since when do you find c&d opinons valid

 

Yeah that got me puzzled as well but it is C&D.

Did you miss the part where I said (C&D is a horrible read). Clarkson hated it too fyi.

That said I am positive its a great car, just not for Clarkson, C&D in that comparo and the O.P here.

 

Well, of course, I don't always agree with C&D, especially before Brock Yates left and was still writing editiorials for them (C&D's Patrick Bedard, John Phillips, and the recent Csaba Csede, in my view, were far more intelligent than Yates). But, to be honest, I find C&D a step above some of the other monthly auto mags. In general, C&D, to me, overall, seems more competent than Motor Trend, less extreme-oriented than Road and Track toward exotic cars and racing, more professionally-written than Autoweek (though Autoweek benefited from Rich Ceppos, who was once at C&D), and, overall, a par with, Automobile magazine.

 

All of the auto mags are just good toilet readers, nothing more. If I could, I would flush the magazines down the toilet after I'm done. They're about as unbiased and fair as the FOX News channel. Come on... the G37X wins all categories of a comparo that are objective (track numbers), but ends losing to the 335xi (I think it was 335) just because the BMW still has the "German handling"... ugh, JUMPED THE SHARK AGAIN !!!!

 

Just got back from test driving the new E class.

I now understand why they sold 6000 of these things last month. It is a fantastic, very well rounded vehicle. We looked at the coupe and loved the way it looked, but it's essentially a 2+2 and doesn't come in 4matic so it was immediately out.

We took an E350 4matic for a ride and I was thoroughly impressed. Sure, it doesn't handle like a 5 series, but it is capable and responsive. The ride is smooth, without giving up road feel entirely. There is more than enough power for a family sedan and the interior feels much more luxurious than the BMW.

The multi-contour seats are amazing. Getting a massage while driving....that's luxury...lol. COMMAND still lags behind all of the competitors, but we can find our way around it.

Considering the price drop over the '09's this would be an easy decision if we decide to stick with a car. They did have an '09 left, and even the sales guy acknowledged that it will be difficult to sell....even with the large discount. They were side by side, and there would be no way I'd pick it over the '10 even at $10K less.

We just need to decide if we want a new car or SUV. Both my wife and I would be comfortable in this capable, classy car. Our salesman showed us a pretty good offer on a new '10 GL 350 Bluetec that really piqued our interest so we'll see.

 

hopefully tomorrow i will be able to test out some powerful e-class

 

IMO, the latest gen MB products beginning with model year 2008 address many of the shortcomings of recent Benz's, so I'm not surprised by the favorable reviews of the new E.

 

Wow. Hate to revive an oldie thread but I was searching for a navigation solution for if I bring my Lexus to Germany and I saw the firestorm I started in this thread. I don't want to get off-topic so let me clear some things up about my review.

I did actually drive the car, and I am not bashing the E or Mercedes. I made it very clear that they put me in a base model car and that had a lot to do with my comments on the steering and driving experience. Perhaps it is because I look young and they figured I'd go for a lower-end model. I can't explain it. Usually, they put you in a nicer model. The car just felt "ok". Nothing special about it.

I am not a Mercedes hater. I made several good points about the E. Matter of fact, I went to test drive it because I was considering purchasing a new car at the time. It's strange how much people assume from reading a car review... one that I think was pretty fair and listed positives and negatives.

I appreciate the cultural lessons about Europe from one of the posters. I also enjoy Europe. Matter of fact I lived in Germany from 2000-2004 and I currently reside there. OH, SNAP! I actually reside right where one of this thread's participant does, and we may even work in the same building... imagine that. The reason I lost visibility on this thread is because I deployed to Afghanistan for awhile.

Now I know the push-button start thing caused a bit of controversy, but like another poster indicated I didn't think it was a big deal before I had my GS. Now that I've lived with the convenience of not having to reach in my pocket and simply pressing the start button... well yes it is important to me. It makes me feel good about myself and better than people who can't afford it. (joke)

As far as the MBTex, the car I was driving had MBTex. Or whatever it was, it wasn't real leather. They showed me in another model and explained to me the costs to upgrade to real leather. I have been in numerous taxis in Germany and Europe. I am well aware of the downgrades some of these cars have. I see brand new Benzes with hubcaps. Why is that important? Don't answer... it's off topic.

Do I hate the new E? No. I think that a higher end E would probably get a different review from me. I could only review the model that I personally drove and experienced.

Off-topic, the 4-door A5 (it's actually considered a 5-door) is sick. That is a beautiful car that I think looks much better than the A4 or A6. Too bad they don't sell it stateside. Also, I saw the new Mercedes CLS driving in Stuttgart today, and it had some matte vinyl applied to the sides of it so that you couldn't make out all the lines. I almost jumped when I saw it. Looked great from the outside.

Cheers, and no hard feelings guys. I'm a car lover like the rest of you. Just don't assume you know all about someone's motives and what they know about the world from a car review

 

I have mixed emotions on the '10 E class.
Nice but to me it seems to have lost that classic Benz look a bit too much.

 

Aesthetically, the E Class does absolutely nothing for me.

The front looks awkward (the front of the GS is so much better), the side is too blocky w/ that horrendous angled character line (fyi, I don't care for the angled character line on the Sonata either) and the rear is bland as can be.

The best mainstream designs that Mercedes has presently are the C Class and GLK (the S Class is such a snooze) - where the sharp, angled design looks, well, sharp.