Mercedes E Class to Model 3 - any impressions?

[ocEVguy]

It will be a bit of a culture shock. The interior feels more spartan (and, dare I say it, cheaper), the ride is harsher, and there is more road noise on rough surfaces. If your car ever needs service you'll probably have some frustrating experiences. On the other hand, the electric powertrain drives like no other, making driving feel effortless compared to ICE vehicles. That makes the downsides a lot more bearable.

The Model 3 definitely needs the following to match the BMW/ MB quality:

- better leather seats ( ventilated )
- more sound dampening for road noise
- better Panel gap fits
- better liner / rubber spacer fittings
- smoother suspension ( too bumpy )
- ability to actually use the MCU as a TV with Netflix and Hulu
- ability to see all the camera angles all the time
- wiper capability on the left stick
- sunroof that actually opens
- rear passenger controls for A/C

Then it would be kicking!

 

[ent3ndu]

2018 C class here. I feel more cocooned in the MB, the 3 feels like it sits high. I’m undecided on the road noise difference.

 

[Kilotango74]

The Model 3 definitely needs the following to match the BMW/ MB quality:

- better leather seats ( ventilated )
- more sound dampening for road noise
- better Panel gap fits
- better liner / rubber spacer fittings
- smoother suspension ( too bumpy )
- ability to actually use the MCU as a TV with Netflix and Hulu
- ability to see all the camera angles all the time
- wiper capability on the left stick
- sunroof that actually opens
- rear passenger controls for A/C

Then it would be kicking!

Didn’t know you could watch Netflix and Hulu in a Mercedes.

 

[Kilotango74]

2018 C class here. I feel more cocooned in the MB, the 3 feels like it sits high. I’m undecided on the road noise difference.

I’ll take the better crash test results over feeling “cocooned” any day.

 

[turnem]

I went from a 2017 E300 with premium package and designo leather seats to the M3. There are certainly fit & finish aspects of the E300 that are better than the M3. The E300 feels more solid/sturdy and of higher quality in general terms BUT... the M3 blows it away in overall satisfaction for me.

The most shocking area is that the seats in the M3 are much more comfortable than the premium seats in the E300. I know this for a fact because I "sold" the E300 to my dad and I rode in it a week ago after not sitting in for several months. The E300 seats feel hard and firm whereas the M3 seats feel soft and comfortable. Now if the M3 seats had that massage feature....

Road noise (or lack thereof) is definitely better in the E300.

I much prefer the sound system in the M3 to the E300 and my E300 had the Burmeister system.

Even though the E300 is of better quality it's very unlikely that I'd go back.

 

[ZoomsansVroom]

Ye

@ZoomsansVroom - “newer MBs age poorly”

OK, fair point - but its been awhile since I had one which was really well made (still miss my '83 240D in some ways...)

I don't see myself going back, but the windshield wipers are definitely better - can't recall ever having to use anything other than "auto" on the MB, so far, haven't had auto work, properly, on my 3P.

Service in my MB was excellent - has to be, as you end up getting to know the folks in the service department fairly well. Tesla is terrible at it... Its almost as if the company policy seems to be "hide from issues, and maybe the angry people will go away..." (Could also be that many people seem to be a bit obsessed w. their Teslas, and demand total perfection... Of course, my 3P came with glue spilled on the outside of a turn signal, and that would have been a major issue at MB.)

 

[VT_EE]

There’s a bit of FUD about Model 3 Quality out there, especially when it comes to comparisons with German premium brands.

FWIW, I don’t have a Mercedes but my other vehicles are a BMW Z4, a BMW i3 and a Porsche Macan. The Model 3 feels higher end than the BMWs but lower than the Porsche.

The lower quality feeling items (by design) are:
* seals all around. The Germans use nicer seals with a felt like material molded onto the rubber. The Tesla seals look comparatively rough and in spots downright unfinished.
* “vegan” (eye roll) leather (aka plastic). Easy fix with Katzkin.
* seats are soft (matter of taste so subjective)

And then there are the car-by-car variations that depend on I guess what shift etc. assembled the car.
Mine was virtually perfect except for a few transportation related flaws (Porsche would get these fixed before delivery, Tesla doesn’t seem to care).

IMO, the interior is very high quality (at least when new - I hope it wears well). Every surface feels quality - not like the BMWs where anything you don’t touch all the time is the cheapest plastic they could source.

The doors also close with a “thunk” and don’t rattle. Don’t understand why others think they feel flimsy !?

Have you shut the doors with the windows down? It’s a totally different experience.

 

[phaheem]

Have you shut the doors with the windows down? It’s a totally different experience.

Lol exactly. So many rattles it makes me worry

 

[davidada]

I had a 2011 E300 and gave it to my son before the M3 AWD.
The E300 is a wonderful car, vault like construction and detailing. The way the doors close with authority.
I had the adaptive seats which are fabulous - a feature i would love in the M3
However as an overall experience I would never go back.
The M3 is smoother, quieter, much more powerful, better handling and feels like a car from the future in that sense it breaks the mould in car design and performance.
Adaptive seats please!

 

[alexGS]

I used to have a 2007 Mercedes CLS. I wonder if anyone here has had one of those? 5.5L V8 with Airmatic suspension. Based on the E-class.

I did like the isolation from road noise - when driving off in my other car, even small noises like water splashing from the tyres were so much more noticeable that I thought a door was ajar.

Mine was a CLS500 (550 in some markets) and had the later 32-valve version of the engine, sounded absolutely fantastic and pulled like a train. It was surprisingly economical on trips (8.4L/100km which is 30.7mpg-US).

However the body control of the CLS was pretty poor in our twisting, bumpy roads - tended to lunge about - and the driving position had an awkward offset betwixt pedals and steering wheel because of a giant central tunnel. Seats were acceptable but not the most ergonomic I’ve had; too short in the base. The steering feel itself also seemed rather antiquated - big steering wheel and that vague feeling of a recirculating-ball setup, even though it was a rack and pinion. Maneuvering in town earned the car a nickname from my friends; the “Tirpitz”. Navigating a mini-roundabout or nudging the bow into a parking space needed several well-executed tactical moves.

The low seating position and low headroom (the “four-door coupe”) only added to the feeling of remoteness from the car’s long, tapering ends.

So I guess my point here is that even when build quality is very high and road noise isolation very good, there is still the possibility for the whole package to not really ‘fit’ with the driver, like wearing a high-quality leather boot that gives you blisters and a twisted ankle.

I drove a Model S recently and felt that the air suspension - by Continental, so probably related to the Mercedes Airmatic - was far more refined in the Tesla and controlled the body movements much better.

I’d be happier in the Model S than in the (older) CLS, and I’ve been considering the purchase of a Model S for several years now (nearly jumped at the lower price of the 75D), but I think the Model 3 will suit my driving needs best of all; a car with ‘feel’. I’ll find out next month!

-Alex

 

[AustinPowers]

My two cents:

My father drives a 2007 E-class (280 CDI) and I came from a 2004 BMW 330 Cd Diesel coupe.

By comparison, my Model 3 is much louder inside at higher speeds when wind and tyre noise tend to take over.
It is also less well dampened overall sound-wise.
The ride quality is much worse than on my father's Merc yet about the same as on my former BMW.
Interior materials are about on par with my BMW, yet a bit cheaper-feeling than in the Merc. Mind you, this is a 2007 Merc and a 2004 BMW we are talking about.
Interior build quality definitely isn't on par with either the Merc or the BMW, and the paint-job also isn't what you would expect from a car costing almost 70K Euro like mine did.

That being said, I am still very happy with my Model 3 because the driving experience is so much fun, and the "fuel economy" is also quite good. I have driven about 5,000 km by now and my total average over that time has been 177 Wh per km.

Ye

OK, fair point - but its been awhile since I had one which was really well made (still miss my '83 240D in some ways...)

Hey, what a coincidence, my father also had an '83 240D back in the day. Silver-blue-metallic, gorgeous car. Would probably still be driving it today (was his dream car, the only one he ever bought new from the factory), had it not been for the horrific accident we had in it back in 1993. Then again, it was built like a tank and saved all my family on that tragic day. "They don't build them like they used to..."

 

[5_+JqckQttqck]

All cars have wind noise. Don't tell me you drive your car with no sound. Turn the music up

I drove an A180d in Portugal/Spain for a two week vacation and the wind noise was non-existent at 190km/h - I was impressed. Could be the framed windows.

 

[Zcd1]

I came from a 2013 Audi S6, so the same class of car as an MB E-class.

While I really enjoyed that car and all the cool surfaces/materials in the interior, overall I prefer the Model 3.

The Audi was quieter overall, though louder under acceleration and in-town, but the Model 3 is silent around town and on smooth asphalt. Concrete roads and higher freeway speeds bring the noise in the 3.

As fast as the S6 was (0-60 in 3.8), below ~ 110 mph (meaning 99.95% of the time) the Model 3 would leave it for dead. The instant torque is completely and utterly addictive.

I find the 3's seats to be the most comfortable of any car I've owned, and the sound system is also the best I've had in a car. The tech is so far beyond the Audi's (and really any other mfr's.) it's ridiculous.

I was somewhat concerned about moving "down" a car class when buying the 3, but in retrospect needn't have worried. I can't imagine ever going back to an ICE vehicle. The 3 feels like driving the future.

 

[SammichLover]

Have you shut the doors with the windows down?

Thinking about it, it is rare I have the windows down at all much less when I'm leaving the car.

Not really sure why?

 

[Wannabeskibum]

We have a 2017 E400 wagon and AWD3. I looked over the panel gaps and there is not much of difference between the two. The interior of the Merc is more plush, I think I have grown to like the 3 just as much though. Interior ultimately comes down to seats for me and both are very good. The road and wind noise at interstate speeds is lower in the Merc. The suspension feels a bit more refined. Actually that car is an amazing LONG distance vehicle. It was on its way to being my most loved car until my wife got her 3.

I feel like the 9speed transmission which I used to think as smooth is clunky as hell since 80% of our daily driving is in the 3 now. I feel like a savage every time I have to use the breaks to slow down. The infotainment and navigation system on the Merc is very clunky and just plain dumb at times. "Are you sure you want to cancel navigation?", "Yes M#$@$##er, that's what I said" and my kids favorite "Prepare to....go straight", "I'm not prepared!". The controls on the 3 are better and more intuitive, although I do wish they would of had a windshield wiper stalk. The smoothness of the instant torque is intoxicating. OTA updates are awesome and keep the car fresh.

Servicing the Merc is expensive as hell but honestly you should know that when buying a Merc.

I know this isn't the type of quality that you are talking about, but I feel like the Model 3 has improved quality of life in some ways. I can always find something more fun or more productive than sitting in Costco's gas station line every week.

*The other great car I have owned is a 1995 Acura Integra GSR (For it's time and price obviously)

 

[Octo]

Have you shut the doors with the windows down? It’s a totally different experience.

I haven’t until now. After these warnings I was expecting a throwback to my Miata 1991. But it sounds more like my 2015 Z4. I guess an SL has better quality.

 

[spacemnspiff]

Isn't MB supposed to be 'Best or Nothing'?

 

[gdulisse]

I have a Mercedes e450 Cabriolet and my wife had a Model 3 LR RWD and now a Model Y LR AWD and I have to say the tesla is great but the finishes and comfort is better in my Mercedes by a long shot. I like the materials Tesla uses but some seem on the cheap side compared to by Benz, for instance the furry door compartments in the model Y and the phone holders. Seats are great in the Y but my Benz has massage seats so no comparison there. Overall I like both but comfort and quality are better in the Benz. Tesla has the tech edge though.