C250 cdi or c350 cdi estate

[bodtwo]

Hi all,

After some advice, I've finally decided to go for the c class estate from a 530d m sport. I need to keep the costs down, but still enjoy my driving, which will mostly be motorways and a roads.

Leasing over three years and there's not a lot difference between the 250 cdi and the 350 cdi per month. I do about 20k a year of which 60% will be motorway and a roads, rest b roads round town etc.

Questions are, will I be really nailed on fuel, I get 41mpg out of the bimmer, will I get any where near that in the 350? also given the sort of driving will I really notice the difference (beyond noise), not bothered 0 to 60, mid range torque important. Finally general running costs are they much dearer for the 350, ie shorter service intervals.

Any advice greatly appreciated also anyone with real world mpg's if they pitch in that would help. Spec will be the sport plus, both obviously auto's.

Thanks all.

 

[McMerc]

I debated between both myself. Either a specce'd up 250 or a slight more standard 350. In the end I went for the 250 and added a few toys.

Very doubtful you'd get 41 mpg in a 350 with that mix of driving. My mix of driving is very similar and I've got 41-42 mpg in a 250 over 16k miles. Having said that, on longer or slower runs I do get 55 ish mpg and even got over 70 mpg one day - which you'll never get in the 350.

The 250 is slightly noisier, but cheaper on road tax. The engines maybe aren't as good as BMW's, but I think the auto boxes are better. It has also got a bit quicker, quieter and better mpg lately since the miles started piling up.

Car: C250 CDi AMG Sport (Facelift): Diamond paint, panoramic, leather, rear tints, nav.

 

[RichardM]

It is best to drive both to help you choose even if the engine is in a different model. I test drove the 250cdi and not the 350cdi but went for the more more powerful model just because it made so little difference to the monthly payments and I've no regrets.

The 350cdi is not as economical as I had hopped. 40+mpg is easy to obtain on a run but I don't get near that overall, but I drive it pretty hard and don't do enough long journeys. On the run to the GTG at the weekend I got 50mpg on the 100 mile journey and 40mpg on the way back pushing it much harder as I was in the rush. The main thing for me is that the 350 is so much more refined and has loads of mid range torque.

 

[sinewave]

Do you find the 350 is a harsher engine, as has been mentioned a few times, compared to the old 320 Richard?

.........assuming you've owned a 320 that is?

 

[Red C220]

At 20K miles a year I'd say the 250 is the way to go.

We're delighted with our 220 it's plenty powerful enough and returns decent mpg, bear in mind I don't do economical driving, mostly short trips and it's still over 40mpg.

Our previous car was an ML300 Sport.

 

[Frugal]

All I can add here is that I'm very happy with the performance and economy of the 250 cdi. I wanted a manual so the 350 was not an option for me. Hope you are satisfied with whatever decision you reach.

 

[st4]

Do you find the 350 is a harsher engine, as has been mentioned a few times, compared to the old 320 Richard?

.........assuming you've owned a 320 that is?

I drive a 320 and was leant a 231bhp 350. The 350 was a tad gruffer. The 250 will be great in a C class.

 

[sinewave]

Cheers Steve,

Anyone driven a 265bhp 350 back to back with a 320?

The 265bhp unit will be my next chariot if, I can resist the E63 that is!

 

[RichardM]

Do you find the 350 is a harsher engine, as has been mentioned a few times, compared to the old 320 Richard?

.........assuming you've owned a 320 that is?

No I owned a 270cdi previously, then a BMW 335d and most recently a F11 530d with the 8 speed box. I really don't understand how the 350 is described as rough. Yes it's not as 'sporty' as the 530d in that it doesn't rev and the 7g+ box isn't as good as BMW's 8 speed box but it's a very refined motor.

I should have taken more people out for a spin at the GTG!

 

[ace571]

..

 

[ace571]

no i owned a 270cdi previously, then a bmw 335d and most recently a f11 530d with the 8 speed box. I really don't understand how the 350 is described as rough. Yes it's not as 'sporty' as the 530d in that it doesn't rev and the 7g+ box isn't as good as bmw's 8 speed box but it's a very refined motor.

+1

 

[ace571]

Questions are, will I be really nailed on fuel, I get 41mpg out of the bimmer, will I get any where near that in the 350? also given the sort of driving will I really notice the difference (beyond noise), not bothered 0 to 60, mid range torque important. Finally general running costs are they much dearer for the 350, ie shorter service intervals.

Any advice greatly appreciated also anyone with real world mpg's if they pitch in that would help. Spec will be the sport plus, both obviously auto's.

Hi

Take a look at my fuelly profile for an idea of real world mpg for the C350. I'm averaging about 36mpg. You will get 40 plus on a run, but town driving and enjoying the performance will bring it down to mid to late 30s. From what I can see a C250 will give you around low to mid 40s for the same sort of usage.

Impressed you are seeing over 40mpg in a 530d. A good friend of mine runs the same car and he's averaging around 36/37 mpg. I guess it depends on how you drive it. Is your figure based on actual usage or the fuel computer?

I think you should drive both and judge for yourself. The 250 is a good car, and in truth plenty quick enough in everyday use. It has 500nm of torque so picks up well. Being a 4 pot I found it too gruff sounding. It's a coarser engine than the BMW 2.0d. But then you only really hear it at idle or at full chat.

The 350 is, as you'd expect a different proposition. It's much more refined sounding, on the move pretty much silent and at full throttle sounds pretty good for an oil burner. It's a lot smoother too. Performance is awesome in a small car like the C. 620nm of torque means its doing indecent speeds far too easily

So it's a tough one really. For everyday use, with fuel prices as they are a 250 is a sensible choice. The 350 is a bit of an extravagance in reality, but for the performance and awesome torque available the mpg is not too bad, and the refinement is lovely.

The fact the 350 lease deals are so competitive tells its own story. Merc is having no difficulty shifting 250s. 350s are clearly getting hard to justify in this day and age.

Try them out I say, then go with the heart or the head!

Welcome aboard BTW.

 

[Peter DLM]

I think the 350 deals are good because they retain more value than the 250.

 

[pjs]

I've gone from a 335i to a 250cdi. I rarely miss the extra power ( only really at silly speeds) , and I reckon it will almost be as fast as a 530d given it must be lighter and give away only 30 bhp. Averaging 40 mpg.

 

[st4]

I think the 350 deals are good because they retain more value than the 250.

Rarity value relative to a 250 might explain that or mb might be subsiding them like c63 leases

 

[ace571]

I suspect it's C63 type MB subsidy deals

 

[Peter DLM]

List price isn't that much higher, I recall there being an additional £1,000 dealer contribution for the 350.

 

[stoutgoose]

I love my C350CDI however the Mercedes salesman definitely lied when he said I'd 'realistically achieve low 40's'. I average late 30's with a daily commute of 115 miles outside of rush hour on a motorway driving at sensible speeds. Town driving ravages the mpg.

My best has been around 43mpg and that was an experiment where I drove like a nun for the entire tank; an experience I do not wish to replicate.

I tend to sit at 70 on cruise and enjoy the toys. It's far too easy to slip well past the speed limit, but it really is a great car.

The fuel cost difference between a 250 and 350 will be around £50-70 a month so not vast, but it all adds up I guess?

I have yet to work out how to embed my Fuelly link into my posts, can anyone advise on how to do this?

 

[craig1912]

With my 250 the mpg won't go below 42 no matter how hard I try!! Can average 48-50 on a decent run.

 

[gIzzE]

No one ever seems to mention build dates.

A 2010 250cdi will get no better than a 2012 350cdi.
A 2012 250cdi will get 40+ average for most people, around 5mpg or more than the 2010 car.
The 350cdi on the latest gearbox etc. could see around 37/38 average.
The 265bhp engine with the older 7g will be around 2-3 down on that and the older 231bhp engine down another couple of mpg.

So always best to put your build date in when quoting figures so we are comparing apples with apples.