my sentiments exactly.....the new steering wheel looks wimpy, same one in the new ML also the new 216 is a much bigger car inside and outside......MB also jacked the I-Drive from BMW......I had a 650 and it never worked right, I am sure the new owners will have the smame problem........the 215 will get around "old europe" much better.......remember that is why they went to the 99 CL in Germany.......what happened to that concept?
The Comand system in the CL and S-Class are much, much better than the iDrive. Much more intuitive.
how much to transplant the 215 interior into the 216 body?
That would be the ultimate Benz.
I dont know why car makers can improve the outside and the inside but never both at the same time. Still, if I bought a 216 it would just get deep tinted windows so nobody could see the goofy steering wheel and invisible transmission.
The w215 is a classier and classic look. So from a looks perspective the W215 for me. I don't like the look of the new front headlights. It makes the car look cheap and makes it look less aggressive. Also hate the steering wheel.
Having said that the new features in the CL63 - 7-Gear Auto (the CL55 was 5-Gear Auto), new Command system, head up display, etc make it technologically appealing to me. I will most likely upgrade from my CL55 in a year.
215 is nicer exterior. 216 interior is fabulous with lots of gadgets. If they came out with a 215 with a new interior, i think a lot of people would buy it.
Of course - I am partial to the 215. It is a more classic look and you can instantly tell it is a Mercedes even from a disatnce. The new car looks too "japaneese" to me - although I do think the CL63 is pretty sharp looking. I just think the new styles have lost some of the "swagger" - they just do not look as expensive as the previous models did. Just my 2 cents...
The 215 looks good from all angles and views.
The 216 looks great from the side and rear but the front does nothing for me. I saw a base one coming at me today and I thought it was hideous. It absolutely needs the added cladding of the flared lip to even look decent. From the side, the car is sweet.
The 215 is like that pretty girl who gets all the play...you never get tired of looking even after seeing her several times a day.
The 2000-2006 CL will always be a timeless beauty. The 216 is taking forever to grow on me. Whenever you buy a 100K car the last thing you want is for someone to say is, "wow it looks like that new toyota whatchmacallit or that new honda accord" not a good look for a 100K car.
I'm probably biased because the 215 is one of my all time favorite cars. But I've been thinking about this subject more sine my earlier post and with all the objectivity I can muster, it's not even close. Just about everyone liked the 215. Only some like the 216. That does it right there.
not a good look for a 100K car.
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