Driven an E500, loved it, driven an E430, thought it was pretty nice(although my dads 540i puts it to shame IMO).

Finally got to drive the bottom basement E320, 1998 model year i beleive. Around town, i was EXTREMELY impressed, and actually regretted spending more on my IS300 than i could have scooped one of those up for.

But THEN i got it out onto the highway....uninspiring at best. I don't know if i've been spoiled by my lexus or what, but i was definately unimpressed. I felt it had decent power, but nothing compared to the E430 or 500(obviously). Additionally, the engine, with only 89k on it, just seeemd raspy when you really pushed it. My lexus engine is silky smooth and sounds amazing.

Just thought i'd share, i'm sure they are fine automobiles but i'm pretty happy with my choice after driving it. One thing i can definatley say is "holy turning radius batman", but that is characteristic of all benzes, their turning radius is simply insane.
R

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83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

If you think that the E320 is uninspiring on the highway, you haven't driven it's diesel cousin. I have the E300D, non-turbo. Once up to speed it is fine, but getting there is a whole different story.

Mind you, I really like the car. To me, the fuel mileage that it gets is worth the slowness. I do have to start accelerating earlier on an entrance ramp than I would in a gas car or even in our Jetta TDI.

Yeah I have to agree, not a huge M112 fan either. I like the M104 because its an I6 and comes with all the I6 sweetness. There is nothing special about the M112 though.

Try MB's new V6, I forget what its called. But drive an E350. FANTASTIC! Its a proper 4 valve per cylinder quad overhead cam engine. Pulls like a small V8, and sounds pretty nice while doing it. I thought the 4Matic E350 was pretty good, with all of the AWD crap which I don't like weighing it down.

The problem is MB really sticks it to you, to get the good trans the 722.6 you have to buy the 4matic, if you get the RWD you get stuck with that stupid 7spd thing.

Just whatever you do, don't drive an E550...that V8 is like crack.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

The M112 is a very tough beast. Plugs are every 100K miles. The later versions have no clutch fan (just electric ones up front), there is loads of room getting between the radiator and the components being driven by the S-belt.

They get 30 mpg on the highway in RWD 4-door E-Class sedan guise.

The only thing is you must keep them on synthetic oil, and the oil must not be changed out too late. The rings won't tolerate the lack of care. You will end up ruining the engine.

BTW, if I remember correctly, the new V6 engine is called the M272. Also, I believe the bottom end is virtually identical to the previous M112. Only thing changed is the type of piston rings MB decided to utilize. These new engines seem to have better PCV systems. And they do sound nicer.

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1987 300SDL (324000)

1986 Porsche 951 (944 Turbo) (166000)

1978 Porsche 924 (99000)

1996 Nissan Pathfinder R50 (201000)

I just bought one of those. Driving it requires planning. I sure like the way it moves down the interstate, that's what it feels built for (and why I bought it).

My favorite thing about the W124 is the seat. It is the most comfortable car seat I've ever spent long times and distances. I drove a 2001 E320 (?) when I was considering buying this one and it just didn't feel as nice on the highway, or maybe I'm just so enamored with the road feel of the W124 that even "better" doesn't feel "right"!

B

They use different heads since the M112 is a three valve per cylinder design, and the M272 is a 4. M272 is like a more advanced M119 with two cylinders chopped off.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I like the seat in my W124 better than the W211 CDI in one way... the bottom of the W124 has some give, and is a little springy (kinda makes sense seeing as there are actual springs in there). I have no idea if the CDI has springs or not, but it sure is more firm! Gets old after a 4k mile trip. The side bolsters on the W124 are a little better, although thats not as big of a deal. The W211 beats the tar out of the W124 in every other way though.

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John Robbins
'05 E320 CDI - 240k
'87 300TD - 318k

While not the most scholarly of sources, the Wikipedia entry on the M272 agrees with DslBnz's idea that the motor is based on the M112 with a major difference being the 4 valve per cylinder head as opposed to the 3 valve per cylinder head on the M112/M113 series of engines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_M272_engine

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Jonathan

2011 Mazda2
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1994 C280 (retired)

I don't know, all I know is when you stomp on it, it pulls like a small V8 and sounds great doing it. I was like wow this is the engine the M112 should have been.

I'm not a big fan of the M112/3 engines. I don't think they were an improvement over the M104/M119. I think MB built them to meet emissions standards and to cut costs. It seems that with the new versions MB put some money back into their designs. Probably because they were forced to, look at what Lexus and BMW is putting in their cars!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Hey, I absolutely love the M113 V8 in my E430.

Even though it has a smaller displacement that the M119 5.0 liter in the 500E, it has almost identical performance figures.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

Make sure your Bowden cable is adjusted for maximum tightness. This will delay upshifts and make the car more responsive. I have also found that adding a cetane booster boosts acceleration as well. Driving the NA OM606 is similar to driving a 4-cylinder gasser. You have to rev it to get decent acceleration.

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2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

I wonder what that would be like. Even my turbo version is a pig as far as the wife is concerned. The chip made it tolerable.

For cruising, it is comfortable. I don't find the Making up for the slowness is a different story.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Absolutely. Add to that the fact that M104 wouldn't fit under the hood of an ML320 (I'm not sure about the M119 dimensions, but I understand its a big motor compared to the M113) and that's pretty much the reasoning.

I get to compare an M104 to an M112 on an almost daily basis. Both engines have their plusses and minuses. But the M104 definitely sounds and feels more sporting.

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Jonathan

2011 Mazda2
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1994 C280 (retired)

I prefer an I6, and if I'm paying big bucks for a more expensive car IMHO they should go with an inline engine. BMW doesn't seem to have a problem using I6's.

I know they are tough to package and the old M104 design had a tough time meeting emissions standards.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

You should try a 535i on for size. *****in car.

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-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.