LE BUMP
So my Golf was in for service yesterday and I had booked a loaner/rental car for the day. But there was some fuckup so the place ended up with one less car than planned. So a dood from the hire company had to drive crosstown to bring me this:
Merc E220 CDI, late last gen, not the newest. So I spent yesterday driving around in this monster sedan, and here is a quick car-Bore impressions post!
First of all, the car is really long, although it hides it fairly well in the shape so you only really notice when you get close. And even with this small engine (2.1l 4-cyl diesel) it's quite heavy at around 1800kg/3970 pounds. When you get in, you notice the comfy driver's seat with adjustable inflatable side supports and two-stage lumbar support. This was the automatic 'box, and the gear selector is a stalk on the steering wheel which is weird for me but probably fine with amurricanz.
Once you get going, the engine sound is really well damped, and the transmission (not sure which auto box this was, might have been the old 5-speed torque converter one, don't think it was the new 7-speed) is super smooth, if a bit laggy on initial response when accelerating, especially when you put the car in Eco mode. But. When you get on the highway, you really get the point of this car, it's just a fucking autobahn missile. The gearing on this car is just obscene, you have to go 85mph to even get over 2000 rpm. Coupled to a classic Merc torque bomb diesel (440nm/324 footpounds from 1400rpm) the engine is hardly noticable at all at regular highway speeds, which feel totally pedestrian in this. Set the cruise at 70 and you just hear a slight hum on uphills. It's like having your personal express train. The steering wheel is nice, but the steering feel is weird and artificially weighted, getting heavier as you speed up. You also feel the weight a lot on direction changes. You can paddleshift the 'box if you want, but it seems totally pointless and laggy.
This car is not for car enthusiasts or driving enthusiasts. It's for affluent people who want to get from point A to point B without any fuss, the drivetrain just being a necessary evil that should be as subdued as possible. This 4-cyl diesel gets pretty great mileage at "normal" speeds, but once you get used to the high-speed cruise performance, you never want to slow down again.
All in all, 4/10 would not buy
