Upgrading from Mondeo Mk4 Estate to a S204 or S212

[Bilbo80]

Hello all,

My car Mondeo mk4 estate died last week so I'm in the market for an estate.

I've narrowed down my choices to S212 or S204

I'm interested in comfortable ride quality and reasonable mpg therefore E class seems like a no brainer but then again they seem to be little pricier side compared to C class , plus I'm not sure about repair costs between the two? I assume parts would be bit costly for the E class and ore things to break?

I should add I am able to do almost all repairs myself apart from gearbox repairs.

I was wondering if I would be better off with a C class estate coming from a Mondeo, would the ride quality be better or worse in a S204 compared to a Mondeo? Hope that question not going to upset people here, once I had an old Mondeo mk2 which I got for nothing and I swear it felt like riding on a cloud all the time and old seats were so much comfier than some of the modern expensive ones I've sat on.

My mate had a W205 with AMG trim , while it was nice car inside and out I felt the ride quality was bit stiff compared with my Mondeo, not sure if it's the low profile wheels and Artico seats which made it harsh or if it's generally like that in a C class.

Plus it felt a bit cramped inside the W205 , will it be the same on S204 in the cabin?

I only have a small family , me, my wife and just one almost teen child therefore space is not a major issue for us but it would be better if the cabin is not smaller than the Mondeo

Any thoughts are welcome.

 

[ChrisHGTV]

Hello! I went from a Mondy mk4 Titanium X to an S212 estate, though my Mondy wasn’t an estate. I can only comment on the E rather than the C from an owners perspective. In terms of size, the E is closest to the Ford, I found the C quite small actually. The E I find much more manoeuvrable as it’s slightly narrower and has a much better turning circle, like a London cab in comparison!. The Merc definitely feels more luxurious. The Mondy has much better handling, the E is more like a big wafty cruiser. Ride quality I’d say not much in it. My E is an Avantgarde so slightly firmer. I think the E also gives the impression it’s a nicer ride because the sound proofing is better and you feel a bit more cosseted.

On balance they both do a great job, the E just feels a bit more luxurious.

Running costs - my E has been way more expensive than the Mondy! Same mileage, the Mondy had had drop links, and a dmf on top of normal service items (Mine was manual). The E has had all new rear air suspension, engine and trans mounts, water pump.

When I had the Mondy I thought this is so good I’ll always have one, but on balance I prefer the Merc. It feels a bit more special and for what I use it for I love the relaxed ride, though you can’t hurl it around like a Mondy.

hope that helps, any questions just give a shout!

 

[Deleted member 159894]

E every time, the C won’t feel special enough after the Mondeo which is a good car.

 

[Bilbo80]

Hello! I went from a Mondy mk4 Titanium X to an S212 estate, though my Mondy wasn’t an estate. I can only comment on the E rather than the C from an owners perspective. In terms of size, the E is closest to the Ford, I found the C quite small actually. The E I find much more manoeuvrable as it’s slightly narrower and has a much better turning circle, like a London cab in comparison!. The Merc definitely feels more luxurious. The Mondy has much better handling, the E is more like a big wafty cruiser. Ride quality I’d say not much in it. My E is an Avantgarde so slightly firmer. I think the E also gives the impression it’s a nicer ride because the sound proofing is better and you feel a bit more cosseted.

On balance they both do a great job, the E just feels a bit more luxurious.

Running costs - my E has been way more expensive than the Mondy! Same mileage, the Mondy had had drop links, and a dmf on top of normal service items (Mine was manual). The E has had all new rear air suspension, engine and trans mounts, water pump.

When I had the Mondy I thought this is so good I’ll always have one, but on balance I prefer the Merc. It feels a bit more special and for what I use it for I love the relaxed ride, though you can’t hurl it around like a Mondy.

hope that helps, any questions just give a shout!

Cheers Chris, that's really helpful coming from a Mondeo owner, I too felt Mondy is such a good car so I was wondering to upgrade to a newer one or not , but I always wanted to try out an E class so thought I should give it a go this time.

 

[Bilbo80]

E every time, the C won’t feel special enough after the Mondeo which is a good car.

Thanks, that made things easier for me.

 

[MEMERC7]

Don't be deluded by the Mercedes badge & all the snobbery surrounding the brand. I was issued with several mid-range Mondeo's including an estate & the ride & reliability put Mercedes to shame. As for the build quality it was perfectly acceptable & in no way was I ever that aware I was in an inferior car. The tactility of some of the controls were better than the nasty cheap silver plastic used for Mercedes heater controls. I did 150k UK & European miles in a Mk 2 Mondeo estate & it was supremely comfortable, 4 hours at the wheel no problem. No rattles unlike the squeaks from the console of an SLK, no air con. failures as per an SLK AND an SLC & on 4 Fords, a Toyota & a Vauxhall (all did 150k miles +) I never had to have the alloy wheels replaced because of the dreaded white worm (lacquer de-lamination).
Privately I've owned from new a MK1 Mazda MX-5, a Honda S2000 & an Audi A3 cabriolet, both miles ahead of Mercedes in every regard.
The ONLY reason I run an SLC is because apart from Mazda & some Supercar brands nobody makes a folding hardtop 2 seater anymore.
Think VW Lexus or Audi but give Mercedes a swerve.

 

[ChrisHGTV]

Cheers Chris, that's really helpful coming from a Mondeo owner, I too felt Mondy is such a good car so I was wondering to upgrade to a newer one or not , but I always wanted to try out an E class so thought I should give it a go this time.

To be honest I felt exactly the same but as good as the Mondy is it just seemed a bit boring to get the same again. I’d had mine for 7 years. Similarly I’d always fancied an E. Despite the repair costs I would say I prefer the Merc. But if I needed an ultra reliable mile muncher that was very cheap to run I’d go Mondeo. Both are great so I don’t think you can go wrong with either if you get a good one!

 

[SW18]

I love my S212 but was always an admirer of Mondeo estates too. If you do go for the S212 you should budget £1k per year all-in for maintenance and repairs, nothing about MB is cheap even at an independent.

The option option could be a Skoda Superb estate - the only other estate car as capacious as the S212. They do seem to be very well put together and good smooth cars to drive.

 

[Bilbo80]

Until I posted in this thread I never even looked at new Mondeos since I wanted a change, but Ironically after seeing these replies on a MB forum I checked out few videos of new Mondeo and they seem pretty decent.
I'm not bothered single bit about the badge tbh, reliability, ride comfort and cheap to run/maintain is what I care, safety wise they all seem to be same these days.

Recently I've gotten a bit spoiled by new technologies (new for me) like adoptive cruse control, hill assist in our Golf , so I think if these features don't come in older MBs then might be not a bad idea to consider a new/newish Mondeo or a Mazda6 estate.

 

[ChrisHGTV]

Until I posted in this thread I never even looked at new Mondeos since I wanted a change, but Ironically after seeing these replies on a MB forum I checked out few videos of new Mondeo and they seem pretty decent.
I'm not bothered single bit about the badge tbh, reliability, ride comfort and cheap to run/maintain is what I care, safety wise they all seem to be same these days.

Recently I've gotten a bit spoiled by new technologies (new for me) like adoptive cruse control, hill assist in our Golf , so I think if these features don't come in older MBs then might be not a bad idea to consider a new/newish Mondeo or a Mazda6 estate.

Certainly my older Mondeo had more kit than my newer Merc. And the heated front screen was a real bonus - that’s by far the thing I miss the most. And the music system, the Sony I had was brilliant.

 

[Spider10]

You can't beat a volvo v70 D5 ,I found it better than the mondeo est for comfort and cost, they go forever if you look after them