2012 C350 Sport Petrol Saloon

[Deleted member 65149]

I have ordered a new C350 Sport saloon (petrol) in Magnetite Black with Alpaca Grey leather. I went mad on the spec that includes COMAND, Dynamic Handling, memory pack, panoramic roof, heated/ventilated seats, Harmon Kardon, 3-zone climate, 18" AMG Twin Blades.

I went for the petrol version because I've always hated the noise of diesels starting up .... and I loved the thought of having 306hp to play with. The car was supposed to be delivered on 1st March but has been delayed until possibly next month.

Whilst I'm waiting for my new toy, I have two questions:

1) Does anyone else have the new C350 Sport petrol, and if so is it as good as I'm hoping? I've seen loads of comments in here about the C350CDI but nothing on the petrol version.

2) Does anyone know why MB are late with their deliveries at the moment? My dealer doesn't know.

 

[st4]

Diesels are a lot more popular, however there is no doubting the reasoning behind your choice. By now, the issues with the timing gear on the M272 engine have been resolved and bar that one, I think its a very reliable engine.

 

[Dr-Nab]

..I think its a very reliable engine.

I thought/hoped that too but then read about the issues MB are having with the new direct injection petrol engines and carbon deposits in them.. has put me off having a 4.7l E500 until it is all sorted at least!

 

[st4]

I thought/hoped that too but then read about the issues MB are having with the new direct injection petrol engines and carbon deposits in them.. has put me off having a 4.7l E500 until it is all sorted at least!

Can you put up some links or more info on that one. Curious to read about it.

 

[mw_C32]

I have ordered a new C350 Sport saloon (petrol) in Magnetite Black with Alpaca Grey leather. I went mad on the spec that includes COMAND, Dynamic Handling, memory pack, panoramic roof, heated/ventilated seats, Harmon Kardon, 3-zone climate, 18" AMG Twin Blades.

I went for the petrol version because I've always hated the noise of diesels starting up .... and I loved the thought of having 306hp to play with.

That sounds like a really nice car and spec.
I look forward to your reviews when you get it. Good luck with the wait.

.

 

[Dr-Nab]

Can you put up some links or more info on that one. Curious to read about it.

I'll have a look for the link and post it up

 

[Deleted member 65149]

I thought/hoped that too but then read about the issues MB are having with the new direct injection petrol engines and carbon deposits in them.. has put me off having a 4.7l E500 until it is all sorted at least!

This came as a kick in the you know where to me so I thought I better do some reading too. It seems that this isn't a new problem at all, and it's certainly not limited to Mercedes. The more you read the more technical it gets (beyond me anyway) but the gist of it is that using Direct Injection prevents the cleaning agent in fuels getting to some parts that even certain beers can't reach.

But looking at different forums (including BMW and VW) shows this to be a particular problem more peculiar to other parts of the world. It seems to be worse in North America, where sulfur content in gasoline (petrol) is still higher than in Europe, and emissions regs prevent the lean burn modes used in Europe, which means fuel dilution of the oil is higher and thus oil vapours in the crankcase ventilation system are greater, leading to greater deposits.

So we probably don't have to worry here in the UK. But just as a precaution, unless Mercedes have come up with a way to overcome this problem in the new 60 degree engines, I think that we can minimise intake valve deposits (there's no way to prevent them completely) by changing the oil at least as frequently as the factory schedule to reduce fuel dilution. Probably best to also avoid suspect cheap supermarket fuels too.

I plan on keeping the new C350 for a very long time, so I hope I'm right there.

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Really in-depth, but also contradicting, views on the subject here: New DI Engines -- Excessive Carbon Buildup ?? - MBWorld.org Forums

Interesting and informative article here (although no mention of MB): http://www.autoobserver.com/2011/06/direct-injection-fouls-some-early-adopters.html

Would be nice of course to hear from MB themselves what they have done about all this.
http://www.autoobserver.com/2011/06/direct-injection-fouls-some-early-adopters.html

 

[ChuckyYeager]

My W212 200 CGI BlueEfficiency hasnt missed a beat in the 2 years I have owned it.

Lucky you put your order in before registering on here. There would have been many trying to convince you to buy diesel regardless of your needs.

 

[ChuckyYeager]

My W212 200 CGI BlueEfficiency hasnt missed a beat in the 2 years I have owned it.

Lucky you put your order in before registering on here. There would have been many trying to convince you to buy diesel regardless of your needs.

 

[tompy575]

2) Does anyone know why MB are late with their deliveries at the moment? My dealer doesn't know.

Absolutely the best colour combination! Have you gone for black ash trim? (that's my ideal 350 spec) but its beyond my pay grade! 350 is a fantastic engine and pretty economical for the size.

The reason is probably due to the Xenon lights. They are made by Hella who also make the Evoque headlights. Because LR went for a worldwide launch, Hella couldnt keep up and MB couldn't get as many ILS systems as they wanted. It's for that reason that it is no longer available on the Elegance, MB have even had to make an odd version of the sport that includes Memory Seats instead of Intelligent Lights.

Love MB but they are forever running out of stuff, Pan roofs, AMG wheels, Headlights, and most recently ML fuel tanks!!!

 

[Aswall]

I can't speak about the C class, but I have that engine in the CLS and I love it. I've had it since Sept last year and am averaging about 30mpg (34 according to the computer!). I test drove both engines at the time but there really was no comparison, the diesel might have been a bit more economical but I only do about 15000 miles a year now so that wasn't really a consideration. The diesel just had a fractional delay when you wanted to overtake quickly that wasn't there in the petrol, and also seemed a bit less nimble. Couple that with the difference in noise and I only need 5 minutes in the diesel before I knew the petrol was the one, you'll love it

 

[mika]

Hi Knight

sounds like a great car will look forward to your feedback and pictures...
Im a petrol fan also - ive had 26 petrol cars and 1 diesel ( for 8 months )

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Thanks Tompy for the info on probable reasons for production delivery. And thanks to the others who have reassured me that I've made the right decision. I'd only have been swayed towards diesel with an incentive of >£10k .... and even then I wouldn't have been too sure!

I haven't opted for the black ash trim because I wanted to get away from the wood trim that I've had in my last 3 cars. Would have made a nice contrast to the interior colour I'ce chosen, but I'm trying to pretend I'm young and sporty so stayed with the standard sport's brushed aluminium!

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Build in progress. Collection date now scheduled for 30th March. Nearly there.

Now that I have a real date I've given the old CLK a thorough valet and check over for selling. Bugger - it looks far too good to sell for a measly £2.5k. Wish I could justify keeping it as a second car.

 

[sssammm]

mail sent re your car for sale

sam

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Got it!!!

At last :bannana:

Just the one photo for now of it still in the showroom before driving off. More to follow when I can stop playing/driving and take some.

 

[Adam230K]

Well done mate. I had the pleasure of driving that car for a few hours courtesy of MB Brooklands, its a fantastic precise machine, with a very smooth refined engine (sounded decent too from memory, even when being pushed). The torque distribution across the rev range is great too, hammering it through a corner doesn't results in a twitchy chassis. I really liked the coupe overall to be honest, and that engine suited it very well.

Enjoy it.

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Just in case anyone came to this thread in the hope of seeing pics of my C350, and haven't found their way to my album, here it is:

Sorry it's taken so long to put them here. Better late than never I suppose.

 

[st4]

Just in case anyone came to this thread in the hope of seeing pics of my C350, and haven't found their way to my album, here it is:

Sorry it's taken so long to put them here. Better late than never I suppose.

What paint is yours, it's a lovely black paint