Traded my W212 E350 Sport for a 2019 M3 SR+. There were many reasons that I made the decision, but truth be known my disappointment in the E350's handling was probably the biggest factor in my never really being satisfied with the W212.
Background; first car was an Opel GT, followed by RX7's, then 73 911, 84 911, 944, C4 Vette, C6, MR2 Turbo, a whole bunch of Miatas over the years. Done a few track days, but am far from a competitive driver. Had a family, fell in love with E Class wagons starting with the W210 and picked up the W212 sedan as a companion to the wagon to scratch the "sport" itch w/ something that I could put kids in.
Initially, on PZero's the E350 was too stiff. It stuck on a smooth surface but was too heavy and too stiffly sprung to corner if the road was not perfect. It would lose composure and bounce itself out of a corner. It pulled pretty well, but always felt heavy and of course you have to wait for RPM and wait for the transmission and after a three-count - off you go. The interior is not anywhere near as nice as the W210's. Seats hard as a rock. The interior does look nice. Ambient lighting and the gague cluster on the 2013 model was reminiscent of the way Porsche would lay theirs out. The sound system was great. It had a web browser and other advanced features that Mercedes decided to take away via software update for liability reasons. Swapped the tires a couple of times to less sport-oriented tires and became happier with the E350 but it worsened the already dull steering feel and poor chassis coordination.
Drove a M3 and was hooked. First, the sightlines over the top of the fenders and absence of a firewall, as well as the small steering wheel resonated up with memories of my 911SC. No, they are not remotely the same car, but the SR is a little tail happy with slip start on when faced with a high-speed off-camber turn. The M3 reminds me more of my business partner's 996 Turbo. The physics are kind of the same, with a very low center of gravity and a need to transfer weight to the back to hook it back up. Also, the World's best sports cars are not rock hard (which the E Class does because it is too heavy and the CG sucks), the 3 has a very nice balance of compliance and is dialed in better than my other daily driver, a VW GTI. The low center of gravity and RWD probably is a much easier platform for Tesla to tune.
As others have mentioned the body and paint on the Mercedes are FAR superior to the Tesla; I agree. Of course, 96% of your choices on the Mercedes are White Gray or Black; no color. On a daily driver I don't know if I care. The Tesla's interior is more comfortable with MUCH MUCH MUCH better, gripper and softer seats. The Tesla's steering is just a million times better than the Mercedes. The instant torque without vibration or noise are so much better than that antiquated heavy wheezing air compressor of a Mercedes V6 (even the good DI engine). Even my SR+ will smoke any E Class this side of a real AMG.
Luxury? There is nothing more luxurious than smooth instant torque. Nothing more luxurious than never buying nasty, smelly gas from a germy virus encrusted gas pump. Nothing as easy as charging from home every few days.
Then to top it off when I went to sell my E Class to a friend who wanted it the service center said an engine mount was going soft and they all should be changed for $1,600. This is not including the $125 to $400 routine services and $700 transmission service that I got done early after reading horror stories on the internet. Traded with just under 53,000 miles.
The Tesla has been perfect ... working perfectly thus far. Can't wait to drive it again. It's just so much fun!
JMHO, hope it helped you. I still love my old W210 wagon and plan to keep it forever. Not interested in anything Mercedes builds new any more. My next new car will be a Model Y. My only regret was not spending more and getting the fully deluxe interior on the M3 (wish I had ordered one of the last LR RWD).
Drove every version of a M3. Could afford any version. I really like my SR+ on 19's.
