I am finally getting to the point that I am going to order a 3 soon. I drove the RWD, and it ticked all the boxes except handling. Don’t get me wrong, I loved driving the 3, but coming from an E Class, I feel like it is less sure footed. With that said, has anyone bought a 3 and sold their W212 E Class? Which model did you buy? Also, does the AWD offer torque vectoring? Is there a substantial difference in the suspension setup between the Model 3 variants, or are they all the same? Thanks in advance!
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Mercedes E350 Sport to Model 3
- Thread starter Kado
- Start date
The performance model has slightly lowered suspension but other than that i believe they are all the same. I imagine the AWD does have better ability to send power to whatever tires have the most grip. I've almost never had any slipping in my AWD, even though it is the performance model with stock 18" wheels\tires.
First I heard of someone thinking an E class has great handling. Ive driven that generation and they are nice cars and comfortable for passangers but I never associated it with good handling. Always felt like it was super smooth, quiet but was pretty unresponsive and a numb driving experience. The Tesla is firmly planted to the ground and has excellent handling since the battery is on the bottom and it has great weight balance distributed throughtout the car. If your one to prefer an E class/ 5 series / A6 etc, the Model S with air suspension will have the feel you want. The Tesla Model 3 runs circles around my F32 435i coupe. If you like the 340i, Audi S4, Mercedes C43AMG then you will likely love the AWD Model 3 in terms of performance and drive characteristics. The P3D is on another level and will leave you floored. You can upgrade the tires on the Model 3 LR RWD to Michelin Pilot Sport 4s and it will improve the handling/performance.
Are you sure you drove a sport and not a luxury? They are totally different animals.
I drove a E63 AMG which is a totally different beast than a E350 sport. Great rumbling bi turbo V8 and interior was very nice. But mpg was horrible and no instant torque like a P100D can offer. The Performance 3 is clearly the more fun car to drive for me when I look back at it now. For my last ICE purchase I was shopping around for a CPO one, or a CPO C63 since they depreciated heavily in 2 years but ended up getting a new F32 435i coupe. I still own the 435i for a weekend car / backup but it hasn't been getting much use these days, the Teslas are just that addictive.
I’m going to test drive a long range tomorrow. Maybe I can get them to let me test the performance while I’m there.
Test drive both an AWD and a Performance. I did. The Performance seemed slightly faster, but both seemed incredibly well planted because of the low center of gravity. I bought the AWD because I didn’t want to have to switch tires twice a year between summer and snow tires. Also, around here, a lowered suspension and the Performance tires wouldn’t do so well. You won’t need to change out tires and your roads may be better for the Performance tires. I believe you will find an incredible drive with both models.
I knew fit and finish wouldn’t compare. Can you elaborate on tightness of build quality? Service and paint are also a given. Although Mercedes paint is nowhere close to what it used to be. It started going south in the 90’s.
You'll notice the panel gaps are not as tight. Minor, "attention to detail" things which appeals to most MB customers will stick out to you.
The firmness of which you must use to close the trunk. Looseness of things. The backup camera not working 100% of the time (only 90%).
I'm just keeping it 100 for you.
Dmagyar
Member
Got the E350 sport, yes with the trunk spoiler, it sets in the garage we mostly drive the Model 3, the “E” feels mushy and wallows compared to the 3...
That is part of what I’m looking for. Thank you. I have already researched changing trunk struts because I knew that would be an issue. I’ve owned several Mercedes, and there’s an almost perfect balance to the trunk lid. With that said, would you go back to a Benz over the Tesla, or is the benefit enough to tip the scales permanently for you?
The AWD non performance, and stealth performance with 18" aero wheels (P3D-) are 310 miles EPA, the P3D+ with 20" wheels and sticky tires gets notably less range even though Tesla advertises the numbers from the test when they used to sell it with the 18" aeros.
Dmagyar
Member
View attachment 451837 View attachment 451837 
Has staggered sized tires, trunk lid spoiler, drilled front discs, sport...
So it is a sport. It’s also the same as mine only lighter gray. Interesting. I think Mercedes, Audi, and BMW have gotten way behind in the industry and it’s direction. Over typical landslide depreciation, I think part of the reason I want to switch is because a few years from now, those who drive German will be dumping their cars for electric equivalents that outperform them. If Tesla made a midsized sedan, E class, 5 series, and the A6 would be done.
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