ben721364

Early last fall I was told by DB that the launch was expected in January 2010. I hope the delay indicates that they are trying to find another place to put the Urea tank so that they can retain a spare tire and avoid the mistake BMW made in going to run flop tires. It would be even better if they would find a way to eliminate urea injection altogether as VW has done, in my opinion.

DerekACS

Why would you not consider the 335d ? It puts the MB 320 Bluetec to shame when it comes to performance, handling and fuel economy. Same brilliant engine as your X5d !

Unfortunately, the new E350 Bluetec is going to have the same V6 single turbo engine as the E320 Bluetec. This engine is very sluggish compared to the 335d twin turbo 265hp diesel. Like the 335d and X5d, the E350 Bluetec will have the urea tank in place of the spare tire, hence RFTs.

As for the RFTs that come with many BMWs and soon the E350 Bluetec, it really depends on the tire brand. I have owned several BMWs with RFTs; Bridgestones are crap. However, the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 ZP are much better, offering excellent road feel,handling and a much improved ride compared to the Bridgestone RE050A tires.

if indeed the W212 is selling slower than expected, one reason might be the underpowered, carried over E350 V6. Let's face it, MB is not competitive in engine performance with the other German makes, excepting the AMG models.

ben721364

My experience with run flop tires has been far less satisfactory than yours. I have owned at least one BMW at a time since 1973, sometimes as many as 3 such cars at a time and have been a loyal supporter of the brand. Run flop tires and a couple other goofy things (my opinion) that the company has done drove me away. I agree that the Michelin run flat tire provides more feedback than the Stone, but not enough better for me to compromise on other attributes.

Hopefully BMW will return to building drivers' cars.

pmb600

The 350 might be a little less powered than some competitors, but they will fix this soon. The V8 550 engine is very competitive, one of the best engines I've ever driven: tons of power and torque AND great fuel economy.

AMGFREAK

YAY Just got word from my dealer that the E350 Bluetec will have a launch date of sometime in July... Ordering should take place soon..

ben721364

Thanks for the "latest" projected launch date. I have lost interest.

AMGFREAK

Why did you lose interest? It will be a great car.

pmb600

This is not projected, July is the official launch.

ben721364

I feel sure that the car will be fine, overall but it has taken D-B too long, in my estimation, to prepare it for the U S market and I am not impressed with the decision to go with urea injection because of the hassle and the apparent fact that the tank will take the place of a spare tire.

pmb600

The urea injection is the only way to get it 50 state legal.

ben721364

I was under the impression that VW TDi cars are currently sold in all 50 states. My 2009 VW Jetta TDi does not depend on urea injection.

DerekACS

Yes, I should have limited my remarks to the underpowered 350 V6.

As for the upcoming Bluetec, unless MB has addressed issue of the turbo lag, it will remain a sluggish car off the line, even more so than the E320 Bluetec, since the new car will weigh about 200 lbs more. Same HP and torque + more weight = slower performance.

AMGFREAK

Just got word from my dealer that just got an email from Mercedes Benz that they are delaying the launch of the W212 Bluetec TILL DECEMBER Grrrrrrrrr.... WTF is the problem???

ben721364

I was told the same today by a Senior sales rep at a local dealership. Hopefully DB is trying to find a way to avoid equipping the cars with run flop tires.

Txhurdle

True, won't be here in the States until December.

Germancar1

Wow that must mean that they're getting the new engine ready for the U.S. market. The 2011 R-Class facelift included a newly updated version of the V6 with 265hp.


Maybe this is the reason for the delay??


M

ben721364

...and maybe they are replacing the aluminum block and the urea injection system.

Germancar1

I doubt it. Anything with more than 4-cylinder needs to the urea system, and why would they replace the aluminum block? Going to back to iron would be a big step backwards.

M

shoes

If my memory serves me, the introductory brochure for the 2010 E Class included the diesel. If Mercedes isn't launching the diesel until December, it will undoubtedly be a 2011, so something must be screwed up.

Good thing that VW and BMW bring such great diesel alternatives to the US.

Could Mercedes be waiting to lauch a diesel hybrid? That might be interesting.

ipp

At least in Europe they are going to launch the E300 BlueTec Hybrid during 2011. It's the same diesel engine as in E250 CDI with a electric engine aswell. The E250 is a 4-cyl twin turbo 2,1 litre engine with 204 hp and 500 Nm (370 pound ft.) of torque.

From another site:
"The E300 BlueTec diesel hybrid will probably utilize a 200-hp, 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel engine and a 20-hp electric motor - enabling the E300 BlueTec diesel hybrid to achieve around 46 mpg according to some early estimates. Of course, that number is probably based on European testing, not the EPA's.

Ironically, this BlueTec diesel hybrid will probably qualify as a 'mild' diesel hybrid, but Mercedes is testing other combinations, so a full BlueTec diesel hybrid is expected.

Stay tuned for more information on the Mercedes Benz E300 BlueTec diesel hybrid vehicle."

shoes

Has anyone gotten an explanation for the continued delay of the E Class diesel in the US? It is more than a year behind schedule and it is not like Mercedes doesn't have enough experience making diesel engines.

Diesel Benz

An old thread but I thought I'd add that we now have the 350 CDI BlueEfficiency, the 350 Bluetec and the 300 CDI BlueEfficiency models in Europe but it is impossible to find from EPC without a valid VIN which models have the AdBlue system included.

EPC lists AdBlue parts for all but with the U42 code (and I know from my 212.025 that it does not have it). I assume the Euro 350 Bluetech would have AdBlue but others would not. This is the only model fulfilling EU6 emission levels. Anyone has a VIN for one of these two models (300 or 350 Bluetec) or would have some further info otherwise?

ccimocm

I just took delivery of a 2011 E350 Blutec last week. The pickup and torque are just incredible! However, I have a question about the diesel fuel. On the fuel cap, it says that only #1 diesel low sulfur should be used. However, all the stations carry #2 diesel. The manual says that using anything other than #1 diesel will be harmful.

Does anyone know about this?

DerekACS

I believe that in the US, ultra low sulphur diesel (sometimes labeled as No.2 ULSD, 15 ppm S) is the only diesel fuel legally sold for highway use. This also applies in Canada, but up here the fuel pump labels only refer to ULSD. Don't ever use so called "low sulphur diesel" (300 ppm S) which is sold for "off-road" use.

Please share your driving impressions of your new Bluetec. Is the turbo lag noticeable in city driving ?

Congrats on your new Bluetec. You must have one of the first ones to arrive in NA.

ccimocm

THIS car is an absolute, incredible machine ! Get rid of the previous comments about "lag" and low power, etc. The torque on it is just amazing. The silence of the motor is incredible. MPG are in the upper 20's around town. Will be taking it on road trip to Colorado next week so will get an idea of the milage on the highway. Yes, it would appear that this is the first one delivered. Ordered it last November. Culpret Brown special color. Quite unusual. 0 - 60 in about 6 seconds....can't complain about that. MB has got quite a winner, in my opinion, with this car. Went back to the dealer for some follow up questions and all the sales people came out asking how I got it, etc. They did not realize that the car was available yet. I would insert a .jpg of the car but can't figure out how to do that??