1.5 YR and 18k Recap
I am nearly two years and 20k on my E250 BT. A+ in everything that matters to me about a car. To start with my impressions, what I felt as I grew into the car was confidence in driving, I know the car will carry out my moves flawlessly, whether I'm flying around a stalled car that popped out on the freeway or slamming on the brakes when I can't. Mpg is 32 combined with 80% city. I drive in D mostly with the auto trans quick and smooth, running through the gears at lower rpm than I could by hand without me wanting more acceleration. If I did I could use S mode to rev higher between gear changes. Also there's M mode, the paddles. I regularly use those to engine break when I exit the freeway in good weather only. I rarely paddle to drop my gear before merging because the car is fast and I don't feel the need to. To brake I hit the paddles twice and tap the break when I exit and again when I come to the bottom of the ramp, two sets of two taps and braking. I have yet to experience any feeling of engine or trans limp, misfire, or chop. I move about the crowded streets with confidence in my handling and performance, that has solidified over the last 18 months. I rely on the car's response. I had times when I swerved at high speeds to avoid another car. That's when I appreciated the car's handling, it's lack of understeer or torque steer that I would have had in a front wheel drive car or a six with it's engine nose heavy. Electronic steering works precisely and drama free, say what you will about road feel or numb, two subjective intangibles I don't miss if I ever knew I had. Other times I slammed on the brakes even in the rain, no skidding or hydroplaning. The car's weight distribution is even enough that my rear stays put when I brake, step on it or swerve. My visibility has been an issue. I keep my passenger seat back because the passenger head rest blocks my view out the rear passenger window. I had to use added mirrors on my side views for the blind spot and need to keep the side views adjusted well. Backing up has proven difficult. Just today I narrowly missed a pole in my rear view during which the rear camera didn't beep. The navigation is not usable in my book. I shout my radio channel changes and feel for the steering wheel buttons and don't look at the screen ever. I don't like my seat and have filled it in with a Back Joy seat and careful lumbar adjustment of the seat back using the rocker switch. I drive with both feet and that is faster breaking by a fraction of a second which counts in city streets. These cars are coming off lease now. *zepman just got a 14 CPO with low miles for under 38k. That is approaching earthbound prices and I highly recommend this car at that price. In warm weather above 50 degrees it is 100% CARB clean. In the cold it is less so, but MB didn't cheat and still it is fully approved by EPA and legally sold. I ditched my run flats for Michelin's day one and have RWD. RWD steers a tad better than AWD which has some of the drawbacks of FWD. Certainly in cold or on ice or snow or rain that's less important than AWD traction. I have yet to take a road trip, but the car can do a thousand miles on a tank so I know that's going to be some of the fun. If you are getting your buy back (and can spend more) I don't see any other diesel option out there that handles well and stands a chance of being maintainable, clean, and reliable. A lot of talk from the usual wanna be, but MB alone succeeded in bringing a large car with a 4 cyl clean diesel and is strongly readying the next gen for here in 2018. If I am spendthrift enough I will be trading in a car that is a crowning achievement of diesel engineering and only to get rid of the few flaws I mentioned here. My trade-in will be quite the steal.
