Is Mercedes taking the ****?

I sat in a new E Class today and was overwhelmed by the crapness of the interior. It looks like a damn ford interior.

It is seriously pathetic.

Example:
http://cdn.images.pistonheads.com/aimg/1542/1542472-3.jpg

And for comparison, it's rival the 5 series, which completely embarrasses it:

http://autoconomy.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/2011-BMW-5-Series-Interior1-1024x660.jpg

 

Might not be the best way to get your point across since some new Fords have damn nice interiors....case in point, '11 Mustang with the premium package.

 

the new E class interior is *okay*, but not great. agree that the 5 series (not to mention Lexus and Audi) have them beat by a mile.

the embarrassing Mercedes, interior quality wise, is the current C class. My VW has a better interior.

The S/CL/SL cars still have great interiors, so it's not that Mercedes has lost the plot; apparently they can just cut some corners without losing substantial market share with the C and E class buyers.

 

It's not just the C,E though, it's also the GLK and the ML.

I mean, the ML is a 60K car and look at this:
http://autoshow.roadfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/mercedes-ml450-hybrid-interior.jpg

That dash looks like it was made with plastic borrowed from a shopping cart.

 

+1. FORD has really gotten its act together and is making some top notch cars. As for the new mercedes, I think the interiors leave something to be desired. I have two '06 Mercedes and the look and feel of the materials is organic, high quality, welcoming and soft to the touch. My R500 is absolutely stunning inside. By comparison, the new interiors seem plastic, cold and impersonal. I was very unimpressed with the new E series interior, but I was very impressed with the cars performance and capabilities.

I will probably buy one next. I have had just about every brand of car, and when it comes to safety, and real word performance and comfort, a Mercedes just cant be beat. I have a one hour commute each way to work and Mercedes just know how to get you home relaxed and in one piece.

Fantastic cars IMHO

 

Is that an E-class with a stick?

 

agree, the SUV's/R class are about the same.

again, the people buying those cars are generally buying a badge and not much else; they don't know what makes a car great.

 

I don't buy S&it for the badge, nor do I know if the new R class is any different, but the interior on my R500 is top drawer. It has to be one of the most underrated cars on the planet and one of my all time favorites. I just don't know what I would do without it. It has 6 seats, all of which are reclinable, and four of which are full captain style chairs that slide fore and aft. The interior is far more cavernous than an S-class, without the ride height and nuisance factor of an SUV. Also, with front and rear a/c, dual stereo systems with a Harmon Kardon Dolby pro-logic 7 amplifier and a full panoramic roof, it has luxury for days. Don't even get me started on the laundry list of safety features. Not to mention the incredible power from the 5.0 V8 and the seamless 7 speed transmission and 4matic all wheel drive. The midrange torque is very impressive and its ability to burn up miles at a very high rate of speed without any drama is something only the germans seem able to do properly. My team and I have to travel about 6 hours once or twice a month to visit a client in the middle of PA. A mixture of empty highway, unplowed roads ( in winter) and winding back roads. Since I have gotten the R500, nobody wants to travel in anything else. It is a virtual lear jet without wings, or as they call it...the bullet train. Oh, and except four the lack of ground clearance, its all wheel drive system is superior to the overly hyped but utterly useless system I had in my Land Rover LR3. With its long wheel base it absolutely refuses to slide in the snow or ice and, unlike my LR3, it can make it up my driveway in the slippery stuff.

The uninitiated think of it as a minivan, but it is really an exceptional executive hauler and my clients adore it as much as I do.

People who think Mercedes are just badges aren't making enough of an effort to get to know them. They make some unique and fantastic cars---at least the ones I have owned.

 

see post #3.

 

Checked out a C class recently and yeah the interior was not impressive VW is better I agree. In fact VW/Audi has the best interiors out there imo at the moment anyway. To be fair Ford has some damn nice interiors these days to far better than they used to be

 

I LOVED the new C, until I sat in one. The interior really was awful, it felt like plastic. Comparing it to the old C-class is such a huge difference, the old one actually felt like leather.

 

I have to agree. I have the last generation C350 4matic. For its pricepoint the interior is beautiful, albeit a tad cramped. However, I have the "luxury" edition. The sport edition, with its faux aluminum trim looked very plastic IMHO. The 350 can really hustle and it can move at a very high rate of speed without any drama. Shutting the door is like closing a safe. It is extremely solid.

IMHO, it is a fantastic car for commuting in and out of the city, as it is small enough to park anywhere. I love it.

Around the time I got it, I cross shopped it with the new c class. I just couldn't get over what I believed to be a contrived interior doing its best to mimic BMW and interior materials that were unconvincing.

That being said, I think they nailed the exterior and the car drives very well.

Just my .02

 

MB interiors have been crappy for a few years now. I remember when my dad got a new SL500 R230 (current body pre facelift), the interior was pathetic. Granted he didnt spec the car and just got one of the lot but the dashboard was terrible to touch. The last well made Benz were the 129 SL

 

Except for that biodegradable wiring harness issue...

 

I thought the interior of our '05 C320 was better than our current '08 C350. More features on the old car(memory seats, rear shade) and the tactile feel of the surfaces is not as good generally speaking for the new car. These two are both loaded sport sedans and it really is apples to apples, but it seems Mercedes increased the price just a bit but eliminated features to save cost. A current base model C300 does feel quite cheap for the price tag, even at $34k.

The interior of our recently-traded '03 ML500 was nicer in some ways than a new ML500, definitely nicer than a base ML350. I found out you could get '06-07 cars with cloth seats, WTF?

Not a fan of any of the Big 3 interiors. Even a Z06 or Shelby GT500 seems chintzy and almost kit car chic.

 

I agree, Merc doesn't stand out as being all that well-finished anymore. I wouldn't say they're downmarket, just nothing special.

I really like the Range Rover interior, even though I'm not an SUV fan. Other than those, BMW and Audi are usually a pleasure to sit in.

 

Audi interiors are about the best out there right now.

 

I didn't even know the E class was available with a manual tranmission? What about the AMG model? Or any Mercedes other than the SLK?

The only think that has kept the SL AMG varients off my favorites list over the years is the lack of manual transmission...

 

7 speed auto for the amg models c and e. Probably last year for the 6.2 motor as well. The regular c class interior aint all that great the amg models are better but you will probably have problems fitting in the seats unless you are smurf medium. i bought mine for the drivetrain. Lots of torque and hp in a small sedan=fun. Wagnerian soundtrack and smokescreen switch under the right pedal included on the amg models.

 

I think the OP's first photo is a C class, not an E.

 

Nope, I'm pretty sure it's an E class. The C class navigation system pops out of the dashboard...

 

I'm trying to think of a time that the C-class did have a nicely textured and finished interior . . . Seems like they've always been bland and plasticky to me.

 

For some reason, I'm really liking the new E Class. the interior must be dull and look boring, but it does feel solid (at least in the E63 AMG I sat in). But if it were my money, I'd be at the BMW buying the new 535xi or A6 3.0T

 

Just turned in a GL450. Considered switching to a ML because the GL was a little to large for my wife. Purchased a new Range Rover Sport. The interior really blows the mercedes away, granted its more expensive . Very happy with the switch.

 

No, it's a W204 C. Looks dead-on.

Meh... there are a few MBs that are just as well made as the old ones. We have a W140 300SD, and have gone through a W220 S600 and a W221 S550. Both are gone, but the W140 remains. Guess that says a lot. That being said, my parents are considering trading their '08 Camry Hybrid for the new W212 E350 4Matic.

I've driven pretty much everything MB has out (except the SLR/SLS) from the B right through to a CL65 AMG, and other than the entry level econoboxes, they all seem fine. The ML doesn't seem as well built, neither does the CLS, the SLK or the W203 Sportcoupe. The rest are absolutely great.