Regular members will know just how much *** likes his 7G transmission!
Steve and myself have both had W211 E220's in the past and we now have the E320 Sport (***) and the E280 AG (D-18). Unlike ***, I was less enthusiastic about the 5G auto after mine 'went off' at about 20K miles and car and was never quite right despite the efforts of the dealer to fix it, so I bought the 280 with the 7G. My 7G has the 2nd to 1st downshift lurch when cold, but apart from that, the rest of the time it is absolutely fine and I find it suits my driving style.
Following our GTG at Dirleton, we decided to do a short back-to-back comparison between our two cars. We included a mixture of fairly quick A and B roads and a short section of urban 30mph stuff. It was interesting to see and feel the differences between these two very similar cars.
Transmission: I didn't think there was much to choose between the two cars in terms of shift quality. The changes in the 320 were slightly more obvious, but that's probably because we were both concentrating on that aspect - most people wouldn't spot any difference. ***'s car has done a few more miles than mine and that alone could account for the difference.
Drag race: We didn't actually try this side by side but to me, the published figures seem quite accurate with the 320 feeling about 0.5 of a second quicker to 60 mph than the 280. In a traffic light grand prix, I don't think would be much in it at all.
Normal driving: On the country roads we tried, I thought the extra power and torque of the 320 became more obvious and shoved the car out of the corners with a bit more enthusiasm than the 280 could manage. Neither car is wanting in this department, but the I felt the 320 had an advantage here and it would probably be easier to maintain a higher cross country speed in the 320 than the 280.
Comfort: Not all that much in it really. Over some corrugated urban surfaces, the Sport suspension made itself felt with a little more surface patter and noise being fed back to the cabin compared with the softer setup of the AG. Not a problem for either of us however, as *** likes to press-on a bit more than I do. I value comfort over handling. Both of us are happy we've picked the right car for our requirements.
Handling: If the 320 felt slightly too firm in town, then on the country roads, the stiffer setup of the Sport was clearly better than the slightly 'soggy' AG. This was probably where the biggest difference emerged between the two cars.
If our quick comparison proved anything, it is that you really need to have a reasonable length test drive in any car you are considering. Long term, the firmer ride (albeit with better handling) of the Sport would not suit me, yet I'm sure it is this aspect of the 'Shed' which puts the smile on ***'s face - until the 3 Series appears anyway....
Steve and myself have both had W211 E220's in the past and we now have the E320 Sport (***) and the E280 AG (D-18). Unlike ***, I was less enthusiastic about the 5G auto after mine 'went off' at about 20K miles and car and was never quite right despite the efforts of the dealer to fix it, so I bought the 280 with the 7G. My 7G has the 2nd to 1st downshift lurch when cold, but apart from that, the rest of the time it is absolutely fine and I find it suits my driving style.
Following our GTG at Dirleton, we decided to do a short back-to-back comparison between our two cars. We included a mixture of fairly quick A and B roads and a short section of urban 30mph stuff. It was interesting to see and feel the differences between these two very similar cars.
Transmission: I didn't think there was much to choose between the two cars in terms of shift quality. The changes in the 320 were slightly more obvious, but that's probably because we were both concentrating on that aspect - most people wouldn't spot any difference. ***'s car has done a few more miles than mine and that alone could account for the difference.
Drag race: We didn't actually try this side by side but to me, the published figures seem quite accurate with the 320 feeling about 0.5 of a second quicker to 60 mph than the 280. In a traffic light grand prix, I don't think would be much in it at all.
Normal driving: On the country roads we tried, I thought the extra power and torque of the 320 became more obvious and shoved the car out of the corners with a bit more enthusiasm than the 280 could manage. Neither car is wanting in this department, but the I felt the 320 had an advantage here and it would probably be easier to maintain a higher cross country speed in the 320 than the 280.
Comfort: Not all that much in it really. Over some corrugated urban surfaces, the Sport suspension made itself felt with a little more surface patter and noise being fed back to the cabin compared with the softer setup of the AG. Not a problem for either of us however, as *** likes to press-on a bit more than I do. I value comfort over handling. Both of us are happy we've picked the right car for our requirements.
Handling: If the 320 felt slightly too firm in town, then on the country roads, the stiffer setup of the Sport was clearly better than the slightly 'soggy' AG. This was probably where the biggest difference emerged between the two cars.
If our quick comparison proved anything, it is that you really need to have a reasonable length test drive in any car you are considering. Long term, the firmer ride (albeit with better handling) of the Sport would not suit me, yet I'm sure it is this aspect of the 'Shed' which puts the smile on ***'s face - until the 3 Series appears anyway....
, I mean need to overtake in a safe manor, I just use sport mode. 
