W140 S320 - underpowered?

[marc]

Going from a V8 500SEL (1991) to potentially an S320.

Will the 320 feel underpowered? No way would I go lower than a 320 on a car that size!

Many thanks for any input.

 

[Steve_Perry]

Originally posted by marc
Going from a V8 500SEL (1991) to potentially an S320.

Will the 320 feel underpowered? No way would I go lower than a 320 on a car that size!

Many thanks for any input.

I think the best option is to take it for a thorough test drive and see what you think. What maybe adequate to others might be underpowered to you or vice-versa.

Closest I've ever driven was a late '80's model 380 SEC and that seemed fine to me. Granted it's a fairly different beast actually.

S.

 

[marc]

I tend to do a fair amount of infrequent short journeys and the odd mid-mileage (50-200 mile) trips every so often. The car won't be hammered but I do like a bit under the bonnet when I need it.

Fair point about a test, just wanted to avoid something that haunted my dad in his 2.8litre series I Jaguar XJ6!

 

[fuzzer]

I drove an S320 W140 and thought there was sufficent poke in it when you wanted it.

The S280 W140 was underpowered , yes..

 

[Tan]

My Dad has a W140 S280, if you have one or two people on board the the S280 is fine, but fully loaded it can be a bit sluggish (0-60) however at cruising speeds the 280 is still fine.

All things taken into account i would choose which ever car had more toys.. but i love gadgets or i would go for one of the V8's but i am biased towards V8's.

Regards

Tan

 

[marc]

I just had a £20 timing chain tensioner fall off a V8... I'm not as keen on them at the moment as you ;-)

I would grab a V8 if I saw one, but looking about has turned up far more S320's than any other model.

Some nice ones out there and I just hope my financing comes through so I can start shopping with that pocket full of burning cash!

 

[Tigger]

I wouldn't say the S320 is underpowered but I would describe its performance as adequate.

One incident put me off...

I was behind an Audi A4 1.9TDi (Red i) doing 65 on a dual carriageway.

As he pulled in he decided to accelerate where I had also committed to overtake him.

So kickdown and redline, change up redline etc. The guy actually looked at me whilst I passed him at a snails pace. Essentially a lot of sizzle but no real sausage!

 

[mbzslk230k]

W140 are heavy [very heavy] cars and anything below 3.2 litres will be adequate or below ...

 

[kusanku]

My last boss had an S320. He's traded it in for an E320 cdi, because he found it simply too big. With regards to performance, on both the S320 and the CDi, he reported that both were a bit slow off the mark, but excellent on the motorway.

 

[marc]

Big is good, I want the limo if I can find one.

Owned Daimlers all my life until I went through a bad patch (read was skint!) and had no vehicle for a while.

Returned to motoring with a low spec 190e then got a 1991 500SEL. Big "silly" cars are in my blood, so "too big" isn't something I'd even think ;-)

"slow off the mark" may be an issue though, especially after loving the power of that V8 500 for over a year!

Thanks for the input.

 

[twangling]

Hey Marc,
I've had a '94 S320L for the last 4 years. Best car I ever owned and certainly enough grunt in most situations. Passengers are surprised by the power!
I'm having to sell it (3 grand if you're interested)

 

[marc]

Actually have an S320 now (1996 - 97 model facelift) and have just done a couple of days driving 500+ Miles. Find it a little sedate off the mark (compared to the outgoing - for sale - S500 W126) but in the 70-80mph zone it flies. Certainly got enough there for me.

I do find it a bit heavy sometimes change-wise from 1st to 2nd - as if the gearbox can't quite decide what gear to go for then changes with a bit of a gentle yet noticeable thud, anyone else ever experienced that?

 

[KLP 92]

Actually have an S320 now (1996 - 97 model facelift) and have just done a couple of days driving 500+ Miles. Find it a little sedate off the mark (compared to the outgoing - for sale - S500 W126) but in the 70-80mph zone it flies. Certainly got enough there for me.

I do find it a bit heavy sometimes change-wise from 1st to 2nd - as if the gearbox can't quite decide what gear to go for then changes with a bit of a gentle yet noticeable thud, anyone else ever experienced that?

Sounds like a MAS issue. Very common problem on the 320.

I've a 320, 500 and a 600 W140. I find the 320 is ok to drive, but to push it you need to redline it, where as the V8/12 don't need to be revved hard as the power is available low down. I personally can't remeber flooring the V8 or V12 as you don't need to use all the power.

The best bit about the 500 over the 320, is that with my driving style i get the same miles to the tank!

 

[frog1520]

Actually have an S320 now (1996 - 97 model facelift) and have just done a couple of days driving 500+ Miles. Find it a little sedate off the mark (compared to the outgoing - for sale - S500 W126) but in the 70-80mph zone it flies. Certainly got enough there for me.

Just checking you've got the box in S mode, not W!

I do find it a bit heavy sometimes change-wise from 1st to 2nd - as if the gearbox can't quite decide what gear to go for then changes with a bit of a gentle yet noticeable thud, anyone else ever experienced that?

I've had this a few times - seems whenever theres engine problems, the gearbox changes are less than smooth. I've had three engine problems which caused lack of power and noticeable gear changes: 1) MAF. 2) Dodgy HT lead, 3) ECU on its way out. Its a pity theres no check engine light on the UK S320's...

Replacing the gearbox oil and filter may also give you smoother gear changes - it certainly helped for me!

 

[sportyreptile]

I think you would feel the difference going from a 500SEL to S320. The W140 weighs in at over 2000lbs so there's a lot of metal to move around.
The economy wouldn't be that much better either as the the 320 would be working harder than a V8 motor for the same performance.
I get 24mpg on average which I consider pretty good for a big 5 litre 2 ton car.
You may see 28mpg on a 320 if your light footed.

 

[Dieselman]

The W140 weighs in at over 2000lbs so there's a lot of metal to move around.

I think you mean 2000Kg. 2000lbs is less than one Tonne.

 

[sportyreptile]

you know what, yer right! I'm getting my imperial muddled up with my metric.

2240 lbs in a ton.

This links handy for this stuff.http://www.simetric.co.uk/si_imperial.htm

 

[sullivj]

I think you would feel the difference going from a 500SEL to S320. The W140 weighs in at over 2000lbs so there's a lot of metal to move around.
The economy wouldn't be that much better either as the the 320 would be working harder than a V8 motor for the same performance.
I get 24mpg on average which I consider pretty good for a big 5 litre 2 ton car.
You may see 28mpg on a 320 if your light footed.

Lucky you... I get 19.6MPG from my S320 when I last looked...

 

[Flash]

Go for a S500... not much price difference and is near enough a flagship model (apart from the S600...) They are quite cheap now...

 

[sportyreptile]

Lucky you... I get 19.6MPG from my S320 when I last looked...

Arh, so in fact the economy could be worse - like I said (apart from getting my metrics muddled up) there's a lot of metal to move around.

The S500 gives effortless performance, it really is the best match of engine to car type.