Honestly...all of these cars should have these things...

 

Sorry about the switch man, you are probably more patient than I would be in that situation.....last time I went in for my alignment someone scuffed my door speaker grill and I made it a point to walk the service adviser out and ask if he sees a problem.

I'm not too surprised about the loaner, from all the ones I've worked on MB really has a gap between their good/great cars and lower end ones that Lexus doesn't exhibit to the same degree/style. Lexus cars generally are all built well and consistent at least and the steps from model to model are not as jarring.

Whenever I get a rental ES250 at the dealer I'm always shocked a bit stepping out of an LS into it. It's just not compatible and the constant and required 4-5k rpm sends fuel economy right down to below my V8s.....plus just doesn't sound or feel good. They really struggle to glide and feel effortless/even just get moving well at all.

 

I broke the switch lol, it was one of the things I brought to their attention when I brought it in. No clue how it happened...carwash maybe?

Have you driven a similar ES350 to compare?

 

Oh understood, I thought they had broken it lol!

Yes and it's FAR better, more relaxed and I can glide it around when I don't want to push it hard and it still gets up and moves acceptably.

The odd thing about any of the newest ESs though regardless of engine is that they try to give a confident/sporty ride but if you push them to even 5/10 they just fall apart. Actual handling and limits are very low in a very disproportionate relation to initial and normal driving feel. This is in contrast to the LS that seems like a rolling mess but grips far better and reacts way more predictably with easy 10-15mph higher limits and more importantly a sense of ease if you are under 8/10. I think this feeling is misplaced in the ES and should be reserved for the IS and coupes.

The ES entices with a false promise and under-delivers, it's no longer the cloud it used to be so I find it strange they try to give it an A4/6 fighter feel when it would get utterly annihilated by them. As stated above Audi also provides a great 2.0t engine that can and does out-power larger engines and is just really well matched to the cars they are in.

The 2.0t is also a "serious" engine and you can tell vs other brands/engines that sometimes have half baked options that are not the "real" one for that car. The Lexus 250 class engine is utterly disappointing, they should have used the 2.0T from the GS instead or something, anything else. The 250 gave me nothing but the thought of "this will make a nice beater in 10 years when it drops off a cliff in value" since it's just not an impressive engine. I hold some respect for the V6 cars but not for this one if that makes any sense.

EDIT: I'll also add the whole argument of fuel economy is stupid, you wouldn't be buying any new car if you actually cared/are limited by that as a factor.

 

I agree. Have you driven an LS500? Its the same way, it loses the cloudlike ride yet when pushed performs no better than the old car really. The ES dynamically has always been a mess, but at least it delivered a great ride. Although the new ones still ride very well.

 

That sounds like a really disappointing experience, as I would’ve expected more from an E-Class. I imagine the lower end packages probably aren’t that impressive, especially coming from an S-Class. I figured you would be given a nicer optioned E-Class or even an S-Class loaner car since your car is pretty high up in the world of the Mercedes vehicles.

 

They wanted to give me a GLB (which I really don’t like), I had to ask for this!

 

Yeah I have actually, it's why I have an A8 lol! The LS500 feels confused, that's the best way I can put it for the 18s I drove/was considering buying. After I had a great time with my "test" owning a 430 I decided to look at everything the brand has so I started with the F cars and latest LS.

After that drive I decided it was not for me and went for the A8 and a 4th gen instead. I ended up paying roughly the same but I have a much better comfort first car and much better land missile for it. The 500 didn't do either of those roles well.....it can't hold up to the Germans at all and is less comfortable/large inside as the 460. Also to be perfectly honest the 0-60 was not what Lexus claimed it would give me even in the AWD version that I also tried, that was a major disappointment.

If the car had say.....150 more HP I would have one since that would allow me to overlook the discomfort in the ride like I do the A8. The LS500 has a completely superior interior minus the killer MMI system Audi uses and would have directly addressed most of the issue I take with mine. Issue again is the A8 gets a pass since it's so capable and is still at the end of the day super nice when you are just cruising around, I would be lying if I said it's not still a fantastic time inside.

I don't disagree at all the new ESs do ride well but I find it again, disingenuous. They should have simply continued in offering the "over supple" ride that had been an almost 30 year trademark. The IS exists after all. So does the RC, the SUVs also have a more "confident" vibe for that mass appeal so just leave the ES doing what it was known for.

I don't expect everything all at once from all cars but I do like it when they clearly have a "thing" they excel at. Great example is a German car can give you all aspects but you will pay for it one way or an other.....

The lower tier Mercedes are generally disappointing but I have a major soft spot for the wagons, extra points for a diesel one. If they had more ground clearance and just slightly cheaper parts I would use one instead of my Jeep as a utility. God knows it will break on me about the same amount if not less....I would just have to get over keeping the interior perfect. I have a compulsion to keep nicer cars nice even if I just have it as a beater.

 

Oh wow. That’s interesting. Do they typically have E-Classes as loaners as well? I know you had to request it so I figured they probably don’t.

It’s like how my Lexus dealership quit doing GS’ as loaner cars years ago and you got stuck with an NX or RX. I always requested an ES though. They were available but there weren’t as many as the the crossovers.

 

You would think....it's a fight to get better than an ES for me and I'm an LS driver. I am just happy to have loaners these days to be honest, I don't get one at Audi usually. Still it's cheaper than buying an alignment rack myself that I'll never see any return on.

 

that is disappointing to hear, especially since i had long considered the E-Class to be more like a 'small S-Class' than a big C-Class... i haven't been in the W213 yet but in the past that statement has been true for me

even my AMG W211 has a very comfortable ride with thick cushy seats and an overall heavy executive hefty feel as it glides down the road, not as floaty and serene as the lexus but it also does feel more solid when pushed a bit... and sound insulation is really top notch

 

There is the problem....you drove an AMG. Mercedes takes those as seriously as they do the S, anything less any you can easily tell the care drops off.

 

i've driven E320s and E500s from the same era and they both have that same hefty feel as the E55, i didn't feel like there was a noticeable 'drop off' in anything except there's no more crazy power when you step on it lol... the E500 had airmatic so it really felt basically identical

additionally i've driven C240s and S430s and (back then at least) the E-Class feels and rides more like an S than a C-Class

 

that's interesting, but not surprised the base trim is just that, base, and not luxurious. in germany they call those 'cabs' or über cars.

then they'd cost more.
like 3/Y teslas are notoriously noisy (except for engine noise) but it's all about keeping cost down. but at least now they've added double-pane glass to them.

 

Sad, E-Class is supposed to be a totally legit Mercedes, this doesn't sound like it.