Mercedes E250 Bluetec

What interests you about this thread?


  • Total voters
    2
  • Poll closed .

ssamalin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 13, 2007
Location
Southern CA
TDI
2015 Mercedes E250 Blutec. Previously: 2006 Jetta TDI
LOL.. you're echoing my wifes words... " I wish you would just get something and stop talking about cars everyday" . Part of me is going to miss the hunt... I might be picking up a 535D this weekend.
I'd honestly consider another low mileage CDI but in the past year we moved to a property with a pretty steep 350' driveway.. I wasn't able to make it up in the E320 CDI once right after a light snowfall.. so I definitely need to switch to an AWD car.
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/t-Use...eTEC-4MATIC-Sedan-AWD-Sacramento-t56166_L2795

This one has more safety radars than mine. It's all black. Have you driven one of these yet?
 
Last edited:

ssamalin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 13, 2007
Location
Southern CA
TDI
2015 Mercedes E250 Blutec. Previously: 2006 Jetta TDI
General Altimax RT43 245/45/R17/99H

I just ordered these from walmart for $575 all included. They are rated above the MO Michelin Primacys on tire rack. Primacys were troopers with about ten punctures patched and no flats not even close. Still have rubber at 40k, but they cost twice what the Generals do. I could keep riding on them but I'm just suddenly nervous about the last few mms.
 
Last edited:

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I have these tires on my Passat. Seem nice enough that I'm going to buy them for my Jetta. Of course I don't have to worry about sensors or run-flats on either car. :)
 
Last edited:

PeteZ06

Veteran Member
Joined
May 16, 2012
Location
Algonquin, IL
TDI
E320 CDI

ssamalin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 13, 2007
Location
Southern CA
TDI
2015 Mercedes E250 Blutec. Previously: 2006 Jetta TDI
I read somewhere that 0-30 is about as fast as the 6cyl gasser and 30-60 is slower. What aspect of your drive seemed slow? I go fast enough to feel safe and confident in city traffic and on the freeways. I don't want more speed and as is I moderately throttle.
 
Last edited:

PeteZ06

Veteran Member
Joined
May 16, 2012
Location
Algonquin, IL
TDI
E320 CDI
2014 535D 0-60 5.5 sec 1/4 mile 14.2 @ 97 mph 255hp 413tq
2014 E250 0-60 7.2 sec 1/4 mile 15.7 @ 87 mph 195hp 369tq

Those are major differences... don't get me wrong.. the E250 BT is a great car.. but the 535D is just way peppier.. I test drove a E250, 535D, A7 TDI and A8 TDI

I like the A8 the most.. its AMAZING!!! But its just a tad too big for everyday driving.. especially since the TDI model is offered only in the A8L version.

I like the 535D interior a lot more than the A7 and slightly more than the E250. I like the exterior of the A7 just a hair more than the 535D, mostly because its different and rare.

If the E250 kept the 6 cylinder then theres a chance I'd be buying it... but the other cars just feel so much more faster with a 6.

I already ordered a RaceChip for the 535D.. that will get me to 305hp 490tq without voiding the warranty.
 
Last edited:

ssamalin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 13, 2007
Location
Southern CA
TDI
2015 Mercedes E250 Blutec. Previously: 2006 Jetta TDI
No arguing with the numbers, but the first few seconds of O-60 may not be much different between the two. That is very significant when pulling into city traffic. For the rest of 0-60 I sometimes down shift in the rare times I feel I need more pep. But no question, the BMW has the raw speed advantage.
 

PeteZ06

Veteran Member
Joined
May 16, 2012
Location
Algonquin, IL
TDI
E320 CDI
Phuuuk!!

Back to searching.... the 535D I found doesn’t have heated seats... I didn’t realize that until now.. I didn’t even think to check if it did. Who the heck ordered a 5 class without heated seats?! I didn’t even think that was possible.
 

*zepman

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 9, 2015
Location
Los Angeles
TDI
Former 2012 Passat TDI SEL Current: 2014 e250 Bluetec
do you carry a full size or doughnut in your E-250, for those of you who ditched the run flats
 

ssamalin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 13, 2007
Location
Southern CA
TDI
2015 Mercedes E250 Blutec. Previously: 2006 Jetta TDI
do you carry a full size or doughnut in your E-250, for those of you who ditched the run flats
Full size wheel and tire I bought on Tire Rack when I bought the car. Keep meaning to buy a doughnut but haven't yet even though the tire takes enough trunk to be a problem with a big suitcase. I wrote about run flats here a few months ago, I don't like them, I trust regular tires much more. Of course, had too buy a MB jack too which is a nice jack. I put Michelin Primacys and now General Altimax 43s on the original wheels. I think I just typed in my make and model to Tire Rack and they provided me with choices of spare wheels that fit.
 
Last edited:

ssamalin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 13, 2007
Location
Southern CA
TDI
2015 Mercedes E250 Blutec. Previously: 2006 Jetta TDI
I'm happy with the General Altimax 43s. All the research I did led me to think it actually is the best tire (and half the price). I think they handle better than the Michelins and are quieter. Continental PureContacts were rated about the same as the Generals for traction etc. on Tire Rack and cost more. In Tire Rack, the Generals (vs Contis) have slightly less wet traction ratings but higher tread wear ratings so I figure that's a toss. The Generals also have the H speed rating, which is appropriate for how I drive and I didn't want to have less tread life with the V rated Contis. The more I looked at what was available for my car, the more I thought the Generals were actually the best tire I could get at any price. I ordered the Generals from Walmart and shipped them to a nearby store that had a Walmart tire shop at it. My warranty is good at any Walmart tire shop. I had to wait an hour for the installation and had to let some air out of my front tires on the way home since I forgot to tell them that MB has front pressure at 35 and back at 42. All included shipping, tax, installation, tires and lifetime warranty was less than $600.

The top three Tire Rack grand touring all season tires for my car were Pirelli Cinturano, Continental Pure Contact and the one I selected, the General Altimax. The Pirelli and the Conti were review rated slightly higher and were low rolling resistance ("eco") tires. I checked into how big a factor eco is but little hard data exists. The best I could find is it might up MPG slightly and may lessen tread wear rating which was the case in the ratings of these three. This is not a trade-off that appeals to me with a high mpg car. As I've said also, tread wear also "wears" the traction of the tire which is my first priority. The non eco General had the best tread wear review ratings.

The General weighs a pound more than the others, and two pounds more than my previous tire the Michelin Primacys. It is comforting to know that the original run flats weigh five pound more than the Generals, so i'm still way ahead. Also since the car came with the run flats the suspension and handling is tuned to a heavier and stiffer tire. So choosing a heavier, stiffer tire over the eco tire would be more a fit. It feels that way too, the car seems to handle better.
 
Last edited:

ssamalin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 13, 2007
Location
Southern CA
TDI
2015 Mercedes E250 Blutec. Previously: 2006 Jetta TDI
do you carry a full size or doughnut in your E-250, for those of you who ditched the run flats
What's happening with your tire upgrade? Let me know if I can help. I had no problem simply switching my run-flats for regular tires using my original wheels. I just bought the spare wheel and tire and a MB jack. No issues with CELs, suspension, ride, fit or safety. You can buy the doughnut from MB too. I'd like to hear how that goes if you do. What is your seat modification these days, still the Back Joy? Run Flat tires get more flats, and since they can't be repaired, have worse tread wear, and cost a lot more to begin with, that makes them more expensive. It means more time out of service and dealing with flats who knows where. They wear out faster so although they are in some cases have decent traction ratings, they really don't if you are actually riding on worn down tread often. Which also again, makes them more expensive. And the whole premise that you can run on the flat and get to service that way seems to me like I would have to un-safely ride on a weird tire-like object which only gives me a few miles to find service anyway. And who gets flats these days on double steel belted modern tires? I haven't had a flat in 30 years. I had about 10 nail punctures on my last tires, and just rode a slowly leaking tire to service and got patched for a few bucks. And there are few choices among run-flats, whereas there are dozens of choices for regular tires all rated by tens of millions of miles experience. The worst part of run flats may be they are a good 5 or 7 lbs heavier which may be adding in effect nearly 300 extra unsprung lbs due to momentum and wearing down the brakes and suspension faster. Maybe I still haven't made it clear: MB used run-flats because they used my spare well for the DEF, and they're not doing me a favor.

I just did a quick check of Tire Rack. They want about $225 for a wheel with mounted tire, shipping and tax included. i checked out the tire and wheel package option.
 
Last edited:

PeteZ06

Veteran Member
Joined
May 16, 2012
Location
Algonquin, IL
TDI
E320 CDI
Europe gets all the cool diesels. We got the single turbo 255hp 535D here.... Europe got a TRIPLE.. yes TRIPLE turbo 375hp 550D.. still out of the same 3.0L straight 6.

The speakers, gauges and display screen look pretty wicked on that 220D.
 

German_1er_diesel

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2008
Location
Ratzeburg
TDI
BMW 118d
Europe gets all the cool diesels. We got the single turbo 255hp 535D here.... Europe got a TRIPLE.. yes TRIPLE turbo 375hp 550D.. still out of the same 3.0L straight 6.
  1. The triple turbo is history. The M550d now has FOUR turbos.
  2. The single turbo I6 is a 530d in all markets but North America. 535d/540d is supposed to have two turbos.

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/first-look/all-hail-quad-turbo-bmw-m550d-xdrive

All 5-series diesels compared:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-JLeM67H6c
 

ssamalin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 13, 2007
Location
Southern CA
TDI
2015 Mercedes E250 Blutec. Previously: 2006 Jetta TDI
[ This post originally contained errors which I removed. I previously said the 335d engine was placed forward of the front axle and led to understeer. I was confusing an A6 problem with the 535d.]

Bimmeranians,

In 2015, I shopped for a year before I bought my E250BT. I considered the BMW 3 and 5 series. The 3 had a 4cyl diesel but was too small a car. The 5 was roomy but only had a 6 cyl. That had many downsides for me: I didn't need a 6 cyl since the MB has two turbos (to the BMW one turbo). I don't delete so I didn't want to have more to clean that I didn't need to begin with such as bigger more expensive emissions systems, wear and tear everywhere in the power train, two cylinders whose power is wasted on me since I don't drive like it's the Le Mans. And if I'm not mistaken, the BMW failed it's small offset crash tests, which was about the main reason I traded in my Jetta.
 
Last edited:

andreigbs

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2004
Location
Walworth Co., Wisconsin
TDI
N/A
Mine is a keeper. If I ever get a 2 car garage, I'm hunting down a GLK250 BT, great little SUV.
After ending my lease on a 2014 Golf TDI, that's what I picked up.

2014 GLK 250 with 48K on the clock. CPO warranty. Black on black with the AMG package, among all the others ($52k MSRP new!).

It now has 65K on the clock, we've taken it on a 7k mile roadtrip through the western USA and national parks.

A great little truck!
 

jnecr

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2004
Location
Raleigh, NC
TDI
2014 BMW 328d
the 6 cyl was in front of the front axle.
There's literally no way to do this in a car with a longitudinally mounted engine. Who told you this? A Merc salesman? About the only car company to ever hang an engine out over the front axle is Audi...

I get the other points. The 3er is a bit small (I have one). The 5er needed to come with the 2L 4 cylinder, I would have been happy with that. Not everything needs to go 0-60 in 5s.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
The ChryCo LH body cars have the longitudinal engine mounted if front of the front axle, too. So did Renault (sold here under several names and brands). Honda kinda sorta did something similar with the bigger cars for a while (Legend, RL, etc.) but they technically have the front axle under the engine, with the diff housing bolted to the side of the oil pan and the axle for the opposite side wheel running through the engine.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I think jnecr's point is that engine in front of the axle wouldn't happen in a rear drive car.

The OP's comments on BMWs don't make sense because BMWs typically have better front/rear weight distribution than Mercedes, and over and understeer in most driving is a result of suspension tuning. Overall, BMWs have a much better reputation for suspension tuning, steering, and handling than Mercedes. Even with the "softening" of more recent BMWs, they're still considered better.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Oh without a doubt at least somewhere hidden deep in the BMW's DNA is a driver's car. Even if it is buried under a bunch of overcomplicated controls and sometimes questionable styling and a jaw-dropping price tag of some recent models.

I still like the E30 as the last great link to the old 2002 era cars. :eek:

However, all the MB cars, even the old stodgy ones, heck even my W115 240D, were pleasant to drive and held the road remarkably well (better than they would look to be able to) and had excellent brakes.
 

ssamalin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 13, 2007
Location
Southern CA
TDI
2015 Mercedes E250 Blutec. Previously: 2006 Jetta TDI
There's literally no way to do this in a car with a longitudinally mounted engine. Who told you this? A Merc salesman? About the only car company to ever hang an engine out over the front axle is Audi...

I get the other points. The 3er is a bit small (I have one). The 5er needed to come with the 2L 4 cylinder, I would have been happy with that. Not everything needs to go 0-60 in 5s.
You're right. The Audi had that problem, not the BMW.

As to my "salesman" see at 6 minutes in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBJ-63JLg0k&t=1003s
 
Last edited:

Dangerous_Dan

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 10, 2004
Location
Fargo ND
TDI
1998 Jetta, 2017 Jaguar XE 20d
As I recall, the 1969-70 Mustang Mach I with the 428 had a large portion of the engine ahead of the front axle, in addition to having to lift the engine in order to change spark plugs.

They had about a 60/40 F/R weight distribution and were a truly horrid car in spite of what Mustang fanciers will claim.
 

Tin Man

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2001
Location
Coastal Empire
TDI
Daughter's: 2004 NB TDI PD GLS DSG (gone to pasture)
As I recall, the 1969-70 Mustang Mach I with the 428 had a large portion of the engine ahead of the front axle, in addition to having to lift the engine in order to change spark plugs.

They had about a 60/40 F/R weight distribution and were a truly horrid car in spite of what Mustang fanciers will claim.
"Front-mid-engine" cars were started in mass production sometime in the 1980's I believe, with the 1984 Corvette (?) with later cars by BMW and perhaps others.

But most of the rear-wheel drive cars were front-axle-heavy even if their engine was directly over or slightly behind the front axle. And the suspensions for American cars were horrid: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/1971-ford-mustang-boss-351-review
 

ssamalin

Veteran Member
Joined
May 13, 2007
Location
Southern CA
TDI
2015 Mercedes E250 Blutec. Previously: 2006 Jetta TDI
I think jnecr's point is that engine in front of the axle wouldn't happen in a rear drive car.

The OP's comments on BMWs don't make sense because BMWs typically have better front/rear weight distribution than Mercedes, and over and understeer in most driving is a result of suspension tuning. Overall, BMWs have a much better reputation for suspension tuning, steering, and handling than Mercedes. Even with the "softening" of more recent BMWs, they're still considered better.
The way I see it is the 335d couldn't handle a 4cyl engine because it needed the 6cyl power and elaborate suspension tuning to overcome it's inherent handling difficulty. The E250BT has excellent handling that's been confirmed by all the owners here and MotorTrend etc. There's nothing better than excellent, unless you want to make up "double excellent with a cherry on top". Again, if I was on the Le Mans I'd probably want the BMW, but I'm on the Santa Monica Freeway.
 
Last edited:
Top