W211 Elegance or Avantgarde?

[WindyH]

Yes going back to the brochure, 'ordinary' leather trim was a £950 option on the Av, but £1250 on the El (estate prices) but Nappa leather was £1690 on either

 

[WindyH]

............and Comfort suspension (standard on El & Cl) was offered as a no cost option on Av

 

[st4]

James-if fuel economy a big issue would a 203 be an option?

211 wise I have an AG and its soft enough, ride is excellent. I'd imagine (give your age group i.e. mine) you'd want an AG and not an elegence.

Go for as new a one as possible, and dont discount a derv (you'd be wanting a 270cdi or a 320cdi after an S600 a 220cdi just isnt an option).

 

[shorty]

our 211 Avantgarde it has Airmatic , so the car can be set for comfort or sports , this gives the best for both

 

[christopherwk]

More subtle differences, Avantgarde come with automatic headlamp adjustment and wash (I believe these must be standard with xenons to avoid dazzling other drivers), and the wood inside has a chrome strip across the top (Elegance has this as well, but Classic doesn't).

I think power folding mirrors and ambient lighting are standard on the Avantgarde but not on Classic/Elegance? Not sure though.

 

[Dryce]

211 wise I have an AG and its soft enough, ride is excellent. I'd imagine (give your age group i.e. mine) you'd want an AG and not an elegence.

If used mainly for urban/suburban/mptorway use then my feeling is that Elegance suspension and 16" wheels is the way to go if you want comfort/refinement.

The AG suspension setup is a very good compromise for expediting cross-country journeys with passengers.

 

[orangeboy]

On a standard 3.2 Avantgarde, does the comfort / Sport button adjust the suspension? Or is that an extra?

I thought the button just changed the amount of revs in each gear.

 

[Dryce]

On a standard 3.2 Avantgarde, does the comfort / Sport button adjust the suspension? Or is that an extra?

I thought the button just changed the amount of revs in each gear.

Yup it just adjusts the transmission to start in 2nd and change a bit earlier.

You need the Airmatic suspension option (standard on E500) to be able to alter the suspensions settings.

 

[James Rothwell]

Thanks for all the replies guys.

LPG is a definite no-no as I don't like it plus you can't use the EuroTunnel if you have LPG which I do usually once a month.

I'm undecided what to do. I think the S600 needs to go and I'd like to stay with MB but my other brand of choice is Audi, I like the look of the facelifted MKI A8/S8, I had a pre-facelift one before and I loved it but that might have been because I was only 18 and it was a 4.2 40v. Hmm... But back onto MB I think a W211 is the sensible choice in either E320 or E270CDi guise in either Elegance or Avantgarde... But I do really like the idea of a W220 even though they seem to suffer with reliability issues most of which doesn't bother me apart from the airmatic system. I've found a nice S500L with all the options I'd like, not first choice of colour, good miles and 1 owner.

Or I could be totally sensible and buy a 1.9TDi Passat or Octavia...

 

[Aoraki]

Or I could be totally sensible and buy a 1.9TDi Passat or Octavia...

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[abokz]

Hello, Let me give some ideas since currently I have Classic , Elegance and Avantgarde versions. both are Saloons

I don't really know about the technical issues,

But, The visible differences with the Elegance and Avangarde is :

1. Retractable Side Mirrors for AG, while Elegance doesn't have it.

2. Command unit with Sat Nav and DVD Playback for AG, while Elegance only have APS 20 with 6 CD-changers.

3. Panoramic Sunroof for AG, while Elegance doesn't have any Sunroofs

4. Electric rear window sun blind for AG , while Elegance doesn't have any.

5. Keyless Go package for AG, not available on Elegance.

6. Phone System for AG, no Phone system installed.

7. AG Window tint is Blue, while the Elegance Green tint.

8. AG have sport kit, and they look lower than Elegance versions.

9. alittle bit different on bumper, AG looks more sporty.

10. AG only uses Black Wood Granites style. and elegance Grain wood(colour is Lighter)

11. Shifters panel for AG is Aluminium, while Elegance is Wood Panel.

12. Both of them have Parktronic (Parking Sensors)

13. Both of them have Jetwashers for Head lights

14. AG have Wooden Leather Steering Wheels, while Elegance is Leather only.

15. Rims for Elegance is 16" and AG have 18" as their standards 5 Spokes.

16. AG have LED stop lights, while Elegance still using a bulbs

17. HID BI-Xenon for AG, and Halogen for Elegance.

18. 10 audio speakers for Elegances, and 12 Speakers for AG (some have 10)

19. AG have Rear Digital climate adjuster , while Elegance doesn't have.

20. AG's Instrument cluster is Silver and White, while Elegance black on black Instrument.

21. AG have Ventilater seats on Driver and front Passenger seats, Elegance Dont have any.

22. AG have the Trunk Power door, you can close and open your trunk by pressing a button located on the Trunk door, and cabin.

that is what I see visible by eyes. any technical inside I have not checked yet. hehehe..
hope this helps.

 

[Mr E]

Hello, Let me give some ideas since currently I have Classic , Elegance and Avantgarde versions. both are Saloons

I don't really know about the technical issues,
But, The visible differences with the Elegance and Avangarde is :
1. Retractable Side Mirrors for AG, while Elegance doesn't have it.
2. Command unit with Sat Nav and DVD Playback for AG, while Elegance only have APS 20 with 6 CD-changers.
3. Panoramic Sunroof for AG, while Elegance doesn't have any Sunroofs
4. Electric rear window sun blind for AG , while Elegance doesn't have any.
5. Keyless Go package for AG, not available on Elegance.
6. Phone System for AG, no Phone system installed.
7. AG Window tint is Blue, while the Elegance Green tint.
8. AG have sport kit, and they look lower than Elegance versions.
9. alittle bit different on bumper, AG looks more sporty.
10. AG only uses Black Wood Granites style. and elegance Grain wood(colour is Lighter)
11. Shifters panel for AG is Aluminium, while Elegance is Wood Panel.
12. Both of them have Parktronic (Parking Sensors)
13. Both of them have Jetwashers for Head lights
14. AG have Wooden Leather Steering Wheels, while Elegance is Leather only.
15. Rims for Elegance is 16" and AG have 18" as their standards 5 Spokes.
16. AG have LED stop lights, while Elegance still using a bulbs
17. HID BI-Xenon for AG, and Halogen for Elegance.
18. 10 audio speakers for Elegances, and 12 Speakers for AG (some have 10)
19. AG have Rear Digital climate adjuster , while Elegance doesn't have.
20. AG's Instrument cluster is Silver and White, while Elegance black on black Instrument.
21. AG have Ventilater seats on Driver and front Passenger seats, Elegance Dont have any.
22. AG have the Trunk Power door, you can close and open your trunk by pressing a button located on the Trunk door, and cabin.
that is what I see visible by eyes. any technical inside I have not checked yet. hehehe..
hope this helps.

You probably have different options fitted to the different models:

1 - Standard
2 - COMAND sat-nav, etc, was an option across the board
3 - Sun roofs were options
4 - Electric blind was an option
5 - Option
6 - Option
7 - Standard
8 - Not sport kit, but lower suspension
9 - Standard
10 - Standard
11 - Standard
12 - Option (I think, certaily had to spec on both of mine)
13 - Standard with Xenons
14 - Option
15 - Option
16 - Standard
17 - Standard
18 - depends on ICE option
19 - Option
20 - Standard
21 - Option
22 - Option - all can open the boot from inside, but not all have power closing.

 

[st4]

Go the full monty and get a sport!!!

 

[bpsorrel]

James, I have to give you one more recommendation - BMW 730d. I had one before my S211 and the ride was sublime! Power was plentiful and economy pretty good too. The looks inside and out are a matter of taste, but I really liked it as did my wife, in fact her view is that the 730d was the best car we've had together and she definately misses it! Worth a look maybe?

 

[ecky jeck]

I have a 2003 W211 320 cdi Avant-Garde and it is great. Keep the revs down to about 2,000 - you cruise at 70 speed limit and on a long journey get OVER 50 mpg. Lovely car.

 

[Jukie]

Didn't the Elegance come with that awful orange wood trim? Go for the Avantgarde and get the Black Maple instead - much more tasteful. Also the blue tinted glass and better alloys.

I was re-reading this thread over the weekend.

Am I the only person who likes the contrast provided by the "orange wood", especially with black leather? I cannot abide the faux aluminium gear selector surround in A/G models. I think it looks cheap and tacky.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Am I the only person who likes the contrast provided by the "orange wood", especially with black leather?

Until you get up close to the wood trim, yes. If they'd have offered a sort of teak flowing grain instead of a 1980's walnut, I think it would have been a more popular choice.

But they didn't, so it wasn't.

 

[Jukie]

Am I right in thinking the 'faux aluminium" has been replaced by maple wood all round? If so, does any one know when this happened? Facelift models?

 

[gIzzE]

I was re-reading this thread over the weekend.

Am I the only person who likes the contrast provided by the "orange wood", especially with black leather?

Yes, yes you are.

 

[first timer]

Can anyone tell me if there is a difference between an 02 w211 E270 cdi AG bumper and the Elegance 03 w211 E270 cdi.