New E class

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st4

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Mar 1, 2008
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Location
In the driving seat
Car
C220cdi tourer
I tested a 55 plate E220cdi today and loved it, bought it subject to finance approval and should have it wednesday pm.

I thought the 2.2 engine, although not a fire starter, was punchy enough for most UK road driving situations whilst it was beautiful to drive, agile yet comfortable and the driving position was spot on :D

The only down side was that some interior trim fell off, but they are fixing that.

Odd features were noises from the brake pedal, apparently there is tech that asjusts/calibrates the brakes and the one stalk thingee.

Beautiful big comfy car, can't wait to have it.
 
I just want it NOW!!! I am taking the X5 up to Glasgow and saying bye bye, will be without a car for 3 days, but then i'll have a merc. I'll put pics up when I get it
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I noticed one other bizzarre but nice Mercedes quirk. The break pedal, and the gas were much firmer than any other car I have driven, and the auto creep was v.slow, so you could creep properly rather than dab the brakes on the BMW.
 
I just want it NOW!!! I am taking the X5 up to Glasgow and saying bye bye, will be without a car for 3 days, but then i'll have a merc. I'll put pics up when I get it
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I noticed one other bizzarre but nice Mercedes quirk. The break pedal, and the gas were much firmer than any other car I have driven, and the auto creep was v.slow, so you could creep properly rather than dab the brakes on the BMW.

You should also have the Hold feature on your car. Press brake when stopped, at lights say, and the car holds and will only move when you press the accelerator when the lights change. The brake and accelerator pedals are drive-by-wire and the firmness is designed in by MB.
 
I noticed one other bizzarre but nice Mercedes quirk. The break pedal, and the gas were much firmer than any other car I have driven, and the auto creep was v.slow, so you could creep properly rather than dab the brakes on the BMW.

The accelerator in MBs I have driven has been quite long travel and the car doesn't move unless it's booted. It's obviously a choice MB make. There's a distinct pressure point at the end of the travel that makes things happen when you reach it.

The SBC controls the brake pedal in the E. The pedal can feel quite firm at times. But you can also push it right to the end stop at times. Again, takes a bit of getting used to.

The SBC system has a pump that runs every so often and depending on the exact model it may be more noticeable on some cars as a vibration/groan/grumble effect which may be audible as well as being felt through the pedal.
 
Noticed it held itself on a hill, no creep at all and no roll back. However one should leave ones foot on the brake in case of a rearward shunt, it would stop the car travelling further forward potentially injuring someone else.
 
Noticed it held itself on a hill, no creep at all and no roll back. However one should leave ones foot on the brake in case of a rearward shunt, it would stop the car travelling further forward potentially injuring someone else.
I don't think you have read the manual yet regarding SBC. I understand what your saying but SBC is a great feature. Use and enjoy

Regards
John
 
Odd features were noises from the brake pedal, apparently there is tech that asjusts/calibrates the brakes and the one stalk thingee.

Beautiful big comfy car, can't wait to have it.

The brake system on that model E Class is called SBC (Sensotronic Brake Control). Basically it is a fully powered system and the noises you can hear (perhaps with some vibration through the pedal as well) is the system keeping itself charged up.

As Robert Sanders doesn't want yet another SBC thread, I will confine myself to suggesting that you search the forum with the key words SBC. Reading the many threads on this topic will keep you busy for hours. Once you've done that and owned and driven your car for a while you'll probably find you share the views of all owners of cars with SBC i.e. it's a really great brake system.

Don't let all the horror stories from the early days worry you, that's history now.
 
Noticed it held itself on a hill, no creep at all and no roll back. However one should leave ones foot on the brake in case of a rearward shunt, it would stop the car travelling further forward potentially injuring someone else.

That's a feature of the transmission. SBC Hold which Brian WH referred to is a feature for holding the brakes in the fully applied position.

By the way the transmission's anti-roll back feature does not work if you are pointing down hill and in reverse.
 
Haven't yet got the manual,I believe it hold the brakes for you when stationary. Although I am young, tech baffles me :eek:

I got the impression the car was rigorously engineered and a lot more thought had gone into its manufacture and construction than in my BMW, and its that depth of engineering that I am after.

So long as it works and is reliable thats good enough for me, due to the firmness of the pedal the brakes were easy to modulate and control
 
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Haven't yet got the manual,I believe it hold the brakes for you when stationary. Although I am young, tech baffles me

If you quickly pulse the brake pedal while stationary and in D then 'SBC H' will appear in the lower central area of the speedo dial. (There's a knack to depressing it consistently to get SBC H to come on). Anyway once the SBC H is displayed the car will hold itself on the brakes.

If you use the accelerator then the brakes will release. If you pulse the brake pedal again SBC H will disengage.

Makes hill starts a doddle.

Also allows you to get away from the lights quickly.
 
Haven't Mercedes now abandoned this feature? And if so why?

BTW was not on the late 2005 S class I had.
 
I have no idea what braking system I have on the W210, but I know it holds itself on a hill. I was most shocked whem Mother's Kia decided to roll back in the same situation.
 
on the 210 we have LFBC it's handy if you have a left foot ...:D and helps you get away form the lights quicker, also makes hill starts a doddle....;)
 
On my old e class (2004 model) I needed to be stationary or go very slowly and then while applying the brake 'activate' the cruise control - this then activates sbc hold which applies the brakes as described before and also sbc stop which automatically gently brings you to a stop. It was designed to be used in stop start traffic.

Not sure if a 05 car still had this though - it is worth trying though - I didn't know about it until about 5 months into ownership..
 
On my old e class (2004 model) I needed to be stationary or go very slowly and then while applying the brake 'activate' the cruise control - this then activates sbc hold which applies the brakes as described before and also sbc stop which automatically gently brings you to a stop. It was designed to be used in stop start traffic.

Not sure if a 05 car still had this though - it is worth trying though - I didn't know about it until about 5 months into ownership..
Nope ended in July/August-ish 04
 
Its getting rear parking sensors fitted. I quoted figures I got for a bank loan (thru money supermarket) and the dealer matched them :D, from his original deal, to this one has saved me £45/month, and over 5 years its nearly £3000.

I am without a car as I left them my X5, but i didn't feel at all sad about driving it for the last time. Perhaps the new car feeling is getting the better of me.

Can anyone recommend whether I should buy the phone cradle as the car is pre-wired (£150), or go for the more expensive bluetooth option (£350 OUCH!!) as it can work with any phone after I get rid of my K800i. Is eBay a better route?
 
I've got an E class as a courtesy car at the moment. '07 220CDi.
A very nice drive with some nice features.
Most suprising was how much power that diesel engine produces mid-range. Effortless overtaking for a car of that size.

Hope you enjoy your new car.
 

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