SAguirre

Well, now that I am back in the good-old US, I have time to start posting a bit on this great forum.

I spent some time in Germany and France (for the most part) and I drove an E220 CDI for a while. I also drove a Renault Minivan Diesel that was nice too, but not up to the level of the E class.

One of the great things that this E220 CDI had that is not available in the US is a factory installed trailer hitch. It was wonderfully installed and engineered. As the pictures show, you first open the trunk floor, and then you expand a telescoping wand that you pull up. A little LED then turns on telling you that the hitch was released and hanging below the rear bumper. All there is left to do is let the hitch pivot all the way out to the locked position and latch. The electrical plug in the body of the hitch itself and is most convenient. This is probably the best hidden installation I have ever seen!

It is ironic that the US owner’s manual specifically does NOT recommend towing. This is an obvious liability avoidance maneuver typical of manufacturers that produce things for our litigious US consumers. In the E 220 CDI’s manual, it rated all Es as being capable of towing the same amount of weight.

I actually liked the E220 CDI quite a bit. It was not as slow as I would have expected and was a very decent highway cruising car. The fuel economy was also outstanding, especially for my driving habits on the German Autobahn! I will post some of the Trip computer display in another thread.

Here are some pictures of the hitch,

Steve

cdiken

That is absolutely ingenious.

I know my CDI has enough motor to jerk a 6,000 lb trailer easily, as a 10,000 GVW sprinter has only a 5-cyl 270 CDI as its biggest engine offering.

Realistically, I wouldn't attempt to tow over 3,000 lbs and even with that I would insist on trailer brakes.

Did you happen to notice if your 220 CDI rental had a trans oil cooler with more capacity than the standard US tube in front of the radiator?

SAguirre

I can not remember what the exact rating was, but I think that it was rated for about 1,700 Kg with brakes. This car had a smaller fuel tank (like about 15 US gallons) a light duty main radiator, alternator and no extra cooler at all. It was also missing a lot of options that are standard in the US since the US Es are Elegance models and this particular one was a "Classic."

An interesting side note about European trailer hitches is that they are all the same size and there is not different rating like here in the US (I, II and II and then 1and 7/8 and 2" and whatever else). They also don't require any chains. However, if the trailer has brakes, then it is required to have a emergency cable brake that will get attached to the car and pull the brakes on if the trailer brakes free from the car. Also, since this is factory installed, the electronics for the trailer lights will not screw up the MFD sensors! A real plus.

This was not a rental, it is a car of a good friend of mine who lets me drive her car when I am in that part of Germany. They replaced their 1996 BMW 525 TDS 5 speed with this car. Of course, she drives my cars when she is over here.

As per towing capabilities. I still tow with my Audi instead of the Benz because US trailer hitches are hideous! However, my old 300E had an amazing trailer rating (well over 3000 lbs with brakes). I would not doubt that your 320 CDI can easily tow 4000 lbs if you have good brakes on the trailer, it is well balanced and you drive sensibly. However, you know that MB would have a field day if they see any kind of hitch on an E here in the US and you have any kind of transmission problems. I know you know that, but I thought I should just mention it.

The E200, E220, E270, E320 and E400 CDIs all had the same rating, but I can’t remember the exact number. MB rates the towing capacity by the chassis and vehicle stability.

I am glad you found it interesting,

Steve

JimPurdy

Steve,

Good report. I put a hitch on my W210 wagon and had to pay a bunch for it. It sure would be nice if we could get those nice Euro-hitches here. They even have hitches that are totally hidden under the bumper and have a "J" shaped removable draw bar. I emailed Steve MBenzNL about the W210 wagon hitch but the Euro models are VERY expensive.

By the way, is there a light or something on the driver's side of the rear bumper strip in your 3rd picture?

Jim

liftman

Check out this site for the hidden E class towing hitch, they may ship direct to US.

http://www.oris-gmbh.de/english/oris_news/produkte.html#


Go to bottom of page for full description.

Liftman

SAguirre

I have sent an e-mail to find out if I can source this for my car here in the US. If you could PM me and share with me how much it ran to get your hitch installed it would help me determine a safe limit for the cost of getting this one shipped and installed. It might not be so much after all.

I have always had a hitch on my old Audi and now that I have sold it I have not gotten around to installing a hitch on my S6 (and really don't want to install one since the S6 is lowered). If I could get this exact retractable design for my E then I would get it since it is truly invisible!

I don't know what you are exactly seeing, but there is no special light on the bumper. It must be a reflection of the basement window grid or something.


Thank you for your comments!

Steve

SAguirre

Thank you for the link, I thought that I had seen something about this system on this forum before but I had not gotten around to searching for it. After seeing how incredibly well designed it is I have decided to inquire and see what the cost might be to get it shipped here to the USA.

Thanks again!

Steve

levind

I found the MB folding trailer hitch retrofit on MB Startek. I downloaded most of the instructions if anyone is interested. There may even be part numbers associated.