Originally Posted by lietuviai

I arranged to test drive a E320 CDI today and it seemed to be a nice car. It didn't need to be warmed up before starting. When it started, it started very easily and idled very smoothly. It was really quiet for a diesel, I could barely tell it was a diesel by the way it ran. It was very responsive upon acceleration. The salesman even said to floor it on one occasion and it lit up the tires. Its got lots of torque! The car handled very nicely on curves and road imperfections and potholes are not jarring to the cabin. The seats on the otherhand are a bit hard for my liking even though they are fully adjustable and supportive. I also heard quite a bit of road noise which I thought was a bit unacceptable for such an expensive car. I didn't like the CD/audio controls with the TV like screen either. If its anyway related to the electronics of our W123/126 cars I don't think it'll hold up in the long run just like the climate and cruise controls of our older cars.
The last thing I didn't like either was the "smart" key. It's not a regular key like we're used to. It's some electronic gadget that works like a key. Again I'm not a fan of modern electronics, especially not in MB cars, and this thing worries the heck out of me. I'd rather have an old fashioned key that if it breaks, I can get a new one made for a $1 or whatever they cost these days at your local locksmith. I could only imagine what one of those "smart" keys costs to replace.