German Car Zone

I think a certain legendary 3.2 L I6 is still in production, not to mention the Nissan/Infinite VQ37VHR (3.7L unit in G37).

Not to say that they both aren't good engines. The BMW 3.2L has already had its fame and is now about to be trounced by newer cheaper non-performance engines not to mention it is heavy, gets poor fuel economy, and has had its share of reliability problems. The Nissan engine is nice but I don't expect it to have the refinement of the Merc V6.

Thanks for all the good replies and info. *sigh* a 300 hp E350 would be so nice to have...

Yes, a 300hp E350 will be nice, the normal 3.5 V6 lost the power advantage it enjoyed over its competitors. Now Jap cars with their 3.5 V6 has more than matched the Merc's engine for power, but MB still has the edge over them in terms of torque and engine flexability. The current engine in the E350 is fine, I just wish the engine is more responsive, once it gets going the car is pretty quick.

It also has to be taken into consideration that the Japanese premium brands expect to sell most of their powerful V6 engines in the US so they can choose to tickle as much power out of them as they see fit. These engines and cars are also primarily made for the US market, so they have nothing to worry about by making them overpowered.

The European brands have to balance their power outputs for Europe, North America and the rest of the world. In many markets there are taxes on kW and horsepower so manufacturers want to get the best performance-fuel economy-emissions values with their engines. I've driven some Mercedes' models with the 272-hp 3.5 V6 such as the CLS350 and ML350 and I found them to be very fast. I really couldn't wish for more power.

I suppose in America more horsepower is part of the bragging rights and it looks good on paper too...

I'm starting to appreciate the E-Class. It used to be the default executive car that I didn't really care about because almost every Tom, Dick and Harry has one (in my eyes at least; many people buy cars on instalments here), but now I understand why it's so popular. It's got style, it's reliable, it's easy to use, timeless... What else do you want from a car?

Basically you said it.

The E-Class does everything well and has no major weaknesses. It's handling qualities are good but clearly not as sporty as those of the BMW and new Jaguar XF but that doesn't matter much to someone looking at this car.

And as an E-Class driver I can attest to the good qualities this car offers. Our '02 E320 is a comfortable long-distance cruiser and it is economical too. If driven properly you can get gas mileage ratings of 7.7 / 8.2 L / 100 km!

The E-Class is a superb mid-size premium car and the FL is even more delightful,it looks so modern and avantgarde.

Lets not talk about the many, many versions of Mercedes' 3.5L V6, I'm subject to have a "violent outburst". One of the most ridiculous things Mercedes has going on right now is the sheer number of variants of this engine. Each one with different hp ratings some with DI, but most without. Ridiculous.

M

^True,i just wish the 315hp version is generalized across the board.

BTW Marcus where have u been?