Newish E Class estate - petrol or diesel?

[lornemalvo]

I'm considering buying a 2019 or newer E class estate. I'm unlikely to go for the bigger engines so need to decide whether to get petrol or diesel. I'm retired so don't do big miles. I don't want a plug in hybrid as it ruins the space in the boot. So I'm looking at 2 litre petrol or diesel (or non plug in hybrid). I'm interested in opinions from people who have owned these cars, good and bad points of each. Thanks in advance.

[ZX10R NIN]

It's pretty simple if you don't do runs & it's mainly short journeys then petrol is your pick.

[Yomamaisasnowblower]

Just an opinion from someone who has test driven a ton of different cars as he can't make his mind up!

Even though some would advise against this, diesel would be my pick on this type of car as the diesel characteristics suit them better and they are hefty things. More torque and better economy. Unless of course you're going for the larger engines. Just make sure you take it for a blast every so often to keep the dpf happy.

[Tall_Blk]

Used to have a 69 plate diesel E220 diesel and it was good for commuting. As with others, as you don’t do runs, I personally would go for petrol. Same you don’t want a big engine as they suit the car rather well.

I swapped mine for a E53 of the same year and I love it

[cayman-black]

I just sold an E350 BT Diesel with great performance and I was getting over 40mpg on runs with no problem so I would not consider the smaller engines myself.

[braddo]

I would just get an E200 petrol. Today's turbo petrols are mapped to have decent low-down torque. It's not like the old days of W124 petrols needing the redline to get a move on.

With a petrol the engine is quieter and more refined, there's no adblue tank to top up, no DPF regeneration issues to worry about, no risk of future low emissions zones in cities, fewer engine issues over the long term (although they are still complicated engines)....

[Brett748]

Unless you go for a 3.0+ turbo petrol or a big V8 (turbo or no turbo) I find diesels are better suited to big estates than petrol engines.

Look at the fuel economy of the E200 - https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/realmpg/mercedes-benz...

My issue with small petrol engines in big cars is they use a similar amount of fuel as an engine with twice the power, the E200 is barely any better than the AMG models. Whereas the diesels are using almost half of the fuel of the E200.

You can worry about ULEZ, depreciation etc but if you do any sort of mileage you are still far better off with the black pump.

[braddo]

OP does low miles so the difference in fuel costs is a small part of the total cost of ownership. The petrol will also have better residuals.

I have a fast car but I find a basic old petrol e-class estate perfectly adequate for holidays and/or moving stuff.

[georgeyboy12345]

Another vote for petrol, given your circumstances