Help with BlueEFFICIENCY or BlueTEC??

[crazynut]

Hello

I have placed an order for a new E 350 CDI but am undecided on the BlueEFFICIENCY vs BlueTEC aspect (order on hold).

I asked my dealer to explain the differences – but he did not know any new info regarding this.

I am a bit confused as to what the differences are between BlueEFFICIENCY and BlueTEC - which is the better & why? Upon checking mercedes-benz.co.uk it appears to have less power but costs more ???

 

[television]

Blue tec is the new one with much better emissions and more economical by some 15%

If you do a search I put up the complete 350 engine spec compared to the Blue efficiency. It was in the general section about 6 weeks ago

Welcome to the forum

 

[television]

It is here

 

[Supercharged]

So are they phasing Blue Efficiency out and can't see why they would want to give the option ?

 

[jberks]

So on a 350, an extra 20bhp another 5mpg and down a couple of road tax bands - seems like a no braner to me. I just hope they've sorted all the gremlins out and we don't see lots of dead ones at the side of the road with poorly injectors!

 

[Varco]

The Bluetec engines add more emissions aftertreatment to meet the new Euro VI emissions standard. Specifically the Bluetec diesels now have an additional catalyst ('SCR') and a system for spraying Adblue fluid onto this new catalyst. The SCR catalyst dramatically reduces NOx emissions. This SCR catalyst is in addition to the particulate trap (to reduce smoke) that the Blue Efficiency already has.

SCR systems are widely used in trucks where they seem to have been fairly reliable - you can see the second Adblue tank on some new trucks. In cars the Adblue consumption should be much lower so MB will just top up the tank when you have the car serviced - you should not need to.

Downsides to SCR:
Car use is relatively new = early life problems possible
Adblue tank size - E class is in spare wheel well, not sure for S. Worth checking if you dont want to rely on tyre repair spray can instead of a spare tyre.
E class had originally detuned the engine from Blue Efficiency to Bluetec - Television posted data for S class suggested that this may not be the case now

Upsides:
Euro VI emissions
Possibly better fuel consumption - engine can be tuned for better fuel consumption which usually worsens NOx and let SCR clean the NOx up. Trucks have used this approach for a few years.

Overall, I think the particulate traps are likely to be more problematic in use than SCR, and you already have Parts traps on Blue Efficiency. The SCR systems are pretty well sorted and not too temperamental (MB could always prove this point wrong of course) whereas the Parts trap don't like lots of stop-start or low speed operation.

If it were me (and it was a few months ago) I would be looking at performance, fuel economy, presence of a spare wheel and absence of start-stop as deciding factors - I hate start-stop and the lack of a spare wheel, buts thats just a personal opinion.

 

[television]

I do not think that a S class has had a spare wheel for a few years.

Thank you Varco

 

[crazynut]

Great Thanks for all the replys, is it safe to assume that the E 350 CDI engine will get similar performance boosts from BlueEFFICIENCY or BlueTEC?

Also can I assume that the standard equipment levels will change - if so then to what?

One last thing are there new option packages like S-Class?

****Does anyone have a pdf for the E-Class detailing the changes like above for the S-Class?****

for PERFORMANCE the BlueEFFICIENCY is the one to go for?

 

[jberks]

So how much is Adblue? What will that add to the 13,000 mile service cost?

Answered my own question. A 10l bottle is around £38. So, assuming 15l usage?, thats just under £60. Based on the fact that dealers charge £160 for £50 worth of oil, this could be a very expensive passtime!

 

[jubhi]

Are you sure the BlueTEC is available on the E-Class? I thought this was just something for the S-Class. I also thought the BlueTEC was always targeted towards the US markets.

 

[television]

The S Class is the first one released with this engine as it is a new model, my friend gets his at the end of this month fully loaded with everything possible, whether or not this will come to the existing E class is hard to say as the current one has not been out that long. You can get far more info from Germany as the new S class has been on sale a few months, but not in the UK as there were stocks of the old one to clear first

 

[hawk20]

I do not think that a S class has had a spare wheel for a few years.

Thank you Varco

Current model has a space saver spare wheel. See price list on MB website for detailed spec.