2017 E220 (or above) estate - 'must have' spec

JohnCleary

Decided today that it's time to change. Currently have an 08 C220 Avantgarde for 6 years now, and tbh, love it. But.... time to change.

Estate is a must and I love Merc, but with more space, so E Estate it is.

Enough rambling... From researching today, 'AMG' (not real AMG, obviously) seems to be their top spec... however, as with all models, even their 'top spec' comes with optional extras.

Anyone have any experience of 'must haves'.

For me, at least...
Sunroof (not bothered about panoramic but a nice extra)
Bluetooth (phone & audio)
I want full leather, but these all seem to Alcantara ... might have to compromise on this
Rear camera
Sensors all round (a given these days I would think)
LED rear lights (probably a given even on base model of the E)
Xenon's ... would halogen even be an option on a 2017 E??


Looking at the UK, with STG rates at the moment, there really isin't anything to be saved, from what I can see. As a given though, most likely to get much higher spec.

Any info much appreciated.

carsfan2

The AMG line cars with the leather/Alcantara are uk cars. Irish cars got full leather in all specs. Camera and sensors are standard.LED lights on them all.
On the estate the sunroof is always panoramic. Look for cars with premium or premium plus pack as this gives a few nice extras, more likely on uk cars.
I notice a few official Irish Mercedes dealer are selling Uk cars now too and seem a fair few available alright.

JohnCleary

Any full leather seem to be a more basic feeling spec ie. Executor model. Although this may be purely cosmetic

Having had avantgarde before, AMG line is definitely for me... pitty it didn't come in full leather

Is Alcantara a nightmare to keep clean?

bazz26

Alcantara is usually more expensive than the plastic leatherette used these days. It's rare enough even in this class of car to get genuine leather hide, usually reserved as a very expensive option. Both have their pros and cons so it will depend on how you will be treating/using it. For example, if you have kids or pets in the car then leather might be easier to wipe clean whereas Alcantara would be a pain. Alcantara though would be more comfortable to sit on in the summer than hot leather.

As standard the E is a very well equipped car, so must haves are going to be quite subjective I guess.

If I had to choose three for any car, they would be:

• Widescreen Cockpit (Large 12 inch display(s), you can even have both screens but this is a rarer option, particularly on the Estates).
• Panoramic Sunroof
• 20 Inch Optional Wheels (These make or break the exterior of the E for me and do not have a significant impact on ride quality either which remains excellent)

Three more fantastic but less crucial options are:

• Multibeam LED
• Burmester Surround Sound System
• Air Body Control (Air Suspension, very hard to tell the difference between the comfort here and with the S class)

As mentioned, UK cars will commonly have Premium or Premium Plus packages equipped. These really do offer a lot of great tech. Irish dealers cherry pick the few options they reckon an Irish buyer will demand (like the 360 parking package) and rarely, if ever, opt to equip the entire package.

On the subject of leather, as you noted AMG line cars often have the half leather / half dynamica interior, though it was certainly an option to specify full Nappa leather even on this spec, at a cost of 1100 Euro. Designo (read top quality) leathers were also available though ultimately almost nobody went this route it seems.

Your best bet for a properly specified used Estate model is probably still the UK, otherwise you may have to wait quite a while for the right car to pop up over here, as ever if going that route, look for Premium Plus / Premium, with these the car will be close to, or even exceeding, what you may be expecting.


Hopefully that helped, any other questions, just let me know.

JohnCleary

Thanks for the help.

Went to a local dealer in Galway this morning. The car I went to look at wasn't in stock, which was a good thing, as I wasn't going to buy it (black). I was honest about this and the guy laughed 'no problem'. He showed me a 2019 to get a feel for the cabin.

We sat down and I discussed my spec list. He found something in the UK but wrong colour (Grey, I want silver). I told him i'm away for 2 weeks anyhow but if he can source the perfect car, he has the sale. To be honest, with the hassle of going to the UK etc. i'm happy to pay the dealer their earnings to do the donkey work for me.

JohnCleary

JohnCleary wrote: »

We sat down and I discussed my spec list. He found something in the UK but wrong colour (Grey, I want silver). I told him i'm away for 2 weeks anyhow but if he can source the perfect car, he has the sale. To be honest, with the hassle of going to the UK etc. i'm happy to pay the dealer their earnings to do the donkey work for me.

Sounds like a plan, let us know how it all works out !

carsfan2

JohnCleary wrote: »

Thanks for the help.

Went to a local dealer in Galway this morning. The car I went to look at wasn't in stock, which was a good thing, as I wasn't going to buy it (black). I was honest about this and the guy laughed 'no problem'. He showed me a 2019 to get a feel for the cabin.

We sat down and I discussed my spec list. He found something in the UK but wrong colour (Grey, I want silver). I told him i'm away for 2 weeks anyhow but if he can source the perfect car, he has the sale. To be honest, with the hassle of going to the UK etc. i'm happy to pay the dealer their earnings to do the donkey work for me.

Fair play.
Will the dealer take your car as a trade in?
If so sounds like a hassle free way to get the car you want provided the price is fair.

Leonard Hofstadter

I'd rather alcantara over leather any day of the week, it's much more comfortable than leather, especially in hot/cold.

JohnCleary

Went with a 181 e220 AMG line premium so has full premium spec (memory seats, electric tailgate, pano sunroof, keyless go)

This was a bit of a random purchase. Got bored of my current car on Thursday morning, decided on a car Fri morning, paid deposit this morning (Sat) before I sobered up

Easiest sale this guy will ever make, he was chuffed as I'd say he's new... wasn't more than 25. Told him he owes me a pint

Guy:Incognito

JohnCleary wrote: »

Anyone have any experience of 'must haves'.

For me, at least...
Sunroof (not bothered about panoramic but a nice extra)
Bluetooth (phone & audio)
I want full leather, but these all seem to Alcantara ... might have to compromise on this
Rear camera
Sensors all round (a given these days I would think)
LED rear lights (probably a given even on base model of the E)
Xenon's ... would halogen even be an option on a 2017 E??

Surely Bluetooth is standard on any E Class at this stage?

In fact , it should be standard on every car.

carsfan2

JohnCleary wrote: »

Went with a 181 e220 AMG line premium so has full premium spec (memory seats, electric tailgate, pano sunroof, keyless go)

This was a bit of a random purchase. Got bored of my current car on Thursday morning, decided on a car Fri morning, paid deposit this morning (Sat) before I sobered up

Easiest sale this guy will ever make, he was chuffed as I'd say he's new... wasn't more than 25. Told him he owes me a pint

Well wear
Best of luck, did you buy a car that was in stock from same dealer as yesterday?

JohnCleary

carsfan2 wrote: »

Well wear
Best of luck, did you buy a car that was in stock from same dealer as yesterday?

Same dealer, young sales guy didn't know his luck. He sold a 40k car in minutes. Job done, no messing about. He gave me his time and effort and he got a sale. That's life

JohnCleary

JohnCleary wrote: »

Same dealer, young sales guy didn't know his luck. He sold a 40k car in minutes. Job done, no messing about. He gave me his time and effort and he got a sale. That's life

Congrats on the purchase, hope you enjoy it !

CountingCrows

Picture please John

JohnCleary

CountingCrows wrote: »

Picture please John

She's currently being loaded on a lorry in the UK. The pics I have are basic so not worth sharing.

Only thing she's missing is the premium plus which is COMMAND and upgraded speakers. The speakers would be cool, but not pushed about COMMAND as I wouldn't be using the Nav regardless (although the 12" screen as opposed to 8" would be cool).

I did find a premium plus in the UK and I would have saved a grand, with the compromise being 3k higher miles. However, the hassle of 2 days off work, flying over, driving back etc... it's worth the grand to me. Also, given that i'm buying from a local main dealer, any issues within warranty I just ring them and tell them to call me when the issue is fixed :pac:

Pics next week as i'm away foreign for a week.

ToxicPaddy

Looking at the same type car as the OP currently, my old bus is showing its age and we are moving outside the city soon so a decent sized auto estate is required.

Curious to see pics and how you get on with it. Like the OP I'd be happy to go through a dealer here to get one from the UK with decent spec. The hassle of flying over, getting to dealership, days off work etc, I'm happy to pay someone for the hassle.

Happy driving OP, hope all goes well.