Drove the new Mercedes-Benz E300 Sedan... impressions

[JulesMaximus]

I dropped my wife's CLS550 off for a service yesterday and they let me take a 2017 E300 sedan until her car is ready. I'll likely have it until tomorrow in fact. Anyway, it is black with black MB tex interior. Fairly nicely equipped with the latest COMAND system, which I'm getting used to now, heated seats, power moonroof, satellite radio, park assist, power trunk lid, etc. Not sure if it has the autonomous driving but it does have the braking assist and lane departure warnings. I don't know what comes with each of the options packages for this car or what packages this one has.

This car has a 2.0l turbocharged 4-cylinder engine which makes 241hp. It is mated to a 9 speed automatic gearbox which is pretty seamless unless you really put your foot into the accelerator which makes it shift a bit more abruptly. I would say it is adequately powered for a car this size but if you load it up with people and luggage I think it would feel underpowered, which is a shame for such an upscale and well equipped car. Still, as a daily commuter it is pretty good and I have been averaging almost 26mpg which isn't bad.

The car is very smooth and comfortable. Also, quiet and controlled over all kinds of roads. Steering is well balanced and precise but a bit numb. The driving experience overall is a bit dull and isolated. Not a sports car by any stretch but it is a very nice place to be when stuck in traffic driving to and from work.

There is a definite learning curve with the controls. I'm fairly tech savvy and used to the COMAND system in my E550 Coupe and my wife's CLS550 (they are the same) but this car and the C-Class's I've driven have proven a bit of a challenge. Nearly every function of the car is accessed through the COMAND system and some have multiple ways of accessing them. For example, it took me quite a while to learn that you can swipe your finger over the black buttons on the steering wheel to access different displays on the center display between the speedo and the tach. It was a challenge just to figure out how to turn the system on (I found the power button neatly hidden behind the control pad in the center console-I couldn't see it from the driver's seat).

The main display is huge and shows a split screen of the navigation and other controls and displays a ton of information and settings. Once I figured out how to get to the main menu it is pretty easy to figure out how to get to different functions/settings. As useless as it is I kind of like the ambient lighting feature, you can turn it on or off, adjust the level of output and the color. It looks really cool at night and I found myself playing with it for a while last night while waiting at a light on my way home from work trying out all the different colors to see which one I liked best.

It is a handsome sedan and fairly decent sized and has some really cool features but it doesn't really stand out in any way. It looks like a big C class in my opinion. I think it should be a little more distinctive and I think there should be an engine option that offers a little more power. Maybe a straight 6? I know Mercedes has one in the works for the new E-class coupe.

It's a really nice car but, personally, I wouldn't buy this car and I'm right in the demographic of people who would buy this car (50 years old-almost, financially well off). It just doesn't do much for me visually or emotionally.

 

[rstrohkirch]

The 43 amg series engines are awesome. It would be nice if they had something in between the two.

 

[ElFenix]

It is a big C-class.

Merc has lost the plot when it comes to the letter-number naming scheme. Only Lexus is really doing it right.

And they really need a 2.5L turbo for this car.

 

[hans007]

i looked at it and the C class when I was buying my current car. And honestly other than having a digital dash it didn't seem like you got much over a C class (well the C300 doesnt have the 9 speed auto yet, but it will probably have it for 2018...)

Its a nice car, but for a luxury car its got some wierd options. for example you cant get digital dash unless you buy basically ever premium packing, and make it a damn near $70k car.

And the other thing that seemed odd was you can't get an mb-tex dash, unless you get luxury package, which means no sports package. The C class you get an MB tex dash on both sport or luxury package so in a lot of ways, you'd be better off buying a C300 or a C43 AMG if you don't care for a digital dash and slightly larger car. THey are both the MRA platform and very very similar looking so unless the autonomous driving is a must / digital dash (which requires the super expensive p3 $12k package) then its hard to justify an E class.

 

[tsupersonic]

I haven't been inside the new E class. Their naming convention is horrible. Why would they bring back the 43 AMG back? Don't even get me started on the AMG designation when there's not a proper AMG engine (BMW/Audi does similar things as well). Their exterior design looks the same across C/S classes (again seems to be a German thing as Audi/BMW does it as well).

Interior looks good, but I'm not a big fan of the two massive screens. I want the large screen on the right as a traditional infotainment display, and the instrument cluster with traditional gauges complemented with a smaller screen that displays other info (MPG meter, tire pressure, etc.)

 

[rstrohkirch]

All of their sub 60k base vehicles have a 43 option. I would assume they have a 63 in the works. No different than most manufacturers who do a refresh and don't bring out every engine option immediately.

 

[tsupersonic]

All of their sub 60k base vehicles have a 43 option. I would assume they have a 63 in the works. No different than most manufacturers who do a refresh and don't bring out every engine option immediately.

They already announced the new E63, and journalists have been able to drive one. Consumers will be able to buy it in the Summer I believe.

 

[PianoMan]

Thanks for the impressions - I'm sure most appreciate other drivers taking the time to write up their opinions on a car that they have a chance to drive.

My ONE thing that keeps me from looking at Benz's are the lack of manual offerings (yep, I'm one of those crusty traditionalists). But I've always enjoyed their design, driveability, and luxury.

A side story: wife gave me a call while I was in the office, so I was thinking it was important. She was driving home, and before I had a chance to say "hello" and see what's up, she says "I found my next car! It's a Mercedes!"

I asked her to elaborate, and she says she's following a sharp, white Benz while driving the kids from school practices. I ask, so what's the badging on the back?

She pauses and says... "AMG..."

(I think, GREAT...)

And another pause... "... and I think it says 'GT' on the other side."

I said "SURE!", then told her the MSRP. The phone call quickly ended after that, LOL.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Thanks for the impressions - I'm sure most appreciate other drivers taking the time to write up their opinions on a car that they have a chance to drive.

My ONE thing that keeps me from looking at Benz's are the lack of manual offerings (yep, I'm one of those crusty traditionalists). But I've always enjoyed their design, driveability, and luxury.

A side story: wife gave me a call while I was in the office, so I was thinking it was important. She was driving home, and before I had a chance to say "hello" and see what's up, she says "I found my next car! It's a Mercedes!"

I asked her to elaborate, and she says she's following a sharp, white Benz while driving the kids from school practices. I ask, so what's the badging on the back?

She pauses and says... "AMG..."

(I think, GREAT...)

And another pause... "... and I think it says 'GT' on the other side."

I said "SURE!", then told her the MSRP. The phone call quickly ended after that, LOL.

Yeah, those are gorgeous but personally I'd probably pick the S550 coupe over the GT if money was no option.

 

[PianoMan]

If we did go GT, we'd have to get rid of the kids - or make them walk all the time...

Hmmmm...

 

[Dr. Detroit]

They've got the interiors nailed and are the peak of "luxury"

Exterior design is so bland. The C, E, and GLC have no style. The W211 2003+ E class still looks fantastic today as the does the 2010+ design. The current model is just a elongated round jelly bean with a pedestrian friendly snout.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Well, I'm going to have it through the weekend. Our CLS won't be ready until late Friday and we're going out of town tomorrow morning so we'll take the loaner to Rancho Mirage. It will be interesting to see how it does with 2 adults and 2 man-sized teenagers and a trunk load of stuff.

I'll take some pics this weekend and post them along with an update.

 

[postmortemIA]

heated seats, power moonroof, satellite radio, park assist... are we talking about chevy cruze here?

 

[JulesMaximus]

heated seats, power moonroof, satellite radio, park assist... are we talking about chevy cruze here?

I'm reasonably sure it's not a chevy Cruze.

 

[freeskier93]

They've got the interiors nailed and are the peak of "luxury"

Exterior design is so bland. The C, E, and GLC have no style. The W211 2003+ E class still looks fantastic today as the does the 2010+ design. The current model is just a elongated round jelly bean with a pedestrian friendly snout.

Really? Currently renting a brand new GLC 300 and I'm super unimpressed. Overall I'm not a fan of these control systems that use a rotary knob but the interface just seems especially bad. Compared to the top of the line Mazda I recently rented the Mercedes is just bad. The location also seems to make it way to easy to accidentally press.

Also can't stand vehicles that rely on the main screen for displaying HVAC information.

Not a fan of the gear selector, maybe it's something you get used to but it was an emediate turn off.

There some small things too like you can't easily pass a USB cable through the center console lids. Maybe it's more of an issue being a rental because you need your phone out for stuff like navigation, but a lot of other vehicles I've driven have notches or something for the cable so you aren't smashing the cables.

The engine auto start/stop also sucks and can't be permanently turned off, you have to turn it off every time you get in. That alone would keep me from buying one.

Just too many usability issues for me.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Update: I've had this car for a week now and drove it out to Palm Springs on Friday and back on Monday through the San Jacinto mountains with 4 people and a trunk full of luggage. Our CLS still isn't ready, I asked for a detail but their detail department is backed up and they're hoping it will be ready today.

Anyway, I've put almost 500 miles on this car now so I have some updates on my initial impressions. The COMAND system is vastly more complicated than the system in our CLS or my E550 coupe to the point of being a distraction. I drove my car yesterday after we arrived home from Palm Springs (a 2 hour journey) and noted how simple it is to operate and how I actually prefer it to the new system. Just to change a station requires 2 movements vs 1 on the old system. I also keep bumping that mousepad thing (which I haven't really used) and it launches into a different menu when I do that. I'm not a fan.

The engine is adequate with 4 people and a trunk full of luggage. We had my wife and I plus our 14 year old son and his 15 year old friend. My son is 5'10" and his friend is a big kid, probably weighs more than I do in fact so easily 600lbs of people plus luggage and the car did fine up the steep grade of the 74 climbing out of Rancho Mirage yesterday afternoon (an epically beautiful drive if you ever have the chance and even better on a motorcycle). The car drove well, was very comfortable and handled confidently and smoothly at a reasonable pace. I didn't push it much though. The brakes are really good in this car, I will say that.

The seats are comfortable front and rear which makes it easy to do 2 hours driving non-stop but I've done 4 hours in our CLS so for front seat passengers I'd say the CLS is the better car but not as roomy in the rear as the E300.

The looks have grown on me and I think it is a handsome car but still it doesn't really stand out in any way, certainly not like the CLS does. I still wouldn't buy this car.

 

[tsupersonic]

What are they doing to your CLS that they need it for a week? Hopefully it's covered under warranty!

 

[JulesMaximus]

What are they doing to your CLS that they need it for a week? Hopefully it's covered under warranty!

Routine service plus belt tensioners replaced (warranty-car was making a grumbling noise on startup when cold). I also asked them to detail the exterior and that apparently is what the holdup is.