Mercedes E 220 Cdi.. Under powered?
Discussion
Monkeylegend said:
scherzkeks said:
Our second car is an '09 C350d. Even with the C, I cannot imagine much less in the power dept. -- in the E, forget it. Cars that can't get out of their own way seem rather pointless if you enjoy driving.
On the Autobahns in Deutchland maybe, but not relevant to good old blighty.scherzkeks said:
Our second car is an '09 C350d. Even with the C, I cannot imagine much less in the power dept. -- in the E, forget it. Cars that can't get out of their own way seem rather pointless if you enjoy driving.
I agree my old 520d used to drive me mad no matter how hard I tried to accept it for what it was the engine just didn't suit its kerb weight...if you don't drive up steep hills or need to overtake anything then you are fine! I have said it before you are better off having a bigger or more powerful engine hardly doing any work rather than a small less powerful one working its back side off, that said everyone sees cars differently and most would probably be more than happy as my old boss had a 520d same as mine and he described it as rapid!
cerb4.5lee said:
...that said everyone sees cars differently and most would probably be more than happy as my old boss had a 520d same as mine and he described it as rapid!
This is a key point isn't it? If your boss has only driven 1.0 litre cars before he most likely would find a 520d 'rapid'. If you have driven or owned TVRs you most probably wont find a 520d rapid!The question though, I think, is "is a e220 cdi underpowered?" I suppose part of the answer to this depends on what the car is wanted or needed for. If it is needed for very fast A or B road blasts all of the time it possibly is underpowered. If it is for town and motorway family / business use as mine is it is probably ok for most people depending on their expectations and previous experiences.
As an example I recently drove myself, my wife and son, pram, 4 large suitcases from home to the airport in a bit of a hurry, the car was excellent. Cruised at what I think most would consider a fast motorway speed (including up hills and overtaking slower road users!). My previous daily was a petrol V12 7 series and whilst I could have made the journey quicker in that I probably would have attracted the attention of the police for breaking the speed limit quite considerably. The main difference between these two cars (which are very much at different ends of the spectrum) is not how they use their power or how quick they can get you from point A to point B, but the method they do it in. The V12 is near silent and uber smooth but does sub 20mpg, the E220 cdi is noisier but still comfortable and quite smooth but does nearly 40mpg on a spirited motorway run.
As i've said, the E220 CDI is no rocket ship but unless you are expecting it to be VERY quick it is, in my view, more than adequate for 90%+ of road conditions.
bmthnick1981 said:
cerb4.5lee said:
...that said everyone sees cars differently and most would probably be more than happy as my old boss had a 520d same as mine and he described it as rapid!
This is a key point isn't it? If your boss has only driven 1.0 litre cars before he most likely would find a 520d 'rapid'. If you have driven or owned TVRs you most probably wont find a 520d rapid!The question though, I think, is "is a e220 cdi underpowered?" I suppose part of the answer to this depends on what the car is wanted or needed for. If it is needed for very fast A or B road blasts all of the time it possibly is underpowered. If it is for town and motorway family / business use as mine is it is probably ok for most people depending on their expectations and previous experiences.
As an example I recently drove myself, my wife and son, pram, 4 large suitcases from home to the airport in a bit of a hurry, the car was excellent. Cruised at what I think most would consider a fast motorway speed (including up hills and overtaking slower road users!). My previous daily was a petrol V12 7 series and whilst I could have made the journey quicker in that I probably would have attracted the attention of the police for breaking the speed limit quite considerably. The main difference between these two cars (which are very much at different ends of the spectrum) is not how they use their power or how quick they can get you from point A to point B, but the method they do it in. The V12 is near silent and uber smooth but does sub 20mpg, the E220 cdi is noisier but still comfortable and quite smooth but does nearly 40mpg on a spirited motorway run.
As i've said, the E220 CDI is no rocket ship but unless you are expecting it to be VERY quick it is, in my view, more than adequate for 90%+ of road conditions.
Mine was the estate and I was only saying the other day for family duties going to the airport and tip runs it was great plus the running costs were excellent so in some ways I think I was a little hasty in wanting to get rid of it purely based on its performance when I also had something in the garage at the time to give me thrills when I wanted them.
Out on the motorway it was fine lovely and comfy so I absolutely agree the E220 cdi will suit pretty much everyone for near enough all of the time.
Ade07 said:
Wow, thanks for all the replies guys. So, it seems to be perfectly adequate for my daily business use, a mixture of A roads and some motorway driving. I'm going from an Audi A6 Quattro with the 3 litre engine, which to be fair has great power and torque when required.
On that basis, I'll say it will feel noticeably slower than what you're used to when pressing on, but if not in a hurry, it should be pretty manageable.scherzkeks said:
Our second car is an '09 C350d. Even with the C, I cannot imagine much less in the power dept. -- in the E, forget it. Cars that can't get out of their own way seem rather pointless if you enjoy driving.
"Meanwhile, back in the real world" and despite you not being able to imagine it, the C220CDi will be fine for everyday driving. 
OP; no it won't set the world on fire, but based on your initial post, I assume your folks won't need it to. I was pleasantly surprised by Jaguar's 2.2d (the base 163ps version) in the XF. - It has the ZF 8-speed 'box, which has the effect of multiplying the amount of time you spend in the sweet spot of the torque curve. Easily enough acceleration for a non-enthusiast. The V6s are nicer (even with the "old" 6-speed 'box) but by no means necessary for the type of driving you describe.
However, what I will say is that diesels are definitely NOT suited to urban driving with lots of cold starts and short trips. The engine oil won't get chance to do it's job for a start, then you've got all the joys of DPFs etc. I had to get shot of a previous car (after moving closer to work and reducing my commute to nothing) as it was getting clogged-up with the nasty black stuff. I don't often use my Discovery to go to and from work for this reason.
I had a 520d which is similar to the e220CDI I guess and it was fine, in fact it had a nice turn of speed up to 50-60mph but it slowed down after 70.
I ran it along side a 385hp 911 so I had a quick car to measure it against, it never felt "underpowered" for that go drive a Discovery 3 with the 2.7 diesel now that is slow!
I ran it along side a 385hp 911 so I had a quick car to measure it against, it never felt "underpowered" for that go drive a Discovery 3 with the 2.7 diesel now that is slow!
Wills2 said:
...it never felt "underpowered" for that go drive a Discovery 3 with the 2.7 diesel now that is slow!
I have a Discovery 2 with the TD5 and 4-speed auto 'box. Now that is...
It still keeps up with traffic on the road though. As the sticker says: "You can go fast. I can go anywhere."
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