Description
MODEL HISTORY
The W212 and S212 Mercedes-Benz E-Class series is the fourth-generation of the E-Class range of executive cars. The 212 series was produced by Mercedes-Benz between 2009 and 2016 as the successor to the W211 E-Class.
The estate version (chassis code S212) was unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, with exterior design by Winifredo Camacho and interior styling by Thomas Stopka. The design was considerably more angular and aggressive than its predecessors and Mercedes gave the rear haunch a bulge that they named the "Ponton flare", inspired by that of the Ponton cars from the late ‘50s & early '60s.
Many of the changes were made to give the E-Class a sportier appearance, with new design cues from a number of existing models, to create a sharper-looking brand image in competition with BMW. The rising character line of the 2009 E-Class was inspired by the S-Class, as were the wheel-arch extensions, door handles, and enlarged bumpers.
The CLS-Class inspired the new headlights, featuring a squared teardrop design as opposed to the previous design. Other changes made on the 2009 model included a wider-framed grille, new air intakes, and a rear Diffuser-Esque bumper design. The E-Class (Saloon) now had a drag coefficient of just 0. 25.
Other design improvements also appeared inside, with a now high-level LCD screen, easily connectable via Bluetooth, to smartphones for telephone and music synchronicity. A dark wood trim featured on the dashboard and doors and for the JDM market, all rear windows included privacy glass. The specification was very high throughout, with such niceties as Self-leveling HID headlights with automatic swivelling, for a better view of corners ahead, as well as pneumatic rear suspension; a much simpler design, than previous hydraulic systems, which made maintenance easier too. 7-G Tronic (AMG Speedshift DCT on this example) transmission was also introduced, offering much-improved performance and refinement. Further details & specification below.
EQUIPMENT
The specification is comprehensive and it would almost be easier to list what the car doesn't have, but for the sake of providing a detailed list, here is information, decoded from the car's chassis number:
213 SPEED-SENSITIVE POWER STEERING/ VARIO STEERING
218 REAR-VIEW CAMERA
220 PARKTRONIC SYSTEM (PTS)
249 INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR MIRROR, AUTOMATICALLY DIMMING
263 LICENSE PLATE ATTACHMENT ASIA
275 MEMORY PACKAGE (DRIVER SEAT, STRG. COL., MIRROR)
279 ELECTRONIC GEAR RANGE SELECTION
280 LEATHER STEERING WHEEL AND LEATHER GEAR SHIFT KNOB
282B AIRBAG PACKAGE - JAPAN/ ENGLISH
287 THROUGH-LOADING FEATURE
291 PELVIS AIRBAG (PELVISBAG)
294 KNEE AIRBAG
298 SIDEBAGS IN REAR WITH BELT FORCE LIMITER
301 ASHTRAY PACKAGE
309 CUP HOLDER
414 ELECTRIC TILT/ SLIDE SUNROOF IN GLASS VERSION
427 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 7-SPEED
428 STEER. WHEEL GEARSHIFT BUTTONS/ SHIFT PADDLE PAINTED
474 DIESEL PARTICULATE FILTER
477 TIRE PRESSURE LOSS WARNING SYSTEM
498 JAPAN VERSION
518 UNIVERSAL COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACE (UCI)
527 COMAND DVD APS WITH NAVIGATION
551 BASIC ANTITHEFT ALARM SYSTEM (ATA)
580 AIR CONDITIONING (Climate Control).
600 HEADLAMPS - CLEANING EQUIPMENT
608 AUTOMATIC HIGH BEAM SWITCH (IHC)
619 CORNERING ILLUMINATION
621 HEADLAMP WITH ILS, LEFT-HAND TRAFFIC (Same as U. K.)
650U CALCITE WHITE - STANDARD FINISH
668 PRODUCT PROT. F FREIGHT PACKAG. W TIE-DOWN HOOKS
677 AVANTGARDE/ STANDARD SUSPENSION
700A LEATHER COMBINATION
701A LEATHER COMBINATION - BLACK/ ANTHRACITE
736 TRIM PIECES - WOOD ASH BLACK
762 RADIO REMOTE CONTROL W/ O PANIC SWITCH (315 MHZ)
800 AEJ 09/ 1
839L JAPAN
840 DARK TINTED GLASS
882 SENSOR SYSTEM AND ANTITHEFT ALARM SYSTEM
889 KEYLESS - GO
915 FUEL TANK WITH GREATER CAPACITY - VOLUME 2
919 AIRCON COOLING POWER PACKAGE
927 EURO 6 TECHNOLOGY EXHAUST GAS CLEANING
954 EQUIPMENT PACKAGE FOR AVANTGARDE VEHICLES
A21 SHIFT BY WIRE
A22 NEW CONVERTER GENERATION
A24 JOINT FLANGE, 4-ARM 120
A31 SOFTWARE (INDIVIDUAL)
A36 TORQUE CONVERTER HOUSING AGA
A49 CONVERTER WITH 3 FRICTION DISKS
A52 R- VALVE BODY ASSEMBLY WITH VGS 3
B12 WHEEL REPLACEMENT TOOL
F212 MODEL SERIES 212
FS COMBI - VEHICLE
G902 TRANSMISSION CODE VERSION 02
GA AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
HA REAR AXLE
J52 ADDITIONAL CODE FOR DAMPING MAT
K10 SOFTWARE CONTROL FOR STATIC CURVE ILLUMINATION
K11 ADAPTIVE STOP LIGHT FLASHING
K17 CONTROL CODE FOR SERVICE INTERVAL 10000 KM
M019 SERVICE REPOSITIONED
M020 BLUETEC
M30 DISPLACEMENT 3. 0 LITER
M642 V6 DIESEL ENGINE OM642
P35 LIGHT PACKAGE (FFO)
P54 THEFT PROTECTION PACKAGE
R RIGHT-HAND STEERING
R01 SUMMER TIRES
R66 TIRE WITH RUN-FLAT PROPERTIES
U42 DIESEL EXHAUST TREATMENT BLUETEC SCR GENERATION 1
U60 PEDESTRIAN PROTECTION - ACTIVE ENGINE HOOD
U72 DVD PLAYER WITH REGIONAL CODE 2, EUROPE, JAPAN
V73 SPEED- + LOAD INDEX 99Y XL
VL FRONT AXLE HALF, LEFT
VR FRONT AXLE HALF, RIGHT
650U CALCITE WHITE - STANDARD FINISH
701A LEATHER COMBINATION - BLACK/ ANTHRACITE
M642 V6 DIESEL ENGINE OM642
EXTERIOR
Exterior Condition is superb. This car was awarded a grade 4. 5 at Japanese trade auction, which makes it one of the best condition examples available, at the time we purchased it. Aside from minor scratches to the front bumper (which have subsequently been professionally repaired, as part of our comprehensive pre-sale preparations) and a few to the wheels, the car's condition was like new, with ZERO underside corrosion. Being a Japanese model, sourced from the Tokyo region, this E350 Bluetec has never been exposed to salted winter roads. As part of our bespoke service, we also made sure we selected an example that had always been stored indoors, when not in use and for this reason, the glass coating (Dealer option, when new) is still fresh, making the paintwork highly hydrophobic.
Naturally, as part of our inspection process, we have detailed the paintwork to ensure it's as best protected as possible and it's notable that no pin-dents or blemishes were found on any of the bodywork. All paint is factory original, except for the lower section of the front bumper, which has been perfectly repaired to factory finish, as mentioned above.
INTERIOR
The interior is similarly like new and includes original dealer-option fitted floor mats. As a one-owner car since 2010, it has never been smoked in. There are no scratches to the wood veneers and the Black/ Anthracite MB Tex interior is like new throughout. The rear seats fold forward electrically and there's a useful option fitted - metal bars that can be adjusted to suitable positions, to keep luggage well secured.
In addition, there is a retractable luggage cover and safety net, when carrying taller loads. The boot lid can be opened remotely, either using the security key fob, or by pressing a switch located in the driver's door pocket. When the boot opens, the tonneau cover also rises electrically. Closing requires the button on the boot lid to be pressed, for safety reasons. Having driven one of these ourselves for the last 6-months, we can testify they're excellent, robust and comfortable cruisers, perfect for carrying a family of 4-5 people regularly, with all the luggage carrying necessities catered for, inclusive of long-distance trips.
ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
The OM642 engine was originally developed for the 211 models (2006-on E320 diesel) and this powerplant continued to be shared with Chrysler-Jeep models in the U. S. It's a strong unit. In Ad-Blue® guise, Mercedes’ Bluetec urea-injection system scrubs the exhaust clean of almost all its NOx emissions and makes the car Euro 6 (ULEZ) compliant. Producing 211 hp, the diesel V-6 packs a 400-lb-ft wallop. That’s more torque than the E550 V8's 391 lb-ft, thus offering effortless cruising abilities. Being a modern Diesel, despite having 2, 987cc, it's entirely possible to get 38 mpg on a long run, especially if making use of the effortless cruise-control function.
The AMG Speedshift TCT transmission is best left in E-mode, although S (sport) and M (manual) models can be selected at the press of a button on the centre console. It's quite easy to get a lot more torque, using an ECU reflash, but for the sake of reliability, we would recommend leaving the car as Mercedes-Benz intended. Having been serviced since new by Yanase (Mercedes official dealers in Japan), the oil on this car has been regularly changed with the highest quality synthetics of the correct grading, to maximise long-term reliability.
WHEELS, BRAKES & SUSPENSION
Original Avantgarde specification includes 17" wheels, fitted with Runflat tyres (There is no spare wheel since space is taken by the Ad-Blue® tank). These offer a more refined ride than the lower-profile 18" AMG design wheels and are likely to better suit drivers of less enthusiastic nature, who prefer comfort and no-nonsense, to looks and performance. The rear suspension includes air-springs, which are self-levelling, meaning that the ride height remains constant, regardless of weight being carried in the form of passengers, or luggage. Ride in this example is simply excellent, as should be expected of a high-grade e-class model.
CONDITION REPORT
Condition is much like new throughout. No pin dents, no scratches, nor any non-original paint, except for a small professional repair we undertook on the lower edge of the front bumper's spoiler, where it had been scratched during parking. Wheels are like new, after minor repairs to a few small/ light parking marks.
The interior is unmarked, aside from a few light scratches to the lower plastics of the front footwells. All electrics work perfectly and the car has a full Mercedes-Benz Japan history. We checked the ECU for fault-code history and there is none to report. We did notice during preparation that the rear air springs were losing pressure, so we replaced these with new items for good measure.
TEST DRIVE
Performance of the E350 Bluetec is effortless, with enough torque to pull strongly, even when fully laden. The driving experience of this example is described as faultlessly smooth, with a robust feel. The suspension feels tight and compliant, offering taught and confidence-inspiring handling. We have set the instrumentation to display in English (As opposed to Japanese) and MPH + km/ h are both displayed.
The entertainment system similarly works for EU channels and displays in English.
HISTORY
This example includes a full Mercedes-Benz service history since new, which also proves original mileage. We have checked the ECU codes for previous faults and none were found. In addition, we have given the car a complete health check & B Spec. service. It's ready for reliable & robust daily use.
