Been tooling around with the idea of "upgrading", but pretty on the fence. The 211 is pretty much the pinnacle of styling as far as I'm concerned, and the overall fit and finish are pretty hard to beat. I'm also not huge on many of the changes to the steering wheel and dash on a lot of the newer models.

That said, I can't ignore the improvements that have been made and I've at least been tempted to look around a bit. I'd love to hear feedback from those who still own their 211 but have gotten a newer model as well, those who tried the latest and greatest but then came back home, and those who moved on to something newer for good.

 

I’m curious about this as well. The w211 is a great car but mine’s 15 years from new now. I’m wondering what’s next.

 

Take this from someone who has owned the newer AMGs. I came back to the W211 E55 (I owned two other E55s that I sold and regretted immediately) after owning two biturbo cars , the C63 and CLS63 - are they fast? Without a doubt, hell yea. But to me, the raw factor and driver factor just wasn't there and for me, personally, I don't care how fast a car is, if the driving experience isn't there then it's not the car for me. Obviously, the newer cars have much nicer options, interior etc. but that doesn't sell a car for me. I gotta enjoy it. Period.

 

I am also interested. I bet the 4 matic solves 95% of the traction issues. Hopefully the transmissions have some actual logical logic coded into them- ie accelerate to the speed you want, enable cruise control and don't keep holding gear at 4000rpm all the way down the street. I hope they got rid of the constant learning from your driving feature.

 

The only other AMG, that I’ve owned was a W204 C63. What, I can tell you is that the W212 used a lot of components from the C Class, the quality materials used weren’t up to the quality of the W211. Now for the W213, the quality has returned.

 

I have my E55 since 2008 and still love the power and everything works well. I had rebuild the tranny, torque converter, radiator change last year for about $5K but still love the car.
I don't see any new AMG model really attract me. Now they have E53, E63 AMG which faster and better MPG but they are just so expensive. E53 about $80K to $90K and E63 $120K. Even used are still expensive.
I test drove the newer C class W205 last year but felt the build quality is not there. Cheap plastic feel. And as C63 has the same inside components just not worth it IMO.
Keeping my E55 for few more years until W213 drop down price or the newer S class drop down to $50K to $60k range.

 

I think I test drove a model year 2018 E coupe. Loved the exterior styling and interior,,,,,but a sports car does NOT have a column mounted gear selector! I know it has paddles, but it needs to be on the console!!

 

W204 handles better due to coil over dampener suspension and lower weight. W211 is the peak of build quality for the E class. All interior pieces are sturdy and don't sound hollow like newer Mercedes do as well as most surfaces being soft touch versus plastic.

 

Thought I might inject this thread with a bit of a perspective from somebody who owns a modern AMG. I have not owned older AMGs, largely because to me they were a bit one trick ponies. Big engine with straight line performance, but lacking in the driving dynamics department, and the transmissions were less than stellar. Not really sports cars to be honest. Just Autobahn rockets and great for burnouts, but not really to carve up a nice canyon road. I now own a C205 2019 C63S coupe and I love it. The 9-speed multi-clutch transmission combines the best of a dual-clutch with the best of an AT. No torque converter, and fast shifts, and not just the sequential shifts like with a dual clutch. It finally isn't just a big engine to do burnouts with, but it actually has impressive driving dynamics. Build quality is honestly great if you option it out with CF and the performance seats. Much of the interior pieces are shared throughout the entire AMG range and the S models come standard with Nappa leather. Yes, there is more plastic nowadays, but that's all forgotten once ripping up a nice road, or hear the V8 fire up. Some people dispute this, but the US built AMGs aren't as good in the quality department. The W205 C63 sedan was up until recently built in Alabama as opposed to the coupe which continued to be built in Germany. The sedans are now built in South Africa. Just something perhaps not everybody is aware of.

Also wanted to comment on the steering column mounted gear selector. That's actually great. Most gear selectors nowadays are just way oversized switches, because there isn't actually a mechanical link to the transmission anymore which was the primary reason they were in the center. Most supercars, arguably the sportiest cars, don't even have gear levers anymore. You generally engage D by pulling the upshift paddle from P or N. N is engaged by pulling both paddles together and P, R, M typically are buttons somewhere on the center console, which I don't particularly find ergonomic. The gear selector stalk on the steering column is the best approach, IMO, because it allows for changing gears w/o taking your hands of the steering wheel. In the latest AMGs with the new AMG Drive Unit you can pretty much control the entire car w/o taking your hands off the steering wheel. Gears are selected with the stalk and the paddles, and drive modes, M etc. can be changed/engaged directly from the steering wheel. It's the ultimate driver focused setup in a sports car, and lets you keep your hands at 9 and 3 the entire time to stay in control. No need to reach down to the center console for anything. F1 cars don't have a gear selector or buttons throughout the cockpit, either. It's all on and around the steering wheel where it belongs.


AMG Drive Unit

 

I share your sentiments.