[omaragra]

Saw a same colour today in New Delhi with red plates on my way to South Extension !!

Looked good. Didn't see the model number as the car was on the other side of the road.

Omar

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by GTO

Merc's way of making the 212 seem more upmarket than its competitors, only to launch smaller engines at a later stage.

Yes I figured that but that's not going to save the day for MBIL. This will only give the 5 series a better advantage and not help recover the declining E-class sales.
MBIL is trying to fill the empty market gap between the 50lakh & 80 lakh bracket, that certainly is a hard price-point to create a market, it needs to be developed but I don't think the E-class is the right or capable product to break that segment.
The usual luxury car trend in India goes something like this: Accord ---> C/3/A4 ---> 5/E ---> S/7/Q7
On the upside a higher price point at start will create a "premium" appeal hence later when cheaper/smaller engines our introduced, please would find it "VFM"

[GTO]

Will give the E Class bragging rights, Sahil. And if international reviews are anything to go by, the new E-Class is truly a heck of a luxury sedan (too bad about the looks though).

MBIL is trying to fill the empty market gap between the 50lakh & 80 lakh bracket

I think even they know that a super-specced E Class is not going to fill this gap.

The usual luxury car trend in India goes something like this: Accord ---> C/3/A4 ---> 5/E ---> S/7/Q7
On the upside a higher price point at start will create a "premium" appeal hence later when cheaper/smaller engines our introduced, please would find it "VFM"

Well said.

[Akki_5]

Spoke to guys at AutoHangar last week, this is what they had to say:
The new E class (W212) is expected only early next year and will be priced 6-8 lakhs above the current E class. That puts it into the 60L bracket!
They justified the price hike stating that, the new E class is loaded with features yet to be seen on Indian roads and is definitely a VFM car. I dont know how far this is true
When i asked them about its competition to the 5, they said W212 will not be comparable to the current 5 because it is way more loaded and will eat into 5's market share! They said only a next generation 5 series will be able to compete!
Waiting to see how far this is true

[Angad_kalra]

I had visited the Mercedes showroom in Pune last week and the sales guy told me that the two variants launched would be the E350 petrol and the E350 CDI diesel.

[the VTEC guy]

The US version of E class has following new features-
1. Blind spot assist - shows a warning sign in the driver side rear view mirror after sensing vehicles in the drivers blind spot.
2. Night vision plus - infrared vision display on screen at night
3. distronic plus - to maintain distance between vehicle in front. car will brake if vehicle in front stops and will accelerate again once the vehicle in front moves
4. attention assist - senses when the driver is feeling drowsy or car is moving out of lane and too close to other vehicles and warns the driver.

It reamins to be seen how many of these features come into Indian version.
In comparison to the salon the coupe is briliantly designed. its a 4 seater and gets the sporty grill like the c class. I like that grill. IMO all mercs should come with that grill as standard.

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by Angad_kalra

I had visited the Mercedes showroom in Pune last week and the sales guy told me that the two variants launched would be the E350 petrol and the E350 CDI diesel.

Yes, I was told that the petrol E350CGI shall come first, probably in 2 month's time, followed by E350CDI later, by January 2010. Meanwhile, the W211 production seems to have ended, and the leftover stock is being cleared. Dealers anticipate a substantial price increment on the new E class over the current one.

[sidindica]

Presenting the new W212. Enjoy.

[sidindica]

Full details expected by monday or tuesday.

Meanwhile, the first impression can be read at
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...rst-drive.html

Feel free to post your views, but again, do not ask the dealer/ person's name etc.

[speedy]

Guys needed your suggestion and since this thread is for the W212 E350 i think it is right to post here.
Should i exchange my 280 cdi for the Diesel w212 when it comes?. I am in love with my car but a thought running through my dads mind after we saw the W212 in dubai and he loved it. Who better to help decide than my mates from the forum. Thank you in advance.

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by speedy

Guys needed your suggestion and since this thread is for the W212 E350 i think it is right to post here.
Should i exchange my 280 cdi for the Diesel w212 when it comes?. I am in love with my car but a thought running through my dads mind after we saw the W212 in dubai and he loved it. Who better to help decide than my mates from the forum. Thank you in advance.

Mr. Speedy, I've also seen the W212 while in Dubai, and even a Coupe version in a showroom window. It looked stunning in the white colour (I haven't seen a W212 in any other colour in DXB). The rear styling is a letdown, but it is better in metal than the photos. The interior is also familiar Merc, but much,much better than the current one. I am thinking of going for one myself early next year. The dealership people anticipates a 50lac band price, but they admit they could be well off the mark. The 350CDI should be a niche model (like the W211 E350's they sold 2-3 years back), but I would wait for the smaller Diesels to come. But if money is no object, what a wonderful car would an E350CDI make! I've driven a W211 E320CDi and hence I know!

And, I wonder whether this is the right thread.

[speedy]

Originally Posted by Yeldo

Mr. Speedy, I've also seen the W212 while in Dubai, and even a Coupe version in a showroom window. It looked stunning in the white colour (I haven't seen a W212 in any other colour in DXB). The rear styling is a letdown, but it is better in metal than the photos. The interior is also familiar Merc, but much,much better than the current one. I am thinking of going for one myself early next year. The dealership people anticipates a 50lac band price, but they admit they could be well off the mark. The 350CDI should be a niche model (like the W211 E350's they sold 2-3 years back), but I would wait for the smaller Diesels to come. But if money is no object, what a wonderful car would an E350CDI make! I've driven a W211 E320CDi and hence I know!

And, I wonder whether this is the right thread.

Pls do remove the Mr, Mr Yeldo. I have seen the coupe too but did not fancy it, prefer the CL. At Gargash they had the Maroon E350 or a 300 forgot which one now. The car in actual looks far better than the pictures, have to agree on that one. The features are also far better than the current E. There is no way my father or myself would settle for a smaller or same engine than i already have, so anything below or another 280 no ways for me. The E350cdi is what i would go in for. I would exchange my car for it, so the balance is all i have to pay. Would it be worth spending 20 lakhs for this new E or should i just stick to my car itself?

[S350L-E240]

I was lucky enough to be in the US when they launched the car and trust me with the right set of options and wood trim this car can put a serious question mark on why get the S class unless you have to have the S. The quality of interior is no way at par with the W211, I mean the W212 takes quality to a whole new level not just in terms of general material layout but the overall feel good factor is second to none, I mean the look and feel of all the buttons and the placement which of course Mercedes was always known for ergonomics but in the W212 it looks like god's assisted them in making it. While a lot of people have apprehensions about the way the car looks well, in real life trust me a lot changes, but then the rear is a little boring but then when you realize the only person who would look at the rear is the person in the car behind you it wont matter!

Anyways hopefully Mercedes-Benz India realize they have serious management issues but if they can overcome that and ensure the car is loaded with features which 1up the competition rather then just follow them I think until the BMW 5 (F10) arrives the new E should be a walk in the park in terms of sales.

I still don't understand in hot weather country like India, what takes them so much to realize they should include ventilated seats?

[S350L-E240]

Another thing, In the U.S the new E(W212) was launched at a base price which was about 5000 USD less then the outgoing model with similar or rather better configurations, so what are the chances Mercedes-Benz India might do that too? Considering they really need to get back up in this segment?

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Considering the poor quality of fuel we have in here, I think they must bring in the non CGI motor. The non CGI motor in latest format produces around 310+ bhp as compared to around 288 bhp from the cgi. .

Both BMW and Audi are selling CGI type engines for more than a couple years now.