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Mercedes E-Class Wagons (E320, E500, E55 AMG)

286 messages, Last post on May 11, 2009 at 9:16 AM
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| Does anyone recomend a rear shock absorber for the 300te wagon? | |
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Guys, reading some of these posts, I wonder, "why buy an E Series wagon?" The E Series wagon is more money, more hassles, less cargo room, less reliability, less all weather capability, not as good seating (Volvo seats are the best in the industry, far superior to M/B or our Cayenne seats) or modern an interior, etc. than a Volvo XC. The performance packages seem not to work (tire wear and so forth.) Now, I'll grant you it has more status (for some unknown reason) when you drop Seamus off at Andover. Come end of semester, he and his friends I think would rather throw all their stuff into an XC for the trip home. I admit a Volvo XC sometimes is like a walk into Fajulla (see my post #1566 on the V70 Wagon Experience Board) but the Volvo seems to be a much better alternative. Or, at least a less self-defeating one.
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Replying to: blckislandguy (Dec 25, 2005 9:04 am) Perhaps the R does this even better now, but back in 1994 when we had 2 young children, after looking at a few minivans and the Volvo wagon, my wife took one look at the E320 wagon and fell in love with it. BTW, it still is in the family, now being driven by my 17 yr old daughter, who of course hates it because it is a wagon (yeah, don't we all feel so sorry for her). |
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I find the Volvo headrests rather uncomfortable, there are better headrests out there offering similiar safety without forcing your neck to twist unnaturally. We used to own a 1999 XC and found the engine very harsh, the transmission rough, and the car underpowered overall. Even the AWD system was horrible, slow acting giving essentially a front wheel drive feel.
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Replying to: w210 (Dec 26, 2005 4:40 am) But in search of deeper meaning and the answer to my question of "Why do otherwise rational people buy the E Series wagon", I consulted the MB web site. Gee, I thought that Porsche really knew how to tuck it to you with options such as "soft look leather" for $600 to replace the ordinary, non-wrestled in leather with a soft look. But MB is gaining fast. For a mere 6k MB offers a "designo edition" which if I understand correctly offers better wood and softer leather in the cabin and a different paint job on the outside. Think about it. For 6K (yeh, I know that your bond fund has been on a 10% tear lately and the 6K will soon be $6600 if invested but if you spend it, worth perhaps 2K at trade in time) you too could have a "designo edition". |
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I actually don't mind the 2001+ XC but my wife finds it not very attractive and we picked up an Audi allroad instead. The chipped Audi is much faster than the XC, I also like the fact that the all inclusive maintenace program means I don't have to worry about dealerships ripping family members off. And the XC headrests really make me feel uncomfortable forcing my head forward, especially annoying for long trips.. I must say however, the E-class feel much more solid than both the Audi and the XC, and my E is the one with a hard suspension model (E55 sedan). I think Porsche is still the king in killing you with options! |
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| Well the dealer just installed a new fangled Hunter alignment system that gives the closest thing to a road force balance on my brand new Conti touring (OE) tires..my third set of rubber in 24,000 miles..so far they seem to be holding up HOWEVER..was told to bring in every 2000 miles for rotation and whatever else. MBNA still insists this is "normal wear"..The Pirelli company does not!!...R Thrust | |
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A reporter from a national newspaper would like to speak to consumers who have purchased a high-end or high-performance wagon, such as the Audi A4 Avant, Mercedes-Benz E55, Dodge Magnum RT or the Volvo V70R, as examples . If you would to speak with the media, please respond to ctalati |
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Replying to: mcolem (Aug 10, 2005 2:04 am)
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I have three all wheel drive wagons, a 1998 Volvo V70 XC, 2004 MB E320 4-Matic, and a 2005 BMW 325xiT. blckislandguy asks why buy an E class? There are several reasons I chose to get an E class over another XC when I gave the XC to my son. One reason is that I really didn't like how it drove. The steering on the new XC didn't feel very well connected to the road compared to the E320, and especially the 325. The steering seemed closer to our Ford Excursion than the E320 or 325. I also drove a V70 R and the steering "looseness" was gone in that car. The 1998 that I have seems to have much better steering. Secondly, the handling didn;t feel as crisp or smooth as the 325 and E320. What I mean by that is that bumps are felt more in the Volvo but at the same time it doesn't seem to handle as well. The XC also seems noisier when driving, especially during hard acceleration when the turbo 5 screams some really aweful sounds. My third reason was that the new (2001+) XC does't have good visibility for changing lanes for me. I loved my 1998 XC, and would have kept it but my son needed a car in college (colorado) and the XC is perfect for that. Overall, the Mercedes seems to be a more refined car, which it should be since it costs significantly more. The cost of maintenance should not be downplayed either. So far I havn't had to pay for anything on the Mercedes out of pocket, but the Volvo has been quite expensive to maintain. There are many 1000$ shop visits for various sensors. (ex. ABS sensor failed, about $1000 to fix) I expect the Mercedes will have similar problems once it gets more miles. I hope this helps. Sam
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