E Class Cabrio - what engine choice?

[bulldoze]

Hi

My wife is wanting to trade her 55 reg C220 for a new E class Cabrio but we are undecided as to the engine choice and do not want to end up with something we cannot move on easily when she gets bored again

I am unsure about getting a diesel open top car, to me it just seems wrong! but E250d and E350d seem to be the default choice in the other E class versions so I will keep an open mind.

She wants something quicker than the C220 she has at the moment and I think she would like a E350 petrol. The E500 would be lovely but it is an extravagance that makes no financial sense at all!

Anyone any thoughts on this?

 

[A210AMG]

^ how many miles a year will it do?

For the price difference on the 250 / 350 I would have the 350cdi.

I'm like you though a convertible and disel seems odd...they rattle and rattle a lot, ok when moving but in traffic / stop start town driving......


best to go and drive them and see what she likes?

 

[fuzzer]

The 250cdi engine is a little bit of a duff choice.

Not that much more powerful than the 220cdi and not that much cheaper than thew 350cdi.

then you have the injectors to worry about...

My choice , either a 350 CDI or a 350 CGI.

 

[grober]

350CGI convertible =petrol every time.

 

[Charles Morgan]

Quite by coincidence Car Magazine has just reviewed the 250cdi Convertible here.

Given it is the first diesel Mercedes E class Convertible, there just isn't the depreciation info. However refined in an open top car I would go for petrol.

 

[moonloops]

Having a diesel engine in a convertible is like finding Gary Glitter has been booked as the entertainment for your children's birthday party.

 

[bulldoze]

Mileage is an issue I guess - she will be using it to commute and the journey is currently a 60mile round trip. However her next contract will probably be in the city so she will be using the train and the car will be just for shopping and weekend use.

 

[grober]

I reckon the petrol engine is still the best spec for a Merc cabriolet in the long term depreciation wise.This goes against the accepted knowledge for saloons and possibly coupes to a lesser extent. Luxury car for cruising the boulevards of the Mediterranean image=has to be petrol, has to be auto, power softop roof, no visible roll bar/ half roof thingys , 4 seater in a nice conservative metallic =sorted.

 

[jeremytaylor]

Coming from a C220CDI she will find a E350CGI or E500 a fair bit tougher on the wallet if she is doing miles, to put it mildly! Do they do a 4-cylinder in the E cab?

When my wife was looking to change her CLK we looked at an A5 cabrio, and the salesman there said diesel cabs were not that popular - not sure if that was true or because he got a better margin on the petrols. Wife ended up with a newer CLK, btw!

 

[davidjpowell]

Not sure. I was in London with my dad last week looking at cars - they have a diesel Saab convertible and as the sun was out the roof was down. In the traffic there were enough noises going on that you did not really hear the engine. On the open road, you could definitely not hear the engine.

MB's engines should be significantly more refined so I suspect the diesel issue is not as great as some envisage.

I've not looked, but how the BM diesel convertibles hold the value - has to be the nearest comparison

 

[grober]

To me there is one Movie that sets " the look" for cabriolets and that's Alfred Hitchcocks To Catch a Thief Starring Cary Grant and the stunning Grace Kelly. [ beginning to sound like Tony DiNozzo in NCIS here!!] The car was only a 2 seater but you'll get the idea. It was a British model too! Any guesses??? Heres's a clip.IMDb Video: To Catch A Thief

 

[Deleted member 11979]

I had an A4 cabrio with a 2.5 Tdi in it and it was great. I was a bit sceptical about a diesel cabrio but really it was not an issue, a 6 pot oil burner now sounds quite acceptable in my opinion, and given the price of fuel at the moment surely it has to be the one to go for, 350cdi on my opinion.

 

[wemorgan]

My wife is wanting to trade her 55 reg C220 for a new E class Cabrio but we are undecided as to the engine choice and do not want to end up with something we cannot move on easily when she gets bored again

I imagine a quality car like the E-class Cab will also sell, but it's always about price.

So if you want to get a feel for the comparative depreciation costs of the various models have a play with:

Fleet Running Costs | Fleet Costs | Fleet News

some quick depreciation numbers based on 3 years 30k miles

E250 CDI SE 57ppm
E350 CDI SE 60ppm

E250 CGI SE 57ppm
E350 CGI SE 67ppm
E500 Sport 99ppm

E350CDi gets my vote based on those numbers

 

[bulldoze]

Looking at those numbers I would veer towards the 350cdi as well! and as she is doing contract work these days I guess we would have to consider the possibility that her next job could be significantly more miles away and that fuel costs will come into play.

I am guessing that the 350 diesel would avg about 40mpg on a run and that the 350 petrol would be high 20s

I guess we are going to have to try them when the dealership gets them in.

 

[NormanC]

To me there is one Movie that sets " the look" for cabriolets and that's Alfred Hitchcocks To Catch a Thief Starring Cary Grant and the stunning Grace Kelly. [ beginning to sound like Tony DiNozzo in NCIS here!!] The car was only a 2 seater but you'll get the idea. It was a British model too! Any guesses??? Heres's a clip.IMDb Video: To Catch A Thief

It looks like a Sunbeam Alpine, and I think it might be a Mk III.

(Not such a wild guess as I was looking at the Workshop Manual only yeaterday!)

 

[mbenz76]

My E350 (although saloon) is returning 45/gallon on a run and 25/gallon in stop/start crawling rush hour.

 

[grober]

Give that man a banana!:bannana: Sunbeam Alpine Sports Roadster

 

[st4]

Car magazine did a e cabrio 250cdi vs 250cgi test and reckoned petrol was more suitable of the 4 pots for refinement.

A 6pot diesel has heaps of refinement and really is the engine I would choose for the car if it was my money.

 

[Wing Co]

I ordered a 350cdi for mid may del. Lovely engine

 

[chhabra]

e 200k

i just bought the 200k e class convertabile great car pleanty poke average 34 mpg not bad