Anyone Own the 2003 E500? And Comments or Issues?
 

I finally got a good look at the 2003 E500 (one Black on Black and one Black on tan) . It is a spectacular car and I want one.

Does anyone have any thoughts, experiences or rumors to share?

This thread started after I drove the E500 at the MB sponsored "e-motion" event at Texas Motor Speedway....

E500 Test Drive

Oh yeah, Car and Driver did a road test of the '03 E55 AMG in the March issue. It is not available on the their website yet, but here is a link to the preview they did in December 2002...

03 E55 AMG

The only thing I hate about it is I mistook it for a camry from the back at a distance one day:( I was very upset :)

Hmmm, all these comments are making me look instead at pre-owned E55's. :(

Chrysler wipers?? The single arm wiper blade is part of the E-Class driving experience. I can't believe they got rid of it -- and shocked that I did not notice it initially.

24 hours with new E500
 

A dealership gave me one for 24 hours to test drive. It was an E500 Avantgarde with options including dual panoramic glass roof (with solar panels), 4 zone climate and 18" AMG wheels with 245/40 fronts and 265/35 rears. Without typing a full road test (which I have done for the next issue of the club magazine of the Mercedes-Benz Club NSW, Australia) I will summarise here with:

Likes:
1. Superb engine.
2. Very quiet but with glorious engine induction noise when worked hard.
3. Nice transmission.
4. Strong acceleration although not in the league of an SLK32 AMG I drove recently.
5. Flat cornering (Airmatic semi-active air suspension).
6. Excellent fuel economy.
7. Strong brakes.

Dislikes:
1. Brakes lack feel and too sensitive at low speed (in traffic).
2. Ride can be too firm for poor road surfaces.
3. Transmission can become confused briefly after sudden change in driving style.
4. Prominent windsceen washer nozzles almost more visible than star on bonnet (hood).
5. Wood on steering wheel (would prefer all leather).
6. No grab handle on leading end of door armrests.
7. Transmission won't hold car on hill after releasing brake (like my W124 does).
8. Windscreen pillar close to driver causes blind spots.
9. Why do head restraints need to change height when seats are moved?
10. Instruments not as easy to read as my older cars (especially with white faces of Avantgarde).
11. Complicated looking dash with very "plastic" look and feel to interior.
12. Styling not to my liking.

Don't get me wrong. It is a fine car but I don't have any great urge to want one. Possibly the Elegance would be more to my liking. I'm actually happy with what I've got! The W210 and W124 before that are extremely hard acts to follow (and improve on).

Hi Eric, some things about the new E-class will take some getting used to, especially if you're familiar with the previous E-class MB's. The ergonomics, instrumentation, and all around "feel" are unlike those of it's predecessors. Having said that, it's a wonderful car to drive. Smooth, responsive, and powerful just begin to describe it. I can't compare it to the competition since I haven't driven any of them (I'm a tech at a dealer) but I can attest to it's performance. That 's all I can say as far as thoughts and experiences go. As far as rumors? I've had two with CHECK ENGINE lights due to faulty pressure sensors, and we've had a few software glitches but I wouldn't worry about it. Nothing that affected drivability/performance. If you want one, get one. Good luck

The "new" dual wiper system is really nothing new. The driver's side wiper arm works like a normal arm, but the passenger side has an articulated base (rather than the articulated arm) which extends the arm to sweep more area at the corner or the windshield. Mercedes first started using this system on the W220. However, BMW had this in 1995 on the E38 7 series.

I still think the W140 has one of the coolest wiper setups. Driver side arm is like the famous W124 single arm, but sweeps half the windshield, and the other arm is "normal". :)

Hmmmm... What to do, what to do. :)

The car does look great, but maybe I'll pass until it is a few years older. Perhaps for now I'll think about a 2000-2002 e320/430/55 with those really nice new-style rims.

My '91 300E has only 55K on it and I just had the head gasket replaced. I've wrestled with the idea of getting a new Mercfedes/BMW/Lexus and there is no way I can come close to justifying it. I'm waiting for the new BMW 5-Series to come out to see if that can offer enough excitement to give up the Teal green beauty in my garage. I doubt it!

I own an E500 03 Model. Black on Black. Other than this reocurring electrical problem with the keyless -go and a radio problem which caused it to go in and out, I have had no mechanical problems. Drives great looks great. Of course Black is difficult to keep clean in Texas with all of the rain this year. This is my first MB ( I am a BMW Guy) I am kind of leaning back towards the 645i or 745i when I trade out. I'm hearing a lot of quality type complaints since Chrysler got involved and my electrical issue is one of them.