Ramiel

Hey Guys,

First post here and first of many if I do end up getting a Benz, but hoping you guys can help me out. I'm considering pulling the trigger on the purchase of a 2012 E350 Bluetec that is in great shape, has very low mileage, and at a very good price. I checked it out and liked how it drove and the torquey feel of the motor. I appreciate that the diesel can get good gas mileage and are known for reliability, and also holding value.

but...

The car will mostly be driven by my wife who usually drives short trips (5-10 Miles) to work and such, and she only puts about 10k a year on average on the car she drives. In that case, I'm wondering if we'd do just as well saving a grand or two and buying a regular E350 with the 3.5L. I even wonder if short drives could have a detrimental effect on the diesel engine.

So with that in mind, should I get a Diesel or gas E350?

Thanks,
Ram

KAL.EL3000

Hey Ram,

I also wondered the same things you did. I went ahead and got a E250 with the BlueTec and it is a dream to drive. The car is my daily driver and I will be putting on over 25K in Kms a year so my advice to you is buy what you really like but make sure you have a CPO warranty! From what I have read it will pay itself off in the future irregardless of Diesel or Gas (Keep in mind you will be paying for Premium gas). A buddy of mine has a 2012 E350 BlueTec and he averages over 1000kms per tank with ease. Gone are the days of short drives having adverse effects on a diesel engine. What I have noticed is that the longer a car sits in the garage/being babied the more troublesome a car can be.
Hope that helps,

Kal

thefisch

I don't have a diesel or haven't owned one. One of my coworkers (female) has one and said she prefers her husband to fill up the tank since she finds the diesel pumps to be dirtier. Something about diesel being oily compared to regular gas that evaporates. I only mention it since you said it will be for your wife. Not trying to offend any diesel owners or females.

It is said that diesels retain their value better over the long term but there is a smaller market for them. Not sure you are betting the long drive benefits of the diesel but if the price is as good or better than the gas models, then that is an advantage in this case.

s140s

I would not buy a diesel unless it will be driven at least 15-20k miles a year. Modern diesel are not reliable anymore with all the diesel particulate filters, after treatment and improper fuel mixture to create hot temperatures in the exhaust to burn off all the crap inside the DPF. Modern diesel do not like short trips and city driving, these new emission systems are meant to work properly when driven at a constant highway speed. I would also advise against it due to crappy bio diesel that is mostly available in the US. Most gas stations that sell diesel have a B10-B20 Blend, which means its between 10-20% Bio Diesel. There are online database with certain gas stations that offer petrol diesel(pure diesel) and those with B5, which is the maximum allowed by Mercedes. I am not bashing on diesel engines because I truly believe they are superior to gas engine for daily commuter use however if you are outside of warranty and the vehicle will not be driver in optimal conditions( low miles, trafic, no highway), you will have tons of problems with emission equipment. This is the very reason VW cheated, because if those diesels operated up to today's standard, they would be clogging up the dpf filters and require often repairs.

per Mercedes
B100 must never be used in Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Mercedes-Benz USA approves the use of B5 according to ASTM specification D975 [Ultra-Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) with a maximum of up to 5% biodiesel] in all Common Rail Injection (CDI) and BlueTEC® diesel engines.

DubVBenz

These diesel engines don't like lots of short trips and low speed driving, if the legs aren't stretched on a semi-regular basis, you may end up with a short lifespan DPF. I love my 211 bluetec, but I drive the hell out of it.

As for bio-diesel blends, I guess it depends on where you live. I live in the DC area and have no problems finding regular diesel. In fact, I can't recall the last time I saw bio-diesel.

s140s

There are only handful of gas stations that offer non bio diesel in the Chicago area. Meijer stores have non bio, then there a couple highway oasis and just a couple stations that advertise non bio diesels. I am not that familiar with East Coast but know that its hard to get normal diesel in the Midwest. That is something to consider when buying a diesel that you want to last.

beejAMG

diesel engines are meant to be driven. based on what you said and how the car would be driven (distance wise), if saving a few from petrol/diesel is your concern, forget it. you wont be doin yourself or your wife any favors. besides, from what ive heard, you can get pretty good mileage with the 350 petrol.

these cars are very reliable but make sure you do your homework and get an extended warranty when you can. goodluck mate!

Diesel #2

After many months of research about Mercedes diesel engines, i recently pulled the trigger on a 2016 E 250 Bluetec. I too was looking at E 350s diesel with the V6 engine but i found a lot of articles and threads on forums of members having troubles with various aspects of the car. This lead me to go for the trusted and proven 2.1L I4 diesel engine. This same engine is found in the Mercedes Sprinters, and those have been proven to last and operate without much trouble. This is why, limo companies have gone to the Mercedes Sprinter.

I personally would go with the 2.1L turbo diesel engine instead of the V6. The E 250 is a tad bit slower than the E 350 but the 369 lb ft of torque makes driving this car very enjoyable. And while cruising on the highway going 73 mph, i have hit 47 mpg on the dash. I have made a trip to Las Vegas and back on one tank before (which was around a 600 mile round trip) with a little less than a 1/4 tank left. The one thing I always do is let the vehicle warm up about 5-10 minutes before i drive in the morning.

clvincent

diesel 2 i did not find much on reliablilty on the 4 cyl, but did find some european references to having problems with the timing chain and that it is in the back of the motor

how long has the 4 cyl been used in the sprinters?

Diesel #2

The 4 cylinder turbo diesel engine was introduced to the Sprinter platform in 2012. It has been in service for about 5 years but you have to keep in mind that each year those Sprinters are clocking well over 100,000 miles. The turbo diesel found in the E 250 is tuned to produce more hp and torque, bringing up the hp from 161 to 189 and the torque from 265 lb-ft to 369 lb-ft.

cetialpha5

The reason I've stayed away from diesels is that they sold a lot fewer of them. So if you're used to going to the dealer it doesn't really matter, but if you try to do anything yourself, you're probably going to run into problems that people haven't encountered because there's so few out there. Research on a low volume car that doesn't yield any results doesn't really mean anything. My other car is a high volume car, most problems I had with it were well covered in the forums and I didn't encounter all the potential problems that other people had with it. That doesn't exist with a low volume car.

pamiboy

I think some members are confusing the V6 E350 gas version with the V6 E350 diesel (which is currently not available in US).

mikemargolis

I have an E350 diesel (which is actually a 3.0), and was sold in the USA for 2011 through I think 2013 or 2014 when they switched from the 3.0V6 to the E250 4 cylinder.

This is a fabulous engine. Tons of torque, huge gas mileage, etc...

But this car loves one thing, above all else. It loves for you to put it on the highway, and let it run the 800 miles until the tank is dry.

Around town, it is fine, but underpowered (210hp) for day to day stoplight to stoplight.

As much as I love my car and engine (91,000 miles on it), I would not go with a diesel if you're not going to run it on the highway a lot.

gcssat

I have the V-6 diesel and have driven the (loaner) V-6 gas version. Power output from the diesel is amazing, I prefer it to the gas engine. Fuel economy for such a massive car is impressive. Yes, the fuel can stink up your hands, but that is easily avoided. Most gas stations have paper towels you can use to grab the pump handle.

My vote is for the diesel!

Greg

DubVBenz

Lol.. the trusted and proven new OM651? The one that had melting Delphi injectors?

What do you think has been used in Sprinters (including the RVs and large bus versions), gelandewagens, GLs, S-Classes and countless other vehicles since 2006? While I have no real qualms with the 2.1, aside from the fact that it barely has any space left for tuning, to disparage the 642 as unreliable and cite the long service history of a newer engine found in fewer heavy applications seems laughable.

KEY08

My Indy who has decades of experience with MB says the same thing about Diesel engines. I have inquired over the years and he has not waivered. They can be very expensive to maintain.