Help Needed - thinking of buying mini Merc.

[Vlad]

Bill, I'm with you on the "Customer Surveys are funny things"....like you, our A class may be way down on the list, but we still love them, just as you love your Sharan.......20.2mpg is a bit stiff though :eek, but then again barn door aerodynamics, 4x4 and big V6, I suppose its to be expected.....more fun than a humble 2.0 though!

You've made me feel better about the 3.9 V8 Discovery I am also driving at the moment as that does @ 19mpg, but probably goes a whole lot slower than your Sharan.

 

[BTB 500]

Bet your V8 Disco sounds great though!

With 204 BHP the Sharan is "quite quick" for an MPV, mine only has the 2 front seats in it too (plus a dog cage in the back) ... so it's about 100 KG lighter than standard

Despite the V8 I get better fuel consumption from the R129, which is a similar weight but rather more aerodynamic! I only drive about 6,000 miles a year between the two of them though, so it's no big deal.

 

[jeremytaylor]

I used to like driving our Sharan too (early 90 bhp TDI, that I chipped to circa 110), but it was very unreliable and the dealer was hopeless, so come end of warranty it had to go.

 

[Vlad]

Bet your V8 Disco sounds great though!

You would think so wouldn't you, but thats the wierd thing about a V8 Disco....there's hardly any V8 rumble.....its sounds like a massive vacuum cleaner instead, what with the fans+ auto transmission etc which drown out the engine.

Had the same situation on a 4.7 V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee....another vacuum cleaner, albeit with slightly more audible V8 rumble, however,when you talk about truely dreadful cars, a Grand Cherokee must take the biscuit....nasty nasty nasty and no where near as nice to drive as a Disco, which has far better road manners and no nasty diff whines etc.