C350 CDI European Road Trip

[55NF]

Just returned from a short European road trip driving holiday from the UK to Barcelona & can honestly say that the C350 CDI performed brilliantly over 2360 miles of driving.

Stats from reset :

2361 miles covered

Avg Speed : 54 mph

Avg Consumption 44.4 Mpg

46:35 h Driving Time

Just touching 20K miles after 16 months of ownership. Not once did my wife or myself complain about backache or being uncomfortable in the car. I’ve done the same trip in a 997S Porsche, Merc CLS, and a BMW 330ci. Of all the cars the C350 Cdi was the best overall ride in terms of comfort, speed & long distance driving.

The panoramic roof isn’t very good, at speed & creates too much wind noise, although it is solid & doesn’t rattle .. Which I’ve seen mentioned on this forum. The 18” AMG alloys are a dream & compliment the car IMO.

Command really made this trip for us & it’s a must if you’re speccing a car. I used this daily & not once did it falter. It found all the hotels in the most remote areas of France as well as secure parking, supermarkets, petrol stations & monuments, simply a brilliant piece of kit & far superior to the BMW Nav.

A great trip & great car !....... & I'm tempted to go C63 next time.

 

[st4]

More pics please....

Did a big trip last year and found the less powerful 320cdi in the bigger 211 E body more than game for the task. Surprised the 204 pipped the CLS for comfort, but you learn something new every day/

 

[55NF]

More pics please....

Did a big trip last year and found the less powerful 320cdi in the bigger 211 E body more than game for the task. Surprised the 204 pipped the CLS for comfort, but you learn something new every day/

Hi Steve - In terms of comfort it wasn't that much different to be honest. The CLS was just bigger & more difficult driving in cites & parking in underground car parks, which is the reason the C Class tops it for me. Some of the car parks in France, Belgum & Spain are a tight squeeze. I actually got stuck in one in Spain as the CLS was too long !! . Maybe it's personal preference but I prefer a smaller car. I'll post a few pics asap

 

[C240Sport97]

Hi Steve - In terms of comfort it wasn't that much different to be honest. The CLS was just bigger & more difficult driving in cites & parking in underground car parks, which is the reason the C Class tops it for me. Some of the car parks in France, Belgum & Spain are a tight squeeze. I actually got stuck in one in Spain as the CLS was too long !! . Maybe it's personal preference but I prefer a smaller car. I'll post a few pics asap

what CLS was it?

 

[Riverstick]

Hi Steve - In terms of comfort it wasn't that much different to be honest. The CLS was just bigger & more difficult driving in cites & parking in underground car parks, which is the reason the C Class tops it for me. Some of the car parks in France, Belgum & Spain are a tight squeeze. I actually got stuck in one in Spain as the CLS was too long !! . Maybe it's personal preference but I prefer a smaller car. I'll post a few pics asap

Just back from a week in Monaco and the French Riviera and I can identify with what you're saying 55NF. We flew down to Nice and due to Hertz car rentals being in high season....the C220CDI i booked was double booked and they gave me a brand new 520D BMW auto,fully loaded.

To be fair...the car was as good as gold,fastquiet,comfortable,economical,but boy have BMW gone back 25 steps with the F10 series compared to the E60 series....The body is too big and clumsy/boatish. The E60 you could thread through the eye of a needle...it is so easy to drive through towns,sities,small country villages etc...whereas the F10 felt as big and wide as an S class Merc....no good for back narrow streets or underground car parks. I was delighted to hand it back after a week without a scratch,but had no comfort all week trying to mind it in the tightest of parking conditions....

 

[Red C220]

Stats from reset :

2361 miles covered

Avg Speed : 54 mph

Avg Consumption 44.4 Mpg

46:35 h Driving Time


A great trip & great car !....... & I'm tempted to go C63 next time.

I'd love a C63 Estate, but when you look at the numbers the C350 CDi produces in economy and performance it's hard to consider the C63 for anything other than a toy.

Even the C350 petrol produces performance figures that are not far off "supercar" from a decade ago.

The 350 Cdi engine is fantastic in either C or E class.

My last car was a ML300 CDi and the engine was smooth and economical even in that 3 ton house brick and provided pretty much all the power you'd ever really need.

With fuel prices as they are now, if you use a car for anything more than personal mileage a powerful diesel is the way to go.

If you work in the city and commute by train daily and your car is a weekend and fun runabout - I'd go with large petrol engine.

I drive 2,000 miles a month, in a C63 that would cost what? £600 to £800 a month in fuel?

Doesn't stop me wanting one though.

Still I think the C350Cdi or E350Cdi is pretty much the perfect car right now with regard to fuel economy, power and comfort.

 

[crockers]

Agree, I love the blend of performance and economy. Off to France again in September. Mind you the week I had with a w204 250cdi was interesting. That engine isn't far off the 320 in terms of performance but uses even less fuel. I would be tempted with that engine too. Mind you I did find the sports suspension and 18" wheels gave a hard and noisy ride. Might be more inclined to go Elegance + 17".

 

[Red C220]

I find the ride slightly on the hard side but my previous car was am ML so it's not a straight comparison.

We went for the 17" wheels on our C220 Sport and it made a noticeable difference in ride compliance. Still firm but lost the crashiness, if that makes sense?

 

[55NF]

what CLS was it?

320 with AMG alloys

This one

 

[55NF]

More pics please....


OK... bit boring though , nothing fantastic.

C350 France July 2011 pictures by rayban88 - Photobucket

 

[gilbert121262]

How long did it take to get the bugs off the front!!!!

 

[gilbert121262]

Just been down to Devon and back this week in a c220 cdi sport with the amg pack on. My wifes Audi A4 got reversed into and the ins co gave us this while hers is getting fixed. Well as you can see my car is a 320cdi so was expecting this to feel a bit gutless. Well how wrong was I. Mid range punch is not quite as good even taking in to account power to weight ratio but only once did i back off from an overtaking opportunity that I would have done in the S without even thinking about. I ragged it there and back and did a load of miles driving round little country roads and the ave mpg was 41, which to me was very good. Ride a bit crashy, but boy did it stick to the road. The c350cdi must go like a stabbed rat. The other half who see cars a somewhere to put shopping was even impressed apart from the fact that putting makeup while moving was a bit of a hit and miss affair due to the harsh ride. Me I loved, but it was nice to get back in the s this morning.

 

[developer]

Just been down to Devon and back this week in a c220 cdi sport with the amg pack on. My wifes Audi A4 got reversed into and the ins co gave us this while hers is getting fixed. Well as you can see my car is a 320cdi so was expecting this to feel a bit gutless. Well how wrong was I. Mid range punch is not quite as good even taking in to account power to weight ratio but only once did i back off from an overtaking opportunity that I would have done in the S without even thinking about. I ragged it there and back and did a load of miles driving round little country roads and the ave mpg was 41, which to me was very good. Ride a bit crashy, but boy did it stick to the road. The c350cdi must go like a stabbed rat. The other half who see cars a somewhere to put shopping was even impressed apart from the fact that putting makeup while moving was a bit of a hit and miss affair due to the harsh ride. Me I loved, but it was nice to get back in the s this morning.

I had a twin turbo C220 as a courtesy car and was equally impressed.

Twin turbo powerunits are the future (I hope). I know BMW use the technology too, and I think Audi also.

I'm thinking a twin turbo 3.0 V6 would be a hoot .

 

[jimmymidnight]

Im doing a 3,300 mile tour of europe with 9 friends next year and they're all driving 2.0tdi Audis or similar, im the only one stupid enough to do it in my CL500 - at least i'll be more comfy than them though!

 

[A210AMG]

Having just done a couple of thosand abroad in my S211 and returning 42mpg loaded with bikes / roof box I don't think I could go for a E55 / C63 and look at 20 - 25 if your crusing...not only that £120 for say 350 miles? I get double that on a range. In the real world on this sort of a trip it would be no benifit.

Bikes at the back and roof box put my self imposed limit on, more and more speed cameras / police everytime we do these trips now mean the opportunatey to gun it are very few and far bewteen.

OOh and at the end of the day I think my bus and a E55 are limited to 155 ?



I filled up in Canterbury, Arrived in Annecy France, used the car for a few days and only then did I have to fill up again....


Funny on the toll roads some 'quicker' cars go past and hours later they come past again....probably filling up

@75 / 80 mph I was getting 42mpg and that included some little taps on the go pedal up to a little higher speed. Pic shows 39.5mpg after some statinary bits and faster bits

 

[gilbert121262]

"Im doing a 3,300 mile tour of europe with 9 friends next year and they're all driving 2.0tdi Audis or similar, im the only one stupid enough to do it in my CL500 - at least i'll be more comfy than them though!"


And you will get to stretch your legs more often!!!!

 

[jimmymidnight]

"Im doing a 3,300 mile tour of europe with 9 friends next year and they're all driving 2.0tdi Audis or similar, im the only one stupid enough to do it in my CL500 - at least i'll be more comfy than them though!"


And you will get to stretch your legs more often!!!!

indeed, probably twice as much!

 

[Mercy1]

Not once did my wife or myself complain about backache or being uncomfortable in the car. http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/kk292/rayban88/29 Sept 10/?action=view&current=m1.jpg

I love reading posts like this. It tells me I have a great car (certainly it feels quick!) - it's just that I can't drive 150 miles without backache and being shaken about in the Sport. It would seem to indicate that it's just my bl**dy back that needs attention!!
Tell me someone, does a saloon car drive any better/different to an Estate?? Be interested to know...

 

[crockers]

I had a loan W204 sport on 18"'wheels and just recently a W204 facelift Elegance on 17" wheels. Loved the look of the Sport but hated the crashy ride. The Elegance, IMHO , was far better and is where I would prefer to sit on a long journey.

Maybe it's just my age but I don't see the point in being uncomfortable.

 

[Vorbis]

Picking up my C350 CDI elegance estate on Thursday. I test drove the sport and found the ride a bit hard, however the main problem for me was were the sports seats which I found gave me back ache after only a short while. Much prefered the look of the sport, but decided that comfort was more important to me (plus I can't see the outside when driving )