New E Class Saloon & Coupe

junkyard

Seriously though, that new E class is a hideous looking thing in the flesh, I say one a few weeks ago and I couldn't believe how bad it really is.

mickdw

junkyard wrote: »

Seriously though, that new E class is a hideous looking thing in the flesh, I say one a few weeks ago and I couldn't believe how bad it really is.

The base models look crap in photos too but the higher models I think look good but I will wait til I have a good look a one in the flesh. Colour seems to be important too.

robbie99

The E-Class gets a thumbs up from me. The lines are squarer than before yet in profile it's got that aerodynamic and purposeful look. The sidestrake on the doors reminds me of the Hyundai coupé (but without the fake vents) and the frontend is nothing like the Kia. The thing about the Kia is that its slopping headlights is a take on the older E-Class so you can say that the Kia was trying to take in some styling ques from the old E-Class, not the other way around. Can't wait until the coupé is available.

samsemtex

junkyard wrote: »

The Kia looks nicer tbh, more reliable and probably half the price. I really think people buy Mercs because of the status thing. The only proper Merc starts with the S class, all the small ones just don't hit the spot as regards value for money or quality. The same goes for BMW, buy the poverty spec one and you'll live to regret it in so many ways.

:rolleyes:

You are talking unbelievable amounts of **** there.

junkyard

Not really, I used to drive mainly Mercedes cars and they really are over-rated for sure, in fact, I would say with the exception of the S and SL class the laugh is on anyone who would spend big money on an A, C, or an E class, they're just not up to scratch. Some people dream of owning a Mercedes all their lives and make do with what Mercedes offers them in the lower classes with out ever looking seriously at the competition, it's their loss for sure, I know I was fooled for a long time and blinded by the badge. I'm just saying that there are better options and in my view a Kia is a more reliable car than a Mercedes, they have proved their worth to me many times, you sell a Kia and you'll never have it come back with warranty issues the way a Mercedes will, ask any mechanic.:)

niceirishfella

I recently saw a spankers new C Class AMG and it looked sweet, nicer than any 3 series BM.But this E class, well, I'm not into it either. Still at those prices and if I had to choose, I'd go for it over an A6 for instance none the less.

Volvoboy

junkyard wrote: »

I'm just saying that there are better options and in my view a Kia is a more reliable car than a Mercedes, they have proved their worth to me many times, you sell a Kia and you'll never have it come back with warranty issues the way a Mercedes will, ask any mechanic.:)

As much as it kills me to say it Junkyard is on the money, modern Mercs are just unreliable rust bukcets built by accountants not engineers. My Da drives a '99 W220 and it has more rust than my '96 Toyota.

skyhighflyer

Volvoboy wrote: »

As much as it kills me to say it Junkyard is on the money, modern Mercs are just unreliable rust bukcets built by accountants not engineers. My Da drives a '99 W220 and it has more rust than my '96 Toyota.

To be fair the unreliable Mercs were from the mid-90s onwards. Apparently they're back on the money, and the latest C Class is meant to be an extremely reliable device indeed.

Have to say though, I was incredibly unimpressed with the interior of a friend's 08 C180. Also, with regard to the new E Class coupe, even the E60 5 series looks far more modern by comparison and that was released in 2008. I'm not all that impressed with the 139g/km of C02 either, BMW have had this for a lot longer and probably have some more tricks up their sleeve to roll out in response to BlueEfficiency.

samsemtex

junkyard wrote: »

Not really, I used to drive mainly Mercedes cars and they really are over-rated for sure, in fact, I would say with the exception of the S and SL class the laugh is on anyone who would spend big money on an A, C, or an E class, they're just not up to scratch. Some people dream of owning a Mercedes all their lives and make do with what Mercedes offers them in the lower classes with out ever looking seriously at the competition, it's their loss for sure, I know I was fooled for a long time and blinded by the badge. I'm just saying that there are better options and in my view a Kia is a more reliable car than a Mercedes, they have proved their worth to me many times, you sell a Kia and you'll never have it come back with warranty issues the way a Mercedes will, ask any mechanic.:)

This whole merc unreliability thing is blown completely out of proportion. It was mainly niggling electrical gremlins and rarely catastrophic failures. And that was on mercs made between 2000-2005 mainly and the ML class was pretty disasterous since it was launched. Since they ditched Chrysler reliability has been very good and that has been reflected in reports. JD Power USA ranked them 4th ahead of Toyota last year so thats your theory gone out the window. They have made a huge effort to up reliability and its showing.

We have a high spec, post facelift c-class at home and apart from being 100% reliable it has also got one of the nicest finished interiors of any small car ive ever been in. The wood is very nice, everything has a very very solid feel to it. I drive a volvo s40 which is a pretty good car and better than 90% of cars and that feels a serious step down from the c-class. Everything makes a very satisfying clunk when you close it.

skyhighflyer wrote: »

To be fair the unreliable Mercs were from the mid-90s onwards. Apparently they're back on the money, and the latest C Class is meant to be an extremely reliable device indeed.

Have to say though, I was incredibly unimpressed with the interior of a friend's 08 C180. Also, with regard to the new E Class coupe, even the E60 5 series looks far more modern by comparison and that was released in 2008. I'm not all that impressed with the 139g/km of C02 either, BMW have had this for a lot longer and probably have some more tricks up their sleeve to roll out in response to BlueEfficiency.

You dont find that figure impressive? Its a big car. What do you find impressive?

BMW dont have any figures like that. The E250 CDI has 204hp/500NM and 139g/km and combined fuel of 5.3l/100km as opposed to the 525D which has 197bhp/400NM and 165g/km and uses 6.2l/100km. Its not even close but as you say BMW will be coming out with a new car soon so they might catch up.

I know i may sound like a fanboy here but i really dont understand why Mercedes get so much flak. The new e-class is a fabulous car by all accounts even if the styling does appear to be more miss than hit with most people. There does seem to be some serious anti-mercedes bias out there though. I read a group review of the new e-class, XF and the 5-series and it came to the conclusion that the e-class was the best of the lot but they still only gave it 4/5 stars despite saying how comfortable, sharp to drive and well made it was and this was after they had given the XF 5/5 when they reviewed it on its own. I can guarantee that if it was the new 5 series they would have given it 5/5. There seems to be a strong resentment of mercedes with some people many of whom have never even had one.

RedorDead

samsemtex wrote: »

This whole merc unreliability thing is blown completely out of proportion. It was mainly niggling electrical gremlins and rarely catastrophic failures. And that was on mercs made between 2000-2005 mainly and the ML class was pretty disasterous since it was launched. Since they ditched Chrysler reliability has been very good and that has been reflected in reports. JD Power USA ranked them 4th ahead of Toyota last year so thats your theory gone out the window. They have made a huge effort to up reliability and its showing.

We have a high spec, post facelift c-class at home and apart from being 100% reliable it has also got one of the nicest finished interiors of any small car ive ever been in. The wood is very nice, everything has a very very solid feel to it. I drive a volvo s40 which is a pretty good car and better than 90% of cars and that feels a serious step down from the c-class. Everything makes a very satisfying clunk when you close it.



You dont find that figure impressive? Its a big car. What do you find impressive?

BMW dont have any figures like that. The E250 CDI has 204hp/500NM and 139g/km and combined fuel of 5.3l/100km as opposed to the 525D which has 197bhp/400NM and 165g/km and uses 6.2l/100km. Its not even close but as you say BMW will be coming out with a new car soon so they might catch up.

I know i may sound like a fanboy here but i really dont understand why Mercedes get so much flak. The new e-class is a fabulous car by all accounts even if the styling does appear to be more miss than hit with most people. There does seem to be some serious anti-mercedes bias out there though. I read a group review of the new e-class, XF and the 5-series and it came to the conclusion that the e-class was the best of the lot but they still only gave it 4/5 stars despite saying how comfortable, sharp to drive and well made it was and this was after they had given the XF 5/5 when they reviewed it on its own. I can guarantee that if it was the new 5 series they would have given it 5/5. There seems to be a strong resentment of mercedes with some people many of whom have never even had one.

I dont think its fair either - think most Mercedes drivers are too old to know how to use the interweb and thats why the views are disproportionate here.

In fairness though - excellent pricing from Mercedes - but they had to - they are being killed by 5 Series and A6 in Ireland at the moment.

And to the guy who questioned why you would consider an A6 instead of a 5 Series or E Class - A6 outsells 5 Series and E Class (comfortably) in Europe. Us paddys are behind the times.

Padraig Mor

Any news on the automatic specs / price? Surely the vast majority of E class (even more so than the 5 series) sold here are auto?

mickdw

Volvoboy wrote: »

As much as it kills me to say it Junkyard is on the money, modern Mercs are just unreliable rust bukcets built by accountants not engineers. My Da drives a '99 W220 and it has more rust than my '96 Toyota.

To be fair, its well documented that late 90s merc were not great but that has now been fixed. I always thought the main rusting probs were with the E Class of that period but seems S was poor too. I know the S Class build from 2003 (Facelift) was much better built by all accounts.
Also, I wouldnt assume that a 2009 merc merc will with unreliable simply because a 1999 "modern one" is

MercMad

My main issue is with the styling. I dont see it as a progression at all, its just different and I dont like it.It looks like the Lexus GS300 from the front. I dont see why they split up the headlamps like that.

Also despite the prices being bandied about above you wont be able to buy an E0Class for anywhere near €43k. Add on probably €800 delivery, add €2500 for auto, €1200 for metallic and another €2000 for leather. This is the way all the dealers will order their stock and if you want a manual car with a basic spec you will have the choice of waiting 4 months or upping your budget to about € 50k.

Used E-Class' in silver are on every dealer forecourt in the Country and I recon their prices will drop like stones. There is absolutely nothing special about modern Mercs compared to other German cars, though they will be sprouting advanced computer technology and various extras, not really my bag.

They were once exclusive cars for the wealthy, now they are everywhere and that alone has devalued them. They did suffer from quality problems, again I truely believe this has been overstated and is over. I have owned 3 brand new ones since 2000 and two used ones and I havent had any issues with any save for replacement of standard wear/tear items and routine servicing which has been significantly cheaper than either BMW or Audi.

The C-Class has been nominated the most reliable car in 2008 in Germany btw and I think it is a quality car.

However I do not think the interior styling on the W204 is as nice as the W203 and it looks like the new E-Class has gone the same route.

I'm not in the market for a new car but if I was I wouldn't be going to a Merc dealer.

I have seen the E-Class Coupe with the sports pack and it looks well, still not crazy about is, and once again if ordering I cannot get the interior I like with the exterior I like, which seems crazy.

My next car will be a used late model CLK or a 5 Series M-Sport.

keanebg1

What Car magazone June edition had a full road test comparison of the current A6, 520d & new E-Class 220..... the 5 series won....

EPM

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Any news on the automatic specs / price? Surely the vast majority of E class (even more so than the 5 series) sold here are auto?

There's a 7 speed auto coming for the E220 AFAIK

robbie99

I was just onto a Merc dealership in Ballsbridge. Delivery charges are €1,000. The E220 auto is also available costing €49,100 which includes the delivery.

L-M

robbie99 wrote: »

I was just onto a Merc dealership in Ballsbridge. Delivery charges are €1,000. The E220 auto is also available costing €49,100 which includes the delivery.

I'm assuming that's retail?

Sounds a bit more expensive that what a previous poster pointed out the import costs as...

Any idea on what spec you get at 49k?

Padraig Mor

robbie99 wrote: »

I was just onto a Merc dealership in Ballsbridge. Delivery charges are €1,000. The E220 auto is also available costing €49,100 which includes the delivery.

About 4k less than the equivalent 5 series as well so. Presumably Band C VRT and tax.

robbie99

Limerick man wrote: »

I'm assuming that's retail?

Sounds a bit more expensive that what a previous poster pointed out the import costs as...

Any idea on what spec you get at 49k?

The auto will be €49,100 but that doesn't include leather or metalic. Remember that the auto moves the car into a higher VRT band. The sales guy I was talking to mumbled something about 'Classic' or 'Elegance' and I've no idea how this relates to the UK spec I see - 'SE', 'Avantgarde' and 'Sport'.

I've done the same calculation for the auto (assuming that the Irish spec car is the same as the UK SE spec, standard only, no metalic nor leather).

E 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY SE auto = £28,863.30 on-the-road UK
= € 45,002.45 plus ferry on-the-road Ireland
= €4k+ cheaper than Irish retail price.

Above import cost is calculated at current exchange rate of .852

And if you're interested, at an exchange rate of .765 the UK import price (for this car) will exactly match the Irish retail price so until sterling gets to that level, Irish Merc dealers will risk losing sales to accross the water.

robbie99

And some interesting price comparisons with the 520d...

In the UK, the Merc is £30 cheaper.
E 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY SE auto = £28,863.30 on-the-road
520d SE auto = £28,895 on-the-road

Irish retail price has the Merc much cheaper.
E220 CDI auto = €49,100 retail (inclusive of delivery)
520d SE auto = €52,241.6 plus delivery

The lower Merc retail price gives it a lower OMSP and VRT. Max import cost @ rate of .852 ...
E220 CDI SE auto = €45,002.45 on-the-road Ireland
520d SE auto = €45,996.03 on-the-road Ireland

mickdw

Well finally had a look around an E Class Saloon at the local dealer. In my opinion the flare over the rear arch doesnt work at all. It looks exactly as the pictures. This was an elegance model and so I think it needs the sport kit with bigger rims to look right. Everything else about the car seems very good. Interior is a good finish and modern and stylish.
Dealer has 2 and had no idea when one was being reg'd.
Not much confidence in 2009 sales!

L-M

I passed one in the Merc dealership yesterday, didn't get a very good look but it was in a wine/burgundy colour. I'll be passing again today, I'll take a few snaps.

pburns

According to the mags new E is something of a return to form, although still not in the league of the last great E-class - the W124.

If the OP wants a car from this class though why consider only the E-class, 5-series or A6? What about the XF? I know there is a suspicion it's merits are enhanced somewhat by the UK press, I know it's not the default choice and that some think it looks like a Lexus.

But the interior looks gorgeous, it's handsome and dynamically on-the-pace. Is it a 2.7 or 3.0 diesel they put in it nowadays? Anywhichway supposed to be a cracker...

carchaeologist

Limerick man wrote: »

I passed one in the Merc dealership yesterday, didn't get a very good look but it was in a wine/burgundy colour. I'll be passing again today, I'll take a few snaps.

I must drop into my local dealer too,see what all this fuss is about!:p

junkyard

carchaeologist wrote: »

I must drop into my local dealer too,see what all this fuss is about!:p

Don't bother, awful looking thing tbh!!!:D

IrishHomer

I went to Michael Moores Athlone today to view.

Business was brisk there was a steady stream of potential customers trying it out.

I like it but it still has this "old fashioned" appearance and all the people excited about it are over 50yrs old.

carchaeologist

junkyard wrote: »

Don't bother, awful looking thing tbh!!!:D

Haha..i went in anyway,very quiet in there,car looks alright,the styling isnt that bad though the flare over the rear wheel arch is a bit unusual.
Surely you cant compare the finish of a mercedes to that of a Kia?
The small details make all the difference IMO?

mickdw

The rear flare appears to work when the wheel sits out further to fill the arch on higher spec models. Looking at it though on the lower spec cars, it doesnt work and I can see it being a problem

Zonda999

Just to show people whats meant with this whole flare thing, i took a few pics from carzone. Agree it looks awful with the small wheels. Can't believe they've made 16" the standard fit once again! It should be 17" minimum!

I think the 16" rims on this one look like the hubcaps on a toyota corolla!:eek:

VolvoMan

I think Merc have lost their way style-wise a good while ago. Their attempt to combine traditional Merc 'boxiness' into their latest styling is very poorly executed.

Come to think of it, MB never did do style that well. With the exception of a few generation of SL's and some of their 'Fintail' (or Heckflosse) saloon models from the 1950's/60's, their cars have mostly been about engineering rather than style. Most of the stuff they're producing nowadays have neither if you ask me.