[sgm]

Originally Posted by msdivy

There is a significant difference between the Compact and Compact Plus packages. For five years, the Compact for E200 is priced at ₹2,05,000, whereas the Compact Plus comes to ₹3,90,000. When I checked, the additional features of the Compact Plus include wheel balancing and alignment, wiper blades, brake pads or discs, and a brake sensor. Given these differences, does the Compact Plus justify the additional cost, and is worth the investment?

A regular service is going to cost around 35-40k. Every other year, (25-30k KM) brake pads need change which is around 40k. Discs will last 50-60k KM/5yrs which is again 50k each for front/rear. Wiper blade is 12-15k, so Compact Plus is a good package when considering the additional wear and tear items.

I have a different take, invest that 10L/10years and get 15-20% return and pay for the cover the maintenance. You will still have your principal with you

[Aurum]

Drove both the 5 series and the E Class this week. A quick comparo. At the outset, disappointed that both came with 40-43 psi in their tyres, so all of my drive/ ride impressions need to take that into account.

Drive -

5 Series - Drove nearly half an hour on Mumbai suburban roads with a little stretch on the expressway. It was as responsive as I expected it to be, hits 80-100 with ease, didn’t push beyond. Very refined and linear when its pulling. The sport mode is more responsive, but not really "push you back in the seat" stuff. AWD would have helped in the response. I liked how the Autohold brakes work (long-press very similar to the Audi) different from the Merc (double pump). For the size of the car, the power feels right. It is definitely more the drivers car of the two.

E Class - Drove exactly the same stretch as the 5 series. Despite my apprehensions, the car doesn’t feel underpowered. The response at low speeds when you push the pedal is great for the first couple of seconds. Feels even more responsive than my 250 hp Q5 for those couple of seconds and similar to the 5 series. The electric motor is clearly playing a role. But it runs out of breath and after a lag, there's an aggressive downshift to bring up the revs. Once that's done, it pulls strongly again until I could reach 100 (couldn’t go beyond in the traffic). You can see where it loses that second against the 5 series in the 0-100. Might only be relevant during overtaking, but will be relevant then. Still, its more than what anyone needs.

Both cars don’t feel their length while driving. No tight turns driven anywhere, so no impressions on that.

Ride

5 series - Feels planted, rides over bumps with ease, with low roll. Ground clearance was not a problem (with 3 adults on board) even on large speed bumps. Some bumps which did come through prompted me to check the tyre pressure (between 41 and 43 psi on all tyres). However, it felt overall like it was dealing with bad roads really well.

E Class - Overall, it feels smoother and more pillowy when cruising along on a good surface. However. my initial feelings from the earlier short drive were confirmed. It rolls more. While I was driving, I didn’t feel it as much. I was only bothered by the bumps coming through (this car had even higher tyre pressure than the 5 series). When I joined my wife in the back seat, it became very clear (she brought it up, in fact). The lateral movement is more on every bump, especially at low speeds. The car also bottomed out on a bump where the 5 series didn’t, but that’s because we were 4 in the car this time, while only 3 in the 5 series.

Interiors - Driver Experience

Both are great. The screens and settings are more than enough to dazzle. I went through all the settings on my Q5 only once in 2019, and don’t think I have looked at them again, likely to be similar again. My reservations on MBUX screen fiddliness were unfounded. Everything felt within reach once my seat was set up properly. If anything, MBUX has far more information than the 5 Series. The area with the drive levers and the rotary knob in the 5 series is all devoted to storage in the E Class since all of that other stuff is on the stalks or the screens. The quality of all switches and buttons is great though the capacitive volume slider on the E is a bit fiddly. The driver seats in the 5 series are ventilated, which really helps in Mumbai heat. The leather in the E is great, but without ventilation, can get sweaty. Carplay navigation appears in the driver display in the 5 while it only appears in the central screen on the E. Somehow the vibe in the 5 series feels modern and sophisticated while that in the E class is more impressive and dazzling.

Interiors - Back Seat experience

No comparison here. The 5 is decent, great legroom, we liked the seat material better, and that's it. On everything else, E tops it. The recline option, the thigh support (not useful for tall people), the window and rear blinds, the boss seat, even the wireless charger seems to be more effective. More convenient usb ports, the ambient lighting is also more ambient, though the 5 series has some crystal tricks as well. Except the ride and your preference of seat material, the back seat is all E all the way.

Audio - This is super important to us, and was an interesting comparison. Out of the box, we felt that the B&W from the 5 was better. In the Merc, for some reason, the front focus setting in the Burmester sounded better in the rear seat too. When we changed it to all seats focus, the sound seemed flatter and we were underwhelmed by the bloated sounding bass too. All impressions changed when, towards the end, we played 3 songs which really shone in the Merc. Overall, with the right effort on settings, the Burmester would probably come out on top, but out of the box, we felt the B&W was better. The seat exciters in the E felt like the Jhankaar Beats of yore, so turned them off immediately.

Boot Space - really nothing between them from a visual inspection, just a suspicion that the reclining seats may have eaten into the boot.

Despite converging on many things, these are cars for different people. The E is an easier choice by default due to the kit and pizazz it serves up ,while the 5 is the choice for someone for whom the drive and ride are more important (where the E is no slouch but comes up short).

[TheGearBox]

I think Mercedes has done a splendid job of integrating the additional wheelbase into the design of the new E-Class. The V213 had a visually wide expanse between the front and rear wheels, which made it look awkward when viewed from the sides. The V214, however, looks very proportionate and it would take more than a passing glance to tell that it is a LWB.

[VRJ]

Mercedes has given us a surprise here. They’re launching the E220d and E200 without the super screen. There’s a huge price reduction.







Above are pictures with and without the super screen. Maybe the SA got confused between the hyper and super screen as mentioned in the pricing image. Hyper screen is present in the EQS and EQE (All three screens upfront look like one giant screen). The new E gets the super screen (Infotainment and co-passenger screen).

Updated approx on-road prices in Vizag are as follows:

E220d with Superscreen: ₹99,07,000.
E220d without Superscreen: ₹92,56,000.

E200 with Superscreen: ₹95,30,000.
E200 without Superscreen: ₹89,10,000.

We’ve already booked the E220d with the super screen. However, considering the ₹6,50,000 price difference, we’ll have to rethink our decision. It certainly gives a wow factor when anyone sees it for the first time, but, does it really matter after a couple of months? Makes no sense for chauffeur driven customers. ₹6,50,000 gives me the maximum 3 years additional warranty and 10 years of general service. Good move by Mercedes. The 5’er and the E prices are very similar now .

For the ones interested, here’s the PDF for maintenance package. Clearly shows what’s included and what isn’t.

Cheers!

[AnkitShroff]

Originally Posted by VRJ

Mercedes has given us a surprise here. They’re launching the E220d and E200 without the super screen. There’s a huge price reduction.

Thanks VRJ. Has there been an official statement/ release by Mercedes-benz or is it an information passed on by the showroom guys? Also, is this exclusion specific to E200 & E220d only or also applicable on E450? Thanks.

[Sivacar]

Applicable only to E200 and E220d, nót for the E450

[sboddup2]

It's great, but I also think it's taking away the most special part of the interior.

For a buyer stretching that far, I wouldn't think the difference would be worth losing out on the wow factor of the interior.

I think there are other areas Mercedes could have focused to bring in a lower cost variant:

1.) Wheels
2.) Lower end sound system - OEM systems for exec sedans are fine given the audience
3.) Slightly different exterior lighting elements


On the other hand - this could just serve as a lower entry point to get customers into the showroom and upsell the higher variants.

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by VRJ

Mercedes has given us a surprise here. They’re launching the E220d and E200 without the super screen. There’s a huge price reduction.

Cheers!

Honestly this looks pretty bad and incomplete. Even if the centre screen in low end variant is like C Class, it would have still looked okay. Not sure whether anyone in that segment would really be okay to let go off this.
On another note it makes sense for Hotel fleets as a sizable portion might also be bought as luxury fleets.

[Aurum]

I think it’s a sensible idea for Merc to give a no screen option and reduce price. From what I was told, the screen is only usable for content when stationary. When the car is moving, it can only be used for settings, which the passenger can reach on the main screen anyways. Things like audio systems are daily use. This one won't be missed after the initial novelty value.

[sharmanova]

Originally Posted by VRJ

Mercedes has given us a surprise here. They’re launching the E220d and E200 without the super screen. There’s a huge price reduction.

So, does that mean that if the superscreen gets damaged, replacing it would cost us ₹5.5L?

No thanks!

[GTO]

Mercedes Team sends in an official statement:

We recently have noticed few articles with images showing the Mercedes-Benz LWB E-Class without a hyper-screen, stating, the E200 and E220d (w/o the MBUX Superscreen) will be launched at a lower price, compared to the specifications having the MBUX Superscreen.

We want to clarify, Mercedes-Benz during the initial production, manufactured a limited 72 units of the LWB E-Class without the Superscreen, some of which were also used for the certification purpose, owing to an initial shortage of Superscreen. These limited units are since sold by our Franchise Partners. Mercedes-Benz however, will continue retailing the LWB E-Class in the current E 200, E 220d variants and the upcoming E 450 variant, with the MBUX Superscreen as a standard configuration. The MBUX Superscreen is a key digital innovation and a highlight of the interior design of the New E-Class, offering intuitive and personalised tech offerings, making the LWB E-Class highly personalised with the aid of AI.

Customers have been highly appreciating the MBUX Superscreen featuring the latest generation AI enabled MBUX, creating a new benchmark in the luxury segment.

[VRJ]

Originally Posted by GTO

Mercedes Team sends in an official statement:

Entirely contrasting article from Autocar India today. They claim the super screen will be removed and price will be adjusted accordingly. The superscreen maybe available as an optional extra. My dealer has no idea regarding this. He said, as of today, I can order either one with superscreen or one without.

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...de-trim-433399

[Neelavi]

May be they are testing the waters on the pricing front and gauging customer demand given the premium at which it is positioned with respect to the lwb 5 series. Or may be it’s just a production related thing as given in the official statement. In any case it makes sense to have the two variants if they can actually offer the basic screen one at par with the 5 series. They will then not lose out on the price sensitive customers who should be happy with the rear seat offering given that even the previous gen had basic driver focused stuff like front memory seats and keyless door unlock missing. The super screen variant can be the premium offering for the non price sensitive customers with higher margins. Even 85 inch Oled screens are not costing 5 lakhs these days and they would be charging that much for a glorified additional 13 inch screen

[Maky]

Originally Posted by GTO

Mercedes Team sends in an official statement:

A statement possibly made to avoid having customers hold out on current spec E-Class waiting for a cut price E-Class?
Either customers wanting a lower price or, for some who legit don’t want a giant tech screen in an otherwise luxurious interior of their luxury car.

[L8ButV8]

It is fantastic to see Mercedes getting competitive on price. I never understood the superscreen. Most E class owners are going to take the back seat 90% of the time & the front seats 10% of the time). Adding 6L for a front seat superscreen doesn't make the most sense to me, given this.

At the same time, the pictures without the superscreen look bland and generic. In contrast -- (a) The V213/W222 had a lovely classic front & (b) The V214 w/superscreen has a cool futuristic look.

Lastly, the backseat experience is the battleground. The tablet they had in the V213 gave a premium feel & was a cool touch, albeit not very useful. I wish they'd built on that to improve the backseat vs going all in on the superscreen that makes more sense for western self driven markets.

If I were Mercedes I would work on making the V214 w/o hyperscreen look better, and offer it at ~74L. This will be a step away from their crazy price hikes, and the 5 series LWB wont have much of a shot against it.