to pre-school, probably not. My wife can have most any new car on the planet. She doesn't want a sports car, she wants a sedan. She thinks my S is too big. She drives an E sedan and feels quite luxuriated as she does so. It's the car she chose, price not withstanding.

Tinting an electro-chromatic roof is just idiotic. Why not just paint it over?

Reminds me of the many people I see driving convertibles top up and never dropping it. Ever.

I have the Magic Sky roof and it works. It will only darken but sun will still come in. Somewhat similar to a panorama roof with closed screen.

Mercedes is not a niche manufacturer. They will only built what people buy.
The current SL was available with three roof choices (two in the US). Steel, Panorama and Magic Sky. Now the dropped the steel roof everywhere.

Why? People simply didn't buy it. Just like a manual transmission; a few want it but in the end the numbers are so small that it makes no financial sense to offer those options.

Sounds like you should go and trade back to the W221. Since auto makers seem to have a tradition of releasing more options throughout a models life maybe they will add a roof option in the next few years that will make you happy again. I like the pano roof though I totally understand why others don't.

I don't think they will bring back the spare nor get rid of

Making the Panorama Roof standard, was another way of cutting corners. If they make the roof of a car in just one version, there is significant cost savings. I don't think they will ever make the 222 without the Pano Roof. On the other hand, on the MBAdvisors web site, of which I am a member, they took a poll on Run Flat Tires and they got absolutely CLOBBERED with negative comments-about 95% LOUD & CLEAR that they HATE RFT and the idea of no spare. I do believe we will see that change soon, but we all have our opinions.

Agree 100% on the RFT's! I have several sets sitting in the garage as they are inferior in ride quality.
That said, don't expect spares to make a comeback. Several models are designed without a spare, RFT or not and they will never sport a spare again.

While I appreciate the convenience aspect for RFTs, I don't think it's worth the tradeoff in terms of noise and ride quality. I don't get flats that often anymore (9 in two years before) so I had the dealer order the pump and tirefit and swapped to conventional tires.

Nothing shown on any model (Maybach or otherwise) indicates that Swarovski Headlamps are going to be made for the sedan in the near future.

Maybach will get the Magic Sky Sunroof. I'm unsure if it's on the front, rear, or both. Also not sure if this will trickle down to the non Maybach variants.

What year is her E class? The new ones have so much plastic in them, I can barely tell they are a Mercedes anymore... In fact, the prime reason I still have my E55 AMG is the interior... I was going to purchase a 2010 E63 but I honestly thought it was a downgrade so I stuck with the 06... I also have a Bentley SuperSports, but I'll admit, the new S class gives it a run for the money...

Now, the Wraith I am considering is on a whole other level entirely, but that is to be expected for a $400k vehicle...

agree, an E class is not very luxurious. I find the newer ones (late 212) far better than the earlier 212s, which hard the hardest cheapest plastic i've seen on an MB.

Couldn't agree more! The early 212s were appalling! I remember when the first 212 E63 came out. My salesperson called me and asked if I wanted to take a test drive. Long story short, almost as soon as I got in, I got out. Couldn't deal with the interior. Salesperson agreed. Haven't been in a 212 since though...

I agree. The pre-facelift W212's centre stack looked really cheap; the facelift interior definitely upped the ante with the analog clock, continuous wood trim, and stitched dash as standard. However, there was something just so elegant about the W211 interior that even the upgraded W212 can't seem to match.