E-Class (W212/C207/A207) [Official] Mercedes-Benz E-Class (W212) Facelift

[KonradK]

THAT'S the way this car should look. Not that stupid ill-fit Star grille forced on by the marketing team

It is not a stupid star placed there by marketing.Actually it is the most inteligent star in the Universe, because it has sensors inside. Just check out some close ups

 

[SKY]

After that video, I think the AMG pack on the sedan in silver looks very nice. It´s hard to do anything nice with the poor base the W212 is, but this is quite acceptable.

 

[PINHEAD]

I think the changes are much more than a simple facelift. They gave a car an absolutely new character and feel. I prefer the classical grille but the 'Avantgarde' version is so good that it makes a big concurrency for Audi and BMW, among sporty looking cars. As I look at the new pics always the old Mercedes-Benz slogan come to my mind: 'Mercedes-Benz - The future of the automobile.'
With these changes the E class comes closer to the S class in every way.

 

[K-A]

As I look at the new pics always the old Mercedes-Benz slogan come to my mind: 'Mercedes-Benz - The future of the automobile.'

We all know this isn't the truth anymore. Not in engineering, save for continued Safety innovations, and they aren't even following their own design idioms anymore, they're flipping the script midway through product cycles just to throw in the most current trends.

 

[Mick Briesgau]

and they aren't even following their own design idioms anymore, they're flipping the script midway through product cycles just to throw in the most current trends.

Disagree K-A. The more I look at the FL, the more of a natural and logical designtrend I see. Look at the LED daylightline in the front lights; thats more or less an angular form. The logical next step to the angular form of the whole light in pre FL. The grill growing bigger, more defined is something we saw already with the predecessor W 211 FL and the FL W221.

It's all modernised and a great trigger for potential buyers to actually buy the new product.

 

[martinbo]

We all know this isn't the truth anymore. Not in engineering, save for continued Safety innovations, and they aren't even following their own design idioms anymore, they're flipping the script midway through product cycles just to throw in the most current trends.

Ok, K-A, we get that you're miffed with Mercedes Benz for reasons that can only be your own. But seriously pal, car passion notwithstanding, it's just an E-Class. No need to toss more toys out of your pram. It's becoming apparent that many other members are taking exception to your ceaseless tirade. You don't want to feel the stark rejection and unremitting pain of confinement from your favourite thread via the ThreadBan tool now do you?

 

[K-A]

Ok, K-A, we get that you're miffed with Mercedes Benz for reasons that can only be your own. But seriously pal, car passion notwithstanding, it's just an E-Class. No need to toss more toys out of your pram. It's becoming apparent that many other members are taking exception to your ceaseless tirade. You don't want to feel the stark rejection and unremitting pain of confinement from your favourite thread via the ThreadBan tool now do you?

Well I do have an E-Class so clearly it's a bit more of a personal topic to me.

I just think M-B fans are turning blind to missteps these days and it's hard to understand. People throw out the term "innovation", but where are we seeing it, outside of safety tech? What about their designs are even impressing themselves? M-B's declining market share just goes to show that I'm not the only one, just perhaps the most vocal one.

I'll quit with the tireless attack on M-B's design team flipping around on their designs in this thread, but once they start to show progress in the future due to reading some anonymous Forum members tirades which enlightened them into a reality check, you can all thank me.

 

[KonradK]

To all complaining/crying here. The exterior is a great change.So much for the better. The new LED lights are packed with super technology inside.Thank you Mercedes for this. Now I am able to use powerful long range lights all the time, people will notice me better in the city because lights flash on people trying to cross the road.So many great systems, stereo camera, radars. What do you want from a facelift then? Should Mercedes make almost no visual changes like Audi,Volskwagen, BMW, so the car has the same boring looking square box for 10 years?
I completely stay behind Mercedes in this facelift. It is GREAT and NEEDED. Sell your old e-class, get the new one if you don't like the previous one or you think it looks passe now. Sorry, but that's life, K-A. A car is an expensive expense. Just buy 1 year old E class next time for 60% of price and replace it after next 4 years.

 

[fortuner]

K - A with all due respect to you...I am also a Owner of the E similar to yours ass well..I honestly find this one off the better Mercedes Face Lifts and in general a excellent job..I can understand you may not like it or have issues of the car and the Mercedes direction but I think by now we all have your point mate...

 

[K-A]

To all complaining/crying here. The exterior is a great change.So much for the better. The new LED lights are packed with super technology inside.Thank you Mercedes for this. Now I am able to use powerful long range lights all the time, people will notice me better in the city because lights flash on people trying to cross the road.So many great systems, stereo camera, radars. What do you want from a facelift then? Should Mercedes make almost no visual changes like Audi,Volskwagen, BMW, so the car has the same boring looking square box for 10 years?
I completely stay behind Mercedes in this facelift. It is GREAT and NEEDED. Sell your old e-class, get the new one if you don't like the previous one or you think it looks passe now. Sorry, but that's life, K-A. A car is an expensive expense. Just buy 1 year old E class next time for 60% of price and replace it after next 4 years.

It's not about that. It's about supporting a group of designers/managers who can't design things right from the beginning and have to do such extensive "fixes". I guarantee in 4 years you guys will be saying how dated and "needed" the next facelift or iteration "fix" will be when M-B does another 180. That's my entire issue. Every new generation M-B fans come out with the same "they needed to change things because the old version wasn't good enough/for old people/etc.", as if they never hold the designers accountable for what they did and possibly might do again in the future.

It clearly annoys me but I digress. I made my point clear so I won't go any further on it after this. It's clearly my viewpoint and I think it represents a large amount of people who either do or don't fully acknowledge it, but either way are starting to flock to competitors perhaps due to it. I also think it's a relevant topic here which shouldn't be muted by those who just want to praise Mercedes and let the designers get away with whatever missteps they need to.

I've been trashing how bad a decision the CLS design was for so long, getting M-B fans riled up, and guess what? MBUSA reported the NEW CLS is selling worse than LAST YEARS OLD CLS! Seems I'm onto something, perhaps?

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

So have we actually seen an AMG pack equipped car or just an avantgarde. I'm confused.

Edit: Ok...nevermind me. I see the differences. The car is so much more athletic and dynamic in avantgarde and elegant in elegance (duh!) that the AMG pack is no longer a must have. And even with it, it's far more effortlessly executed with the overall design.

I've warmed to this FL immensely. The silver cars in the last video posted are beautiful, and the safety innovations top notch.

If MB has paid some attention to the engines and transmission, I have a strong feeling this is going to be a very successful FL.

 

[lukeswiss]

I'd like to see the proper AMG, but I guess that won't be out for a while?

 

[KonradK]

K-A, what is the thing you don't like that much? Is the LED technology that bad, worse? The new modern headlights? A new, simply better looking, sporty bumper? NOTHING is permanent, also design. You can't design for 10 years in this era. The car still looks mostly the same with the exception of headlights, bumper and little on sides. Should Mercedes add new grill, change graphics in lights and call it a facelift? Should the interior look worse than they proposed? Competitors suck in terms of interior. Audi is a disaster, boring car from mid 2k years, cheap materials inside, an improved VW. Just go to some dealership, sit in A7 or A8 or Q7, experience that ugly car yourself. I visited and I am happy we have M-B on the market.
BMW had some good design with 5 serie I agree, but it was disliked during introduction and for some years.
Cheers.

 

[Mick Briesgau]

 

[Mick Briesgau]

So have we actually seen an AMG pack equipped car or just an avantgarde. I'm confused.

Seeing this steering wheel I guess AMG pack

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Thanks Mick. That interior is BEAUTIFUL!

It doesn't appear that they have changed the dash and door plastic grain, but the new trims, colours and detailing look fantastic.

 

[K-A]

K-A, what is the thing you don't like that much? Is the LED technology that bad, worse? The new modern headlights? A new, simply better looking, sporty bumper? NOTHING is permanent, also design. You can't design for 10 years in this era. The car still looks mostly the same with the exception of headlights, bumper and little on sides. Should Mercedes add new grill, change graphics in lights and call it a facelift? Should the interior look worse than they proposed? Competitors suck in terms of interior. Audi is a disaster, boring car from mid 2k years, cheap materials inside, an improved VW. Just go to some dealership, sit in A7 or A8 or Q7, experience that ugly car yourself. I visited and I am happy we have M-B on the market.
BMW had some good design with 5 serie I agree, but it was disliked during introduction and for some years.
Cheers.

BMW is doing facelifts that prove their designs last longer than M-B's. The W212 Sport looks like an entirely new car from the front. Indistinguishable from the pre-facelift front. This is about M-B facelifts making their previous efforts constantly look like mistakes.

As for the interior, it does look better and great improvements, perfect facelift job there, but unless M-B changes the interior plastics and plushes up the seats, it'll still probably be behind the F10 interior. M-B's interiors aren't all that great nowadays, especially the one in the E-Class, considering the class of car it is. It is better than the A6's I think in many ways though. I think we need to really feel around it to see just how far its come, but it sure does look more refined and sophisticated. I wish they enlarged the screen though. M-B is very strict on maintaining small screen sizes for whatever reason.

Audi's exteriors are boring, but hey, they're where M-B wants to be, they don't have to change much at all even for all new models, and they have the youth market on lockdown. The F10 has seemed to be insanely received from my observations, and it looks to have a potentially very minimal facelift due to BMW not feeling the need to do anything too extensive.

 

[K-A]

Damn that does look a hell of lot more elegant and sophisticated than my cars. IMO it's going to cramp the CLS's style as it's invading in its space now. This interior I think may just be best looking in class for sure now, but it'll have to up the material feel to compete with F10 interior.

Thanks Mick. That interior is BEAUTIFUL!

It doesn't appear that they have changed the dash and door plastic grain, but the new trims, colours and detailing look fantastic.

Ahh, that's unfortunate. Looks wise it's a damn winner, takes that classic M-B teutonic serious-rigidity and adds a great dose of richness and "wealth" to it. However, the same plastics will still set it behind some competitors.

 

[hoffmeister_fan]

So K-A, tell us how you really feel about the facelift?

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

If they make the seats a tad plusher and refine the leather grain, I think they'll get away with the same plastics.

The 5er interior to me feels soft and cushy certainly, but it doesn't appear to be beautifully detailed nor as teutonic and solid. To me it feels almost 'American'.

The A6, I'm still trying to figure out what all the fuss is about. The plastics feel light and hollow and there are lines (joins between various trim and interior pieces) running every which way.