c4004matic

+1

E43uk

in my opinion, yes....but, I know what the answers would be if I posted jmelong’s question in the AMG section but changed the question to “V6 vs V8 opinions please!”

BeachBunny

I think it's more of a factor of what you're used to driving before.

My 2004 Infiniti M45 V8 had a 0-60 time of 5.7 seconds. Going from that to the V6 E350 (~6.4 seconds) was quite a shock for me. I was used to the always-available torque of the massive V8. The M45 is one of those cars where you'll never say, "I wish I had more power in this car." It was effortless power. I had that M45 engine DEtuned and exhaust modified to be quieter. As a result, at idle, if the AC was off you were unable to discern if the engine was on or not, even standing next to the car. It did have a bit of a vibration around 2,200 RPM, but you never spent much time at that speed. Now, once the AC was turned on, the car was definitely audible, but not objectionable.

Now, the E350's V6...well... let's just say it's...um.. leisurely, and the direct-injection engine is loud. I really dislike the initial sounds from the engine/exhaust for the first few minutes after a cold start. After driving the M45, the E350 wasn't even fun to throw around. I've never driven an AMG, but I'd imagine that there's plenty of power there. Fortunately, I have Distronic, so the lackluster engine is it's problem to deal with.

Fast forward to 2017... E350 vs. E300. Having lowered my expectations from driving the E350, the E300 loaners didn't feel all that different. Yes, there's turbo lag, yes, the engine doesn't make beautiful music, BUT the E350's V6 was never a good-sounding engine either. I did notice at some highway speeds that the car wasn't terribly eager to accelerate. Many people might never notice it, but I did. At least when the car is at-speed, the engine becomes inaudible. I do mostly highway driving, so this is the key point for me -- I'd personally prefer NOT to hear the engine, ever. When you're driving 40,000 miles/year, silence is a beautiful thing..and Distronic will be on most of the time, so again, it gets to deal with whatever's under the hood, not me.

Fuel economy-wise, I actually get better mileage out of my 2015 E350 V6 than I did in the loaner E300s. Not a huge difference, but definitely a difference, which surprised me.

If money were no object, I'd probably get the V6. BUT, considering depreciation & such, I'll pocket the extra $10k for a vacation / investments which will be more meaningful to me in the long-run than the difference between the stock 4/6 cylinder engines.

Eran Levi

I haven't driven a V6 E class and I'm sure that that V6 will be more refined than the 4cl.
Having said the above and coming from a two faster cars (A45 and a Caddy ATS-V) I'm pleased with the power. Coming back from work, yesterday, while still breaking in (1100 KMs) I did 124 MPH easy without passing the 4000 RPM mark in any of the gears.
I was also disappointing from the direct injection engine that sounds exactly like a diesel engine. MB are doing a great job isolating the passengers from the outside so I can hear the motor only in heavy accelerations.
As for the fuel consumption, I have to say that I'm really disappointed. I have the E350e but I do not plug it in ever. I use the electric engine only for the extra power. Today I had measured a 7.6 KMs per liter (~18 miles per gallon) and as I mentioned before, I'm still breaking in.

BeachBunny

Well, both the V6 and 4-cylinder are direct injection, so no escaping it. Given governmental regulations, direct injection isn't going away anytime soon. I do wish we had the diesel & diesel hybrid options in the USA. The hybrid especially, as in Florida the ECO start/stop shutting down the AC when the cabin's hot is not fun. The hybrid has an electric AC compressor, which would make ECO start/stop useful in Florida.

As far as mileage goes, don't you mean 7.6L/100 kms? Traditionally, litres per 100 km is how fuel economy is measured, except in 3rd world countries which use miles per gallon. 7.6L/100km = ~31 US MPG or 37 imperial MPG. On-par with a regular E300, but you should be seeing better than that. I'd ring the dealer if I were you.

Cao Black

I have only driven C class with the 4cyl as loaners. Over time I suspect my total loaner driving time is about the same as your 10 days. However, I have owned 2 E350s (2010 and 2014) with two versions of the older, non-turbo V6. If you liked driving the C class, you should love the E300. IMO the same 4cyl. engine is quieter and "smoother", and performs better in the E300 that in the C class or the older.E class. In normal driving I do not run out of power, and I drive the California freeways and Sierra foothills. IMO the E300 is simply a better car than the old W212 or the W205. If you feel the "need for speed" or want to feel the old V8 brute force then that's a different story. Good luck.

ua549

I don't know what MB is doing with their direct injection to make it so noisy. I've had BMW's with direct injection sixes that were very quiet with no discernable engine noise - just a quiet purr.

Eran Levi

No. I meant 7.6 KMs per liter. 13L/100. I might check that at the service garage.

Mbracer26

I lease my vehicles, and at the time when my lease was ending this was the best car that I Could have had. The new 5 series was three months away from lunch, jaguar wasn't cutting it. and there was no E400 or v6 option besides the old body e400 coupe. The E43amg wasn't released either. I would have gotten an S if I was going to get a E43 amg...The V6 E-Class used to be 50k and now as you mentioned its 72k, lot of other options at that price point, such as 550 V8 or a maserati.