6 Speed Manual In E220 CDI - Any good?

[Andy Stanton]

It's all gone HORRIBLY wrong!!!

The Manual E220 did not turn up.

Despite the paperwork and phonecalls they had no reference to my cars booking and consequently had no intention of delivering it. To make matters worse (oh yes it gets worse) they have 'SOLD' the car I was due to drive as it had reached it's mileage limit and was shipped out to a dealer for sale as an ex demo. AND they have no other manual cars in their demo fleet and have no intention of getting any due to the low volumes (so how did it meet it's mileage then eh???).

So I'm really really hacked off with M.B. now. I won't get to drive to manual and I'm really reluctant to get one the off chance that it'll be ok. Damn Damn Damn.

I'm off to test drive a Kia instead.

AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!

 

[RichardM]

I wonder what dealer it went to, maybe you could still test drive it.

I've been to quite a few dealers, both before and after taking delivery of mine and I've only even seen one manual E class W211 and the sales guy told me that had been ordered by mistake.

 

[GrahamC230K]

Originally posted by RichardM

I've been to quite a few dealers, both before and after taking delivery of mine and and I've only even seen one manual E class W211 and the sales guy told me that had been ordered by mistake.

LMAO @ Richard.


Sorry to hear you are getting the run around Astanton.

 

[iank]

Hi,
I also requested a manual sometime back and they made every excuse under the sun about not having a loan manual vehicle. Perhaps it is just a con to get you to spend more money. After the run around I have been given I am seriously considering the new 5 series even if it means waiting a bit longer.
Cheers
Ian

 

[fuzzer]

Its just one of these things ...

A manual mercedes is just not the done thing ...........

Not meaning to offend , but , im only speaking the truth.

 

[RichardM]

But as Mercedes sell them they should at least give customers the ability to test drive one.

 

[GrahamC230K]

Originally posted by RichardM
But as Mercedes sell them they should at least give customers the ability to test drive one.

It must only be a matter of time until they give up selling them at all.

 

[Koolvin]

Mercedes have now a 7 speed automatic.

 

[esox]

i had a c220 cdi manual-it took a bit of a shove to go from 1st to 2nd and the return to the neutral position was a bit fierce(2nd to 3rd)but wasnt toobad.the cdi engine is so strong you can do a hill start without even touching the throttle pedal.

 

[Andy Stanton]

It's a bummer. And now I've dwelled on it for a couple of days I've become really annoyed with them.

It's not helped by the thread regarding the other guys new E Class and all the problems he (and others) have had and the poor lead times for servicing/fault finding etc.

I'm going to leave it for a couple of weeks to see if I can locate a manual anywhere else before deciding whether to place an order or not. It's a great car and one that should rightfully be an automatic, but it can't be for me and that's that.

The new bimmer 5 looks good. That shark effect of the new 5 and Z4 (and up and coming 3 series) is right up my alley. Sadly though the emissions for the new 5 are even higher than they are now so it's very unlikely I'll be getting one unless they come well kitted for a change. Maybe the pressure from the Eclass wil force their hand.

Oh what to do.....

 

[fuzzer]

Don't overlook the A6 either , thats a great car too.

I must admit , it was a close thing to me buying a 320d instead of my C180 Kompressor.

 

[RichardM]

Despite the problems I've had I've never once regretted buying the car, and I'm very happy with it. All the problems have been relatively minor, just annoying added together. There's nothing I'd rather be driving in that price range, well except maybe a 320cdi...

With the auto box it is a very good car, and the technology behind it is awesome. That's probably the cause of most of the problems I've had because everything is new and advanced, but I'm sure the 5 series will suffer from the same initial problems if you get one of the first models built as I did.

Even with the auto box the E270cdi still has lower emissions that other cars in its class like the BMW 330/530d or the Audi A6 2.5TDI.

 

[RichardM]

I didn't look at a BMW because I knew the 5 series was about to be replaced and didn't fancy the thought of driving a 3 series (to many 318's out there)

I don't like the A6, I've never liked the styling and its getting old now. The interiors of Audi's may be well built but they are so dull and the standard equipment is pretty poor.

 

[Andy Stanton]

I agree on the Audi front. Not my cup of tea either. The A4 and A6 look too similar and the A6 looks overweight and saggy.

Fortunately their not on the car list so I can't choose one anyway.

I think I'm going to hedge my bets and not rush into anything I'll later regret. The plan is to keep my current car until I've driven the manual merc and the new 5 series just so I can make an informed decision.

I'm sure MB make the best exec car around but I need to turn down the new 5 or the manual box on the E in an advised manner rather than gut feel and later doubt.

Sure it means I'll be keeping mine for a couple of months longer than I wanted to but it'll take the pressure of me now and means I'll be happy when I do choose the right car.

Darn it.