E320cdi - fun?

[alfaspiderman2]

Looking for options for my next company car

Not really considered a Merc as the C is due for replacement and the E always looked a bit old man (no offence)

However, saw a very nice E320 Sport today in Black and must admit I'm tempted as an alternative to the default BMW 3 or 5

my main reservation is that the Merc wouldn't be as much fun to drive as a BMW so my question is how well do they actually handle and does the 320cdi feel genuinely fast or just ok for a large diesel?

[j-p]

Drive one - it's not really a car you think about caning when you drive it. It's very comfortable, ride quality is in a different league to equivalent 5 series. If you do loads of motorway miles, then I'd say get one, if you want the best handling car then you should probably stick to the 3 or 5 series.

I will say this though, sense of occasion in the E is far greater than any BM i've been in and the interior quality is superb!

0-60 in 6.5 secs and 155mph top speed sounds pretty quick to me!

Edited by j-p on Tuesday 27th March 20:04

[tonyf]

j-p said:

Drive one - it's not really a car you think about caning when you drive it. It's very comfortable, ride quality is in a different league to equivalent 5 series. If you do loads of motorway miles, then I'd say get one, if you want the best handling car then you should probably stick to the 3 or 5 series.

I will say this though, sense of occasion in the E is far greater than any BM i've been in and the interior quality is superb!

0-60 in 6.5 secs and 155mph top speed sounds pretty quick to me!

Edited by j-p on Tuesday 27th March 20:04

I have owned 3 of these beauties over the last 8 years and for me they are a better car than ANY beemer.
Go test drive one, you will not be dissapointed.

[deva link]

I have a C Class Avantgarde on standard suspension and 16" wheels and the ride is the cars worst feature and it's not compensated for by good handling.

If you're bothered by ride quality then be careful of MB's with sports suspension and low profile tyres - the ride can be horrible. You should be able to get a corporate loaner out of MB for a few days - if you lease cars then lease company can arrange it.

They're not really ear'oling cars - more suited to motorway wafting.

I'm not a BMW fan but my mate has previous shape BMW 525d Sport and I'm always amazed at how good the ride that feels - almost magic carpet like. I borrowed a 3 Series from work and it's the only car I've ever deliberately taken 'the long way home'. Even Mrs DL (who normally takes no interest in cars whatsoever) liked driving it.

Edited by deva link on Tuesday 27th March 21:08

[alfaspiderman2]

I've asked the lease company for a 320cdi for a few days..just waiting to hear

I do about 25k miles a year, of which about 75% is motorways

[nickb55]

we bought a new E320 sport diesel estate, and are VERY impressed with it. The engine is very quiet. 7 speed auto is fantastic. paddles on the s/wheel too. I am amazed at how well it handles,tho quite a firm ride. lower susp, big alloys.. apart from that, i wondered why we had paid an extra 5k for the sport, but when we got it, i realised why. its bloody quick.. for a diesel estate! inside is really nice too, sports seats, and lovely environemnt, much better than bmw in my opinion.

u should definately try one!

[alfaspiderman2]

getting an Avant Garde estate for a couple of days next week....

[markmullen]

If you can get a Sport do it, probably the best seats of any similar car, they fit just perfectly. The E320cdi was one of my favourite cars to drive when I worked at Mercedes, ideal to waft home in but you'll find the natural wafting speed is 3 figures and doesn't feel like you're doing it so keep an eye out. They can be hustled along if necessary and fuel economy is great for a big torquey barge.

[j-p]

alfaspiderman2 said:

getting an Avant Garde estate for a couple of days next week....

I think you'll like it - especially for what you need. I'm getting an E280CDI avantgarde tomorrow - can't wait!

[pentoman]

Let us know what you think.

I remember reading about the (old shape) E320 CDI when it was new, and the fastest diesel car in the world. I was in love at the time.

7 years later I finally got to drive one and was so disappointed. I don't know what I was expecting, just a bit hit of torque in the back I suppose, but it never really happened. Perhaps it was just too smooth? For torquey-diesel thrills I think the Mark 4 Golf is best.

I can't imagine it's "fun" to corner either although I didn't try as the owner of this (estate) car probably wouldn't have been impressed. The current E-class is supposed to be better to drive... yet still I'm struggling with this word "fun".....

[j-p]

pentoman said:

Let us know what you think.

I remember reading about the (old shape) E320 CDI when it was new, and the fastest diesel car in the world. I was in love at the time.

7 years later I finally got to drive one and was so disappointed. I don't know what I was expecting, just a bit hit of torque in the back I suppose, but it never really happened. Perhaps it was just too smooth? For torquey-diesel thrills I think the Mark 4 Golf is best.

I can't imagine it's "fun" to corner either although I didn't try as the owner of this (estate) car probably wouldn't have been impressed. The current E-class is supposed to be better to drive... yet still I'm struggling with this word "fun".....

See thread E280 CDI - I've written what I think of the car there. To my mind there's no big car which you'd describe as fun - My last fun car was a Clio 182 Trophy - that was fun! But utterly useless on motorways with a very firm ride but boy on the right road it was most certainly fun!

[alfaspiderman2]

320cdi AG Estate demo arrived this morning

gotta say, first impressions are very favourable

looks good (Tealite), goes very well, sounds good, gearbox is amazing

makes my neighbours '07 325i M Sport touring looks a little ordinary

gonna take it out on some more challenging roads this afternoon to see if it can cope with the twisties

[alfaspiderman2]

now I've got a problem

I didn't expect to like the E320cdi but I really do....I'd already decided on a 3 or 5 series tourer but an E320cdi Sport Estate is cheaper than a 530i/d or 335i on my company scheme

it feels genuinely quick once over 60, makes a really nice noise (not just a nice noise of a diesel), and looks superb

I've asked Merc to provide a Sport version as my only gripes with the AG car supplied is that the seats aren't supportive enough and the handling is a bit soft....hopefully both will be addressed somewhat by the Sport spec

[markmullen]

Depending on how you can spec your car look for one with airmatic adaptive damping so you can set it to sport and stiffen the suspension and multi contour seats which you can firm up, with those two you should be well away.

[alfaspiderman2]

is airmatic worth the extra cost then?

about a grand isn't it?

[markmullen]

alfaspiderman2 said:

is airmatic worth the extra cost then?

about a grand isn't it?

£1265. I think its worth it if you are an enthusiastic driver, you can have it set firm when you're in on your own having a blat and set to comfort when you've got people in and want a softer ride.

[alfaspiderman2]

Merc corporate sales really are rather good

"no problem sir, we'll send a 320cdi Sport out to you for next weekend"

beats the service from BMW that's for sure...

looking forward to another weekend of wafting...

(hope this one doesn't get vandalised outside my house like the AvantGarde did)

[bertie]

alfaspiderman2 said:

Merc corporate sales really are rather good

Surely you jest?

I want to the local official Merc showroom last Friday to look at a CLS.

Bloke took all my details and was "calling back first" thing to sort a test drive.

Never heard from him since!

This seems typical of the MB buying expierance to me, certainly in the last 4 cars I've bought for either myself or the company.

They seem to believe they are doing you a favour by being so good as to take your money off you.

[deva link]

bertie said:

alfaspiderman2 said:

Merc corporate sales really are rather good

Surely you jest?

I want to the local official Merc showroom...

That's a local Merc showroom - Merc Corporate sales is a different thing, but they're not easily accessible unless you're...Corporate! Really need to go through a company car leasing supplier, or through a company fleet manager.

My 'local Merc showroom' flatly denied that any facility existed for extended test drives. But all dealers will deny it's possible, yet pretty well all manufacturers offer this facility.

It take a while to get the car I wanted, but it was brand-new when it arrived at my house - it was almost as if they'd registered one to the spec I asked for!

[alfaspiderman2]

my lease company went to corporate sales

brand new E320cdi AG for 4 days over the weekend and E320CDi Sport arranged for next weekend

amazing!