shoebear
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2002
- Location
- Colorado Springs, CO
- TDI
- 1998 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon, 2005 New Beetle, 2013 Sportwagen
This is a nice review, very complementary of the diesel engine. However, if I had $50K to shell out, I'd wait at least until Mercedes fixed the brakes.
Who knew a diesel could be so suave?
SAN ANTONIO — Mercedes-Benz is gambling that Americans are over their decades of diesel trauma and are willing to pay a premium for a nice car with a refined diesel engine.
The 2005 E320 CDI — a diesel-power version of the midlevel E-Class sedan — goes on sale Monday priced about $50,000, roughly the same as the gas-power car. It marks the automaker's return to the U.S. diesel market after quitting with the 1999-model diesel sedan.
Diesels have two big advantages: fuel economy roughly 30% better than gasoline engines, and lots of low-speed torque. That's the type of power that is most useful in stop-and-go traffic and other common, low-speed, typically American driving situations.
Diesels used to be noisy, smelly, smoky and slow. Passenger-car diesels haven't been so for about a decade, but a negative stereotype remains.
Mercedes is eyeing U.S. sales of only 3,000 E320 CDIs a year, but it's also using the car to test acceptance of diesels. If buyers take to it, expect to see Mercedes roll out diesel power in other models, probably starting with sport-utility vehicles.
You might also see Mercedes diesel-electric hybrid vehicles that could outperform rivals' gas-electric hybrids.
The CDI designation partly is to avoid whatever stigma "diesel" might have among luxury buyers and partly to signify a technology triumph. The letters stand for common-rail direct injection.
The common rail is a metal tube alongside the engine where the diesel fuel is maintained under tremendous pressure, up to 23,000 pounds per square inch, or about 10 times the force of that power-washer you use to clean the deck.
Having fuel so close to the engine's cylinders where it's needed and under such force makes it easy for the computer-controlled fuel injectors to squirt as much or as little diesel fuel as often and as immediately as needed to produce lots of power using little fuel and making minimal noise.
It works very well, thank you.
A test car run of roughly (take that literally) 300 miles through hilly country north of here was a generally pleasant mount. It averaged 30.9 miles a gallon during the first half of the run, according to the car's trip computer. That was mainly vigorous driving on two-lane highways using lots of full-throttle acceleration.
The second half was an anti-economy run; a wholly unauthorized attempt to achieve the worst-possible fuel mileage.
That included lots of full-throttle starts with traction control turned off to permit fuel-sucking wheelspinning; staying in lower gears to keep the engine revving as fast as possible most of the time; applying the brakes continuously during some highway-speed driving (producing prodigious stench from the overheated brakes). The result, according to the test car's trip computer: 23.4 mpg.
The official rating for the E320 CDI is 27 mpg in town, 37 on the highway and 30 in combined driving. Seems close, based on the test drive.
The E320 gasoline car is rated 19/27/22 mpg.
"We deliver what we promise; just the reverse of hybrids, which don't give you what they promise," says Bharat Balasubramanian, vice president in charge of engineering technology and regulatory affairs for the Mercedes car operation. He's referring to gas-electric hybrid-power cars, which advertise 50- and 60-mpg fuel economy that many owners find hard to duplicate.
The E320 CDI could be mistaken for a gas car by those not informed in advance.
No smoke was visible, and no engine clatter or extra noise was evident. Mercedes says the CDI's interior noise levels are almost immeasurably higher than the gas car's.
Holding the transmission in lower gears to keep the engine revving fast (as you might do to stay under control on a long, steep hill, or just for fun) produced a distant and appealing husky voice, not the bust-a-gut clamor usual from a diesel revved near its redline.
Besides improved fuel economy, the CDI also is a quicker car than the similar sedan powered by the 3.2-liter gasoline engine. Mercedes says the CDI will zip to 60 mph from a standstill in 6.8 seconds, vs. 7.1 seconds for the 3.2-liter gasoline model, and 8.5 seconds for the 1999 E-Class diesel.
The only drawback apparent was mildly sluggish takeoff from a dead stop under full throttle.
The CDI diesel is turbocharged, and it takes a moment for that power-adding device to go to work.
There's also enough power on tap that full-bore launches can trigger the power-reduction mode of the traction control system.
During part-throttle starts — the kind that most people generally prefer — the car felt adequately lively.
The transmission provides a mode for second-gear starts, which enhances fuel economy and would help avoid wheelspin on slippery roads, especially uphill.
Once underway, even at a few mph, the CDI test car responded quite quickly and forcefully to the throttle. Each time the automatic transmission upshifted, the car wanted to dash forward more eagerly than it already was accelerating.
That's dramatic proof the diesel has plenty of pep, but it's not altogether the linear, smooth acceleration you might prefer. If you're considering a purchase, perform several floored-throttle runs to make sure you like the feel.
The CDI engine has quirks, some fun, some not, none fatal. The car's main attribute is that it's an E-Class Mercedes, and the E-Class has its own foibles more noticeable than the diesel's personality is:
• Horrid brakes. They are electronically controlled, and they come on a moment after you hit the brake pedal and remain on a moment after you release it.
Mercedes is working to make the system coincide directly to the driver's actions on the brake pedal.
• Light steering. The faster you go and the bumpier the corners, the floatier the steering and the less the E-Class likes to go where it's told to. Just because Mercedes is a German luxury brand doesn't mean its cars handle like, or as well as, BMWs, Audis and Porsches.
• Instrument panel. The controls won't strike all users as logical and straightforward.
If you seriously consider the E320 CDI and wind up rejecting it, it probably won't be because of the diesel engine.
2005 E320 CDI diesel
• What is it? First diesel-power Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. market since the 1999 model. A 3.2-liter diesel engine takes the place of the gasoline engine; otherwise, the CDI is nearly impossible to tell from the conventional four-door, midsize, rear-drive E320 luxury sedan.
The diesel is available only in the sedan and isn't offered with 4Matic all-wheel drive or with the Appearance or Sport option packages.
• How soon? It goes on sale Monday.
• How much? $49,795 including $720 destination charge. That's $1,000 more than the E320 gasoline model.
• How many? Just 3,000 a year in the USA, but diesel power could expand to other Mercedes models in the next few years if the E320 CDI sells well.
• Who will buy? Typical: College-educated men, 57, with annual household incomes averaging $131,000, more likely to live in the Midwest than on either coast.
• What's the drivetrain: 3.2-liter, in-line, six-cylinder diesel rated 201 horsepower at 4,200 rpm, 369 pounds-feet of torque at 1,800 rpm; five-speed automatic transmission; traction control.
• What's the safety gear? Occupant-sensing front-seat air bags and safety belt; front- and rear-seat side-impact air bags; head-protection air curtains; anti-lock brakes; anti-skid control.
• What's the rest? Standard features include automatic, dual-zone climate control; leather upholstery; power steering, brakes, windows, seats, mirrors, locks, steering column; AM/FM/CD/weather band audio; auto-dimming inside and driver's outside mirror; rear-window and outside-mirror defrosters; heated windshield washer system; rain-sensing wipers; cruise control; auto-on/off headlights; front and rear fog lights.
• How big? Midsize — 190.3 inches long, 71.3 inches wide, 57 inches tall on a 112.4-inch wheelbase. Weight is about 3,700 pounds. Passenger compartment is 97.2 cubic feet, trunk is 15.9 cubic feet.
• How thirsty? Not terribly, which is the point of a diesel. Rated 27 miles per gallon in town, 37 on the highway, 30 in combined driving. Test car averaged 30.9 mpg in vigorous driving on two-lane roads.
• Overall: Nice package. You'll have to find new reasons not to like diesels.
Who knew a diesel could be so suave?
SAN ANTONIO — Mercedes-Benz is gambling that Americans are over their decades of diesel trauma and are willing to pay a premium for a nice car with a refined diesel engine.
The 2005 E320 CDI — a diesel-power version of the midlevel E-Class sedan — goes on sale Monday priced about $50,000, roughly the same as the gas-power car. It marks the automaker's return to the U.S. diesel market after quitting with the 1999-model diesel sedan.
Diesels have two big advantages: fuel economy roughly 30% better than gasoline engines, and lots of low-speed torque. That's the type of power that is most useful in stop-and-go traffic and other common, low-speed, typically American driving situations.
Diesels used to be noisy, smelly, smoky and slow. Passenger-car diesels haven't been so for about a decade, but a negative stereotype remains.
Mercedes is eyeing U.S. sales of only 3,000 E320 CDIs a year, but it's also using the car to test acceptance of diesels. If buyers take to it, expect to see Mercedes roll out diesel power in other models, probably starting with sport-utility vehicles.
You might also see Mercedes diesel-electric hybrid vehicles that could outperform rivals' gas-electric hybrids.
The CDI designation partly is to avoid whatever stigma "diesel" might have among luxury buyers and partly to signify a technology triumph. The letters stand for common-rail direct injection.
The common rail is a metal tube alongside the engine where the diesel fuel is maintained under tremendous pressure, up to 23,000 pounds per square inch, or about 10 times the force of that power-washer you use to clean the deck.
Having fuel so close to the engine's cylinders where it's needed and under such force makes it easy for the computer-controlled fuel injectors to squirt as much or as little diesel fuel as often and as immediately as needed to produce lots of power using little fuel and making minimal noise.
It works very well, thank you.
A test car run of roughly (take that literally) 300 miles through hilly country north of here was a generally pleasant mount. It averaged 30.9 miles a gallon during the first half of the run, according to the car's trip computer. That was mainly vigorous driving on two-lane highways using lots of full-throttle acceleration.
The second half was an anti-economy run; a wholly unauthorized attempt to achieve the worst-possible fuel mileage.
That included lots of full-throttle starts with traction control turned off to permit fuel-sucking wheelspinning; staying in lower gears to keep the engine revving as fast as possible most of the time; applying the brakes continuously during some highway-speed driving (producing prodigious stench from the overheated brakes). The result, according to the test car's trip computer: 23.4 mpg.
The official rating for the E320 CDI is 27 mpg in town, 37 on the highway and 30 in combined driving. Seems close, based on the test drive.
The E320 gasoline car is rated 19/27/22 mpg.
"We deliver what we promise; just the reverse of hybrids, which don't give you what they promise," says Bharat Balasubramanian, vice president in charge of engineering technology and regulatory affairs for the Mercedes car operation. He's referring to gas-electric hybrid-power cars, which advertise 50- and 60-mpg fuel economy that many owners find hard to duplicate.
The E320 CDI could be mistaken for a gas car by those not informed in advance.
No smoke was visible, and no engine clatter or extra noise was evident. Mercedes says the CDI's interior noise levels are almost immeasurably higher than the gas car's.
Holding the transmission in lower gears to keep the engine revving fast (as you might do to stay under control on a long, steep hill, or just for fun) produced a distant and appealing husky voice, not the bust-a-gut clamor usual from a diesel revved near its redline.
Besides improved fuel economy, the CDI also is a quicker car than the similar sedan powered by the 3.2-liter gasoline engine. Mercedes says the CDI will zip to 60 mph from a standstill in 6.8 seconds, vs. 7.1 seconds for the 3.2-liter gasoline model, and 8.5 seconds for the 1999 E-Class diesel.
The only drawback apparent was mildly sluggish takeoff from a dead stop under full throttle.
The CDI diesel is turbocharged, and it takes a moment for that power-adding device to go to work.
There's also enough power on tap that full-bore launches can trigger the power-reduction mode of the traction control system.
During part-throttle starts — the kind that most people generally prefer — the car felt adequately lively.
The transmission provides a mode for second-gear starts, which enhances fuel economy and would help avoid wheelspin on slippery roads, especially uphill.
Once underway, even at a few mph, the CDI test car responded quite quickly and forcefully to the throttle. Each time the automatic transmission upshifted, the car wanted to dash forward more eagerly than it already was accelerating.
That's dramatic proof the diesel has plenty of pep, but it's not altogether the linear, smooth acceleration you might prefer. If you're considering a purchase, perform several floored-throttle runs to make sure you like the feel.
The CDI engine has quirks, some fun, some not, none fatal. The car's main attribute is that it's an E-Class Mercedes, and the E-Class has its own foibles more noticeable than the diesel's personality is:
• Horrid brakes. They are electronically controlled, and they come on a moment after you hit the brake pedal and remain on a moment after you release it.
Mercedes is working to make the system coincide directly to the driver's actions on the brake pedal.
• Light steering. The faster you go and the bumpier the corners, the floatier the steering and the less the E-Class likes to go where it's told to. Just because Mercedes is a German luxury brand doesn't mean its cars handle like, or as well as, BMWs, Audis and Porsches.
• Instrument panel. The controls won't strike all users as logical and straightforward.
If you seriously consider the E320 CDI and wind up rejecting it, it probably won't be because of the diesel engine.
2005 E320 CDI diesel
• What is it? First diesel-power Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. market since the 1999 model. A 3.2-liter diesel engine takes the place of the gasoline engine; otherwise, the CDI is nearly impossible to tell from the conventional four-door, midsize, rear-drive E320 luxury sedan.
The diesel is available only in the sedan and isn't offered with 4Matic all-wheel drive or with the Appearance or Sport option packages.
• How soon? It goes on sale Monday.
• How much? $49,795 including $720 destination charge. That's $1,000 more than the E320 gasoline model.
• How many? Just 3,000 a year in the USA, but diesel power could expand to other Mercedes models in the next few years if the E320 CDI sells well.
• Who will buy? Typical: College-educated men, 57, with annual household incomes averaging $131,000, more likely to live in the Midwest than on either coast.
• What's the drivetrain: 3.2-liter, in-line, six-cylinder diesel rated 201 horsepower at 4,200 rpm, 369 pounds-feet of torque at 1,800 rpm; five-speed automatic transmission; traction control.
• What's the safety gear? Occupant-sensing front-seat air bags and safety belt; front- and rear-seat side-impact air bags; head-protection air curtains; anti-lock brakes; anti-skid control.
• What's the rest? Standard features include automatic, dual-zone climate control; leather upholstery; power steering, brakes, windows, seats, mirrors, locks, steering column; AM/FM/CD/weather band audio; auto-dimming inside and driver's outside mirror; rear-window and outside-mirror defrosters; heated windshield washer system; rain-sensing wipers; cruise control; auto-on/off headlights; front and rear fog lights.
• How big? Midsize — 190.3 inches long, 71.3 inches wide, 57 inches tall on a 112.4-inch wheelbase. Weight is about 3,700 pounds. Passenger compartment is 97.2 cubic feet, trunk is 15.9 cubic feet.
• How thirsty? Not terribly, which is the point of a diesel. Rated 27 miles per gallon in town, 37 on the highway, 30 in combined driving. Test car averaged 30.9 mpg in vigorous driving on two-lane roads.
• Overall: Nice package. You'll have to find new reasons not to like diesels.