Topic: Test Drive: 2014 Mercedes-Benz E 250 4MaticBlueTEC Diesel

[OliverD]

Well written Tom!! I love this car.....except for the engine....too small, needs more POWAHHHHH. I guess Im one of those ones that still wont buy a Merc if it doesnt have at least a V8 under the hood.

V8s will likely soon be reserved for the S/SL classes and the SUVs. The E550 sedan is going away for '15, replaced by the E400 which has a twin-turbo V6.

[Northernridge]

Nice review, pretty accurate IMO. FWIW I can easily reach 5.5-6l/100km at 90km/h in the Berlin taxi (3.5l V6 gasser)...

[Fobroader]

Well written Tom!! I love this car.....except for the engine....too small, needs more POWAHHHHH. I guess Im one of those ones that still wont buy a Merc if it doesnt have at least a V8 under the hood.

V8s will likely soon be reserved for the S/SL classes and the SUVs. The E550 sedan is going away for '15, replaced by the E400 which has a twin-turbo V6.

Feckin BOOOOOO

[whaddaiknow]

The harder I look at it, the more I like it. Full stop.

[OliverD]

Well written Tom!! I love this car.....except for the engine....too small, needs more POWAHHHHH. I guess Im one of those ones that still wont buy a Merc if it doesnt have at least a V8 under the hood.

V8s will likely soon be reserved for the S/SL classes and the SUVs. The E550 sedan is going away for '15, replaced by the E400 which has a twin-turbo V6.

Feckin BOOOOOO

Well...there's still the AMG models, at least.

[Wildsau]

    Great article, this is one of my favorite all-round cars available today, but a little out of my price range. Tom, your gas mileage conversion is a little off. I suspect you have inadvertently used the U.S. measurement for which 26 mpg is correct.  The 9.0 L per 100 km which you achieved is actually more like 31.4 mpg to the Canadian (Imp.) gallon.

You're right about that - I always convert my L/100 km to US mpg. We had a conversation here a while ago, wherein we decided to use US mpg if they were being included. It can be confusing, I agree.

Somehow my mind still works in US mpg first, then L/100 km - probably the result of reading every US car magazine I could get my hands on for the first 30 years of my life. 

[Fobroader]

    Great article, this is one of my favorite all-round cars available today, but a little out of my price range. Tom, your gas mileage conversion is a little off. I suspect you have inadvertently used the U.S. measurement for which 26 mpg is correct.  The 9.0 L per 100 km which you achieved is actually more like 31.4 mpg to the Canadian (Imp.) gallon.

You're right about that - I always convert my L/100 km to US mpg. We had a conversation here a while ago, wherein we decided to use US mpg if they were being included. It can be confusing, I agree.

Somehow my mind still works in US mpg first, then L/100 km - probably the result of reading every US car magazine I could get my hands on for the first 30 years of my life.

Thats ok, you should be working mainly in MPG or L/100km, but L/100Km should be the fallback as most of the people I know have a very vague grasp of what MPG actually means.

[Wildsau]

Do you think it'll sell more if they called it E 300 4Matic BlueTEC Diesel?

Hate to admit, but I think so.

I'd love to get this car for myself when my kids grow up and leave.  That's gonna be at least 18 years

That's an interesting question - one I posed myself when I was reviewing this car. It's purely a psychological thing, but I agree - the smaller number behind the E makes it seem like a cheaper, less awesome car. I absolutely hate this line, but when I saw my first one on the road, I thought "Oh, a poor man's E-class."

I guess they went with the 250 to differentiate it from the 300 gasser rather than having to distinguish it with the BlueTEC badging too? Who knows.

I chuckled when I read your comment though as that exact thought crossed my mind.

[Northernridge]

I thought exclusively in miles per gallon until I joined the forum here, then I switched to l/100km, and now I can't really relate to MPG any more. You guys wrecked me.

[dirtyjeffer]

this is a great vehicle...i just wish it had a more conventional shifter (that silly thing on the steering wheel stalk seems cheezy to me)...in any case, sub 5L/100kms and an 80L fuel tank means you could potentially drive about 1600-1700 kms on a tank of fuel if you keep the speeds and aggressive throttle in check...you can almost get to Florida on a tank of fuel...wowsers.

[Northernridge]

this is a great vehicle...i just wish it had a more conventional shifter (that silly thing on the steering wheel stalk seems cheezy to me)...in any case, sub 5L/100kms and an 80L fuel tank means you could potentially drive about 1600-1700 kms on a tank of fuel if you keep the speeds and aggressive throttle in check...you can almost get to Florida on a tank of fuel...wowsers.

My last E Class still had the console shifter...nice and good feel, etc. At first I also thought the new stalk electronic shifter was silly (and not intuitive). But after a day or so it's routine and having freed up the console results in a cleaner design with more storage. So, I think it is a bit silly and maybe cheesy, but an overall improvement. I've come to like the idea of electronic shifters (no direct linkage) allowing designers to invent new switchery and put it anywhere. I like the Dodge Ram system too (assuming they're stuck with it). Jaguar also uses a version.

[dirtyjeffer]

My last E Class still had the console shifter...nice and good feel, etc. At first I also thought the new stalk electronic shifter was silly (and not intuitive). But after a day or so it's routine and having freed up the console results in a cleaner design with more storage. So, I think it is a bit silly and maybe cheesy, but an overall improvement. I've come to like the idea of electronic shifters (no direct linkage) allowing designers to invent new switchery and put it anywhere. I like the Dodge Ram system too (assuming they're stuck with it). Jaguar also uses a version.

i guess like anything, it's just different so you get used to it...i've seen the round dial in Jags that pop up when you start the car...looks cool, and a rotary dial to select your gear seems smart...FWIW, i didn't like the flimsy gear shift lever in the Prius either.

[Northernridge]

re: flimsy. New generation stalks on Mercedes are more flimsy than they used to be. The old ones could easily have impaled you in a crash (they were nice stout metal). The crappy new plastic ones would probably just bend. 

[sailor723]

this is a great vehicle...i just wish it had a more conventional shifter (that silly thing on the steering wheel stalk seems cheezy to me)...in any case, sub 5L/100kms and an 80L fuel tank means you could potentially drive about 1600-1700 kms on a tank of fuel if you keep the speeds and aggressive throttle in check...you can almost get to Florida on a tank of fuel...wowsers.

Range is certainly one of the advantages diesels have. Even pushing 5000+ lbs at 125 I regularly go 850-900 kms on the highway between fillups with a 93l tank in my ML (and that's with about 1/8 of a tank still showing)

[dragonfly]

 Enough with the controversy over US gallons and Imperial gallons...What I don't understand is why the Canucks usethe K/100 or whatever...Why not KPL...What's wrong with that?  I don't get it...I really like MPG..simple...Love this car..Jack

[mlin32]

My last E Class still had the console shifter...nice and good feel, etc. At first I also thought the new stalk electronic shifter was silly (and not intuitive). But after a day or so it's routine and having freed up the console results in a cleaner design with more storage. So, I think it is a bit silly and maybe cheesy, but an overall improvement. I've come to like the idea of electronic shifters (no direct linkage) allowing designers to invent new switchery and put it anywhere. I like the Dodge Ram system too (assuming they're stuck with it). Jaguar also uses a version.

Aren't there enough stalks around the steering wheel already? I dislike multi-function stalks (like how Japanese cars put the headlamp switch with the indicator stalk), so with Mercs, between the gear shift, indicator, cruise, and wipers all behind the steering wheel.....seems like an ergonomic mess. BMW tried this once with the E65 7er and quit immediately afterward.

That said, I do like the electronic console-mounted shifters like what BMW, Jag, and others use.

[tpl]

re: flimsy. New generation stalks on Mercedes are more flimsy than they used to be. The old ones could easily have impaled you in a crash (they were nice stout metal). The crappy new plastic ones would probably just bend. 

I like the little gear selector on the B  but when I drive the Fit I put the wipers on after I have reversed out of the drive and expect to then go forward.   

[Northernridge]

My last E Class still had the console shifter...nice and good feel, etc. At first I also thought the new stalk electronic shifter was silly (and not intuitive). But after a day or so it's routine and having freed up the console results in a cleaner design with more storage. So, I think it is a bit silly and maybe cheesy, but an overall improvement. I've come to like the idea of electronic shifters (no direct linkage) allowing designers to invent new switchery and put it anywhere. I like the Dodge Ram system too (assuming they're stuck with it). Jaguar also uses a version.

Aren't there enough stalks around the steering wheel already? I dislike multi-function stalks (like how Japanese cars put the headlamp switch with the indicator stalk), so with Mercs, between the gear shift, indicator, cruise, and wipers all behind the steering wheel.....seems like an ergonomic mess. BMW tried this once with the E65 7er and quit immediately afterward.

That said, I do like the electronic console-mounted shifters like what BMW, Jag, and others use.

I've come to like all the stalks Mercedes uses...kind of a unique Benz thing. They quickly become second nature to use.

[canbra]

Enough with the controversy over US gallons and Imperial gallons...What I don't understand is why the Canucks usethe K/100 or whatever...Why not KPL...What's wrong with that?  I don't get it...I really like MPG..simple...Love this car..Jack

I believe in Europe (or least part of it; at least France that I know of) they measure like in Canada.

Notwithstanding that, I had always been used to kpL and had to re-program some brain switches to think in L/100km when I moved here. And more often than not, I have to start from "10" (same on both units) and then go from there to where I want.

Back to the topic, I really love this diesel E-class. It has everything I value for a daily drive.

Edited to remove a brain fart I had.

[sailor723]

re: flimsy. New generation stalks on Mercedes are more flimsy than they used to be. The old ones could easily have impaled you in a crash (they were nice stout metal). The crappy new plastic ones would probably just bend. 

I like the little gear selector on the B  but when I drive the Fit I put the wipers on after I have reversed out of the drive and expect to then go forward.

I have the same problem switching back and forth between the ML and the 328