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TEST DRIVE
E320 polishes image of diesel car
Mercedes sedan gives excellent fuel economy, performance.
Although overlooked by many luxury car shoppers, there are diesel-engined sedans out there that are competent and quite pleasing to drive --- a good example being the 2006 Mercedes-Benz E320 turbocharged sedan.
It's one of 10 currently available E-Class cars, ranging in price from $50,050 to $82,600. Naturally, the E320 has the amenities expected of a vehicle with a base price of $51,050, but it has virtually none of the potentially irritating characteristics traditionally associated with diesel-powered vehicles.
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2006 Mercedes-Benz E320
(click on photo to enlarge)
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Between its turbocharged 3.2-liter six-cylinder engine and today's refined fuel, the $55,465 tester had no diesel smell. Only brief moments of engine clatter --- much like the sound of an oil-less engine --- at startup and slow speed identified it as a diesel.
As for drivability, the way the E320 accelerated was rather surprising. Road & Track credits it with a zero-to-60 mph clocking of 6.6 seconds, and the tester indicated there was nothing wrong with the magazine's timing equipment. In addition, the test E320 verified the EPA ratings of 27 miles per gallon in the city and the truly impressive 37 mpg on the highway. The tester also indicated there's no need to be a total feather-foot on the throttle to approximate those numbers.
Despite having a mere 201 hp at its driver's disposal, the E320 can deliver a fair degree of enthusiast performance (you will note that it has 369 pounds-feet of torque kicking in at 1,800 rpm).
So simply use the driver-selectable feature for the five-speed automatic transmission and toggle the center console-mounted shifter to go up and down through the gears. Third gear is a workhorse in most situations and at most usable speeds.
On the highway, the tester cruised smoothly and effortlessly with a ready willingness to speed up for passing other vehicles.
The ride, not surprisingly, was firmly comfortable with the independent suspension absorbing bumps and road irregularities. There was some suspension noise but hardly enough to spoil the drive.
Visually pleasing leather and wood give the E320's cabin the expected upscale look, and the standard/optional features are, for the most part, easily operated and pleasing.
Minor irritants include a cruise control stalk on the steering column that's easily confused with the turn signal stalk and an inconsistent brake pedal feel (no problem with brake fade, however).
Obviously, the diesel E320 is a solid example of what Mercedes-Benz is about with the added perk of its very impressive fuel mileage figures that aren't gained at the cost of performance.
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