Rezensionen

Seats were ergonomic, though they did feel a bit firmer than the ones in the ICE 3s. The headrest pillow is soft, and nicely adjustable. Recline lever is under the seat, and gives you really good recline. There is only one power socket per two seats, which is not enough. It is down between the seats though, exactly where it should be. Window placement is garbage though, I advise you consult a good seatmap (there is a PDF up by DB that has a really detalied map, and also a 3D walkaround) before booking a seat.

Large overhead racks, some extra luggage racks scattered around the train, pretty good there.

A/C was not needed the day I travelled, but the Wi-Fi worked great. Info screens display in multiple languages, and they also display useful, and accurate information. (Looking at you, ÖBB.) DB's ICE Portal website is simply amazing, tells you everything you need to know about your journey, and also shows you what is in stock in the Bordrestaurant.

Lavatories are alright, nothing special. Water pressure is not all that great though.

Ride quality was really good, and it was also surprisingly quiet up at 230 km/h, so I am quite pleased overall. Pressurisation was also pretty good, difficult to complain there.

In my opinion a pretty solid ICE product that fits my standards of travel.

The seating is terrible; it does not deserve to be called anything other than an insult to travelers, especially for long distances, and more so if you're unlucky enough to be hit with a delay.

It is probably one of the biggest reasons, apart from DB's infamous unreliability, why many people are turned off by the idea of rail travel. Your car seat will always be more comfortable, and it is so bad that any of the upsides won't matter to you.

One of the few saving graces of this train is that when you get one during the night the light is dimmable and the luggage carriers are big enough that you can lie down under them using your backpack as a pillow, where you can dream of living in a world without these seats. The rest of the train is good: it travels quietly without many vibrations. Sure, it only goes 280 km/h, but that is less of a downside as it travels on routes where it doesn't really matter. The AC is also good, as the train stays cool in moderate heat. I haven't traveled in 40°C heat, so I can't speak for that.

All in all, if DB would rip out these seats and burn them on a stake, it would be a solid addition to the ICE fleet. Unfortunately, DB decided to use this train for high-capacity lines and treat the passengers like Ryanair travelers who choose cheap comfort for cheap prices. The FlixTrain seats are comparable to that, but when you travel with them you know what you're getting into.

It is okay.. not good but not terrible

Der 412 ist betrieblich absolut kein schlechtes Fahrzeug, aber aus Sicht des Fahrgastkomforts immer noch verbesserungswürdig. Ist zwar ein absolutes Sitzplatzmonster (88 Plätze pro 2. Klasse-Mittelwagen!) und somit gut für die kontinuierlich steigenden Passagierzahlen, aber gleichzeitig ist die Beinfreiheit nicht besser als in einer S-Bahn. Im Vergleich zur ersten Auslieferungsserie hat man sogar noch bei den Sitzen nachgebessert, viel hat das aber aus meiner Sicht nicht gebracht. Dafür ist das Lichtambiente wirklich top mit dem Ambientelicht, dass vom Zugpersonal in verschiedenen Farben eingestellt werden kann.