BMW 320D or Merc C220 CDI?

edwardcasbon1

edwardcasbon1

edwardcasbon1

Associate
Joined
29 Mar 2004
Posts
593
Location
Cambs, UK
Hi all,

I'm in the market for a new car and fancy a sporty diesel (good mpg) saloon.

I've always wanted a BMW 3 series, not sure why, but just have. But I've noticed that you can pick up a Mercedes C220 CDI for a similar price.

I'm looking at the 2 litre version diesel engines fyi, in the sport trims (320 CD M Sport vs C220 CDI AMG Sport).

I'm looking at the 2008/09 age models. They both have reasonable power (~170bhp) with reasonable mpg (~50-60 combined).

So, which would you choose and why?

Edward
 
You won't be getting 60mpg 'combined' out of either of these cars - these days the official figures are almost meaningless, so good have the cars got at doing well on the official tests which bear little if any resemblance to the real world.

I know nothing of the Merc C220 CDI but the engine fitted to the 320d is known for being troublesome at times so make sure you pick up a low enough mileage car to extend the BMW warranty so it isn't your problem when it goes wrong.

I don't really think these cars make much sense used - if you want something cheap to run then 4-5+ year old Mercs and BMW's with £160+ a corner tyres and interesting reliability foibles don't fit the bill. Yet if you don't care so much about running costs then why buy a 2 litre diesel when both cars have far better engines in the range?
 
Hi,

My previous car was a 09 W204 220CDI Sport Automatic.

9122476933_d4a95896fd.jpg


Firstly I would recommend the automatic as I can only believe it is a nightmare to do hill starts with the foot operated parking brake.

Considering mine was an automatic ... on a good motorway run I could hit about 53MPG. Around town it would hit mid 30's and in London traffic mid 20's.

I found it very comfortable was even managed Dijon to Bolton stopping only for fuel and tunnel.

Now the big negative ... my E350CDI gives me better economy. The 320D is a much better performing engine but as Fox points out can be troublesome. My 220 never missed an heart beat over the 65K miles I owned her.

Other negatives .... the diamond cut wheels attract curbs. Having the hifi screen behind a cover looks a little dated.

S
 
Thanks for your replies guys. Because of my budget the cars I'll be looking at (the 2 above) will have ~60,000 miles on the clock. I don't know if I need to be too concerned about it. My current car (mk5 golf) has just done 106,000 miles and hasn't really ever missed a beat.

I'm still undecided. I suppose it's best to go and drive both and see which I prefer.

I didn't realise the Mercedes has a foot 'hand' brake. That must feel a bit weird?

Cheers,

Edward
 
I wouldn't be too worried about the Mercedes. Just consider the number of E220s on the road as posh taxi's. Ones at this age miss out on the injector issues which affected later cars.

Mercedes are not really known for their manual gear boxes. I believe something like 80% of Mercedes sold are automatics and they tend to suit the cars. At this age it will be the 5 speed auto which reading the forums, some prefer over the new 7 speed.

The problem with foot brake is because it is release from a lever on the dash, you don't have the feel you would with a hand brake when you need to balance the clutch. Of course, with an auto you don't have this issue.

My advice .... test drive them box and see which one you prefer.
 
Last edited:
I drove both and felt that the 320d was a much better car to drive, much more responsive, handled better and so much more feeling through the wheel. Ultimately I chose the BMW because it had much better performance and lower company car tax.

Your circumstances are much different to mine, so you have other considerations as people have pointed out. As others have said you should test drive them both and then make your choice.
 
How many miles are you going to be doing per annum? Diesel only really makes sense if you're planning on doing moon miles per year.
 
Yeah, I think it works out at about 20,000 miles a year, give or take a few thousand.

I travel ~50 miles a day for work, so that's 250/wk, 1000/month just to work, then I have weekend and evening driving, so all in all around 15-20,000/yr.
 
The foot parking brake is a non issue tbh - i've never had a problem with it and hill starts either though that is a fairly common gripe, you get used to it pretty quickly.

I'd have a C class over the e90, the mid life facelift makes quite a useful difference to it inside
 
Last edited:
No issues here with a foot operated "hand" brake the few times I've used it in manual Mercs (C220CDI, Vito). Just bring the clutch up and as soon as you feel the car straining against the brakes pull the lever out. I have more of an issue with the loud "boing" noise it makes when releasing though, sounds wierd from the outside of the vehicle and probably not what one would associate with a Mercedes!

I would also avoid manual boxes on Mercs unless they have improved them since the days of old - the ones I've driven (A class, C220CDI, Vito, Sprinter) have been clunky feeling dreadful things.
 
Oh really, I was going to go for a manual. I've never driven an auto plus it looks like you get better economy from the manual.

Thanks for all your help everyone. Keep up any suggestions or info :)
 
The manual box is decent I think the post above was more in reference to some of the older stuff. The auto suits the car very well though, as it always does with a Merc (though i've only driven an auto 3 litre diesel), you should definitely drive both
 
edwardcasbon1 said:
I don't know if I need to be too concerned about it. My current car (mk5 golf) has just done 106,000 miles and hasn't really ever missed a beat.
Click to expand...

Your Golf isn't fitted with an N47D20 engine with a known timing chain failure issue though so I don't really understand your point.
 
I was in the same dilemma, just today decided to plump for the C220 blue effieciency sport. I got one with a manual box which I found to be quite similar to the one in the BMW 3 series the merc is replacing. I wasn't bothered whether I got a manual or auto or a 220 or 250, but the one I bought came up at the right price fully loaded with command sat nav etc. Just got to wait now until the 6th July when I pick it up !

9133411193_34a83c031d_c.jpg


9133560093_e0be0da3ee_c.jpg
 
Last edited:
edwardcasbon1 said:
Have you any details on this please? Also, do Mercedes pay for the work as part of the recall or is it up to the owner to foot the bill?
Click to expand...


Go to any Mercedes forum and you will see lots of threads. As a recall, Mercedes will pay. To put the issue in context, it was so bad, Mercedes ended up buying the manufacturer of the injectors to solve it. If you car has a full Mercedes Service History, I expect they have been done.
 
Personally, not sure I'd be looking at these types of cars outside of company car schemes/leasing. They primarily exist for low company car taxation, and because of this tend to come poorly equipped compared to an equivalent petrol model or larger diesel.

Go for a drive in each and other models and work out the total cost of ownership (across all factors) before deciding which way to go.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom