Since the introduction of the E preview on the US website, it's become obvious that the reports about the new E diesel arriving here were bogus. What gets me is that it was Autoweek quoting the damn chairman of MB! (Juergen, not Schremp, the other one)...I even emailed MBUSA, and they say nope, no diesel. I am pissed...thoughts???

 

The US is always delayed all the goodies. Although not in the first year or production, but the diesal will probably come in a couple years down the road.

I won't consider a W211 until the direct injection engines are standard - probably around 2005 model year.

 

ride behind a 'stinking' diesel for a while with the windows open and THEN tell me you still want to own one.

diesel exhaust is a known carcinagen...why would you ever wanna own one ? especially in a beautiful hi-tech MB !!!???

for the extra 5 MPG !!!?????

is the foul exhaust and greasy nasty fuel worth it !!!????

 

Oh my God bagwell, I took it personally Let me disagree with your statements very strongly.
First thing, the smell of the diesel fuel when the car is running is no stronger than if it's a petrol engine. I am not going into comparing which smells nicer.
As far as I know it is a carcinagen, but driving the diesel powered car won't affect your health. Riding behind a stinking diesel TRUCK for a while with the windows open, might
Modern diesels are expensive units due to their complexity (hi tech). As far as I know, they are more expensive to produce actually than petrol engines. Specific power output, per litre of volume, for example on 400 CDI (250 hp) is slightly higher than on 500 (306 hp). Ok, CDIs are turboed and petrols aren't, but we are talking about the engines as Mercedes produces them and sells, so they can be compared on that basis.
The difference is not 5 mpg. With similar sized engines, one diesel, the other petrol, the difference can be as big as 20 mpg.
You don't have to fill it up yourself so the direct contact with greasy nasty fuel can be avoided at ease.
But actually the point of my post was to ask the same thing
Why would you buy a diesel engined car in the USA? Petrol price and fuel consumption are issues in Europe, I've never thought it is the same way in the USA (as expensive as Coke). So what are other reasons?

 

you admit its bad but still don't dislike diesel ?

"As far as I know it is a carcinagen, but driving the diesel powered car won't affect your health. Riding behind a stinking diesel TRUCK for a while with the windows open, might "

I know it won't affect MY health unless I just happened to riding behind it...I don't think its fair...I think the diesel exhaust should be routed thru the cabin of the actual diesel car...

I can guarantee the diesel pollutes easily twice as much as the new ULEV gasoline powered cars.

 

Bagwell, over half ! of newly registered cars in Spain are diesel powered, ranging from 1.0 l to 4.0 l diesels and the general trend is the same across the Continental Europe, i.e. more and more diesel cars are sold each year (apart from several countries for particular reasons), especially after recent technology breakthroughs (more torque/power, quieter/smoother, very cold weather starts are ok). Bad or not, people are buying them and noone seems to be making a deal out of it.
I don't know, maybe it's very bad, but the greens are quiet and so is everyone else about it. How harmful is it actually?

 

I dunno how bad actually...

but 15 years ago I worked in a warehouse that was always filled with disesel fumes. Ever since then, when i get just a whiff of the diesel exhaust it makes me nauseated.

I do know the exhaust is cancer causing.

In the #1 polluted city of Houston, TX the speed limits have been reduced to 55MPH max to cut air pollution (which is a joke), the city has already targeted diesel engines as a major contributor, saying approx 1 average diesel truck emits about the same pollution as about 50 "ULEV" cars.

 

All the vehemence against diesels suggests a tad bit of ignorance. First of all, let's consider carcinogens. Sulfur particulate exhaust (that of a diesel) is a known carcinogen. However, today's direct-injected diesels emit extremely low (virtually harmless) levels of this substance-contrast this to the 18-wheelers to which most of you referred. In fact, as an aside, there is a new law invoking less-particulate truck diesel engines as mandatory which takes effect in about 3 months.

I digress; it is unfair to compare ANY recent diesel car engine with any large truck engine. I have a 99 E300TD which puts out extremely little exhaust, has a lovely amount of torque, and gets approximately 35 miles to the gallon. And, the damn thing cost me 4 grand less than the E320 would've.

It is unfortunate that most Americans only remember the diesels that made up that unfortunate part of American history in response to the oil crisis of the '70s and early '80s-the era of diesel Olds Toronados that needed a replacement engine every 20,000 miles and put out a cloud cover that reached across counties. Indeed, GM did a terrible disservice by shoddily designing and throwing diesels into their cars as a quick-sales tactic-(compare the last known '70s or '80s American diesel that you know is still running to the '70's MB diesels which are still going strong.)

MB is at the forefront of the development of the new direct injection diesel, and were it not for our lovely oil lobbies here in AMerica, we would've mandate that our oil companies begin supplying low-content sulphur diesel NOW, instead of 2007, when it becomes law.

I challenge anyone to go to Europe and drive any 5cylinder or larger CDI diesel car and then report back. As usual, it's mostly politics which prevent our enjoyment of the latest technologies (cellphone infrastructure, diesels, light rail...)

By the way, I am not bashing the gasoline engine. I also have an E320 wagon and an ML500. Just wish I had the option of getting better mileage on both, as I would with a diesel. (800 miles on one tank in my E300!!!)

 

holtmorrison, I'm sure you'd enjoy ML 400 CDI, maybe even more than ML 500 if to take into account everything. The amount of torque isn't just lovely, it's amazing.
As G 400 CDI was referred to in a recent off road test in some German magazine - "Bear power". Indeed!

 

all that sad...I still wouldn't have one.

car or 18 wheeler...I still can't stand the stench of ANY diesel.

 

Not all diesel engines stink. Period. And not all are contributing to air pullotion in a worse way then petrol engines either. Fact is, the newly developed diesel engine that Peugeot has put in their 607 is one of the "cleanest" engine out there. They use a very sophisticated cathalyst method wich double-burn all the dangerous particles - resulting in particle emissions very close to zero! I know MB is workning on a very similar system right now (maybe it's finished by now, I don't know). Diesel cars are not so popular in Sweden due to a high "penalty" tax on diesel cars (it's not the fuel itself that is taxed high) and I wouldn't buy one only for this reasson (I would have to drive ~50.000 km each year to save some money on it). Still the percentage of diesel cars increases every year. Now it's about 7%. Two years ago the numbers were 4%. In Germany more than 50% of all new (2001) cars were equipped with diesel engines.

Just my .02

 

Europe uses a different diesel fuel than the US. They have a very low sulfur content in their's but the US doesnt do it because it costs a lot of money. I would purchase a diesel vehicle over gasoline if we had the euro diesel fuel.

 

Bagwell,

Great, all the more for the rest of us that know and want the engines of the future.

Holtmorrison,

Right on!

 

Bagwell, do you get out of the US much?? I'm guessing not because if you had you'd see that you're completely wrong about the behavior of modern diesel engines. They don't belch smoke like they used to, they don't clatter (well, when they're cold but otherwise no) and they get up and go like no gas engine of the same size could. Oh yeah, they do all this while returning 35-40 MPG. I believe there will always be a place for gas engines but the future is diesel. They're IDEAL for the US thanks to their combination of huge torque at low revs. Go testdrive a Jetta TDI (you'll have to look long and hard to find one though), they're not even an example of the best diesel can give and they're still brilliant. Or, better yet, head out to Intercontinental and hop a CO flight to London, Paris, or Amsterdam and check it out for yourself! The diesel engines in Ford and Chevy trucks are NOT an example of a modern diesel. They're big, crude, loud, and put out a ton of smoke.

Oh, as far as Houston goes??? They're off the reservation on the pollution problem. Before they go after traffic as the problem, perhaps they want to look at all the industry in Texas City and around the Ship Channel???? Trying to pin it on commuters is idiotic. IMO the drop from 70 to 55 was to provide a revenue boost. The council and mayor HAVE to know the 610 loop won't ever stick to 55 MPH.