Earlier this year, in September, I ordered a C220 CDI Avantgarde from my local dealer in Mosman, NSW, Australia. Unfortunately with the switch to different engine software and revised feature sets, the build of my car has been delayed and it won't be delivered until February 2010 at the earliest.

That would have been a real downer, except my dealer has been more than gracious in their provision of a loan car - a lovely E250 CGI Avantgarde in Indium Grey with black leather.



It's a beautiful car, and one that I would love to own some time in the future. It has a completely different character, and therefore appeal, than my far lower-slung and sportier C-Class. I thought I would post my first impressions here.



Pros

Great build quality.
The E-Class is clearly built to a higher specification than the C-Class, and at a higher price point (this car retails for AUD$94,700 and my C220 cost just below AUD$80,000) you would expect that. The leathers are softer; the feature sets more wide and you get a larger and more solid car. It feels great.

Comfort.
This car is so comfortable. It's by no means spirited in terms of performance, but it's effortless. It is very quiet and the ride quality is by-and-large excellent. The standard leather trim is fairly soft but the better Nappa leathers would really do the trick in terms of a true luxury feel.

Interior design.
The E-Class has a stunning interior, and it's both designed in a luxurious manner and put together with real love. The materials feel great, although there is a little too much plastic on the dash, much like with the W204 C-Class, but less so.

Fuel economy.
The E250 CGI saloon uses only 7.4L/100km (just under 32mpg) in theory. I'll let you know how it turns out in the real world.



Cons

Performance.
The E250 CGI is the base engine choice in the Australian market. It's a 1.8-litre petrol that puts out 150kW (~200 HP I believe) and 310Nm of torque. The engine is very quiet at all times and it never 'rushes' when you push hard on the accelerator, but the power is there if you need it. It's just not at the forefront of this car at all. It is very frugal though.

Cost.
At nearly AUD$95,000 (Dec-09 exchange USD$83,500) base (a figure which includes full leather, 17-inch wheels, COMAND APS, Xenon lights and a number of American-market 'options), the E250 is like all premium cars in the Australian market - overpriced. This is because of a relatively high sales tax on all products, plus a "Luxury Car Tax". It's a great car, but it's not great value. My C220 CDI didn't have any luxury car tax on it since it's a low-consumption model.

Some options should be standard.
The lack of full-electric front seats is vaguely worrying, and the stock 17-inch wheels are not great looking. Luckily my loaner has the larger, beefier 18-inch rims which look amazing!



Verdict

The E250 CGI seems like a really solid choice so far. It's frugal, feature-laden, very attractive and very solid. However, in Australia at least it's quite expensive, and there's not a great deal of power at hand.

The car I have, in the Indium Grey with black leather, is a stunning colour combination and I recommend it to any prospective buyer of any E saloon. It's beautiful. I ordered the C220 in Iridium silver with alpaca grey leather, but I would have optioned indium grey if it was available!

The COMAND APS, which is in my forthcoming C-Class, is great. The navigation is accurate and the graphics excellent; the voice control is second-to-none in terms of accuracy and speed. Although it's a single-disc variant in my model, the Harmon-Kardon audio sounds fabulous.

I look forward to spending 6 or so weeks with the E250 CGI, the base petrol sedan choice for the Australian market. It'll be an interesting comparison with the C220 CDI diesel I actually ordered !

There are some more photos below:

 

Hmm, may be tough to give back? Great service from the dealer to cover a factory delay for many weeks.

Very nice pics too. Thanks for sharing.

 

Hi Tom. Greetings from Adelaide.

You must be the first customer in history to get a higher model loaner than the car you are waiting on. When I get my cars (S65 and E500 wagon) serviced, I get a B-Class - at my cost.

I was thinking of replacing my 04 E500 Wagon but MB Australia aren't bringing this model to Australia in the W212.

 

congrats on the car.

+1 on pricey cars in Australia. My cousins where hear last christmas and he couldn't believe how inexpensive a benz was here in the US.

 

Tested the car here in Brunei yesterday. Well I gotta say the car is very very responsive but something kept me thinking. How long would the turbo last since the engine is only a 1.8L twin-turbo. Would there be any problems in the future?

 

+1, I am wondering the same

I know for sure it requires more maintenance compared to the 3.5 V6 and it will definitely have a shorter operation life

 

And how much do you think the price difference is between the two? How much would one save fuel with the 250 compared to the 3.5 V6? How much time would be left for the engine service when fill-ups are a lot less frequent?

Did I read you say you have the 350 and are a bit jealous about the new engine?

 

I have no idea so I'll just have to wait a lil longer to find out how good the engine actually is. Here in Brunei the E250 CGI is about $108K (SGD) whereas the E300 is $122k (SGD).