W211 information, please

[Derek Mc]

Good afternoon all,

In my hunt for an ideal W204 Sport, I have turned up three W211 cars for some reason and the thing is,,, I like very much what I am seeing, but want to seek advice on the specifics

1. E220CDi Avantgarde 2008/ 58 plate so I suspect the 2.1 170Hp engine. How good is ths version? and how strong is the 7G box? are there any flaws or weaknesses?

2. 2008/ 57 plate E280CDi Avantgarde & Sport also. Engine here the official economy is virtually a match on the E220CDi but how about swirl flaps? again 7G box? anything to worry about

3. 2008/ 08 E320 CDi Sport, again a little less economy than the E280 CDi but a lovely engine indeed, this particular car is stunning has a pano roof under 30K full MBSH iridium / black and comand.

Unknown territory for me, as I have only ever driven one W211 and ridden in a second but never actually got to know them.

Thanks in advance.
Derek

 

[st4]

I had two W211's. The 220cdi uses the 5g box and a tried and tested 4 pot diesel, get that.

The 280 and 320 are the same V6 CDi bar injectors. The 320cdi is more powerful.

I had one, and it racked up over £2500 worth of engine faults and the transmission was hopeless most of the time, otherwise in sport trim it handled nearly as well as a C class, was 220cdi economical and was a genuine 150mph car.

I loved and hate it as refinement, power and handling in my E320cdi was great, but the flaring 7g box, needing new manifolds, swirl flap motor failure cost me a lot of money.

Others have had front engine bearing failure, valve body failure. Several thousand each

If you value reliability more than performance the E220cdi is the one to get, a great car IMHO but doesn't do the power thing as well as the E320cdi

 

[effbee584]

Go for the 320cdi.

Had two W211's, first off a 220cdi that replaced a W210 220cdi which did not feel any different. It had a panoramic roof but little else and only kept it a year because I found a W211 320cdi in line 6 2003 model that turned out to be the car I should have had all along. All the toys I wanted incl Xenons. Kept it almost 5years and obtained the same mpg with greater driving pleasure than the 220cdi. I later had the ECU 'chipped' to boost power and torque, a by-product was even better mpg. Sold with 105K miles and for only £4900, someone (a police officer actually) got a great car at a giveaway price.

My adage is, always have the biggest engine you can find and afford in the model you like. There is no substitute for horses and torks, especially with a diesel engine.

There are some adverse experiences with the 3.0ltr V6 cdi/7G box, as *** explains above, but with a good service history you restrict your chance of buying a duffer. MB must have a few 100,000 of these engine/gearbox combos on the road, so I figure the vast majority operate well for the life of the car. Mine is certainly creamy smooth (with a warranty for good measure.)

All manufacturers have issues, nothing is perfect, so try to put these behind you and buy sensibly from a reputable dealer or private perhaps with FSH.

 

[st4]

Mine was admitably an early example but dealer sold car.

Given the majority of e classes are 220cdi and this was rated one of the most reliable used cars and the CLS which is the same car but only in 320cdi tune or v8 petrol and the majority being 320cdi it was rated one of the least reliable used cars tells a lot.

Chances are a V6 CDi and 7g will bite you more than a 4pot and 5g. Shame as the bigger engine is nicer and suits the car more. Plus sport trim is ace.

 

[Derek Mc]

Thanks, the 4 cyl is quite a strong pull for me as there are one or two very low milers to be had for good money, the W211 is a lovely drive (from memory of the one I did a return trip to Oxford in) so will keep it firmly in mind

 

[Ginger55k]

Had a 220 in the past, very nice and easy way to munch the miles however the v6 is a different animal, not much difference between the 280 320 as already been stated, but the power and torque is very good for an oil burner.

The avantgarde version will be a bit softer ride than the sport.

It really depends on how you drive it, not had any problems with my 280 but if i had to pick another then the 220 would be my choice.

Although saying that my thrills tend to come in the 55 thats why my preference would be the 220.

 

[st4]

2009 211 E220cdi is a great car, wish I bought one over a 2005 E320cdi sports.

However, for driving fun, the C is more nimble but the E has a miles better ride, cabin and trim.

 

[Derek Mc]

Trouble is Steve I drive 30K a year on the M'ways and A' roads of our great nation, and think the E220 would be quite relaxing up and down the cliff faces summit's and valleys of the pot holes,,

 

[Ginger55k]

Trouble is Steve I drive 30K a year on the M'ways and A' roads of our great nation, and think the E220 would be quite relaxing up and down the cliff faces summit's and valleys of the pot holes,,

I think with your mileage the 220 is the correct choice both on the fuel cost and insurance, spec it up with all the toys and your 30k a year will be easy relaxed driving.

 

[Monkeylegend]

I have had 2 W211 220's and racked up big mileages in both ie 320k in each. Both had the 5 speed box No major issues with either cars and averaged high 40's with mainly motorway and A road driving. Very comfortable and quiet at cruising speed, a little bit noiser on acceleration but nothing to put you off.

I now have the W212 and that is even better.

 

[Troon]

I love my E220. Are you sure it's the 7G not the 5G?

The engine has perfectly adequate performance for mile-munching, and I see a real 40mpg average in a heavy estate with a mixture of fast motorway + town & country driving. I've seen 61mpg on the trip when really trying.

It's the same engine as in the Sprinter and Vito: there are many out there that have covered hundreds of thousands of miles. Maintenance is easy, and in the 211 engine bay (designed for an IL6 and a V8) there's lots of room to work on it - not that you'll need to very often.

 

[st4]

Trouble is Steve I drive 30K a year on the M'ways and A' roads of our great nation, and think the E220 would be quite relaxing up and down the cliff faces summit's and valleys of the pot holes,,

They're ideal for that. So quiet, I drove from the last services on the M5, to Helensburgh without a break.

Plus being a late run out model a 2009 is as reliable as ever as it was improved throughout the cars life and the engine and box are bomb proof and on 16 inch wheels the ride so good, but on twistier roads its ok but not sharp like a C sport. Also a 211 will be at least 3yo so a fair bit cheaper

Ideal for mile munching, I miss my old E220cdi sometimes for that calmness on the mway

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Unknown territory for me, as I have only ever driven one W211 and ridden in a second but never actually got to know them.

I've owned six W211's with the smallest engine being the 5cyl 270 CDi and I currently have an S211 IL6 320 CDi as a 'runabout'.

I'd never consider a four cylinder diesel engine for the E-Class because, for me, it just doesn't suit the W211, maybe it's ok for the little cars or the vans.

As much as I like my current car, on the motorway it sits at relatively high speeds comfortably but because its mated to the old fashioned five speed box, it revs quite high as opposed to the newer V6/7G combo, which makes it not as frugal; I achieve 38-43mpg in the IL6 as opposed to the 50mpg I could achieve out of the V6 E320 CDi Sport I owned. I doubt there will be many people that have driven both the four pot and the V6 that will go on to choose the smaller engine unless they assume that smaller engine equals lower running costs...

And be aware that Mercedes have an uncanny knack of making a range of engine sizes that all roughly do the same miles per gallon.

 

[Derek Mc]

I love my E220. Are you sure it's the 7G not the 5G?

I had thought that the 7G was introduced with the 170Hp upgrade but I am in-correct so yes a 5 speed.

Something just appeals about it for some reason. I now have a firm time line for changing cars and by the end of April it will all be done and dusted if I find a car I genuinely fall for, so this info from everyone is most useful.

 

[st4]

Its the same wonderful engine and gearbox that graces my car. 7g didn't meet 4 clyinder cars to past 2010 IIRC

 

[Mr E]

I found both of my E220s to be fantastic - an '04 saloon and 08' estate, both in Avantgarde spec. Each was doing about 40k per year mileagewise, with only the first suffering a turbo problem fixed under warranty.

Perfectly adequate cars in terms of power and grunt, and great at munching up motorway miles (it was when we got these that I started doing the run to the south of France in one hit - very achievable with the larger 80l tank).

If you like it, go for it. You'll not be disappointed.

 

[rascalmaster]

my e280 cdi is a joy

go over all three with a fine tooth comb and get the one thats been best looked after! (i'd personally go with the 320 or 280 but as above see steve's comments...)