By Carol Traeger
Enquirer contributor
Mercedes E320
ZOOM
Surprise - a diesel to love
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Wheels rating: (out of 5)
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What I drove: 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI, a four-door, five-passenger sedan with a turbocharged 3.2-liter 6-cylinder diesel engine and a 5-speed automatic transmission
Base price: $49,075
Price as tested: $59,675
Options on test vehicle: Granite Grey paint, Ash leather, sunroof, Airmatic dual-control suspension, electronic trunk closer, Lighting Package (headlamp washing system and bi-xenon headlamps), Entertainment Package (premium sound system and factory installed single-disc CD changer), Multicontour Seats (driver and passenger Multicontour seatbacks)
Drivetrain layout: Front engine, rear-wheel drive
Engine: Turbodiesel produces 201 hp and 369 lb-ft torque
Transmission: 5-speed automatic transmission with TouchShift (manu-shifter)
Wheelbase: 112.4 in.
Length: 189.7 in.
Width: 71.3 in.
Height: 57.2 in.
Weight: 3,835 lb.
EPA mpg, city/hwy: 27/37
Warranty: Basic: 4 yrs/50,000 miles; drivetrain: 4 yrs/50,000 miles; roadside assist: 4 yrs/unlimited miles
Safety: Tele-Aid emergency calling system, dual front multi-stage airbags, front and rear side-impact and head-curtain airbags, front and rear crumple zones, front seatbelt pretensioners and force limiters, electro-hydraulic braking system with brake assist, stability control, antitheft alarm with engine immobilizer.
Cool: Gobs of torque, 700-mile range, smell-free and smoke-free exhaust, E-Class elegance
Diesels available now, in the near future
Diesel trucks and SUVs available to U.S. buyers now:
• Chevrolet Silverado 2500HDF, 3500 pickups
• Dodge Ram 2500, 3500 pickups
• Ford F-250, F-350 pickups
• Ford Excursion SUV
• Hummer H1 SUV
• Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI
• Volkswagen Golf, Jetta, and new Beetle sedans
• Volkswagen Touareg SUV
What's coming:
• Jeep Liberty SUV this year
• Volkswagen Passat sedan this year
• Ford Focus compact, possibly within next five years
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Back in the '70s, diesels were the pariahs of the driving world. The only people who liked diesels were the people who drove them, since they didn't have to drive behind themselves.
Thankfully, diesels have cleaned up their act and are no longer the loud, smelly, soot-spewing machines they once were. But the public's perception hasn't caught up with the reality. And availability remains scarce. Until this month, only one automaker - Volkswagen - was selling diesel cars in the U.S.
Now Mercedes-Benz is jumping into the U.S. market with a diesel-powered sedan, the E320 CDI. The E320 CDI doesn't smell, blow smoke, or chug like a locomotive. Moreover, it looks great, handles beautifully, has plenty of torque and gets good fuel mileage. If any car can change America's perception of diesels, this is it.
Mercedes-Benz is no stranger to diesels. Back in 1936, it became the first company to install a diesel engine in a passenger car. During the '80s, diesels accounted for about 80 percent of all Mercedes-Benz cars sold in the United States. Today, diesel engines power about 40 percent of Mercedes cars sold globally.
In 1999, Mercedes stopped selling diesel cars in the United States, for a variety of reasons, including stricter emissions rules, stabilization of gas prices, and the fact that the tall diesel engine wouldn't fit under the sloping hood of the redesigned E-Class.
This month's debut of the 2005 E320 CDI marks Mercedes-Benz's return to the U.S. diesel market. And what a return it is.
Electronic fuel injection
The secret to the E320 CDI's clean and quiet ways is electronic fuel-injection. The turbocharged 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder powerplant is the first diesel engine offered in the United States to feature electronic fuel injection, considered a technical impossibility until a few years ago. CDI stands for Common-Rail Direct Injection. The mechanics are complex, but the bottom line is it makes the engine cleaner, quieter, and more powerful than non-fuel-injected diesel engines.
The 201-hp diesel is mated to Mercedes' standard-issue five-speed automatic transmission, which also features a manual-shift mode.
The gear shifts in my tester were smooth and natural, and the steering was lively and connected. The suspension felt confident and compliant, not luxury-car mushy. Road, wind and engine noise were well-dampened, and the engine emitted just the subtlest diesel burble (it's only 2 decibels louder than the gasoline engine).
Aesthetically, the E320 CDI is identical to the gas E320, and it comes with the same standard equipment and same available options (excluding 4Matic and the sport and appearance packages). The diesel-powered car looks and drives so much like the gas-powered E320, you'd be hard-pressed to tell a difference. But there is a difference. It's better.
Economy is an advantage
One of diesel's biggest advantages is fuel economy. In Europe, where fuel taxes make gasoline about three times more expensive than it is in the U.S., diesels account for about 40 percent of all vehicles sold.
The E320 CDI gets 27/37 miles per gallon in city/highway driving, and has a 700-mile range. By comparison, the regular gas-powered E320 gets 19/27 mpg city/highway, and has a range of 391 miles.
In addition to cutting down on your fuel bill - and saving you stops at the filling station - diesels produce gobs of torque, and dispense it over an expansive rev range.
The CDI diesel cranks out 369 pound-feet of torque at 1,800-2,600 rpm, compared with the gas E320's 232 pound-feet at 3,000-4,800 rpm. The diesel cranks out even more torque than the E500's V8, which produces 339 pound-feet.
The diesel is quick, too, zipping from 0 to 60 mph in 6.8 seconds, 0.3 seconds faster than the gas-powered car.
A satisfied driver
Jim Smith had never driven a diesel before, let alone considered owning one, when he went looking for a new car to replace his aging Jaguar S Type.
"I wanted a car that could match the acceleration of my V8 Jag, but I didn't want to spend the extra $7,000 to $8,000 an eight-cylinder Mercedes E500 or BMW 530i would cost me," says the day trader from Loveland.
"The salesperson at Mercedes-Benz of Cincinnati, Zach Glutz, told me the new E320 diesel had just arrived, and that it has more torque and better acceleration than the eight-cylinder E500.
"So I took it for a test drive, and I was amazed. This car is very quick from a standing start, and it's even faster than my Jag S Type and the BMW 530i. It's quiet, too, with only the faintest engine sound to give away its diesel pedigree.
"It's beautiful, and I love the way it handles, with no body roll in turns. The rear seats have lots of leg room, and the trunk is so huge, I can almost lay my golf bag length-wise in it."
Limited availability
The E320 CDI is only available in 45 of the 50 states. Residents of California, New York, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont will have to wait till late 2006 to get their hands on one, since it doesn't meet the stringent emissions regulations in those states. Mercedes says the CDI will be available in all 50 states by model year 2007, when low-sulfur diesel fuel will be available in this country.
As a former diesel hater, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd choose the diesel E320 CDI over the gas-powered E320.
It's not the fastest, most exotic or most luxurious car to debut this year, but it's definitely the most surprising.
E-mail ctrigger@aol.com
