My new car

[badali]

My wife says I have a sickness and I just can't stop buying cars.  On the last day of the year I bought a 2019 E450.  I replaced my 2014 E350 that replaced my 2013 C350 that replaced my 2014 Subaru that replaced my 2011 Corolla that replaced my 2005 Dodge caravan.  All of the cars were still fine but I just wanted a new one...

The E450 is loaded with all the driver assist package, parking package, air ride, leather and more.  It rides great and is smooth as can be.  Very fast too.  When the cruise control is set it helps drive itself.  I didn't try it on a long ride yet but it does steer and keep the car in the lane.  I'm still learning all the gadgets so I'm not sure what all it can do.

[Pawel66]

Took me some time to learn MBUX, but once you learn it, you start liking it.

Congratulations and happy motoring!

p.s.

Is this the new Daimler R6? Do not look for the starter nor alternator....

[badali]

The engine is the 3.0 twin turbo V6.  362HP  369 Torque.  It is quicker than my E350 was.

[johnk]

Good choice going with the v6 rather than the four cylinder e350.  It’s hard to find 450’s up here. Most on the lot are 350s.  I’m just not ready for the four cylinder stuff yet.

[MikeSimon]

Good choice going with the v6 rather than the four cylinder e350.  It’s hard to find 450’s up here. Most on the lot are 350s.  I’m just not ready for the four cylinder stuff yet.

I hear you, John! Many European manufacturers go smaller and smaller with their engine offerings. it may have to do with the strange "average fleet fuel consumption rules" which penalize a manufacturer if the fuel mileage for all vehicles they sell does not meet a certain average.
I was in the market for a new Audi Q5 and unless I would buy a SQ5, I could only get a 2.0l inline four. The A4 has not been available with a V6 since introduction of the B9 in 2017.
V6 turbos have taken the place of V8s at the US manufacturers.

[Pawel66]

I mentioned the engine as a few months ago I got the new GLE 450, which is with the new Daimler in-line 6 3 liter engine. Kind of funny as it has this device that is alternator, starter and electric engine alltogether (or so I am hearing). Wonder how it would work and what others think about it. One thing I see is the "start/stop" function works very smooth, you do not really feel it... The car runs very nice indeed.

[badali]

I have only put a few hundred miles on the car.  It was snow and ice covered roads this morning and the car handled very well.  This car is very smooth with the air ride.  I'm very satisfied with the car.

[MikeSimon]

I mentioned the engine as a few months ago I got the new GLE 450, which is with the new Daimler in-line 6 3 liter engine. Kind of funny as it has this device that is alternator, starter and electric engine alltogether (or so I am hearing). Wonder how it would work and what others think about it. One thing I see is the "start/stop" function works very smooth, you do not really feel it... The car runs very nice indeed.

Since I am retired, I am a little out of the loop regarding latest technology put into production, but the industry has been working for quite a while on a system that utilizes the flywheel as an alternator/starter, mainly in an effort to achieve a 42V on-board electrical system. The large diameter of the flywheel incorporates the winding for the higher voltage system.
I am still a little suspicious of the start/stop function. They used to say, it takes 20 minutes of running to replenish the charge of one starting operation drawn from the battery.
With all the red-light stops the "traffic engineers" design into the system here in the U.S., I could see a potential problem.

[Pawel66]

This is what they say they did in this engine - as you say. We will see.

As for start/stop - I hate it. Mainly because sometimes you just need to move fast from the stop. But in this car - you just do not feel it.

[MikeSimon]

Here in the U.S., the European cars with a start/stop have a possibility to disable the feature. You may want to talk to your dealer.

[Pawel66]

I can switch it off, but I have to do it each time I start the car. Do you mean switch it off permanently?

[MikeSimon]

Yes. The feature can be "disabled" permanently. Until you "enable" it again, that is.

[Pawel66]

Thank you! Will exercise this.

[mdsalemi]

My Ford Edge, and my daughter's Escape, both have this feature. You can disable it "per ride" but not permanently unless there's a "secret hidden way" to do this.

Re-start is pretty quick for most driving conditions. You can enable a restart by simply turning the steering wheel (it senses the need to steer, and with no engine RPM the power steering doesn't work so it restarts) or momentarily easing on the brake. In the summer it will restart automatically to keep the climate control working, and I'd imagine the same in the winter, but that would be less of an issue.

The Edge, full of "driver convenience" features such as lane holding, require sensors built into a module mounted on the windscreen behind the rear view mirror. We needed a new windshield recently, and what should have been a $400 windshield was $1,200 because of these parts AND the recalibration necessary.

The only feature I really like is adaptive cruise control. The others? Meh.

[badali]

I still have the car.  It has almost 62,000 miles on it and runs great.  Trouble free.  I have the original front brakes still on the car.  The back brakes were changed at 38,000.  The car still looks like new inside and out.

[rwmastel]

Brad,

Same engine as my 2017 C43 AMG that I purchased in May 2022.  I'm enjoying the power along with the AWD!  This is the first "powerful" car I've ever owned, and first AWD car I've ever owned.

Dealership charged an arm and two legs to repair oil leaks on the timing chain covers on front of both valve covers.  I would have fixed it myself if I had known before I took it in for 50,000 mile service.  Check yours periodically as this is a fairly common issue according to C43 forums.

[badali]

I'll take a look.  Mine is still under warranty for just under 3 more years.  This is the most powerful car I have had also.

[MaxHerrson]

The E450 sounds amazing, especially with all those driver-assist features. It must feel surreal to have a car that practically drives itself! I recently moved from Florida to New York and had to transport my car during the move. I found a car shipping cost calculator online, which really helped me figure out the best options. If you're ever considering transport car from florida to new york, it can be handy. Can’t wait to hear more about your E450 once you’ve had the chance to explore all its gadgets!

[badali]

I'm having the 90,000 mile service done tomorrow.  This car has been a great car.  No problems at all.  Just regular maintenance.  The front brakes lasted to 78k miles.  I have never had to have an alignment done.  The air suspension is great.  Inside and out the car still looks new.

[Pawel66]

I bought two GLE 450 in second half of 2019. One now has 30 000km on the clock (very little), the other one 130 000km - fair.

They both look mint. Nothing ever happened, nothing broke down in neither of them. We just go for maintenance services.

[badali]

Over the Thanksgiving week I let the E450 sit for a few days while I was off work. The rear suspension dropped.  The dealer is going to replace the air springs in the rear under warranty.  I still have a year of the unlimited mile warranty.  This is the only major repair, and the car has almost 93000 miles.