By Don & Carol Velcio
An interesting situation came together this year and Carol and I decided to capitalize on an opportunity to have a vacation of a lifetime. The lease on Carol’s car was coming to an end. We were exploring our options at Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted.
The dealer suggested, of course, that we get another new car. I advised the dealer’s owner that we’ll probably exercise our purchase option on the old car instead, as I was interested in getting a new diesel and Mercedes didn’t seem to be offering those in a sedan version. He told me that a new 2011 diesel, the E350 BlueTec, is coming to the USA in September and he’d be happy to order one for me.
So we designed a car to our precise specifications with the understanding that we were not obligated to buy the car. The dealer would order it and it would be built in September. This was in early July.
As time went by, various matters came up that prevented us from taking the vacation that we normally would in August or September. Then it struck me. Maybe we could make this car into a Mercedes-Benz European Delivery car. The dealer inquired for us and found out that we had enough lead time to do so. We finalized our plans at the end of August. Thanks to Bernie Moreno, the owner of Mercedes-Benz of North Olmsted, VP of sales Gabe Despres, and salesman Michael Thomas, we were on our way to Germany.
A significant advantage of taking European Delivery of a new Mercedes is very attractive pricing. Basically, Mercedes-Benz sells you the car for 7% below MSRP, and without the normal $875 transportation charge. Essentially, you get the car below dealer invoice. Included are taxi vouchers, a night or nights in five-star hotels, various meals, and royal treatment. You are offered the option of purchasing the four-day Black Forest – Alps Rally tour, which we did. Mercedes arranges for the shipment of your new car back to the selling dealer in the USA after your vacation ends. Any MBUSA financing offers or financial incentives can be applied to a European Delivery car. The discounts allow you to buy a new car, drive it in Europe, visit beautiful vacation spots, stay in first-class accommodations, eat wonderful meals, and spend about what it would cost you to buy the car in America. Read the details at www.mbusa.com.
Now if the above isn’t reason enough for you to consider European Delivery, the Mercedes-Benz Club of America Membership Loyalty Reward Program also applies to cars purchased through European Delivery sales. We will receive a $1,500 prepaid gift card redeemable at any Mercedes dealer for parts, service, and accessories. We’ll probably use some of that $1,500 to purchase three or four years of prepaid maintenance and some winter floor mats.
We left on Wednesday, September 29, 2010. We flew Cleveland to Atlanta to Stuttgart. It was easy going through airport security in Cleveland. Thanks to a tail wind that was at times over 150 mph, we arrived in Stuttgart early, about 8:10 am on Thursday morning.
Mercedes-Benz provided us with a cab voucher to get us to our hotel, Le Meridien. Our room was not ready, as we arrived very early. So we decided to be adventurous and took a trip to the Porsche Museum while our hotel room was being prepared.
At the front desk, we asked for advice on getting to the Porsche Museum. We were told that it was just a short walk through a lovely park to Stuttgart’s Central Station. We learned that a short walk in Germany is any walk less than two miles. The Germans like to walk.
After realizing that we couldn’t read a word of German on all the signs in the station, we figured out (with some assistance) how to buy train tickets from a vending machine and how to find the correct train platform. I found this adventurous, while Carol was getting a bit stressed out about it.
We rode the train, like Cleveland’s Rapid Transit, to the Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen, suburban Stuttgart. The museum at Porscheplatz is just across the tracks at the train station. Opened in 2009, the new museum is very nice. As Porsche Club members, we were entitled to half-price admission. We toured the museum and took many pictures. I enjoyed seeing the museum’s 944 Turbo Cup racecar display. I had owned and raced a similar car. I suspect that every Porsche owner would find a car or cars similar to the one they own or owned.
A Manly 944 Turbo Cup Racer
A More Manly 962 Turbo Racer
After our museum tour, we took the train back to Central Station. It was afternoon when we walked out of the train station into the park. There was a large protest rally in process. The Greens are opposed to the expansion of Central Station. The expansion would cause the removal of some trees and the elimination of a small area in the park. We later learned that more trees and more park land were being added to Stuttgart’s total park land as a part of the Central Station expansion plan.
There was a large police presence at the protest rally. The police were in full military-style battle gear. This was a bit scary to me. The protest rally made Germany’s national news for several days. After we had left the park, the protestors and the police became more aggressive. The police used pepper spray and water cannons for crowd control. It wasn’t a pretty picture.
We returned to Le Meridien. At this point we had been awake well over twenty-four hours and were exhausted. We checked into our room, rested, and had a fine dinner at the hotel. This hotel selected for us by the Mercedes-Benz travel department was first class in every way.
Friday, October 1, 2010 was our big day to pick up the new car. We started the day with a wonderful breakfast buffet that was included in our room rate. The gray skies and rain in the area reminded me of home. Stuttgart seemed like a cross between Cleveland and Pittsburgh. We took a cab ride (paid by Mercedes-Benz with another cab voucher) to the Mercedes-Benz Customer Center in Sindelfingen, a suburb of Stuttgart. We arrived about 9:00 am and were offered car delivery at 10:00 and a factory tour at 11:20. And the rain continued.
At 10:15 we were advised that our car was selected for “random testing of tire pressure” and we wouldn’t be able to get the car until after the factory tour. That sounded fishy to me.
The factory tour is wonderful and informative. Watching cars being built in a state-of-the-art facility is not to be missed. We returned from the factory tour about 1:15 and our new car was in the delivery area.
Carol (l) and Margarete (r)
Margarete was designated to show our new car to us. She explained many of the features that were new to us and routed Day One of our Black Forest – Alps Rally on the Navi system. But we couldn’t get Keyless Go to work properly in the building. This was embarrassing to Margarete and frightening to me, thinking of the “tire pressure inspection” earlier. Was this new Mercedes going to be a lemon? We drove the car out to the parking lot and Keyless Go worked fine as Margarete had promised. Big sigh of relief. We had a nice late lunch at the restaurant in the Customer Center, compliments of Mercedes European Delivery. We then started on our tour of the Black Forest and Alps. Oh, by the way, we never had any tire pressure issues on the trip and both Carol and I enjoy the Keyless Go features.
Outside the Mercedes Customer Center
From the M-B factory we entered the Autobahn. Carol was afraid of the Autobahn, as her friends – not car guys – had told of fast German drivers who scared them silly. I had heard the opposite from my friends – fast German drivers who shared the road and got out of the way for the fast guys. Well, leaving suburban Stuttgart at the start of rush hour was no different than driving on the Interstate in Cleveland in rush hour. Crawl along. This sucks, I thought. Then soon the pace increased and we were moving at 80. Margarete had set our displays to be metric. 80 kph is about 50 mph, I reckoned. Then I realized our analog speedometer was indicating mph! Ah, cruising with traffic at 80 mph. This doesn’t suck. This is great.
Traffic thinned even more as we got further from town and the left lane was a fun place to drive. We were advised not exceed 100 mph during the break-in period, except for brief spurts. So I did a short cruise at 100, and asked Carol if she was scared. She said no, this is a fine-riding car, and traffic was perfectly behaved. The Autobahn was our friend.
We were routed off the A-bahn onto two-lane “B” highways. We made a few wrong turns as we weren’t familiar with the Navi lady yet. But we made our way across this part of Germany to the Black Forest High Road, B-500. This road was made to be driven in a fine German car. Motorcycle riders, clad in full leather riding gear, were leaning way over on these roads. Mountain roads. Two-lane mountain roads. Miles and miles of mountain roads. I love mountain roads. Imagine mountain road driving with little or no speed limits, light traffic, and respectful fellow road users. The Black Forest High Road seemed to be like parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Snake (US Rt. 421 in Tennessee and North Carolina), and the Cherohala Skyway (near the Tail of the Dragon) all rolled into one. Note that I have not mentioned any of the western US mountain range roads, as the Black Forest High Road runs at about 3,000 feet of elevation.
We got into Baden-Baden before dark and circled the congested, narrow downtown area several times while searching for the entrance to our hotel, the Steigenberger Europäischer Hof. I even managed to drive up a pedestrian only street, with the walkers looking at the new Benz with tourist plates. They made a point of keeping away from us. After a few laps of the downtown area we checked in, were valet-parked, and escorted to our room. It was a nice, large room in a beautiful old hotel. As we saw more and more, Germany has a long history going for it that we don’t have in North America. After a light dinner and delightful home brew at the Amadeus Hofbrau, we retired and slept well. We were finally getting over the jet-lagged feeling.
Saturday morning, we had another full breakfast buffet included with the room charge. For the second day, we noted that the breakfast buffet was far better than any we had eaten at an American hotel. The Germans eat a lot of meat for breakfast, what we think of as lunch meat, together with sausages, bacon and meatballs, as well as eggs, potatoes, fruits, cereals, and baked breads and pastries. I don’t understand how these people stay so thin. It must be that they like to walk everywhere.
We started out driving about 40 miles on the Autobahn. Our American Interstate highways are like German Autobahns. The major difference is the speed limits. In some areas of the Autobahn there were posted speed limits. In other areas, the left lane had an open speed limit. Since it was raining, I drove at or below 80 mph. And cars passed us going 100 or 120 mph. The traffic flowed well.
We returned to two-lane roads and got confused in a big town. Even though I had reset the instruments and Navi to speak miles not kilometers, I still misunderstood the lady. As the day progressed, we learned what “prepare to turn” meant, as opposed to the other expressions that she used as we got closer and closer to turns. We drove through old towns and villages. They were beautiful. We didn’t stop for pictures until the rain ended near Triberg. This is the area of the Black Forest where cuckoo clocks are the local hot commodity.
Typical Black Forest small town
We toured the souvenir stores and paid a Euro to hear the outdoor display make music and dance for us. That was like our own personal Glockenspiel performance. Then we were back on the Black Forest High Road. The southern section of the High Road was far more technical, twisty, and narrow than the northern part.
Cuckoo Clock heaven
We arrived at our hotel, the Parkhotel Adler, in Hinterzarten Sudschwartzwald. Parkhotel Adler first was established in 1446. Yes, before Columbus discovered America, tourists stayed here. The room was a spacious suite, with a large, deluxe bedroom, living room, attached lounge room, and huge bathroom. As we were learning, every hotel that Mercedes-Benz arranged for us was absolutely first-class.
Founded in 1446
We were invited to the general manager’s welcoming in the winter garden. At this early evening party, we were served champagne and treated to live piano music. We met the manager and assistant manager and exchanged greetings with other guests. While the staff spoke good to excellent English, it was awkward to have limited communication with most of the German clientele. We met another American couple and had a nice chat comparing our travels. We explained Mercedes’ European Delivery program and they were very interested. I wouldn’t be surprised if they buy a new Benz as a part of next year’s vacation plans.
Dinner at the Adler Restaurant was first class. Excellent food, drink and Black Forest cake sent us happily to our suite. We both slept like a rock after listening to a German radio station that was playing older American country music.
Outside the Parkhotel Adler
Parkhotel Adler’s breakfast was delightful. While there were many choices, I preferred the wonderful fresh breads, “lunch” meats and cheeses, and smoked and pickled fish. You just don’t find selections like these at an American hotel’s breakfast buffet.
While we saw rainy Cleveland-like weather on Friday and Saturday, Sunday morning had bright sunshine under a dark blue high-pressure sky. Indian Summer came to Germany. The driving was a delight, the traffic light to moderate. We cruised at about 60 mph on a B highway and then drove down the Autobahn at 80-100 mph. After about 75 miles of A and B highway travel, we were getting over 35 mpg. That’s not bad for an engine that’s not broken in. Diesel torque and diesel fuel economy are what I hoped to experience in Germany. The Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTec was not disappointing me.
We stopped at Birnau’s famous pilgrimage church on the shore of Lake Constance (the Bodensee to the locals.) It is a magnificent baroque structure and the rococo interior is superb. As Sunday Mass was in process – in Latin, no less – we were unable to photograph the inside. Be sure to stop and admire this church when you visit the area.
Birnau’s pilgrimage church
Outside Birnau’s pilgrimage church
We arrived at our lodging, the Villino, just outside Lindau, Germany. This is a gorgeous facility with only fifteen suites, spectacular gardens, and a Michelin-rated restaurant. After checking in, we drove over the causeway onto the medieval Lindau Island.
Lake Constance, the Bodensee
Lindau Island is a spot to visit. The harbor has been used for over a thousand years, the buildings are very old, and the central part of the old island city is restricted to pedestrians (except for the errant Audi driver getting looks from the pedestrians like I had received in a similar part of Baden-Baden.) Today was a special event day with a party in the park and marathon race. The large number of tourists made restaurant service very slow, but then the Germans don’t seem to share our rush-rush pace. Except for the Autobahn, of course.
Lindau’s pedestrian shopping district
Lindau’s thousand year old harbor marker
We parked in a public lot and discovered that German parking spaces are very narrow compared to our American parking spaces. I needlessly worried about door dings – there were none when we left. I couldn’t figure out how to get the exit gate to open, so I asked a German couple if I could watch them. They put their card into the slot, and, voila, the gate opened. Then they said you first pay at a machine near the lot entrance and get the card authorized for exiting. The locals and I had a good laugh when I finally understood what they were telling me in German and broken-English.
Dinner at the Villino was exceptional. Being a Michelin-rated restaurant, the service, food, décor, etc. were all over the top. Accordingly, so was the pricing. But a high cost together with excellence seems to be the Mercedes-Benz way of doing things. The Villino was one of Carol’s favorite stops on our trip and is and good choice to make when you tour the area.
The breakfast buffet at the Villino was very good. In fact, every breakfast buffet that we had on this vacation was outstanding. The waiter asked us where we were from in the USA. We said we’re from Cleveland, Ohio. As the waiter walked away, the two women sitting at the table next to us turned around and said in delight “We’re from Cleveland, Ohio too!” You can’t imagine our mutual surprise. Betty and her sister Joan were also enjoying the Mercedes-Benz European Delivery program. And they are fellow west-siders who purchased their car from the same dealer that we did. It is such a small world. As we chatted, we agreed to have dinner together later that night in the Austrian Alps.
As we were driving out of Lindau, we stopped at a service station to purchase an Austrian toll sticker for the windshield. For €7.90 we were able to drive the Austrian A-bahns for ten days. That’s a whole lot less than we would pay on the Ohio or Pennsylvania toll roads. We saw our second McDonald’s restaurant in Germany near the A-bahn exit outside Lindau. It was situated next to a sheep pasture. The exits on German and Austrian freeways are not cluttered with businesses like their American counterparts.
The Austrian A-bahn was similar to the German version, but had a posted speed limit of 110 kph, about 70 mph. So we slowed down to the limit unlike many of the local drivers.
I discovered the instantaneous gas mileage indicator in the car for the first time on the Autobahn in Austria. I know earlier in the trip we were getting over 35 mpg driving 80-100 mph. At 70, the BlueTec diesel was reading between 36 and the instrument’s limit of 40 mpg! Have I mentioned that I think I’m going to enjoy this clean diesel?
We chose to drive over the Arlberg Pass rather than take the nine-mile long toll tunnel on the A-bahn. Twisting two-lane roads and switchbacks reminded me of the Trail Ridge Road in the Rocky Mountain National Park, but the summit was only around 5,900 ft. Generally speaking, from what I have seen, the Eastern Alps are steeper, pointier, and more jagged than any North American mountain range. To my eye, the Alps are closest in appearance to the Grand Tetons, but the mountain ranges are not the same.
Rest area over the Arlberg Pass
We exited the A-bahn for the five mile drive to our night’s lodging, the Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol. This was five miles by road surface and with what seemed like one mile of vertical ascent. It was a steep uphill road – narrow, twisty, switchbacks – with one view more spectacular than the previous. We were only getting 10 mpg on this hill climb. With crossing the Arlberg Pass and the road up to the Interalpen, we averaged over 32 mpg today. That’s not too bad for a 4,000 pound touring sedan. I’m fairly certain that we won’t need to stop for fuel on this trip, as our total trip average for about 400 miles thus far is over 32 mpg.
The Interalpen Hotel Tyrol
The Interalpen is an extremely fine place to stay. Look at their website to get an idea of what they have to offer. My words are not able to describe how fine this facility is. As an example, you drive into the wood-paneled “lobby” of the underground parking garage before taking the elevator up to the actual main floor. You just have to see it to understand. Magnificence.
The Interalpen’s parking garage lobby
Carol and I joined Betty and Joan for the multi-course dinner at the Interalpen included with our trip package. We greatly enjoyed Betty and Joan’s company, and will look them up again back in Cleveland. Dinner included an excellent salad bar, cheeses and breads, appetizers, soups, entrees, and desserts. This was another day of fine dining on rich food. I think I’ll read a diet book on the flight home. Then again, maybe the walking will help burn off some calories.
The Austrian Alps outside our room
As Carol and I were walking to the Interalpen’s breakfast buffet, we ran into a couple from New York City, Michael and Cheryl, whom we had seen at the Parkhotel Adler and the Villino. We had breakfast together and very much enjoyed conversing with them and hearing their perspective on the European Delivery program. We all agreed that this is a great value that should be enjoyed by anyone having the opportunity to take a first-class vacation while driving their new car. Michael and Cheryl liked the Interalpen so well that they extended their stay there by an additional day to so some hiking in the mountains.
Carol and I set the Navi to go to our Munich hotel via Oberammegau. I remember my parents talking about the town and the famous Passion Play. The Navi took us on some incredibly fun, narrow, two-lane roads. In Mittenwald, we passed a Mercedes dealer/service center with the “Mercedes Café” next door. We stopped for the photo opportunity.
Mercedes dealer and Mercedes Grill
Eventually we reached the “B” highways to Oberammegau. At about the same time the rains came. By the time we got to Oberammegau, it was pouring. We circled the town a couple times to see the sights without leaving the car. It wasn’t what we planned, but you need to go with the weather flow.
The drive to Munich was a rainy dash up the Autobahn. I chose to drive at 75-80, which seemed reasonable for the conditions. Some A-bahners were going over 100, probably over 120. I don’t know which laws of physics they think they know, but based on my experience, I don’t think 120 in the rain is such a good idea on a public highway.
The drive through downtown Munich was the traffic nightmare that you would expect. After several wrong turns and a U-turn (I really think the Navi lady got mixed up, rather than the driver), we made it to the Hotel Konigshof. Valet parked and luggage whisked to our room, we were again treated like royalty. The parking valet assured me that there was a special parking place for the Mercedes customers in the underground garage, and when I went to empty the car later I found his description was perfectly accurate. No door dinging would happen parked between their hotel van and a guardrail.
The Hotel Konigshof is an older, beautiful, and elegant hotel in the heart of downtown Munich. It is at the historic Karlsplatz square. Across the street is one of the old city gates leading into the pedestrian-only area of the central city. As is said about real estate, it’s all about location, location, location. Like the Parkhotel Adler in Hinterzarten, the Hotel Konigshof is listed in The Leading Small Hotels of the World book.
It was still raining, but we walked under our umbrellas onto the pedestrian-only downtown plaza area. We dined at the Schnitzelwirt im Spatenhof. When in Bavaria, do as the Bavarians do. Carol had authentic wiener schnitzel, French fries, and lingonberries. It was fabulous. I had roasted schnitzel in a wonderful madiera gravy, au gratin potatoes, and broccoli sautéed to perfection in light garlic oil. A locally-brewed Spaten draft beer made my dinner complete. For dessert, we shared the Bavarian version of a banana split made with real ice cream topped with real whipped cream. That diet book may come in handy on the flight home.
The new frames the old in Munich
We walked down the Neuhauser Strasse to the Marienplatz, home of Munich’s Rathaus (city hall) with the Glockenspiel tower. The recently-announced travel alert for Americans in Europe had us concerned. Even though it was raining, thousands of people were walking in this downtown-tourist area of Munich. Terrorists with machine guns or IEDs could slaughter hundreds of innocent people in a very short time there. Nevertheless, we planned to continue our sightseeing the next day. To cower in our hotel room would in fact mean that the terrorists had won.
Our Munich tour bus
After Konigshof’s fine breakfast buffet, we walked to the central train and bus station in Munich, just down the street from our hotel. This was another crowded tourist area. We took a double-decker tourist bus ride around Munich and saw sights that we could have never found on our own. We got off the bus for a whirlwind one-hour tour of the BMW Welt and Museum.
BMW Welt and Museum on a gray day
A beautiful old Bimmer
Early US Superbike winner – R90S
After returning to the central station 3.5 hours after departure, we had lunch in a nearby seafood cafeteria. I had the finest bowl of seafood soup that I had eaten in a long, long time – possibly the finest seafood soup I had ever eaten. And this was a bargain compared to pricing in Munich, regarded as the most expensive city in Germany.
I phoned the local Munich pickup agent for the Mercedes European Delivery program and confirmed that the car was scheduled to be picked up. He went over the things required to be in the glove box so that they could get the car through customs. The key was left at the hotel desk and all parties knew that tomorrow the car would begin its trip home, just as we were starting home. We look forward to driving our new car about six weeks from now.
After more walking – we joked that we were adapting to the German walking way of life – we had dinner at the same Schnitzelwirt that we had eaten at the previous night. Mrs. Adventure ordered her same wiener schnitzel, while I changed to the six bratwurst with sauerkraut entrée and draft beer. Now before you think that I am a total pig, be aware that these brats are not the size of your typical American Johnsonville brat. These German brats were about the size of an American breakfast sausage, the size of a little finger – and they were grilled to a fabulous perfection. The kraut was another bit of German food excellence. And, no, I am not exaggerating. For dessert we shared a warm piece of apple strudel in vanilla sauce and topped with whipped cream. Yummy, yummy, yummy. In a city known for its brats, kraut, and beer, we had located a definite winner of a dining spot. We really like this restaurant and would readily return on another trip.
We asked for a 5:30 wakeup call on our departure day. Promptly at 5:30 am the phone rang. This was another example of the famed German efficiency. We planned to be at the airport at least two hours early, as we suspected significant security precautions would be in place due to the heightened terrorist threat level. And we were correct. Unlike breezing through security in Cleveland (before the increased alert status,) security was comprehensive and thorough. I had forgotten to remove my shoes and they must have metal arches in them. I was patted down and wanded top to bottom. Then the security guard realized he was just dealing with a dummy who left his shoes on. We made it to the plane on time.
The flight from Munich to Atlanta was the low point of the trip. Our vacation was ending, we were packed like sardines into a full airliner, and we were on the plane for 10.5 hours. Carol assures me that I’ll soon forget that part of the trip. Delta Airlines made our travel the best they could.
Arriving in Atlanta after an international flight, we had to claim our checked luggage, go through customs, recheck our luggage to Cleveland, and then go through airport security with our carry-on bags. This security check involved going through a very long line. Winding back and forth, the line was as long as any of the longest lines I could remember at Cedar Point or Disney World. The line moved, I remembered to remove my shoes this time, and we were into the Atlanta terminal waiting for our flight to Cleveland.
We ate American food in the Atlanta airport. I suspect our food choices were less healthy than some of those German food choices we had made previously. But there’s no place like home. The flight to Cleveland, under two hours, seemed like a breeze to us. The cab ride home was quick and relatively inexpensive. And like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Carol and I were chanting “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.” Our greetings from Rocky, our standard poodle, and Bart the cat made the return trip complete.
In summary, the Mercedes-Benz European Delivery program is wonderful and should be enjoyed by anyone who has the ability to participate. All of the accommodations made through Mercedes-Benz were first class. The locations on the Black Forest – Alps Rally package were ideal choices.
The E350 BlueTec proved to me that the modern clean turbo-diesel cars have many advantages over their gas-powered relatives. Exhaust emissions from a BlueTec diesel are reported to be lower than emissions from a comparable gas-powered vehicle. 400 foot-pounds of oil-burning torque gives you a push in the back that is usually only found in an 8-cylinder gas car. We average about 32 mpg in 500 miles of driving on high-speed highways and mountain roads. It would be difficult to match that mileage with most 4-cylinder gas cars. We still had about one-eighth tank of fuel remaining after 500 miles, and the trip computer thought we could go another 150 miles.
As a point of comparison, Betty and Joan in an S550 4-matic filled up at the halfway point of the trip at a cost of €103.00, about $140.00. Michael and Cheryl in their GLK350 stopped every day to top off their tank, never wanting to risk running low or out of gasoline in some of the more remote areas we ventured into.
The E350 BlueTec diesel has everything we want in a car: luxurious ride, plenty of power, very good fuel mileage, low emissions, and all the features and options that you can find on any E-class Mercedes. We hope to enjoy this car and its clean diesel engine technology for many, many years and miles to come.