HDEddie54

Hi All,
New to forum today. Coming from a long line of BMW 5 series i6 and V8s, mostly M Sports (but not the extreme full tilt M). Yes...BMW is not "the ultimate driving machine" but it is IMHO a better than average marque when compared to all that is out there. I feel, however, that BMW has lost their way over the years and have become to mild, soft, and a bit dated.

I keep serious thinking about the latest E class model as my next car and in particular the E43 AMG...soon to be E53 AMG for 2019.
My question for this community: Would you consider this particular new engine, the M256 with 48v motor, is too new to trust? That is, should there enough concerns with this engine that one might think of it as a " first year" model? The rest of the chassis and transmission remains the same for 2019 but is the engine cause for worry?

Thanks in advance.

infamily

I am also thinking of the new AMG E53 and had similar concerns. But I understand this engine and the 48v system has been in europe for about a year in E class coupe and I think CLS cars. actually the transmission is also updated slightly.

mickhoog

No.
I don't have any concerns with this model. The inline engine has been around now for a while especially in the 4 cylinder guise with the E200 and the E220 - this is essentially the same however it has 2 more cylinders.
They have had mild hyrbridisation for a little while now, but not a dedicated 48V system.
I think you could rest assure that they have done significant testing and would not launch this, nor in their S Class if it wasn't bullet proof.

HDEddie54

Thanks! Couldn't help asking. Nice to know the i6 has been out for a while and the 48V system is just a minor player here.
Coming from over 20 years of BMW's, most experiences with BMW's new engine launches were good but not all engines were well sorted out. The BMW V8 (N52) in particular left a lot of us stranded so much that there was an essential silent recall ("customer care" campaign). But I digress...nice to know this MB engine is a good bet. Thanks

P2IMSA

c4004matic

Personally I would take the v6 while they are still around. Im thoroughly satisfied with mine. The hybrid is for mpg rather than performance. Basically you are replacing the biturbo for a battery system. It may produce more hp but it will all be eaten up by additional weight.

Germancar1

Not sure what you're talking about, but the E53 will likely outperform the E43 in every way.

M

ua549

The V6 has turbo lag in addition to the extra vibration of the V6 layout. The I6 actually has an electric turbo in addition to the conventional one. In addition there are none of the parasitic V6 engine attachments run by a belt - water pump, AC compressor, generator, power steering pump, etc. I have not seen any engine weight specifications. Where did you get your information that the I6 engine weighs more than the V6 engine?

mickhoog

I had the 350 V6 in an SLK and i never had any issues. That was "atmo" ie non turbo

c4004matic

All you have mentioned here is utterly incorrect, it neither vibrates nor has any turbo lag. It is evident you have never driven one. As to any performance improvements that is still to be proven. If you have any doubts about the e43 performance chops I recommend you watch my e43 vid on youtube where my 43 was merrily lapping the road america track with brand spanking new corvettes.

ua549

I had an W212 e400 for less than a week when I returned it as unacceptable. It had noticeable turbo lag and one could feel engine vibration when the engine revved and the car was stationary. I don't car about your fun time at a track. My concern is with everyday stop and go driving where turbo lag is an issue.

rbrylaw

Maybe there was an issue with the W212 E400 you had. I've test driven the E400 extensively (like lot's of miles) and didn't find any turbo lag issues whatsoever. Now that's of course with an W213 E400 and you mentioned you returned a W212 E400. So not the same car, actually.

c4004matic

BS! Troll alert!

ua549

Facts, just the facts. You probably have your E43 revved up so much that there is no turbo lag. There is plenty of lag between 700 rpm and 900 rpm where I do a lot of my driving. In the E300 step on the gas at 20 mph and there is a giant pause before the engine revs up. Do it again at 30 mph and the same thing happens. It isn't the transmission because it remains in the same gear, no downshifting. It was similar in the W212 E400. I can hardly wait for the non-AMG EQ engines to become available.

dudley07726

Wolfman

The E43 is a fine vehicle and so is the V6 engine. However, there is nothing that needs to be proven here. The jury is not out on this; the I6 engine is technically more advanced and provides more linear acceleration. Once you'll have a chance to drive the E53, you can make up your mind as to how the engine feels and which one you like better but that will be a personal decision, not a technical one.

SoCalRick

Guys, why are we getting so defensive here about there being a possibility of turbo lag with the V6 engines? All of the literature that I have read on the new 48v engine has said that it can increase torque in advance of the turbocharger kicking in, essentially eliminating turbo lag (that exists in the current Mercedes turbocharged engines). So, the new 48-volt I6 engine in the E53 (and other variants) has less turbo lag than the previous models with the V6 engines. Does that mean the turbo lag sucks, or is really noticeable, in the V6? No, not necessarily; but Mercedes is saying that the 48-volt engine improves on (or completely eliminates) the turbo lag in the previous engines. How precisely can turbo lag (or the lack of) be measured, or felt? It is inherently present in all turbocharged engines, including the new one. The 48v I6 engine is simply an improvement in technology to further minimize the effect of turbo lag. It still probably has a measurable turbo lag aspect, but it's getting pretty negligible. We may be getting into the realm where the turbo lag cannot be felt (but is still measurable?).

Everyone can use Google as well as I can, but here are a few links that popped up when I searched on this subject: Top Speed Article on E53 and Motor Trend Article on CLS 53. Just search for "lag" within the article to jump to the relevant information.

-SCR

HDEddie54

I'm coming from several decades of BMW, the earlier ones naturally aspirated, and the latest ones turbo i6 and V8. These turbo motors had "some" turbo lag but it was hardly noticeable to me for the type of daily city driving I do. I have driven the C43 and if the new E53 feels at least the same response wise, I would be happy. My original post was concerning the i6 as being too new but according to the replies so far, it is not the case and instead the electrified i6 most likely be a success in the W213 chassis. Don't get me wrong...I love torque ladden motors. That's why my hobby car (not daily driver) just might be a previous generation naturally aspirated C63, restored and race tuned.

c4004matic

700 and 900 RPM? Are you a child or just ignorant? Those are idle speeds!! Im sure there is turbo lag when the auto stop is on too at zero RPM. DUH.

ua549

A 3 day trial was part of my purchase agreement before the deal was finalized. I did not lose any money.

rage2

Germancar1

We should know for sure about 6-8 months after the E53 Sedan, Coupe and Cabriolet and the CLS 450 and CLS53 all go on sale this fall. I would expect some glitches here and there on a few cars, but nothing major. An I6 is part of Mercedes' original skill set.

M

visualguy

I certainly hope it will turn out better than what has been going on with the E63S, but I wouldn't bet on it. I would definitely wait at least until the second year of production. Even if nothing major pops up, a few recalls or technical service bulletins are almost inevitable in early production, and who wants to deal with that.

HDEddie54

As my intro mentioned, I'm new to MB and this forum. From your experience or research in the past, has MB been known to push out cars faster than they're vetted? For my nerves as it relates to German cars, I can take a "little" risk in exchange for leading edge engineering. I come from two decades of BMWs and prior to that, almost a decade of Audis. NONE of them ran flawless like my wife's Lexuses. But neither did the Lexuses run like my BMWs.
Full disclosure, I enjoy spirited driving, an occasional redline blast on the freeway but am really too old (maybe sensible) to race or mod mod my cars. I usually trade off my cars by 50-60K miles so I never know if the car can make it a million miles. And as a second daily driver, if it does have a minor glitch, no big deal a day of so at the dealer under warranty. Still, after the other responses above, I think the E53 launch would be relatively uneventful. Might be a software glitch here or there but nothing on the scale of leaving drivers stranded or worse, cars recalled. Do you know of or heard any thing to the contrary? Thanks

visualguy

HDEddie54,

I don't have any special insight. Take a look at the W213 AMG forum to see what's happening with the E63S engine and suspension. Maybe things will be better with the E53, or maybe not. I personally wouldn't take the chance, but I wouldn't take the chance on a new BMW model with a new power-train either. It's not specific to MB. It's best to give it a year or two.