DBV

Impressive - see below. Consumer Reports loved the E250, which is a rarity for Mercedes.


Quote:
The new E250 is perhaps the most rational luxury car you’ll find. It mixes a posh interior with an ultra-efficient turbodiesel engine, an 800-mile highway driving range, an impressive balance of ride and handling, and the type of practicality that makes it easy to live with. That combination earned it a stellar 98 score in our testing, which is second only to the Tesla Model S, at 99.

DerekACS

Thank you for posting a summary of this very impressive review of the E250BT !
Truly, a very glowing testimony ! But they must have been driving the car very hard and in winter to have only achieved a highway rating of 41mpg !

E Classy

it's the real mccoy

BenzV12

Great news, well done W212 and appreciate who is involved in making such a reliable and user friendly car

MBNUT1

Your car looks great. Went through the pics. Love the matt wood. Does is not have the LEDs'? If not I much prefer yours. What color is it? Everything comes together beautifully with your car. How noisy and how much vibration does the engine have?

E Classy

thanks!

it has the standard LED headlamps - (from the website) With longer life, quicker illumination and beams that approximate daylight even more closely than xenon headlamps, the new standard LED headlamps enhance both vision and visibility during nighttime driving.

i also prefer them to the lighting package, which was supposedly modeled after george clooney's eyebrows :roll eyes: not only that, but the standards are more likely to operate longer (and are definitely cheaper to replace) than the "active" turn illumination and high-beam assist versions (which i don't need anyway).

my color scheme is palladium silver metallic with porcelain/black leather and brown satin ash wood trim.

thanks for noticing how well the order came together (my dealer had the exact same words when i picked it up!). my design/order theme was "Modern W123" and i personally think the car nails it. i was adamant about the luxury trim despite claims of "boring" and "old man's buick" etc. because i really wanted to preserve the mercedes e-class DNA with the traditional grille and star ornament. i looked through pics of every generation of e-class for inspiration and while waiting around for production/shipping. i wasn't crazy about semi-autonomous drive systems and seats that tickle your ball sack or whatnot, so i just kept the thing as more of a traditional vehicle, and less of a techno-narcissus frankencar.

so far it has been a trusty companion out on the road. and a great value. this new CR rating can't hurt the resale.

MBNUT1

Yeah I'm all about the luxury grill. I don't like the look of the new lighting package I think that it ruins the car. What you described is what I think a Mercedes should be...a trusty companion. Do you hear the engine on the road. I've just read reviews where they described a low diesel thrum on the highway. That would be hard for me to sign up for.

Again yours is gorgeous

E Classy

lol, forgot about your last question. was too busy waxing...

yes, the car is noticeably a diesel motor at idle and low gears/speeds where you can hear the clatter and feel some very slight vibes inside the cabin. i do not, however notice any issues at cruising speed on the highway. it is well-mannered there. i suppose if you were to accelerate for passing, then you will for a moment notice the motor being a diesel again until the gears shift around... but other than that - no worries. try a test drive and see what you think. the hill climbing is very smooth. it locks in a rev rate and just eats it up.

DerekACS

Yes, I agree that EClassy's car is stunning ! Unfortunately for the Canadian market, the 'luxury' grill is only available as part of an 'Elegance' package that costs about $9K extra.

What we get as standard is the Avantgarde package, which consists of the Sport grill with the 'luxury' lower apron. This less aggressive apron looks better IMO than the 'cow guard' one that is supplied with the US Sport package.

Perhaps you and EClassy have misunderstood the lighting options ? His car has the standard set-up which consists of LED low beam and halogen high beam. The optional full LED package as the name suggests consists entirely of LEDs. It provides the best lighting and the longest service life (bulbs are estimated to last 10,000 hrs.). In Canada, these lights are guaranteed for 4 years or 80,000 km.

Having seen several 2014 E Class @ night with the full LED package, I can say that these lights give the car a very distinctive and unmistakable look. I am told that they provide outstanding illumination which is why I ordered them, together with the longer service life.

Finally, my philosophy is also to keep things simple, so I did not opt for any extra electronic gizmos like Keyless Go, Lane Assist, Advanced Driving Package, etc. I believe that I'm still capable of driving a car well without electronic nannies !!!

MBNUT1

Can't speak to the performance of the lighting package but the standard lighting combined with the traditional grill retains the Mercedes lineage appearance. Plus it has the full chrome grill surround. The front end flows in a seamless way that a Mercedes should. I never really loved the pre facelift front end for that reason. The main reason I commented on E classy's car was it was the first 2014 E sedan that I really liked how it looked.

E Classy

ah, thanks derek - i was wondering what "full" LED meant. i know my headlights and DRL's are LED whites, but haven't checked the high-beams yet.

what i was saying about the life expectancy has to do with the motorized and tiny computerized functions that are performed within those upgraded units. that stuff is historically prone to fail over time and is not cheap to fix/replace. the standards can just be set to "auto" and forgotten about, i would assume.

why does canada charge so much for the elegance? that kinda sucks, man.

DerekACS

I suspect MBC wants to 'limit' the ordering choices, so they made the traditional grill part of an expensive package that very few would order.

In any event, I got cold feet about the 4 cylinder engine in the E250BT 4Matic. Today I found a 2013 E350BT in mint condition, with only 12,000 km or 8000 miles. I really fell in love with the way the V6 engine performs and I saved a ton of $$$ compared to buying a 2014.

The FE of the E350BT is not that much less than the E250BT 4Matic, which is the only version available in Canada. Where I live on the west coast, 4Matic is really not required, providing one installs snow tires for the winter. Since I intend on keeping my E350BT for 6-7 years, there will be less maintenance issues with the RWD set-up.

In terms of styling, I like both the PFL and the new version, perhaps leaning toward the PFL because it is more coherent. Like you, I prefer the more traditional grill and the star on the hood. Maybe it is my advancing age ???

You certainly have a fine looking E Class.

Airmousam

Looks great!

E Classy

holy crap! no way - you bailed???

the 4-cyl. and avant-garde look really broke it? at least you'll still be on the forums in the 350BT

604

Derek, I am also in the market for a bluetec. How much money did you save over the '14? Where did you find it? You can PM if you like... I am also in Vancouver. I was thinking about checking out the new '14 but I am also afraid of the low tq and hp numbers.

DerekACS

PM sent.

DerekACS

The V6 engine was the key for me ! Since the E350BT that I tested today was in mint condition, had just been serviced, included 0.9% financing for 5 years, and the price was very fair, my decision was easy.

The sounds, torque and performance of the V6 are quite addicting for a diesel; I was not convinced that the OM 651 would come close. To me, a car's engine is its heart and soul. I almost fell for the sizzle of the new 2014 styling, but I'm now very happy with my choice. Who knows whether there will ever be another MB V6 diesel offered in the E Class for North America ? The 2013 E350BT may well be the last great diesel E Class that we see.

YYZ-E55

You're confusing the Elegance Package and the Executive Package.

The Elegance Package (code 955) is free in Canada. The Executive Package brings the content of an E250 up to that of an E350 (basically a fully-loaded car) and hence the price.

E Classy

the thread title and first post strongly contradict this

also in contradiction to performance claims is the fact that C&D got 0-60mph in 7.2 seconds on a 2011 E350BTC vs. a 0-60mph in 7.1 seconds on a 2014 E250BTC. but anyway, there is 6-cyl A6 TDI and 535d for grunt and both are better at that than the '13 and earlier e-classes, with better FE - if performance is the priority.

195hp and 369lb-ft vs. 210hp and 400lb-ft is not all that big of a deal. the E250 will get you up to speed in about the same time as an E39 530i, which was no slouch of a vehicle. sub in E60 525i, if desired.

anyway, post pics in the picture thread when you take delivery!

DerekACS

You're right ! Thanks for the correction !

DerekACS

I have seen various 0-60mph figures quoted for the E350BT, from a low of 6.6 secs. to a high of 7.4. Most reports on the E250BT 4Matic (only version available in Canada) suggest 0-60mph in 8.0-8.2 secs. Given that the E250BT 4Matic is also about 300 lbs heavier than the RWD E350BT, it's not surprising to see differences in acceleration. This makes sense since the engine is a cast iron block, compared to aluminium alloy for the V6 and 4Matic adds about 150 lbs.

However, even the weight of the E250BT 4Matic is somewhat disputed. Most US publications put it at 4400 lbs, while MB Canada states its weight as 1845 kg (or 4059 lbs.). This latter figure is suspect, since it happens to be the exact same weight given previously for the 2013 E350BT. Consumer Reports stated the weight of the E250BT 4Matic to be 4345 lbs.

As for comparing the E250BT 4Matic to Audi A6 and BMW 535d, I went through that exercise and found both of them, when equipped with comparable options, to be significantly more expensive.

El Cid

Which issue of CR? I subscribe, but do not have access to website version.

DerekACS

It will be published in the March edition.

YYZ-E55

Not a perfect comparo as both are FL and euro versions, but...



Also, the weight difference between a 4MATIC and non-4MATIC E250 (again, euro version) is almost exactly 150lbs:

DerekACS

Interesting specs !

So the Euro version of E350BT weighs 1885kg, but according to MBC Technical Details, the Canadian version weighs 1845 kg. Is this correct ?

Similar MBC sheet shows 1845 kg also for the E250BT 4Matic. Is this the correct weight for Canadian E250BT 4Matic ? Why is it some 300 lbs. less than US figures suggest ?