My E350 CDI Sport Saloon Review

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mbenz76

MB Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 11, 2009
Messages
1,055
Car
E350 AMG Night Edition Premium Plus Saloon
So after almost a week with my E350 CDI Sport Saloon, I thought I'd post a quick review.

Full details of the car are in my signature at the bottom.

Picked it up on Monday afternoon, and after a quick country drive that night I have only used it for driving to work and back (5 mile round trip to the city centre), so not really had a proper drive in it - until today.

Today we headed out to do some shopping, and put a couple of hundred miles on it going to Manchester and Liverpool.

75% motorway, 25% country A roads.

Firstly, a picture (quick phone pic with lots of reflection I'm afraid) from Tuesday in the car park I use for work. I have some better quality pics on my camera but not got round to taking them off yet.

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It looks absolutely stunning in it's sports guise - quite aggressive, whilst still oozing class and refinement. From every angle it is good to look at. It is a large car - it looks big from the outside and it feels big on the inside.

So, back to the driving.

The car is very responsive and has lots of power (as you would expect). At 70mph the rev counter was still below 2000!

Gear changes seem intuitive and well timed, but being my first auto I am still learning how to drive it properly. Haven't used kickdown or thrashed it yet since the dealer and handbook advise against it for the first 1k miles or so.

I've not really noticed the hesitation when setting off like other members have mentioned, but I'm still getting used to driving auto so maybe I'm just not picking up on it yet.

Handling is good, and there is no roll on even the tightest corner. Same with bumps in the road - only the worst are noticed. Very smooth ride indeed. Also very quiet insidie - you wouldn't even know the engine was running when stood still, and at speed you only hear road noise on the worst tarmac. Some wind noise from the rear at 70mph, but only a couple of times through the journey, so put it down to cross winds.

COMAND

  • Sat Nav - works very well - there are some post codes which can be entered as 7-digit, but most are just 5-digits. The actual navigation is very good - much better than the factory nav in my previous car. Excellent lane guidance on the motorway. Some display elements could be improved but these may be tweak-able once you dig into the settings (which I haven't done yet).
  • Media Interface - works great with the Ipod connected. Haven't tried it with USB disk yet, and probably won't now - going to buy a bigger Ipod to keep in the car.
  • Telephone - Joined my Nokia N97 to bluetooth within about 30 seconds of trying - easy and trouble free. Imported contacts quickly and easily and they can be looked up just as easily.
  • Linguatronic - I must say that this was much better than I thought it would be. After about 5 minutes doing the personalisation (where I trained it my voice) I can now dial phone numbers by name or number, set the sat nav, and change the audio source and track.
Reversing Camera and Parktronic- Very good, but puts a slight fish-eye on the picture. Otherwise very useful indeed. Combined with Parktronic you can't fail to park right first time every time. I am normally quite good at parking, but am not used to this car yet so haven't quite got used to where the corners all are - the Parktronic on the front means I don't have to worry too much about it. Not sure how low they point though - will they pick up kerbs? Must find out, because that front bumper is quite low!

Distronic Plus - after figuring out how to operate it properly I gave it a good test on the motorway. Much better than standard cruise, but takes some getting used to. I'm still hovering my foot over the brake when speeding up behind another car. No need though as the Distronic Plus does all the work and slows me down. Switch lanes and we speed up again.

Blind Spot Assist -Annoying at first, but seems a good aid once you get used to it. Above a certain speed an amber triangle displays in both mirrors to indicate the system is operating. As soon as a car enters the blind spot (ar alongside in view for that matter) the triangle turns red on the relevant side. Indicate and a warning beep alerts you to the vehicle. The one criticism I have is that you don't notice the triangles unless looking at the mirrors - it would be good if similar warning triangles displayed in the instrument cluster in a similar way to the indicators.

Lane Keeping Assist - Much better than I thought it would be - I have visions of turning this off straight away. Vibrates the steering wheel when crossing the white lines. The vibration is subtle - if anything too subtle - but it is quite intuitive and doesn't do it if driving in a tight space or if you cross them while taking a tight bend. If you cross the lines while indicating or speeding up it keeps quiet as well, so not as annoying as you would imagine.

Night View Assist Plus - Couldn't decide whether this was the biggest waste of money or the best gadget ever before I used it. It is however superb. On a dark country road, the sides of the road are lined with treea, which through the window look like a single solid mass of black. On the screen with NV however, you can clearly make out each and every individual tree. Not used it with pedestrians around so can't comment on that, but had a couple of cyclists in the road while using it and it certainly made them a lot more visible than they would have otherwise been - especially since it looks so far ahead (something like 3/4 of a mile).

Intelligent Lights - These are excellent. The automatic element is much better than other cars I have driven and they seem well tuned into when to switch on and when not to. Their ability to turn into bends seems to work well and is definitely an advantage to have. Adaptive high beam is good and very responsive - dips very quickly when it detects lights ahead - if anything a little too sensitive as it also responds to the glow of signs. Very impressed with it's ability to follow the car in front by dipping the beam to just behind the car so as not to dazzle them.

Memory Pack - It's a little disappointing that you have to pay for this when many cars have memory as standard, but that aside it works as well as you could expect it to. Electric headrest adjustment is good, although you could arguable live without it, and electric steering wheel adjustment is very good. My complaint is that when calling up the memory position you have to hold the relevant button until it has finished moving everything - let go and it stops - it would be better if you just pressed it and it did everything like my last car.



As for the other gadgets and gizmos:
  • The powered boot closer is a must have - very useful when parked close to a wall or other car as it means you don't have to lean over to grab the handle or get a dirty hand by pushing it shut using the actual boot lid itself.
  • Garage door opener clearly require patience to program, and I still haven't got it to capture the code from my remote control!
  • Heated seats - I had these in the last car as well, and they are 100% required with leather seats. These get hotter much quicker than my last car, which is great on a cold morning.
  • DAB is good, but to be honest FM seems better in some locations. Where you can listen to FM with the odd crackle or two, DAB just cuts out - this is a bit annoying.
  • Climate Comfort Seats - it's been too cold to see how effective these are but they will hopefully be a very useful addition in the summer.
  • Tyre Pressure Monitor is similar to the last car I had and works as you would expect - my only complaint is it displays the pressures in bar and I haven't yet figured out if you can change it to PSI or not, which is obviously more useful in the UK.
  • Heated steering wheel - heats up very quickly and is a worthwhile gadget to have on a cold morning. Definitely a good buy.
  • Tow bar - haven't used it, and only got it for carrying cycles on, but it is completely invisible when folded away - which is just what I wanted. When folded out it sits quite close to the bumper so it remains to be seen how easy it is to use.
Finally, the all important economy - not that this is a major consideration for any of us buying a 3 litre car.

During the week, running to work and back in rush hour, I was getting about 22mpg, which is not too unexpected since the engine is not only 3 litre, but also new.

Today, after the first 70 miles of A roads and motorway, I got an average of 42mpg, which to be honest is much better than I hoped for.

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In summary, an absolutely excellent car - comfortable, refined, powerful, smooth and responsive. I'm looking forward to some very happy motoring to come.
 
Brilliant. Thanks for sharing. As I've said before you've ordered exactly the kind of car I'd like to own when they come down in price. You review of the optional extras are particulary interesting as Distronic is something I really want to have, and I'm detirmined to get it on my next MB, it will only be the original Disctronic not the Plus variant but I think I will find a lot of use from it.
 
Cracking review! Well written and informative.:thumb:
Isn't it fantastic that Mercedes provide so many options to suit all needs? We may not always agree on which options are 'must haves' as we each have our own preferences.
What I can say is that I am on my 4th Mercedes sharing the 'core' V6 diesel and 7 speed auto which your car has and having sampled this in S, E, ML and CLS form I feel it is the ideal platform to build a great road car on.:D
 
Thanks guys. I'll try and update a bit more as I drive it and get to know the ins and outs more. Also must get round to taking my pictures off my camera.

After a week of driving however it is absolutely filthy! So next weekend (weather permitting) I shall be cleaning it to within an inch of it's life :)
 
Good review. Thanks very much.
 
Really nice review. :thumb:

As a note on the climate comfort seats, going by the E55 I had, they will work with the heat as well as the cold.

Just simply switch the heated seats on and then also switch on the climate seat control. Voila! You have fans working the heat.
 
Really nice review. :thumb:

As a note on the climate comfort seats, going by the E55 I had, they will work with the heat as well as the cold.

Just simply switch the heated seats on and then also switch on the climate seat control. Voila! You have fans working the heat.

Thanks for that - not thought of that. I'll give it a try tomorrow morning as it looks like being a cold one :)
 
With the memory seats in my bmw , if you have the key in the ignition then you have to hold the button , but if you press the memory button before putting the key in the ignition it does the whole moving the mirrors/wheel/seat etc.
 
IIRC the power is off to seats with key out but I will check tonight when driving home.
 
Great review, all going well in a couple of years I'll trade in the tank for one of these...
 
Some More Pictures

OK, I washed the car today (took about 2 hours!), so I took some photos before it got filthy again!

First off, after 40 motorway miles at half 50mph and half 70mph (damn roadworks), I was VERY impressed by the economy indication - bearing in mind the car has less than 500 miles on it and is only 2 weeks old so not run in properly yet - and of course the engine size. An impressive 45.3mpg! My 2 litre manual petrol I have just replaced was not that good!

I don't go in for economy normally, after all, it's not going to be the first thing people think of when buying an car like this, but it is interesting to see it's not as bad as you would imagine.

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Now some pictures of the car itself.

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Just to add to the review as well.

Climate Comfort Seats

Driving down the M1 in the blazing sun today was quite warm, so whilst nothing like a summer's day, I thought it was a good time to try the Climate Comfort Seats.

The seat back got nice and cool fairly quickly (within a couple of minutes), and whilst the seat base was not so cool I attribute this to the fact I had jeans on.

Looking forward to summer for a true test of them, but indications are that they are money well spent.

These were the one thing that was on my must have list when car shopping this time round.
 
I've never wanted heated seats or cooled seats. I find the heater and the air conditioning do all I need. I've had both in the past but found I hardly ever switched them on. I suppose that's the joy of options: those who want can have and those who don't needn't.

On memory seats, the reason for requiring owners to hold the button while they move is safety otherwise people could get injured.
 
Just noticed that there isnt a gear stick on the centre console!? Can just make out the lever on the steering column.
Never seen this in UK Mercedes before? Was this an option or is it standard in the saloon?

A bit miffed about your mpg, I dont think I have any chance whatsoever getting above 41/42mpg with mine. I have even got to a steady speed on a level road and reset the mpg meter at various speeds (50mph 60mph and 70mph) and cannot get the mpg above 41/42mpg so there is absolutely no way that I could have a higher average mpg. Mercedes tell me that the engine isnt run in yet (4500 miles) yet you have just broke my mpg without even trying!?
 
Just noticed that there isnt a gear stick on the centre console!? Can just make out the lever on the steering column.
Never seen this in UK Mercedes before? Was this an option or is it standard in the saloon?

A bit miffed about your mpg, I dont think I have any chance whatsoever getting above 41/42mpg with mine. I have even got to a steady speed on a level road and reset the mpg meter at various speeds (50mph 60mph and 70mph) and cannot get the mpg above 41/42mpg so there is absolutely no way that I could have a higher average mpg. Mercedes tell me that the engine isnt run in yet (4500 miles) yet you have just broke my mpg without even trying!?

The gear shift on th coulmn is standard on the E350 Saloon. I didn't realise the coupe was different.

On the subject of mpg, I did note that if I parked up and idled or added more than a couple of miles of slow (40mph) roads into the mix that the mpg dropped to 43ish.
 
I presume yours is the 7 speed box? (I am sure theyre standard on the 350's), do you know at what speed it engages into 7th (or the speed where it changes 6th to 7th and vice versa)? This would be the optimum economic speed.
 
I presume yours is the 7 speed box? (I am sure theyre standard on the 350's), do you know at what speed it engages into 7th (or the speed where it changes 6th to 7th and vice versa)? This would be the optimum economic speed.

Yes, mine is the 7G-Tronic box. No idea where it changes into 7th, if indeed I've had it into 7th yet. Engine is so quiet from the inside that unless you watch the revs you don't really notice gear changes.

Might try and observe next time I get on the motorway.
 
Yes, mine is the 7G-Tronic box. No idea where it changes into 7th, if indeed I've had it into 7th yet. Engine is so quiet from the inside that unless you watch the revs you don't really notice gear changes.

Might try and observe next time I get on the motorway.

As you rightly say they are so quiet, I don't know if mine has ever gone into 7th.
 
The 6 cylinder petrols and diesels have a gear change 'indicator' stalk so there's more space in the middle where the selector would normally go.

My E250cdi Sport is up to 4,700 miles (the injectors have not yet gone!) and I have done no more than 41mpg even though I am not putting my foot down too much!!

Should have gone for the E350cdi as those twin pipes look cool !!
 

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