Just an update on how things turned out - in case anyone's interested.
You'll remember back last August I was debating whether to get another E250cdi coupe - or to go for an E220cdi since that was the only engine available with SE spec and I was getting a bit tired of the sports suspension and 19" alloys on my 250.
Well, I ordered the 220 and it arrived at the end of February. It's much quieter than the 250 (although I think that's maybe because of better sound insulation on the Facelift versions) and it's about 5 or 6 mpg more economical. And the suspension is just right for me - smoothly absorbing the bumps without the jiggling, but still good handling for what I want.
As for performance - it's everything I want. Normal driving in urban or rural A or B roads is really not much different from the 250. On the motorway it cruises very nicely (see below) but the one big noticeable difference is that if you have to accelerate at motorway speeds the 220 will drop a gear whereas the 250 would just hold top and use its torque. (Part of this may be that the 220 has the 7 speed auto whereas the 250 was a 5 speeder).
Anyway - all in all I'm extremely happy with the 220 and have no qualms at all about the engine.
We're just back from an extended touring holiday in Europe using the ferry crossing from Hull to Rotterdam. The rough itinerary was: Rotterdam - Heidelberg, Germany - Lake Garda, Italy - Alassio, Italian Riviera - Cavalaire, French Riviera - Cologne, Germany to Rotterdam.
Over 2,900 miles (eeek!) at an indicated obc consumption of just over 47mpg - the actual brim to brim was just over 45.
The 220 really loved the autobahn / autostrada / autoroute. It would sit all day at 85mph where the traffic allowed and was extremely quiet at this speed. Very smooth and still quiet at 100mph on the unrestricted sections of autobahn. Didn't miss a beat.
Some thoughts on the extras:
- The Distronic was really useful at motorway speeds. One of my biggest fears is of motorway traffic ahead coming to a sudden stop but you really can leave the Distronic to worry about this, which makes for a much less stressful drive. It's also useful at lower speeds on single carriageways where it will just go with the flow. But it's not perfect. Sometimes on the motorway it will get confused by the vehicle your'e overtaking and slow down unnecessarily. And even on the closest gap setting it still leaves quite a distance from the vehicle in front and others are likely to nip into the gap. But still a great boon.
- Lane-keeping assist is useful, giving a vibration in the steering wheel if you stray over a line. Active lane-keeping assist had to be turned off due to the constant tugs on the steering wheel.
- 360 degree camera is useful, but you still need to rely on the eyeball looking outside as it's easy to miss an unexpected obstruction on the screen.
- blind spot assist very useful too.
- on one occasion on the autoroute I had to brake very sharply and pre-safe kicked in - the brake pedal went very firm and the seat belts tightened (just like they do when you first belt up, but more so).
- and the Command SatNav really is excellent. POIs bang up to date and very good routing. Most impressive is the traffic information which correctly identifies slow-moving and stationary traffic. The queues usually start and end exactly where Command predicts and it will re-route you if that would be quicker. On one occasion I thought I knew better and didnt divert - big mistake.
So all in all I'm delighted with my E220cdi Coupe - a fantastic touring machine and pretty good in town too. And the shape is still gorgeous to my eyes, especially in Palladium with the black pano roof.
