Very nice example and seems uncommon to see one of these in a color other than black, silver, or beige. I've always admired those W211 OM648 cars, liked the driving dynamics and feel of the handful that I have driven, but agree not sure I'd want to own one. Relative to VAG vehicles that can accomplish so much with VCDS and other DIY-friendly programs, the MB platforms seem a lot more opaque. And high complexity of course, at least relative to the VAG A and B chassis cars that we are mostly used to here, although relative to something like a Touareg or C/D platform Audi it's probably no worse.
My main beef with the MB cars, coming from VWs (and in my case also Volvos), is that I just don't like the cabin ergonomics. My opinion is that VAG nailed secondary control ergonomics to absolute perfection in the A4/B5/C5 era. Every switch, lever, adjustment works exactly like I want it to and feel it should. MB's approach feels more like a domestic American vehicle to me and that is not a compliment. IMO something that should be a legal standard requirement for any vehicle is the ability to adjust wiper speed without taking a hand off the steering wheel, as that can be a serious safety factor in the worst conditions -- sudden drenched windshield or heavy spray from an 18-wheeler driving through standing water or slush in the next lane, variable winter weather conditions, etc. VW, Audi, BMW, Volvo, and most (but not all) of the Japanese and Korean makers have nailed this correctly since as long as I can remember, and also recent era Ford cars but not trucks.... Extend a finger on your right hand and you can flick a lever up or down as needed while continuing to hold the wheel. There's a reason this is how turn signals work as well.
Yet for the wipers in a Mercedes, like on a GM or Chrysler or Ford, you have to take your hand off the wheel, find the stalk, twist it, and bring your hand back to the wheel rim, in the midst of whatever else you're trying to manage in an emergency situation. MB has had that system forever and it sucks. Oddly enough the commercial chassis MB (the early SUVs, Sprinters) use a better logical system with a dedicated wiper lever on the right.
That's just one example of what I don't like, there are others. Seat adjustments, sunroof controls, HVAC, etc. Pet peeves in some sense but I will argue that these kinds of details can really make a difference in living with a vehicle over the long term, even on something that runs and drives as nicely as many of MB's vehicles do.
The smoothness of the inline six is nice for sure. To me that is probably the biggest appeal of any Merc diesel versus the alternatives. I don't really like the styling of the E90 BMW 3 series so the 335d is out for me, plus those feature modern emissions complexity also and are tight on interior space. Too bad we never got the E39 platform with a diesel six here, that's a vehicle I'd take a hard look at. In terms of MB, the W124 and W201 diesels seem like they have the strongest appeal out of them all, but even so I think the VAG/Volvo alternatives are better.
And I still maintain that the famous W123 cars just suck in every way.
