Calcite, Polar, Diamond Metallic - ?

jbanks15 said:

get the brochure so you can look at the colors next to each other

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Thanks for that - I went one better last week whilst having a warranty job done on my wife's Audi A3 Sportback (apologies if that is swearing) - so I went next door to the main Mercedes dealership, to look specifically at colours.

I browsed in peace, checking the various cars on show, each having their spec and thus their colours, printed nearby. There were two virtually brand new SLs, both in Diamond White, and I could see the creamy hue about them.

I returned to the Audi dealership, well pleased with my browsing, and we drove home along a dual carriageway restricted to 40mph.

Then 'it' happened - I glanced sideways just as a white bonnet came alongside, probably doing 41 as compared to our 40, inching slowly ahead. It was an SLK 250d in 'proper' White, i.e. as suggested by AAAA, probably Polar White instead of creamy Diamond White. My wife was driving the A3 so I took my time to study that SLK as it opened up a lead on us. Leaving the restricted area, it just took off, sweeping along curves and straights until it almost disappeared, way in the distance. But I was hooked - I was still admiring it from almost a quarter mile behind, as it swept into the motorway and eventually disappeared from view.

AAAA said:

Polar white is "white" enough without spending the extra on the metallic white. To me,white also seems to make the car look bigger and bizarrely, doesn't show the dirt as much as some of the darker colours.

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You've scored a direct hit with that, thank you. I had a couple of (consecutive) Jaguar XK8s (that is NOT swearing) back in 1998 to 2004 and my neighbours scorned me for washing or polishing the paint off the cars. Of course, they never lost their colour (Dark Metallic Red, both of 'em) and they always drew attention, but 15 years on and now hitting 70, I may have the time but not always the inclination to wash and polish as once I did.

And as for trying the 250d - yes, it appeals but at my age, and needing a second, purely fun car for myself, I'm looking for a 2013 motor - used, but hopefully loaded.

Thanks folks, much appreciated advice from you all.

They look good in white, and I wouldn't pay for the 'exclusive' colour either.

It's interesting to see how few white ones there are about though. Most are still silver, black, red or grey. You almost never see a blue one and white is also quite rare.

The one big plus point in favour of the CDi 250 is that there is roughly 5 of them for every petrol car in the UK, so the choice is much greater. There are incredibly few 'loaded' cars in the UK, whatever the rationale, most are the base spec although quite a few do have heated seats and Airscarf.

I ordered the 55 with the garage door opener and apparently it's the only 15 plate R172 in the UK with that option. Incredible given that it's standard on US cars I believe. It's also not surprising that Mercedes dropped that option for the 2016 MY.