Why can' we get these in the USA? C320 CDI UK review
 

Saw the link to this article on the UK version of the C320 CDI while flipping through Autospies tonight. I think it is really too bad that this car isn't made available here. Read the torque/acceleration figures--then the fuel mileage.

This car would make so much sense in terms of performance and efficiency---except that our market has such a poor attitude about diesels.

Oh well---we can only hope that someday people will wake up and smell the biodiesel....

Article in the Times, UK:
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,14135-1868184,00.html

If the link above does not work, you can find an active link at:
http://www.autospies.com/

i dont think the solution to the energy crunch is to make overpowered, large engined diesel automobiles in small quantities.

i think that the big 3 domestic automakers need to introduce diesel technology into their compact automobile line-ups and offer them at comparable prices to their gasoline counterparts.

if mercedes would sell a c220cdi here(i dont even know if this is a real model) and offer it as the entry level c class, they would help to ease the transition to a more fuel efficient automobile pool.

the way technology is being used now(to increase power but keep consumption similar to previous models) is just plain wrong. companies need to focus on their entry level offerings more!

So what?:D

That's about the same performance as the E320CDI we already have. 0-60 mph in 6.6 seconds, and 40 mpg at 70 mph.

The problem is that diesels are not really popular here. Few people have diesel cars as opposed to gas. The question is who wants to take the risk of introducing a car here that may not sell well. Gas stations here are not really interested in diesel as you can find way more pumps that sell gas than diesel so that becomes an issue. Also you have the gelling problems if it gets really cold. Finally, GM introduced a diesel and it went badly. Hard to convince someone to drop big bucks to introduce a car here that doesn't seem to sell well

C320cdi
 

In this convoluted nation we inhabit (UNITED States of America) Diesel fuel, the
less expensive extraction of Petroleum than Gasoline,retails for a higher price.

Wait until regular unleaded busts the $5.00 to $7.00 dollar per gallon ceiling.
(Americans playing angry peasants with pitchforks in the posteriors of: oil
company CEOs,members of congress,anyone ever associated with the current
administration,anyone who looks like they might be associated with OPEC.)


1.No more SUVs.
2.No U.S. taxpayer bailout of Ford or G.M.(who refuse to produce modern Diesels)
3.Probably all the Diesel/Electric hybrid technology (Much,much cleaner and
more fuel efficient than gas/electric OR fuel cell) vehicles from Europe than
we know what to do with.
4.The updated version of the C320CDI for the very wealthy.

what are you talking about? the caddy/old monstrosity i have heard about?

ANY car that cannot live a modertely useful life will not sell well. from what i have heard, these cars basically self destructed when they were just starting to get used.

diesel is a much better alternative than fuel cells and such, the same pumps only need a new handle, right?

i live in the southeast-- this isnt michigan.

i do not believe it to be too much to ask to expect a domestic(even GERMAN) built economy car that is not an anemic, all horsepower and no torque joke of an automobile. they all sell one in europe, they have more stringent emissions standards(right?) and the ultra low sulpher fuel already available, the kind that is going to force us to run an additive to keep motoring in our ancient diesels.

i do not see why you and everyone else are so afraid of a more dieselcentric automobile industry. its common knowledge that farmed fuel is where this is all heading! we cannot farm unleaded fuel.

we cant keep hollowing out the planet to suit our petrolium needs! itll collapse eventually.

might i mention that one in 3 fuel stations sells diesel?

What we really need is a Chrysler 300 320CDI. We don't get the run of the mill Mercedes in this country. That is not the MBUSA strategy. The relatively no frills ones are not imported here. No frills Mercedes are chrysler and dodge in this country. More and more Chrysler vehicles have more and more Mercedes components. Hopefully the sprinter van and liberty CRD are just the first examples. Make a realistic standard to get the cdi 50 state legal and have demand and it will sell. There is no place in the US where it is to cold for diesel(if properly blended) and you use a block heater(not sure this is really necessary with the CDI). Dieter will listen if you vote with your pocketbook. That is the only language German and American business men really understand.

dieseljim--
I hear the next neon(titled calibre) will be powered by a vw sourced diesel engine in europe. theyll likely never bring it here, but if they do... i know one boy who will be first in line!

why would they use a vw engine whenever dcx has plenty of small diesels kicking around in europe, though?

Who knows what Dieter thinks? Maybe VW could produce a better, cheaper, engine that better fits that car. I walked out of harbor freight and heard a diesel. I looked around until I saw a beetle TDI. A TDI vw engine has to be cheaper than a CDI engine.

And as far as a c320cdi car goes, Diesel allows you to have both muscle and efficiency. You will have to admit that is a much better idea than the GTO or a c55 amg. Especially with a CDI engine. It is the best of both worlds. The real misers can take a smaller one.

http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/content/unitedkingdom/mpc/mpc_unitedkingdom_website/en/home_mpc/passenger_cars/home/passenger_cars_world/what_s_new_2/1.html

Diesel lineup in the UK

You'd be amazed at the power a c220cdi (4cyl) has, ours did 155mph in germany with a 6 speed stick, in a wagon. It got real cold a couple days we were there (the teens!) started right up and ran smooth, no detectible difference between that and if it were 80 degs outside. They also have no detectible "glow time", by the time you've inserted the key fob thing, it verifies it, and says "start car" on the screen under the speedo, its ready to go. The torque and acceleration were amazing too. Avg'd 38mpg, IN THE CITY. :eek: around 24mpg at 130+mph

this is why i am fuming at dcx for not offering their new compact wagon(the calibre) in its crd flavor for the us market!

my neon is about due to be replaced and i would surely enjoy a more modern motoring experience! not that my 240 is going anywhere, mind you!

i just cannot comprehend whyever vw and mercedes are the only companies that sell a diesel CAR. i have no use for a hulking 3 ton v8 diesel.

i really have no use for a hulking 3500 pound diesel mercedes, either. a 1.6l diesel neon coupe would be fine by me. i wonder if i can source the parts for a conversion? i know they sell a 1.6 diesel in the european market, dammit.

Yeah with that kind of torque you need a 6 speed. 6 speed tranny without the guilt. I love it!

Problem is a large number of us are not able to blow $50K + on a new E320 CDI....