MNJohn

My wife and I test drove a E320 vs. E500 back-to-back today. We both felt the E320 was adequately powered and, quite frankly, that there was not enough difference between the two to justify the $6500 upcharge. In fact, I don't know whether we just drove a "dog" 2003 E500, but we were both disappointed that the 300+ HP of the E500 didn't push us back into our seats very much on aggressive acceleration. Is this typical?

Anyway, this test drive allowed us to finalize our decision to go with the E320 4Matic. Now we can just relax and wait for the E320 4Matic to be delivered.

Thank you everyone for your opinions!

Best regards,

John

10000_lakes

Congratulations, John!

As I mentioned in my PM to you previously, that was the same exact feeling my wife and I came away with after testing both side by side as well. Just not enough difference to justify the 6K+ extra, even with the E320 loaded up on all the goodies like Appearance pkg., etc...Still 6K more to get another 2 cylinders. And as several others on your other thread chimed in, the fuel economy is kind of sweet on a 320! My 50 mile round trip commute is plenty enjoyable with the 6 cylinder.

Enjoy!

sf49ers79

congratulations man!!! both cars are terrific that's what i thought!!! so once again congrats on the new order!!

Fastbuck

I can't believe that you guys only have to pay an extra $3-4k to move from an E320 to an E500. In UK the difference is $15k and you still have to order some of the "toys" as options!

MNJohn

Very nice car!! What package (Appearance?, Sport?) do you have on the front? Can you post a picture of the rear of your car?


Thanks,

John

rayscar

I'm surprised that you didn't find the power of the 500 impressive. It's one of that fastest sports sedans I've driven and I enjoy its speed and power very much. Enjoy your car. Sounds very nice.

WannaBeAMG

thats the BRABUS front spolier and wheels. looks real nice!

post some pics homeboy!

Nanky

Congratulations on your choice! I am sure you will enjoy the ride. Both the E320 and E500 are fine cars.

chazmtb

Congratulations on your car. We were faced with the same delema. My wife wanted a E320, and I wanted an E500. To me it was the power, and I was able to convince her to get the 500. We saved on some options if we would have gotten with the E320, like panaramic sunroof, PDC, nav, xenons and leather. However, with the E500 we got Airmatic and Leather as standard. Only options are sunroof and Heated seats.

Great choice though.

WannaBeAMG

another thing to consider is that the larger V8 will remain stronger under heavier loads. if you frequently carry passengers and you want the car to feel strong get the V8. though the 320 may seem not much slower than a 500 it would be a far different story with 4 adults inside.

skipper

You can't go wrong with either car. After owning two E-320's, I decided to step-up to the E-500.

Anxioulsy waiting...build date 12/05.

Mercedesfan

The difference between an E320 4Matic and an E500 4Matic is less than between a standard E320 and standard E500 since it is only on the standard E500 that you get the upgraded new 7 speed transmission.

It is interesting that those who have done a side by side comparison of the E320 to the E500 have not noted that much of a difference in the "feel" of the power differential. Some have even suggested that the lighter weight 6 cylinder engine more than makes up for the lesser horsepower of the E320 and that for overall handling on winding roads the E320 is preferred.

One thing we US buyers forget is that in the world view the standard E is a 240 (at least for petrol units) and the E320 is looked at as a power version.

konigstiger

DO NOT waive your rights:
https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...threadid=52549

Arnee

Good choice. I also was faced the dilemma with my fiancee between an E500 and E320 after trading in my W211 E55...talk about a power shock. But I felt that for city driving, the E320 is adequately powered and with some good toys, the price difference between the extra power from the V8 is approx $7,000, which in our case doesn't really matter. If we wanted power, we would have kept the E55.

Yes, the difference would be when the car is fully loaded and the engine is screaming on the on-ramp.........it all depends on the usage of the car.

aplato

Congrats on the new car.

I too test drove a E320 and E500 on the same day and came to the same decision you did (although mine isn't a 4matic). As satisfying as the E500s extra power was, I didn't think it was worth it. As I have also noted, I felt the 320 handled better as it is lighter upfront.

I've had my 320 for almost a year now and have never regretted the decision. I think you'll be happy with it.

Good luck.

Andrew

muhri

I thought to my self that you had an E55 but man you traded for an E320! Can't believe it - You could just asked for my car and I would have gotten yours

Arnee

Hehehe

I think I'll be separating luxury and power from now on...