My '80 300SD accelerates faster than my father's '85 W123(turbo). The accelerator on my father's car takes a firm push to get it going. Mine on the other hand is almost like driving a gasoline car. When the turbo spins up, you really feel the power rush. At highway speeds (60-70), acceleration is really good. I figure that is attributed to the turbo being at full boost at that speed (3000-3200 rpm). I get the same thing from my VW Passat 1.8 Turbo. Granted the VW moves along faster, but like my Benz, it accelerates faster going from 65-75 than it does say, 55-65.

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1999 MB SL500 (110,000 mi)
2004 Volvo V70 2.5T (220,000 mi)
2014 Tesla Model S 85 (136,000 mi)
MBCA member