rayaans

As things are starting to go down hill - weather wise, I went over to the local Mercedes dealer to get the winter tyres put on my wifes C220 CDI. Being rwd its not the best in the snow, even though it has skinny 205 tires.

Well anyway, while they were doing the free winter check and putting the tyres on, thought I might as well have a look around the dealership. Not much interested me apart from the CLA, until I got in and found the abundance of cheap switchgear and an afterthought nav screen. I thought, hey, fair enough, this is a cheap car right? Looked at the sticker and LOLed. Listed at £37,455. same price as an IS300h with the ML, which IMO looks and feels more premium + has more equipment.

OK, well I took a further look around and saw a gleaming metallic white ML350 CDI. Now that has a rugged look about it and instantly got my attention. Got in, hmm nice, hard leather, not my thing but atleast its leather right? Well no actually, its artico, man made stuff. Anyway, thought id grab a pricelist and here goes, the car is so bloody expensive. Makes me realise how much of a bargain the RX actually is, relative.

Spec for Spec, it came out at £61,537 . oh and leather was an option ha!

RXSF

yeah, leather is not standard on any of Mercs SUVs or low end sedans, not even the E class. And generally, their leather is hard that is feels like a vinyl, you have to opt for the nappa leather to get softness.

I have been long time fans of both Lexus and Mercedes. In a way, with Mercedes, you also get what you pay for. Even though the price you pay will be a few thousand more, you slowly learn why that is the case. I love how my mercedes will automatically unlock the doors and flash the emergency signals when it its shock sensors are activated thinking you have just got into an accident. I love how the headlights will turn on automatically in broad daylight if the rain sensing wipers are activated. I also love how the wipers know to finish their swipe after you turn off the ignition. It is these little things that make you appreciate the engineering behind a mercedes.

I am a huge lexus fan too, and have driven them for over 10 years. However, the engineering behind the vehicles is much that you would find on a toyota. Sure you get lots of luxury, but there are no extra details. I was sad to find out that toyota models also have windows that roll up and slow down as they reach the top.

rayaans

I honestly thought the same way about you as a Mercedes owner until fairly recently. Ive been going off Mercedes, theyre designs seem to be getting boring and predictable unlike Lexus at the moment who are on a slightly crazy spree at the moment.

I was shocked to find that the Mercedes had leather as an option, and the Nappa was a £2000 option, slightly ridiculous when you're paying £50k for a car! And HUD was nowhere to be seen.

I do like the little details of the Lexus. The windows slowing down and the seats + steering wheel moving to make access easier. I also like how the centre cupholder cover closes and opens, sounds silly but it does so rather elegantly. The dash lights are also pretty cool in the way they change colour when driving in different modes + you cant beat the silence and smoothness of the hybrid drivetrain. I also love the HUD and the LED lights, both of which are not even available on the ML.

IMO, the Mercedes felt sterile with no personality, like a hotel compared to a home, if that makes sense. I was rather glad to be back in the RX, it feels homely and has an air about it that the Merc cant match, no wonder its the best selling SUV?

RXSF

Yep, you really do understand why the RX sells in so many units when you own one. Ive owned three. ha

My neighbor had a 2010 RX which I assumed was a lease. He then switched to an Acura ZDX (Im guessing you don't get those in Europe, Acura being the luxury brand of Honda), and then he switched back to an RX a few months later. Now, he recently bought another RX...not sure why lol

corradoMR2

Benz interiors lack warmth and exude a very business-like aura. BMW and Audi, similar result. Not my cup of tea.

kitlz

Well, the RX did offer cloth interior when it first came out. I believe leather was part of the luxury package. A whopping two packages were available back then, the other being basic IIRC. And everything was an option - CD player, heated seats, moonroof. Those things added up!

I didn't realize leather is an option on MB. I would've thought it's standard at that price point. Shows how much I look at other vehicles, LOL! Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate features they have, like the pre-collision system in Bert's MB that actually stops it completely. I figure Lexus will catch up eventually or maybe create something better. Being a long time RX owner like RXSF, I also see the improvements Lexus has made over the years. That's one of the things that keeps me in the RX. It's never boring.

corradoMR2

In Canada, the base RX comes with cloth seats, but it's a special order.

2008M3

2014 Mercedes E350 get $12K-$15k off MSRP of $56K-$62K during all of December and 1st week of January. Don't know what the promo's are right now but I would take that discounted price over any Lexus all day long. I just got one last month for $45K ($12K off MSRP of $57K) plus tax and license.

EMSLEXUSRX

A friend of mine took advantage of the promos on the 2014 Mercedes E350. She got a large discount also off of the MSRP. It was loaded to the gills. The Mercedes dealership that she bought the car from also gave her a hundred dollar gift certificate to a high-end restaurant in Tampa called Donatello. This restaurant has been around in Tampa since the seventies.

We had a nice dinner and a fun evening at Donatello, and I had the chance to ride in her new Mercedes. Although the car drove very nice, I didn't care for the start/stop technology that is now in the new Mercs. For me, it ruined an otherwise nice ride. When she would accelerate from a stop, the car would shutter a bit before coming to life. She also had it in ECO mode, and I told her she needed to try out the other modes that are available. She doesn't know a whole lot about cars, so she didn't get what I was trying to explain to her. All she cares about is getting the best gas mileage out of the car. They should allow the driver to turn off that start/stop stuff if the driver wants to.

I remember driving an RX400h back in 2006, which we know that hybrids have this technology, but I don't remember it being so noticeable. Maybe my memory is flawed.

Otherwise, the Merc E350 is a very nice vehicle

dctex99

Like other manufacturers, BMW stomped them last year, so they are trying to BUY their way into best selling luxury vehicle in 2014; especially important with Lexus gaining; they could be a lowly number 3 like Chrysler was in the US for so many years!!!!!

CapeDave

I was looking at some cars recently. One thing I asked was could I turn off the start/stop. In the case of the Q5, then answer was yes. And I was going to make them show me how so I know they were not BS'ing me. I wonder if it is different somehow in the RX450h? I did not notice it the few times I drove one.

TorontoRX

I have a 2013 Merc C350 with the start/stop ECO mode feature and it does seem to help in the gas mileage department. Yes, owners can turn that feature off. For my car, the button is just below the radio/CD, beside the buttons for heated seats. One thing I like is that the touch lock feature is on all 4 doors...one feature i would like to see in future RXs.

I enjoy my C350 as i get enough sportiness out of it without going too crazy..looked at the C63 and THAT was crazy. I enjoy both our cars (wife's RX350 and my C350) for the unique features they each offer. Apples & oranges, IMHO. I like that we can change things up every now and then.

rayaans

Well the RX450h does have stop start but its totally different to any other manufacturer simply because the car slows down while its on electric and starts up on electric so you never notice anything! Absolutely nothing. Sometimes its difficult to even spot the engine coming on.

You can only tell the engine is on when you hear the V8 like rumble .

Mercs of late are becoming too serious, almost uniform, no panache and no personality. And did I mention that the ML350 CDI was £6k more than my RXh's list price? And no HUD or upgraded stereo either! The bloody diesel rattle put me off anyhow ha!

oohpapi44

iTrader: (1)

Believe these drivers may be LOL'ing at our 'on-road' only SUV.





Then they may be LOL'ing for even being compared with an RX in the first place, since they don't consider it in the same class.

M Class = Cayenne = X5/6 = MDX

RX = X3 = RDX = Rav 4 = Volvo XC90 = Edge = MKX

MB freely states they sacrificed comfort for off roadability so it's marketed to a totally different driver.

BarrettF77

Mercedes makes everything an option. I ordered a MB originally before buying the RX. I wonder if Air in the tires is not a cost option with MB. They are just a joke, and not much different that. Most other German car makers.