New E class what options are worth having, what would you / Have you on yours?

[prprandall51]

^ My dads 6ft 2 is that classes as tall we he benifit?

Personally, I doubt it. I would strongly urge your Dad to sit in a Pano-roofed car before ordering it. I was shocked at how bad it was and I would be very miffed if I had spent all that money and then couldn't look out of the thing!

What's worse, the headroom over the driver and front passenger is significantly reduced to accomodate the Pano roof. All of the shortcomings of a glass roof and none of th benefits.

The pano roof was high on my spec list for a new 212 until I sat in a car fitted with one.

 

[prprandall51]

'Private ambulance black' is a good description I got last week..

No mention of your final journey yet?

 

[gmk666]

No mention of your final journey yet?

Many.
And people are always throwing flowers at me.

 

[C240Sport97]

The pano roof was high on my spec list for a new 212 until I sat in a car fitted with one.

me too .. until I decided to save money and get a used CLS55 instead

 

[st13phil]

Currently my dad is looking at a new E class estate, his spec so far is this..

He's certainly dug deep into the toybox, hasn't he?

Unless he really wants or needs to use the Comfort Telephony via a cradle (for example he drives a great deal in a poor reception area or has an ever-changing address book) then phone prewire is a waste of time as the standard Bluetooth works fine.

Tyre Pressure Warning is standard, Tyre Pressure Monitoring is an option. Personally I prefer to check my tyres weekly for unusual wear or damage and I check and adjust the pressures at the same time so I just stuck with the standard warning system.

I've spec'd DAB Radio for mine as I like listening to some stations that are not available on the analogue network. As he's having COMAND the marginal cost of adding DAB is not as high as it would be if he only wanted the standard Audio 20.

Driver Assistance Package is the only way you can get Distronic Plus. If he does lots of motorway miles then that could be a worthwhile addition. I don't and haven't bothered.

As others have said, the Pano Roof is not as much of an advantage over the lower-priced sunroof as you may think and if he picks a light-coloured headlining then the cabin is pretty light and airy anyway.

The ride is definitely ok on 18's but it's even better on 17's. It's a style over substance argument on that front.

Other than that I'd definitely add a load area tray as Pontoneer suggests.

 

[C240Sport97]

if you are going for 18" wheels, go for Airmatic

 

[st4]

I would upgrade to sport specification, the steering is upgraded, the wheels are nicer and the ride good and it looks nicer. The seating is a tad more supportive. He can then add that spec to that.

 

[st13phil]

I would upgrade to sport specification, the steering is upgraded, the wheels are nicer and the ride good and it looks nicer. The seating is a tad more supportive. He can then add that spec to that.

The V6 & V8 cars get Direct Steering on the Avantgarde just the same as on the Sport. With the options the OP's dad has spec'd on the Avantgarde all he'd be getting is the body kit, a different steering wheel & stiffer ride. Not good value, IMO.

 

[A210AMG]

^ Thanks, also my dad prefers the softer ride. Its a mile munching machine not a sports car

DAB has been added to the list

I've asked him to check the pano roof and the way people say its sits behind the normal sunroof. Looking at the brochure which I now have it looks in the same place?

Distronic is nice but a pricey option


As far as I can tell the bluetooth on the command will offer the same functionality of his previous cars with the prewire phone kit?

The only other what if currently is will stop / start be offered and wifi on the command unit?


Thanks again

 

[npuk]

It is nearly £1k for the wifi (doesnt work via Comand unit) without fitting. Better of just getting a 3 Mifi dongle if he really needs wifi access in the car.

Mercedes-Benz of Milton Keynes

 

[st13phil]

I looked very hard at the Avantgarde vs Sport question before I ordered my W212 and concluded that as soon as I chose the V6 the Avantgarde represented the sweetspot for me. To get some of the things I considered essential (leather, light coloured headlining, etc) meant loading up the Sport with options which just pushed the price up, and while the ride isn't what you'd call harsh it's definitely not as compliant at town speeds as the Avantgarde. Also (and this wasn't really important as a buying criteria as I was buying the car I want to live with for the next 3+ years, not one for someone else), virtually every used W212 you see is a Sport which means at resale time you're selling into a market where there are dozens to choose from. by contrast, while there may be fewer people who want the Avantgarde, those who do want that model won't buy a Sport so you have a fairly captive market

With regard to phone functionality the differences are that the standard Bluetooth has no SMS reader facility and that the address book doesn't automatically update in the car to reflect changes you've made on the phone: you have to tell COMAND to re-import the contacts. As far as performance goes you'll be using the phone's antenna rather than one on the roof of the car so if you're in an area with poor reception you may lose the signal sooner than you would using the prewire.

One good thing that the latest COMAND does in the W/S212 is support streaming audio over Bluetooth so if you have a phone that supports that (iPhone, various Nokia's, etc) then you can stream music wirelessly to the car

 

[A210AMG]

Dads last E class estate he like so much he kept 7 years (now I own it) so this new one will be a keeper and will be bought to his spec..no one elses.

 

[npuk]

One good thing that the latest COMAND does in the W/S212 is support streaming audio over Bluetooth so if you have a phone that supports that (iPhone, various Nokia's, etc) then you can stream music wirelessly to the car

have you seen this being done? I though the only way to get bluetooth streaming was to fit the the Media Interface Plus. No bluetooth streaming support mentioned in the brochure.

 

[del320]

I've got leather, cruise, a metal sunroof and metallic paint - oh, and a 6-disc changer.

I'm very pleased with my car!

 

[A210AMG]

^ Thats great and I am happy with mine

Thing is if you were buying new you might as well get your choice right especially as he will have this probably at least 5 years.

There must be something in yours that you may have thought...ooh that would be nice to have..

 

[Dr-Nab]

have you seen this being done? I though the only way to get bluetooth streaming was to fit the the Media Interface Plus. No bluetooth streaming support mentioned in the brochure.

There's a way of unlocking it if you have comand, you have to go in to the engineering menu and follow some instructions on it, I'll post a link to the guide I found when I can dig it out! I must admit I haven't done it because I haven't had time to sit and do it.

 

[st13phil]

have you seen this being done? I though the only way to get bluetooth streaming was to fit the the Media Interface Plus. No bluetooth streaming support mentioned in the brochure.

Definitely available as standard now according to my dealer when I ordered the car. Take a look at the www.mercedes-benz-mobile.com site & select the latest listed version of the E-Class. Check under Bluetooth functionality for the iPhone (for example) and you'll see that streaming audio has a tick in it.

 

[Brian WH]

This is what I have on mine.

Design Line Sport Upgrade – AMG Styling + Sports Seats + 18in AMG Alloy 6 Twin-Spoke Wheels + Sports Braking system + Sport Steering Wheel with Gear Shift Paddles + Brushed Aluminium Trim + AMG Mats + Stainless steel pedals with Rubber Studs.
Intelligent Light System, with Bi-Xenon Headlights & LED running Lights.
Mirror Package – Auto Dimming & Folding Door Mirrors.
Headlamp Wash
Comand- Satellite Navigation with memory.
Driver Assistance Package – Distronic Plus with pre-safe braking + Lane Tracking + Blind Spot Assist
Night View Assist Plus – Infra-red night view on Comand screen.
Memory Electric Front Seats – Seats, headrests and mirror positions.
Telephone Prewire – Hands Free Phone with Aerial on roof, plus Bluetooth.
Luxury Automatic Climate Control – Front and Rear Temperature Control
DAB Digital Radio Tuner
Fire Extinguisher
Tracker

I highly recommend the Distronic package.
The Night View Assist is not worth the money.