CinOttawa

Hello Everyone,

This is officially my first post...and although I am a newbie when it comes to this forum, I would like to believe that I know my cars. So here is the dilema I am having;

On one hand I sleep myself everynight thinking about the 2008 c350 I would like to purchase (I LOVE THIS CAR), and

On the other hand I spend all day worrying about the benz guys pulling a fast one on me and using direct injection and getting closer to 300bhp/280torque in the 2009 models.

I am willing to wait a very painful year or so if that is even remotely possible BUT I haven't seen anything online or in their product line up to make me believe that it will happen.

SO that being said, I want to use this forum and the combined research skill of everyone on it, in trying to find out some dirt...and as soon as anyone sees it....they have to reply to this thread.

See I am plenty happy with the car as is BUT if i will be paying the same amount to get a more powerful/faster car...heck, why not....and then I would also save any money that I was going to waste upgrading the car to those specs.....I also have to admit that the 0-60 time of 6.2sec seems pedestrian compared to the competition (IS350,335,g35)

I know that I won't be racing this car and/or putting the pedal to the metal at every light, but knowing that you can is good enough

SO let me end this long winded post with a BIG 'Thank you' to everyone on this forum for all the valuable info you provide

CarGuru

2008 Isn't even here yet, plus the car just released a little over a month ago. I wouldn't imagine an engine make over or upgrade for + 2years at least. Not only that but the 6.3 AMG is due in the spring of '08 so I would imagine this would suffice the power hungry until a face lift or new motors for the base cars. Go drive a C350, numbers aside the car is amazing. It's actually one of the few cars with around 250 hp that feels like 300 hp, typically it's the other way around.

-Ryan

CinOttawa

I only wish that I can afford a c63....maybe in ten years

I did drive the c350...and yes it is amazing, I love everything about it (maybe a few more interior colour options and paddle shifters would have made me forget about the extra horses),regardless, I do have my mind set on a c350. I just wanted to air out my concerns.

BTW, what do you mean that the 2008 aren't out yet...

oblu

BMW does it regularly ... carries over the old engines into the new platform and then drops in the new motor the following year. The kinda didn't do it with the e90 in that the 330 had a completely new design with magnesium alloy block ... but then along came the TT motor.

If I was a betting man, I'd expect that if there was going to be a direct injection motor it'd show up first in a more established, lower volume, series. Like the E class. MB seems to be ultra conservative with new technology lately.

But I wouldn't rule out big changes for the next model year either, so it might be worth the wait.

dmunjal

You are right about worrying about this issue. Since german car manufacturers have 6-8 year model life spans (unlike the Japanese), they have to frequently upgrade and update their models. I would expect that they would announce the CLK coupe in 2009 or 2010 with a 3.5L direct-injection engine putting out 300hp. This same engine would make it into the C-class by then.

MBTex

MB will definately be dropping a new engine into the 350 at least (probably the 300 as well)....the question is when. I'm guessing in MY2010 when the new E comes out...

epiphone3

There have been many rumours about a new Mercedes 335i-style Direct Injection, Twin-turbo charged motor coming to market... don't doubt that it will happen sooner rather than later, either.

MB have everything right in the new C-Class to compete with BMW 3-series except for the engines. There are lots of people saying that they love everything about the C350 but want the 335i because of its power. MB will want to rectify this so as to avoid losing sales. Don't be surprised to see MB release new mills soon (like 1 year or so)... they are a newly focussed company now that they have recognized the quality issues that they have had over the past years and following the sale of Chrysler. Don't expect them to behave exactly like they have over recent years due to this fact.

One more thing... to the guy who said BMW carries old engines into new models, they NEVER do this (actually, they did it once when the carried the old 3.5 liter straight six across from E28 models to E34 models). I don't know why Mercedes didn't get all-new engines into the C-Class immediately!

S420merc

Dont forget that the C350 should really be compared to a 330i BMW not the 335i i dont know why people make the comparison to a 335i. Price wise the 335i is about 7-8k more then the C350 so they are really not at the same price point. I got my C350 ordered for $43,285 and thats with Mettalic paint and MM and P2 and 18 inch rims.
Now go price a 335i with xenons and Mettalic paint and Navi and upmarket sound and u will be at about 50k. I also got a $1500 discount on a C350 and go and try to find $1500 discount on the E92 335i. U also get the AMG body kit on the C350 Sport for that money which is extra on the BMW.
The C350 looks perfect from the factory just tint the windows and u are golden.
The 335i i would have to get a front M-Tech aero kit and different rims.
So that would put me in the $52k price range. Thats alot more money then the C350 sport. The bad thing is that MB does not have a car to slot in between the C350 and the C63. a C430 would be nice for about 50k to make about 300hp or so. Also go on E90post and read about all the problems people are having with the fuel pumps and other stuff.

Bokx_350

So, out of this, would it be right to assume that if MB upgrades the c350 to 300+hp, it will also come with a price increase?

oblu

Sorry man, gotta nab you there. e46 328i engine was the same as the e36 328i engine only to be replaced by the e46 330i with a newer engine.

Unfortunately, I lived it. Owned both.

RLE

<<If I was a betting man, I'd expect that if there was going to be a direct injection motor it'd show up first in a more established, lower volume, series. Like the E class. MB seems to be ultra conservative with new technology lately.>>

I am surprised that you do not know the MB has already done this. The CLS in Europe and the UK has had a direct injection 3.5 V-6 for a while now. In fact, I posted something about it some time back.

epiphone3

um, actually it wasn't the same.

The E46 328i got a different head with double VANOS and a different intake manifold. It was a small change, but it was a new mill. The E46 328i had better low end torque and 3 more peak horsepower compared to the E36 328i. BMW haven't, other than in the case I mentioned previously, carried an identical engine from one generation of a series to the next.

The new C has identical engines to previous generation.

On another note, in Canada, the C350 competes almost directly with the 335i in terms of price.

maryjcl

Actually, it happens much more frequently than you say with BMW. The e60 5 series six cylinder models featured the same M54 series motors that were in the e39. The e60 545i had the same motor that had debuted in the 745; two model years elapsed before it got the bigger motor. The e38, when it came out and until the following year, had the same M60B40 as the e32 740i; the 4.4 liter engine didn't appear until MY 1996, and then only with single vanos. When the e46 3 series debuted, the 328i had the same M52 series motor as the e36 328i aside from one "technical update" which hardly qualifies as a new motor. And this list completely omits the various iterations of the M30 that carried over, mildly changed or bored out, from chassis to chassis in earlier times. I am sure I can think of more examples, but you get the point.

So, it is very common for all manufacturers, including MB and BMW, to introduce new chassis and engines separately, both because the new engine allows them to reinvigorate the car a portion of the way through its lifecycle and because, from a quality control perspective, it permits them to have fewer brand new components to debug.

MB-JIM

The E Class is scheduled to have the 350 CGI engines beginning this December. It will have 292 PS in Europe. I have read nothing that says whether these engines will be in the US but it would be logical for them to be here as well.
Based on this, it is entirely possible that all 350 engines will be switched to the CGI versions by the end of next year. That means we will have 350 CGI engines in the 09 C350's.

oblu

Yup, you got me there. Didn't know that.

me =

Xtrema

No I would say it's still about $5-$6K off once equally equipped.

C350 4Matic (Canadian only as far as I know) is $55K, loaded with ALL options available.

335xi is $53K bone stock.

Also to add to the poster's concerns:

BMW did sorta screwed 06 adopters. When new model released in 06, the 328 is 200hp and 330 is 240hp. When 07 came alone, 328 has 240hp (old 330), 330 is dropped and 335 end up with now legendary 300/300 motor. All without much price changes.

Will C class do the same, I don't know. I really like the C350 but I'm torn between it and the 335i. Having review after review that it being owned doesn't help. I really want to like it and I hope MB will surpass at least some key spec of 335i next year with a new release.

epiphone3

actually, the 06 3- series were a 215hp 325i and a 255hp 330i. The following year, they changed to a 231hp 328i and 300hp 335i.