Who borrowed a CLS then?

[jberks]

My loan E class morphed into a Vauxhall Insignia 1.8vvti SRI (they've promised me a merc for later if I still need one).
So, it rolls up. Looks good. Coupe saloon. 18" 245 wheels, sri badging, sports seats and dials - I figured I could live with it for a day or so, looks like it could be fun.
Sitting inside I got a touch of Deja-vu. The way the piano black plastic door trim was shaped, where some of the switch gear was, the look through the back with that low roof - I think someone was trying to copy something......
Not a good copy mind, quite clearly a much cheaper immitation but the appearance was nice. The seats quite comfy and supportive with an adjustable knee bolster to make it really supportive.
So dropped off the rental lass and thought I'd have a few mins to enjoy a sporty petrol car. After all, mine is a diesel limo really and whilst very grunty, you can't thrash it like a proper sporty petrol engined car.
So, pulled round the roundabout and straightened up onto a main road, looking through the leather sports steering wheel at the sports dials, feel the grippy 245 tyres bite the road, slot it into 2nd and gently squeaze the throttle ..........
......nothing!
I haven't driven anything this unresponsive since my viva! Tried through the rev range - it makes more noise but power wise - not really. Took it up the motorway this morning, the traffic cleared I eased my foot down and..... pulled in :-(
I was doing 78 with my foot well down and genuinely started to wonder whether the rental co had set a speed limiter to a shade under 80 as a safety measure. It felt exactly like mine does when the speed limiter is stopping me being silly.

Sorry but if I had £19k burning a hole in my pocket (what this thing books at allegedly) I'd buy a 3 year old E class!

Looks nice though.

 

[television]

What size was the engine then,a 1.2L

 

[Cole@MBS]

A 1.8 c,class can get a move on if you push it! wonder why a vauxhall lump is so down on bhp??

 

[jberks]

What size was the engine then,a 1.2L

I was beginning to wonder. It doesn't say on the car but the VXL website says 1.8 twin cam, 4 valves, variable timing yadayada is the minimum. 0-60 allegedly 11 secs and possibly true but no throttle response to speak of.
Travelling up and down the motorways I've often been annoyed with the reps that tear pass you down hill in their souped up repmobiles only for you to trip over them on the next up-hill. When the traffic clears they very slowly, gently and annoyingly accelerate, getting in the way and allowing transit vans to pass on the inside, saving petrol - or so I'd assumed.
Now I realise they've actually dropped 2 gears and have the throttle on the floor! I'll be more patient with them now.

 

[JEZ.S320L]

A 1.8 c,class can get a move on if you push it! wonder why a vauxhall lump is so down on bhp??

Handbrake on? :cry:

 

[Rory]

I was doing 78 with my foot well down and genuinely started to wonder whether the rental co had set a speed limiter to a shade under 80 as a safety measure. It felt exactly like mine does when the speed limiter is stopping me being silly.

Sorry but if I had £19k burning a hole in my pocket (what this thing books at allegedly) I'd buy a 3 year old E class!

Does sound like there's something amiss - FIL has same engine, but auto, in an Astra and that goes very well. By the way, he paid £7500 for his car at just under a year old and 10K miles. New list is £18,500.

I think Insignia has generally had pretty poor reviews.

In the US they used to limit hire cars by putting a block under the gas pedal. Obviously these days it would be easy to electronically limit or de-power the cars, but I doubt that would be done - it would put off hirers who could be potential buyers.

 

[television]

From the ones that overtake me, I always thought that they were lively things, your car must have a fault

 

[simon_wall69]

Probably quite heavy, they look like big cars - 1.8 petrol isn't going to have too much grunt to pull the weight.

 

[Alex M Grieve]

From the ones that overtake me, I always thought that they were lively things, your car must have a fault

I agree that they give that impression Malcolm, but I bet they don't kick down quite so well at 90 mph as you do!

Cars like MB are more expensive, but they also come with huge reserves of acceleration, roadholding and braking that others just do not have. It is tempting to think, if you are driving along in rain and spray, that other drivers are enjoying it as much as you are. In truth, they may well be at their car's limits and have no reserve - hence the go slow up the next hill, or the extremely leisurely progress when you pull in to let them past.

I tend to stick to the motorway speed limit, more or less. I find I am the slowest car on the road in clear weather (and use the inner lanes accordingly). When the rain and spray arrive, I suddenly find I am the fastest car on the road (except for those who drive at silly speeds regardless), but I remain conscious of the fact that the man in the Fiesta 1.1L Ghia is going flat out, and we all need to aim off accordingly.

So the 3 year old E Class is the better buy, and for many more reasons than just following the aiming mark!

 

[jberks]

Other than the total absense of power - something I suspect the diesels and 2l turbo don't suffer from I suspect, it's actually quite a nice motor. Pile of x%&^ compared to an E class obviously, but perfectly acceptable. It's just all the sporty paraphenalia that it has that amuses me. Same width tyres as mine, bigger wheels, sports seats, wheel, dials etc and nothing to back it up.
We do get complacent with our cars. I was driving my mum in laws megane yesterday (1.6 auto and well quicker than the Vauxhall though still not what I'd call motorway nippy) and my Mrs rang. With no hands free I flicked the phone onto loudspeaker and put it on my knee so I could tell her I'd call her back when I stopped in the next traffic jam a few mins up the road. I've had to do this in the Merc a few times when the bluetooth has played up and it works fine for a quick I'll call you back conversation. Only this time I just couldn't hear her over the road noise. Not even a consideration in the merc.
Brakes equally - you have to watch who is behind you as few cars will stop as rapidly in an emergency. Handling - ditto - driving well within the car's capabilities with plenty in reserve and others are pulling back and slowing down. Trim and even the quality of the carpets - all make a difference and form part of what we pay the extra for.
I often say, get into any car, shut the door, adjust the seat and put the seat belt on. The sound of the clicks and whirrs of the seatbelt, seat adjusters etc in a 'normal' car will always be echo'y and hollow. Now do the same in the merc - no echos.

 

[Dosco]

Sums up a Mercedes very nicely, Ill take one sir

 

[st4]

Ah but I am not really surprised. One car is c.£25k new and the other £40k new. For that extra £15k I'd expect a great deal more as both cars are similar sizes.

I am suprized jberks didn't mention the wiper mechanism in the E class 211. Its a work of art and the blades always stay an even distance apart thru the wipe cycle, in cheapo cars they don't and thats because the MB mechanism is a master peice (look how one wiper just arcs and the other lifts up and arcs)....

 

[canute]

I know what you mean. On my journey to work there is a "new" road layout of an extra lane going over a steep hill.

I drive very conservatively, keeping an eye on the fuel consumption, trying to get that magical 50mpg out of my 220cdi, then I get to the hill and.....

VVvroom.

It is like they put the extra lane in for me, in a few seconds I've overtaken all the reps that were buzzing past me as the torquey beast just climbs and climbs up the hill.

Similarly with my old A class, passengers would get out and fail to close the door properly, not because of poor MB engineering, but because of how solid the "girl class" doors are compared to similar sized cars. People would swing them gently as if they were wafer thin. The petrol 1.4 always seemed very nippy and fast as well compared to my wife's 1.6 Polo estate.