Time for a Mercedes I think

[AMG-Steve]

hi everyone...
After 10 years of suffering bmw I’ve all but decided it’s rime to leave them and give Mercedes a try..my last two have been a 328i which was ok but never seemed to be 100% and then I purchased the 535d,I was expecting big things from this car,but once again after 6 years of ownership it’s just constantly been one thing after another,terrible on fuel,The power delivery is not what I’d hoped for..it’s quick don’t get me wrong,it’s just not delivered as it’s constantly described,an endless surge of torque..
Anyway,I’ve almost made up my mind,I was going to go for the 640d but I think I’ve just had enough in general so now I’m tinkering between the e class amg coupe...approx 2014-15 model..can’t make my mind up on engine or colour.
Do I go for the 220/250 or do what I always do and go for the bigger 350 practical Diesel engine..???
Do these cars have any common faults?? Please say no but do be honest...many many thanks. Steve

 

[John Laidlaw]

Welcome Steve....
Go for the 350, peach of an engine and the pick in the E class...

 

[Frosty149]

+1^, the 350d is the way forward.

 

[AMG-Steve]

Is it really that much better ? Does this model have any known problems.? After many months of searching for a 640 I came across this amg coupe and must admit I’m smitten with them.
Loved the black,then white and now red. Indecisive!!!

 

[Frosty149]

Test drive the difference!
they are pretty solid and rarely get much coverage in the problem pages, you can also unlock a fairly hefty chunk of extra BHP and torque if so desired!!!

 

[anglaslt]

Don't discount the E400 coupe either. A petrol V6 with 333bhp.

 

[AMG-Steve]

A bit pricey to run and buy in truth..I had a similar decision the last time I bought a car and opted for the bigger engine.ive still no idea if it was the right choice.
I’ll test drive each example and see how I feel.as much as I love the power I also think it’s time to slow down a bit.luckily for us buyers there’s a lot of choice so we can haggle. I hope
There was a lovely E250 at Mercedes Glasgow with 20k miles at about 18-19k but sold straight away and I was convinced that I should go for that engine...once again I’m questioning everything..I’m in no rush

 

[John Laidlaw]

The smoothness of the 350 is what its about Steve, not purely the speed. It’s the E sweet spot.
The 6 cylinder actually calms things down when you want it

 

[AMG-Steve]

I’ll definitely try one and see how they compare..

 

[LostKiwi]

Just beware of 'Fire Opal Red" paint. There are numerous stories of this colour suffering microblisters requiring repainting of panels and in some case the entire car.

 

[Jasandjules]

Not an E Class but I also found the Merc such an easy car to drive, it is quite effortless to travel 200 miles in a day..

 

[AMG-Steve]

Funnily enough I am looking at a fire opal red e350...as I said earlier,I’m in absolutely no rush to find the right car

 

[AMG-Steve]

Also what is the paint warranty with Mercedes ???

 

[flowrider]

The 2.1l IL4 diesels are pretty noisy but perform well enough, the 3.0 V6 diesel is a great engine with loads of torque, effortless cruising and pretty good fuel economy. I easily get over 30mpg from my ML350 despite its weight. If it was me thouh i would go for the E400 petrol V6.

 

[JBell]

350CDi every day, then have GAD breathe on it

Make sure is has ILS (Intelligent light system) and COMAND and if possible the "Premium Plus Pack"

Like this

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...DES-BENZ&model=E CLASS&body-type=Coupe&page=1

 

[Droverunner]

I am fairly new to Mercedes after our purchase of a 2007 CLK diesel earlier this year and know less of the model specific details than regular posters on here... but have experience of owning and working on 80 plus cars between self and Mrs D over the years.

Re your possible BMW-Mercedes swap and your reasons.

My experience says that BMW and Mercedes are broadly the same for build quality, ease of working and reliability. Your 535D has a monster of an engine and I'm amazed unless it had serious running faults that it didn't impress. Having said that torque by design doesn't have endless delivery but peaks around 2000rpm and falls off sharply from there on. A Mercedes diesel will have that same torque falloff.

I too would caution against the 220/250 models as your unhappiness with almost 300bhp says you are going to be less than impressed dropping down to 200bhp. I'd also caution dropping from 6cyl to 4cyl. That is probably the only slight mistake we made in choosing our CLK. I run a BMW 525D 6cyl and the CLK was for Mrs D. It was only really once we had the first few weeks with the CLK we realised the chalk and cheese nature of the 4 vs 6cyl. If we could snap our fingers and change one element of the CLK it would be to have the 6cyl engine.

Re fuel use I think I'd only expect mid 30s from your 535 and I think and Mercedes around 2014 year would massively better that... even a 350CDi... and that would be my choice.

Re the Fire Opal Red I was warned off it by folks here when we started looking. I read loads of posts here and elsewhere and decided the unpredictable way the faults could appear and the rather unsatisfactory resolutions meant I'd 100% avoid it.

 

[AMG-Steve]

My economy is 28mpg but I’m heavy footed,they really aren’t what everyone thinks they are power wise,it’s very decent but nothing more,it has no issues as I have all my work done at a very well known specialist with the bmw community who looks after me up here in the north east

 

[AMG-Steve]

I’ve spent 3k on upkeep this year alone and over the course of 6years owning it I’ve probably bought the car twice...the pre lci have soooo many common faults it’s ridiculous

 

[JBell]

My economy is 28mpg but I’m heavy footed

I get 30 round town in my C350CDi and am fairly heavy footed.

The E Coupe is based on a C Class chassis so you should easily get the same and it will be considerably lighter than the BMW.

If you want more power then have it mapped, the Torque figures are staggering

 

[AMG-Steve]

The twin turbo of the 535 was supposed to eliminate the early lag and larger turbo does pull it up to 5.5k in the Rev range,race this engine and it goes,it’s the cruise that can be a little annoying..if you put your foot down slightly at day 70mph it’s nothing nothing nothing gearbox drops and your off as of your driving like a teenager...I want the torque to pull me effortlessly ot be racing everywhere