[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.

[ColAjayDrives]

Been toying with the 5LWB and E200 to replace my 4 year old E220D, since the past month. Tried out both cars extensively, had a detailed discussion with dealers of both cars.

A difficult decision to choose between such luxurious cars. The BMW5 focuses on the front row. But the second row comfort is also pretty decent. In fact, it's a shade better than the E. But, one major miss is the lack of recline in the BMW. Maybe it's a deal breaker.

The new E on the other hand has improved driver comfort by adding seat memory function in the front row; but the memory function of the rear seat has been removed. So my chauffer can now press a single button to adjust his seat, while I toggle the rear seat buttons to find the perfect spot every day.

Merc screen has a touch function now and that's a huge huge improvement over my current 2020 E class. The carplay and android auto too have become wireless. Entry into the Merc is now keyless (about time).

Pricing wise...both cars are quite similar, with BMW being cheaper by about Rs 2 to 3 lakhs.

In the service package, BMW doesn't give an option to include replacement of brakes, clutch (there is no clutch in this torque converter car), wipers etc, whereas Merc covers end to end including Ad Blue (excluding only your own fuel, tyres and the 12 V battery).

Both cars come with a 48V mild hybrid system, which has a 48V Li Ion Battery as an additional component. Not sure of the warranty component or the life of the 48V battery though. I read online that some users were facing issues with the Merc mild hybrid way back in 2021 upto 2023.

Yes, I too feel the hyper screen is an unnecessary addition for a chauffer driven car, and so is the selfie camera, unless it has a security function. A continuous outside camera would have been a more relevant feature I feel.

I will update within a fortnight as to which of the two I chose.

[raviemailid]

I saw the new E-class at Sundaram Motors in Bangalore yesterday. They have both the models, with and without superscreen for display there. The E200 with superscreen in black color with brown interiors is available for a test drive.

No discount on pricing. Not sure if we can work out anything on a newly launched car. The car looks stunning in black though. This is my preferred colour anyway. I currently drive a black colour Audi A4.

I am 6ft and seating in the driver seat was good. Coming from A4, I definitely had more space to play with. The seat adjustment buttons were funny- you are never too sure if it is pressed or not.

The superscreen is the soul of the front dash (albeit with a lot of reflection). One without superscreen just didn't have the "charm". The other one skips the centre camera as well (for good). As you can see, the screen is a fingerprint magnet. I was also concerned about scratches and marks on such a large screen area. SA didn't know if it is a toughened or scratch-proof glass. Maybe we'll need to add a screen protector like the phones. The 3D maps are absolutely amazing though.

I was told that passenger seat screen will be operation for media consumption while car is running. I am not too sure about this. I'll be TDing this car in a few days - will update on this accordingly.

The rear seat is such an amazing place to be. I doubt there are cars that can complete with E-class rear seat in comfort under 1CR price tag. I found the boot to be a concern though. It felt pretty much the same that I have in A4.

[amanvarma]

I am looking at buying the 5 Lwb against the E200 also gettign a 5L discount. But still confused. Drive is 50% self 50% chauffeur. What do you recommend?

[raviemailid]

Originally Posted by raviemailid

I was told that passenger seat screen will be operation for media consumption while car is running. I am not too sure about this.

My SA saw this post and messaged to clarify. Here goes his message - "Sir thank you for the feedback and the media browsing for playing a video is only in stationary position or video can be played less than 5Km/h driving only"

So the screen is active to browse, but media wont play when the car is moving at more than 5KMPH. I guess we can play YouTube nonstop without any worry in Bangalore traffic.

@amanvarma, luxury cars are generally head vs heart buy. If you can keep that aside, I feel for chauffeur driven use case, Mercedes works better. BMW just doesnt have anything exciting at the rear seat. But then, the price gap between both is more than 12L. Thats a lot of money to just pick BMW and be happy. Also, 15L DP and 60k emi for 2yrs 20K KMs lease is fairly good deal that you are getting. If we can negotiate insurance and service package for the two years at a similar reasonable pricing, I'd prefer picking 530Li too. I can't do PM, and I am little hesitant putting my email or phone number here at a public forum. I would have liked to talk to you and see if we can explore few solutions together. @rev8 is also in the market for a similar options.

[VRJ]

Finally took a 40km test drive over the last weekend. Luckily, it was the E220d with beige interiors. The exact variant I booked. I’m impressed with what’s on offer. Suits our requirement to the T. Delivery is scheduled to sometime in December. SA tells me black E220d inventory is very low. Petrol is readily available in a week.

I purposely took the TD after it got dark so that I can see if the super screen is worth the price and how effective the headlights are. Few observations:

1. The super screen definitely has a wow factor, especially during night time with the ambient lighting. Apart from the fabulous rear seats, it’s the super screen that differentiates the E-class from the C-class. It’s well worth the premium.



2. The E220d engine has plenty of power for day to day driving. Might not satisfy an enthusiast, however, majority of owners wouldn’t find it lacking in power. Mercs 9 speed is well tuned. No complaints. The E has always been a car you comfortably cruise in.

3. Contrary to reviews, I found the suspension comfortable. Maybe, it’s because of the good roads in Vizag. Although, I did find it a bit floaty when you are switching lanes at above average speeds.

4. Touch buttons on the steering is plain stupidity.

5. Headlights are alright. Neither wow nor bad.

6. Rear seat comfort was one of the major reason why we booked the E over the GLE. Extendable thigh support is god send for six footers like me.

7. I got a negative impression about the ambient lighting by looking at videos on YouTube. I was really worried about it as I like a dark and subtle cabin while driving. Thankfully it’s not at all distracting. You can reduce the brightness. The side windows do get some reflections, but that’s alright.

8. 360 degree camera is the best I’ve seen, period.



9. Burmester audio is phenomenal.

10. Found the seats backrest to be a bit hard. It’s not as cushy as the new 5 series.

Will update further when I take delivery.

Cheers!

[RoGo25]

Hey everyone! I ordered the new E200 and there seems a huge delay in delivery, supposedly because of missing parts. I would love to know if anyone else is also facing similar delays in delivery?

[V.Narayan]

Out of curiosity i went to have a look at the new E. That giant flat screen right in front of the driver looked dangerous to me. First all the little lights, virtual knobs and buttons, bleeps are going to be a distraction while driving especially in India where you need to drive with 101% of alertness. And I'm not even covering the light and shadows and reflections that will move up and down that big screen as you drive.

I am lost on this fascination amongst car designers for touch screens to take over a significant portion of controls. It may sound hi-tech but as we all know it is unergonomic and can be a safety hazard. Why 'can' it jolly well is a safety hazard. My Lexus Es300h and Amaze are old world cars designed before this impractical fashion seized the neurons of the car designers. My Volvo C40 is a part of this big screen trend and I can say hand on heart that using the big screen is less safe, less practical, more time consuming and a darn irritation. It makes the car seem like a toy pretending to be an airliner. If you have to carefully and delicately touch the screen at a tiny tender spot 4 times to switch on the aircon and adjust the temperature i.e. taking your eyes off the road 4 time for 1/2 a second then it is a fundamentally stupid design.

I declined a test drive after assessing that giant screen. Told Mercedes T&T I don't buy this big screen business. It indicates that fundamentally the OEM designers and {egoistical} me are not on the same page.

[sgm]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

One question that worries me. Given the long wheelbase, did you experience any issues with bottom scraping on our huge speed breakers? As the 6 pot misses air suspension, I am not sure the ride height is enough for our roads.

It is a bummer that Mercedes has not provided at least adaptive dampers, if not air suspension. Despite all the hype about the suspension tech in the brochure, it looks like they have given only passive dampers with a basic damping technology similar to the frequency selective dampers, such as those on the ScorpioN.

Oops, this is bad Air suspension would have helped the ride a lot on our broken roads City roads. I guess the older model could adjust the height by 3-4cm with Air suspension and this would have been a great help to overcome huge speed breakers.
Planning to take a test drive on some of the routes where my C-class scrapes a bit. If Airmatic was provided, E450 would have been a no brainer for me. MBIL, atleast provide Adaptive dampers.

BMW, please bring 540i regular wheel base with a adaptive dampers and a few more features for the rear passengers, you have a sure winner

[ColAjayDrives]

Originally Posted by RoGo25

Hey everyone! I ordered the new E200 and there seems a huge delay in delivery, supposedly because of missing parts. I would love to know if anyone else is also facing similar delays in delivery?

I booked the E200 Blue on 28 Nov 2024, as a replacement for my E220D white (2020 model).
I was told that there is a one month waiting for Blue. I'm also told that the demand for White and Black is higher and hence blue is low on priority. There is still no confirmation on how long it will take to deliver the car. There is an info vacuum
Sad that Mercedes manufacturing plants have such minor operations issues!

[RoGo25]

Originally Posted by ColAjayDrives

I was told that there is a one month waiting for Blue. I'm also told that the demand for White and Black is higher and hence blue is low on priority. There is still no confirmation on how long it will take to deliver the car. There is an info vacuum
Sad that Mercedes manufacturing plants have such minor operations issues!

Hey, to provide you some clarity, I am supposed to get my car first week Jan. However, I have had a very bad experience with my dealer - Benchmark Cars Kolkata. While i ordered Black with Brown interiors, I found out that they provided my spec has Black with Beige! To add the cerry on top, they are indirectly forcing me to raise my invoice before 31st Dec ‘24 as there is a price increase from Jan 1 ‘25. If I do not do so, I will have to pay 3% extra for a car I booked end of October! I refused to pay the extra amount since I am getting the car late because of their delays.

Long story short, I now am being forced to pay extra for a car which has the wrong spec purely due to the negligence of the dealership.

I would request if others can guide me a little on this situation as these dealers do not seem to care about their customers anymore. Also, I would highly recommend everyone to steer away from Benchmark Cars Kolkata.

[ColAjayDrives]

Originally Posted by ColAjayDrives

I booked the E200 Blue on 28 Nov 2024, as a replacement for my E220D white (2020 model).
I was told that there is a one month waiting for Blue. I'm also told that the demand for White and Black is higher and hence blue is low on priority. There is still no confirmation on how long it will take to deliver the car. There is an info vacuum
Sad that Mercedes manufacturing plants have such minor operations issues!

Just to update others who are waiting for E200 2024, there is still no clarity on delivery dates for those who booked in Nov and Dec2024. I escalated the issue last week to the Regional Manager (it took four days to reach him!!), who further said that he himself doesn't know the schedule, and said that he would revert on Tuesday 7 Jan (today). No amount of reminders or calls to any level has got any response from Mercedes! I even mailed their customer support and that drew a blank. I called their toll free twice and I got the standard reply that they would arrange a callback!

I find it intriguing that the Germans driven assemblies have such a poor operations belt that they can't predict their schedules even after a lapse of 1 month plus, while our small scale desi companies are able to give out their schedules till the next whole year!

[nikhil.nayak]

I went over to the MB showroom to take a look at the E Series sedan. One car had just arrived at the showroom and things were still in their plastic wrap when I got to see the car. Primary reason for me to look up the E Class sedan was the back seat comfort offered.

There are a lot of videos online which cover the vehicle. In the flesh the car is just all that. Really powerful stance and very similar to the S Class offerings from just a few years ago. Rear seat features were fantastic but lacking in some very obvious ways. If MB India was offering this as a chauffeur driven car then back seat should have been given display units and cameras.

MB India seems to be pushing the E200 and E200D as their mainstays for the market. I plan to test drive the car sometime this week. However, I am looking at the E450 which comes with the 6 cylinder engine, 4Matic four wheel drive, Airmatic Suspension and the AMG Line trim. I need to check but I was told that Rear Wheel steering may not be available in India for the E450.

[Aditya]

Big shoutout to KarthikK for shooting these pictures & his coverage of the Bharat Mobility Global Expo. Thanks for sharing, man!

Mercedes-Benz has displayed the E-Class (V214) at the Bharat Mobility Global Expo.

The variant on display is the E 450 4Matic. It's powered by a 3.0L, 6-cylinder engine that develops 375 BHP and 500 Nm:

[nikhil.nayak]

Originally Posted by ColAjayDrives

I find it intriguing that the Germans driven assemblies have such a poor operations belt that they can't predict their schedules even after a lapse of 1 month plus, while our small scale desi companies are able to give out their schedules till the next whole year!

From what I know, MB India had focused their manufacturing resources on their SUV models during the last weeks of 2024. Sedan production will now get priority in Jan 2025 onward.

I am looking at a Silver E450 with Black interiors.


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