I try to browse the forums before posting, however it can be difficult to get threw a lot of them, so I apologize if this has already been addressed, I haven't been able to find it tho.

I have an 02 E320 4matic, the car has been great for me but it hesitates accelerating. The car is heavy, around 2 tons, so I figure that has a lot to do with it. However I drove a friends car the other day, not a merc but another foreign car, and when I hit the gas pedal it was super touchy in comparison. I realize all vehicles are different, but it did raise a few questions in my mind. It seems like my car requires a lead foot to drive. I was curious if this is a normal thing or if I should look into a tune up, new injectors, spark plugs, new throttle, etc? The RPMs go up to about 20-30 k which isn't dangerous but seems a bit high. That brings trans issue to mind. I realize that there is a cat converter issue with these cars, and I am going to be replacing the entire exhaust soon. Would this be another symptom of a bad cat?

I was just curious if most mercs are like this, this being my first it's a learning process for me. It's my first foreign car as well. I have driven a ton of vehicles in my life, my job requires me to hop in different vehicles all the time, and I've never had a car hesitate like this. Then again, I've never had a car this heavy.. and most of the trucks I drive are diesel. I have never felt the trans slipping, but my 0-60 is super slow. I also realize that this isn't a meant to be a super fast car.

Any ideas? I know I should take it to the dealership and have them look at it, but I've always been a DIY type and I often feel I am throwing my money away to have someone else look at it, and I do not exactly trust the mechanics around here. But I have never had a vehicle require this much of a lead foot to accelerate before. Thanks in advance

 

20k RPM seems crazy high. Like 10x high.

 

I meant to say 2000-3000. I believe it is the trans, the center console style trans are easy to roll. Being the 3rd owner of the car who knows how the previous owners drove. I was also wondering if it could be something to do with the shiftable automatic, as it has the + and - in drive, I never messed with it while driving but I often think I should try it. Around where I live we have a lot of 25 and 40 mph speed limits which is right where it wants to shift. I often notice that I shift up around these speeds and then down again. The car rolls, I was doing 65 on a back road the other day and felt like I was doing 25. LOL. The cars RPMs go up high when I really mash the gas, which I have to often to be able to pull out of my driveway, merging onto a highway, etc.

I guess my best bet is to have someone look at the car, I have to find an honest mechanic tho... if such a thing exists. LOL! It runs great I just was a little worried about the lead foot style gas pedal. I've never driven a car that required me to be this aggressive on the gas.

 

go get a scan of your car before you do anything. I have the same situation going on in my car and i have 1999 E430 and its not to your problem extent. Like i like to accelerate when the stop light turns green and i have competed with some mustangs and camareos and i usually win. I am not saying that i street race but i accelerate fast to the speed limit. But there is some times where the new 2013 Mustang GT500 has smoked me like by full 5 seconds. I tested my 0-60 time and it was around 4 -5 seconds. But my car still does a more of a delay to accelerate rather than to hesitate. I got my scan just today and it showed that nothing was wrong and so i dont care that my car has a delay acceleration. I will be driving and if i want to over take somebody and i push a little bit on the gas, the RPM goes up a bit and it waits for like 3 seconds and then i pulls the car like a turbo lag. So go get a scan, its cheap and it tells you what is leaking, gone bad and it is good of the entire car.

 

Ok cool, thanks for the reply. The car I have is low mileage and was kept in a garage a lot, it seems like the car is running better and better everyday. It's my primary vehicle where the previous owners only used it on weekends or what ever. I will head down to the dealership nearby and get them to run a scan. I have no malfunctions according to the computer but I'm sure that doesn't cover everything. Just out of curiosity, could it be something with the throttle cable? I noticed that it is on the top of the engine near the driver side and it did appear to be a little loose. I suppose I can guess and wonder all day long, I'll go get it checked out. Thanks again.

Oh and I am the same way, I like to hit the speed limit as fast as possible. lol

 

A little advise before you go to the dealership, where I live I asked and the dealership wanted $350 for a scan and the tool they have is the best tool you can scan a MB with and so if you are ready to spend that much you can go there. But if not search about where is the nearest foreign auto shop is and they will have the second best tool around and they will probably give an estimate of a hour job and for my that was about $95 and as usual I was an idiot to go for the cheap stuff and paid $45 to another auto, located in the back roads, for a stupid useless misleading scan and my advise is that if you can and want to go ahead and go for the MB dealership and if not want to spend a lot got to the trustable auto shop near you and don't forget to research on the reviews for any local auto shop! Lol, nice to see another legal "street racer" lol, don't know what else to call it. You are always welcome.

 

These cars do have slight hesitation upon hard acceleration. That's normal. the original Consumer Reports review of these vehicles pointed it out. You probably want to try resetting your transmission. That may help. The procedure is in the post link below. Dont throw parts at your car; it's proably fine.

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...ing-style.html

 

Oh ok, this is new information to me. Yea I know how to reset the transmission and I do it, if my car starts to change gears in high rpm that's kinda loud in city and so I stop at any parking lot and I do a quick reset and then I teach my trans to change gear smoothly and quietly for the city. Dosent it take about 40 gear changes for the trans to learn?? Thanks for the info 01blackE320, really helpful!

 

From Consumer Reports below. The slow response comment was referring to the W211 but they had the same comment for the W210 in it's day. Back then they also said the W210 was one of the best cars they ever tested.

The E-Class sedan and wagon have been among the best cars CR has tested. We particularly liked the all-around versatility of the pre-2003 E320 4Matic (AWD) wagon. High points include precise handling, effortless performance, and an excellent ride. The seats are firm but very comfortable. The redesigned 2003 model delivers both a comfortable ride and sporty, agile handling although the transmission isn't particularly quick to respond. Wagon and AWD 4Matic models were reintroduced for 2004. 2007 brought a freshening, including a diesel model that got 29 mpg overall. Though refined and quiet, agile and smooth-riding, we didn't find the 2010 redesign as impressive as its predecessor.

 

wow that sucks!! so this is the car and not anything is wrong with the acceleration at all!