E350 vs A6 Avant

[junglie]

Good afternoon,

I am looking at buying another estate for around the £10 - 12,000 mark.

Looking at a 2012 E350 Cdi or 2012 Audi A6 Avant Quattro.

My last was a BMW F11 535d M Sport which was great on the whole but too may little niggles.

I am probably looking at a 2012 Mercedes E350 Cdi as it has the stop / start 265hp / 467 lb ft engine which seems to be economical than the early versions. I had the 231 hp in my C320, which was fine, and then there is the interim 265 hp engine in 2011 but it has less torque than the 2012 onwards models.

I understand the similar age Audis are similar engines if you go for Quattro and not the Bi Tdi.

Not buying for economy, although always welcome on the long weekly motorway runs I do (600 miles) but refinement, spec and space important.

E350 appeals as it close to being the biggest in its class (and if it does not fit in the Merc it is not fitting in anything!) but the Audi undoubtedly has the smarter interior and Quattro is useful getting out of muddy grass car parks at school. I know the Audi can suffer from gearbox failure which is not ideal.

Is the facelift 2013 onwards E350 worth the extra over the 2012?

Any thoughts from those in the know?

Thank you

[Scrump]

I have a facelift e350 estate. The main reason I went for facelift is because it is Euro 6 compliant and I understand the pre facelift is Euro 5. Euro 6 makes it ULEZ and CAZ compliant which may or may not be important to you.
Please check this though as I may be wrong about all pre facelift being Euro 5.

I chose my particular car as it has the multi contour dynamic massaging seats

[junglie]

Thank you and a good point about Euro 6.

Really unlikely to affect us anytime soon so, fortunately, that does not need to factor (fingers crossed)!

[trevalvole]

I've been in a similar age A6 Avant in SE spec and the ride quality wasn't great, so perhaps some test drives would help you choose.

[junglie]

That’s interesting as I know the Sport / S-Line has hard suspension but I thought the SE would fare better.

My old E500 on air struts was amazing!

[Scrump]

My e350 with AMG sportline suspension rides a lot more smoothly than my colleagues A6 avant of similar age, especially since I fitted GY Eagle F1 Assy5 tyres. I am not sure whether the A6 has SE or Sline suspension though.

[RoVoFob]

junglie said:

That’s interesting as I know the Sport / S-Line has hard suspension but I thought the SE would fare better.

My old E500 on air struts was amazing!

Not sure how useful this is, since my A6 Avant is a 2006 previous-generation model, but it’s an SE on air suspension and 17s (the smallest wheels this model could manage). It shudders a little over sharp ridges in the road and sharp-edged manhole covers, but it flows very nicely in general. Not quite cushy, but relaxing still. I was under the impression that the newer version was much improved ride-wise.

I spent a long time comparing A6 Avant and E-Class boot sizes - the A6 has a long and quite wide boot, though it has a more sloping rear windscreen and is shallower than the Merc, which can carry taller loads and also has rear seats that fold completely flat - something the A6 lacks.

[ZX10R NIN]

Depending on how much space you need there's also the CLS shooting brake:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108045...

Out of the the A6 & E Class it's the Mercedes that's the pick, seeing you won't be affected by the ULEZ/CAZ then I'd not be to fussed to pay the extra for the facelift.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111059...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111290...

7 seat SE

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111019...

Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111149...

Ride is good not overly stiff or crashy.

[trevalvole]

RoVoFob said:

Not sure how useful this is, since my A6 Avant is a 2006 previous-generation model, but it’s an SE on air suspension and 17s (the smallest wheels this model could manage). It shudders a little over sharp ridges in the road and sharp-edged manhole covers, but it flows very nicely in general. Not quite cushy, but relaxing still. I was under the impression that the newer version was much improved ride-wise.

I spent a long time comparing A6 Avant and E-Class boot sizes - the A6 has a long and quite wide boot, though it has a more sloping rear windscreen and is shallower than the Merc, which can carry taller loads and also has rear seats that fold completely flat - something the A6 lacks.

In my experience the 2018-on C8 rode better than the previous one. The C7 SE I rode in was on steel springs, so one on air may well be better.

Edited by trevalvole on Sunday 5th December 19:14

[junglie]

ZX10R NIN said:

Depending on how much space you need there's also the CLS shooting brake:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108045...

Out of the the A6 & E Class it's the Mercedes that's the pick, seeing you won't be affected by the ULEZ/CAZ then I'd not be to fussed to pay the extra for the facelift.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111059...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111290...

7 seat SE

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111019...

Sport

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111149...

Ride is good not overly stiff or crashy.

That last E350 is the one I may go after. Full Merc history and the seller has said air suspension has been sorted. It is also the more powerful engine in terms of torque and better economy. The only thing missing, which I would like particularly with a dark interior, is the panoramic roof.

CLS would be great but more expensive and there would undoubtedly be that time when things don’t fit and you want the E class!

[ZX10R NIN]

junglie said:

That last E350 is the one I may go after. Full Merc history and the seller has said air suspension has been sorted. It is also the more powerful engine in terms of torque and better economy. The only thing missing, which I would like particularly with a dark interior, is the panoramic roof.

CLS would be great but more expensive and there would undoubtedly be that time when things don’t fit and you want the E class!

The pano roof is a very rare option on the pre facelift Saloons/Estates.

[junglie]

I don’t know if it is worth hanging out for but losing out in good cars that don’t have it?

My F11 has one and it really lifted the dark interior.

[junglie]

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112130...



This seems like a good compromise and I have spoken to a lovely couple about it.

Has both the panoramic roof and memory seats which is a useful.

Seems to have been well serviced and I am assuming, as it is Blue Efficiency, it is the 265 hp / 457 lb ft engine?

[paulwf]

junglie said:

Seems to have been well serviced and I am assuming, as it is Blue Efficiency, it is the 265 hp / 457 lb ft engine?

No, it will be the lower power older version.
I had a 2012 one for 4 years from 2015, enjoyed it a lot. Not great economy though, and not a whole lot slower than the 2.2l one a friend had which got much better economy (I got around 32-38, he rarely got less than 45.

Only the 2011/2012 ones were 265. The updated mini facelift ones can be identified by having straight DRL rather than the hockey stick ones.

[junglie]

I thought it was the older 231 hp rather than the newer version but really hard to tell (without seeing the documents) but I have asked to be absolutely sure.

That would be annoying as I would like the more powerful engine and this spec is good.

The oil cooler seal is also a concern as it is a £5 part but 10 hrs labour.

Perhaps time to search again.

[W201_190e]

If going for the E350 get it up in the air if possible and check the rear subframe, seen quite a few MOT failures now (used to work at a dealer now work for a specialist) It isn't uncommon for them to be rusted through on that era C and E class. The brake pipes also corrode, and the hoses go too.

[junglie]

That is interesting to hear.

I just want a large estate, that is refined to do motorway miles and haul family stuff.

It can’t be this difficult!

I would have a big petrol as a first choice but they are so scarce and not just in Mercedes flavour.

[W201_190e]

junglie said:

That is interesting to hear.

I just want a large estate, that is refined to do motorway miles and haul family stuff.

It can’t be this difficult!

I would have a big petrol as a first choice but they are so scarce and not just in Mercedes flavour.

Yeah, it's becoming a big problem, and the oil cooler seals too. Also frequently seeing air suspension issues, compressors and air struts- not cheap!

[ZX10R NIN]

W201_190e said:

Yeah, it's becoming a big problem, and the oil cooler seals too. Also frequently seeing air suspension issues, compressors and air struts- not cheap!

Air suspension is pretty much the same issue across all makes, in general it's around £500 per leg exchange.

Brake pipes seems to be a thing but I wouldn't call it common.

The simple answer is to get the car inspected if it's all clear then a bit of preventative maintenance will see you right.

[Mr E]

junglie said:

I would have a big petrol as a first choice but they are so scarce and not just in Mercedes flavour.

<glances outside at the panzer and smiles smugly>

I’m expecting a conversation about rear air bags when it goes to the vets in a couple of months. I’m lightly concerned about the subframe chat above - need to have a look.

Edited by Mr E on Sunday 26th December 13:52