This is my third Mercedes. It was bought for the wife but she complained that this is too big for her even though her previous car was also a Mercedes E class (1992 model). I ended up driving it and my wife bought a 2000 BMW 328i instead.

Cost
MSRP $45,500.00
040 Black
201 Black Leather N/C
540 Elec Rear Window Sun Shade $390.00
E2: Glass Sunroof $1350.00
Bose Premium Music System
Option Subtotal $1745.00
Destination & Delivery $595.00
Total Retail Price $47,840.00


Original Window Sticker below:-

http://home.socal.rr.com/eyee/images/E320.pdf

Additional Dealer Installed Option
CD Changer
Floor Mats

Total Acquisition Cost including Sale Tax, Luxury Tax, Document Preparation Charge, and License is $52,756.67

Size and Style
This E class is bigger than the older model in all dimensions. It provides plenty of space for 4 people. The trunk is big and it'll carry 2 normal suitcases and another 2 smaller ones stacking on top. If you use soft bags, more can be stuff into the space. It'll carry 5 but the center rear passenger would need to straddle the transmissions tunnel at the back. The passenger cabin and trunk are much roomier than the BMW 5 Series. This is another plus for the E320.

This car reminds me of the Mercedes Benz 180C or the 190C in late 50's and early 60's. I like this style more so than the newer style introduced in 2003. Compared to a BMW 5 Series, this car looks more sleek and elegant. The BMW 5 Series looks more Muscular. Personally I would have chosen the BMW look, but both looks are fine. Since this Mercedes was bought for the wife, we chose the Mercedes for it classy looks.

Engine and Transmissions
This series was introduced in 1997. Mercedes did not have time to finish the development on its new engines. So the 1997 E series had the same engines as the previous model. The 1997 E320 was fitted with a 3.2-liter twin overhead cam, 4 valves in line 6. The E420 was fitted with a 4.2 V8 engine. Mercedes installed the new generation of engines in their 1998 cars. The E320 was fitted with a 3.2-liter single overhead cam, 3 values V6. The E430 was fitted with a 4.3-liter single overhead cam, 3 valves V8. The V6 is basically a V8 with 2 cylinders lopped off. The V6 block is at 90 degrees, not at 60 degrees. This necessitates an additional balance shaft for the V6 to reduce the secondary vibrations. Adding a balance shaft is not an ideal situation but since Mercedes engines are not high revving, this is an acceptable compromise.

There is only 4 Horsepower increase for this change and no increase of Torque. However, the Max Torque is at 3,000 RPM instead of 3,850 RPM. Addition benefit to this change is packaging. Going to a single head cam from a dual overhead cam reduce weight and the engine height. The Curb Weight of the car was reduced from 3,605 lbs to 3,460 lbs. The car feels more powerful and fuel economy increase as well by 1 MPG in city and 2 MPG for Highway.

In 1999, Mercedes took advantage of this engine configuration and reduce the height on the front of the hood. The change is not obvious; you have to park the cars together to notice the difference. While the new style no doubt would have some benefit of improvement in aerodynamics, which probably would increase the gas mileage. Personally, I prefer the older style with a higher hood line, given a choice. While the new lower hood makes the car looks sporty, the older hood makes the car more dignified. This is a 4-door sedan, if I wanted a sports car, I would get a 2 door, like the SLK or SL. I guess Mercedes thought there is enough benefit to warrant this change.

The throttle is electronic, "Drive-By-Wire" type. It makes everyone a smoother driver. If you lift off the throttle abruptly, the gas does not cut immediately. The electronic control reduces the fuel flow in a smooth and gradual rate. You slow down without the jerk.

I am amazed at the how well the transmission works on this car. It shifts seamlessly and almost seems to be in the right gear most of the time. I live on a hill and in the morning, coming down, it would hold in a low gear without any intervention. If you drive aggressively, the transmission would hold down to a lower gear on cornering.

Feel and Drive.
Since I owned and drove the previous E Series, comparison between the two is inevitable. Mercedes has changed the steering mechanism from Recalculating Ball to Rack and Pinion on this series. The steering takes a little getting use to. It actually has more feel to it but it has more power assist. It gives the wrong impression that it has no feel at the beginning.

The ride feels more comfortable and less busy. It seems the spring rate is reduced and the shocks are more compliant. Cruising down a Freeway, the car is very quiet and composed. Wind noise is minimal; the car does not feel floaty. At very high speed tighter valves on the shocks and a set of heavier progressive springs would be an improvement. For normal driving, this is a good set up. The car feels like one piece without any annoying squeaks or rattle.

Handling
This car is under-tired. Mercedes fitted 215/55R16 tires on 16-inch rims for this E320. While this is bigger than the 195/65R16 tires on previous model, this still hampers the handling.

My wife messed up one of the wheels during parking. I bent one of the rims while visiting in San Diego. I ran over a pothole filled with water in the dark. Did not realize that there was a hole. This gave me an excuse to swap the wheels and upgrade the tires.

I remember that there was an option called the Sportsline, which upgraded the tires and wheels to 235/45R17 tires on 17-inch rims. This is a $5,000.00 option (too expensive) with just some cosmetic trims in addition to the tires and wheel upgrade. I went on line and order a set of 17-inch wheels and 235/45R17 tires from Tire Rack. Ronal, the same OEM manufacturer on my standard wheels, made the new wheels. I did not like the OEM wheels on the E320. My youngest son and I called them "Pie Pans". The new wheels are 5 spokes with little bumps on the rims simulating the bolts of a 2 or 3 piece wheels. I could have done without those bumps but the price was right and they look much better than those "Pie Pans" besides much easier to clean. They were on sale and the total cost was below $1,000.00.

I was amazed that this simple change of wheels and tires would transform the characteristic of the car so much. I experimented with different tire pressures and finally settled down on 34 - 36 PSI on all wheels. The ride now feels less mushy and I feel more connected to the road. The favorite on-ramp can be taken at 5 to 10 MPH faster.

As is now, the E320 with bigger tires still rides better than the BMW 5 series sedan. I tested drove various 5 series and was not happy with the way BMW ride and feel. Personally, with the exception of the M series, I think BMW is over rated in general. Since this is not a report on BMW, I'll write another one on my wife's 328i when I have a chance.

Sound System
The Boss Sound System is decent and the Head unit is quite good. It would increase the volume as you drive faster to compensate for the additional wind noise. When you turn it on, it defaults to a lower setting to prevent blowing off your eardrums should someone mess with the volume control.

Quality
My fuel gage is not accurate from time to time. Sometimes when I filled the car very full and the needle is still a hair below Full. My Service Advisor probably changed the fuel sensor twice during the warranty period. The same thing happened to my previous 300E. The Service Advisor said it got something to do with the fuel. I use Chevron most of the time. This condition comes and goes. May be it is the fuel.

When the car was new, there was a vibration underneath the car at stoplights. The vibration would go away if the gear is in neutral. I think the exhaust were loose and hitting the chassis. Anyway, it got fixed after I took it back to the dealer, the second time.

Mercedes are known for their quality but the electrical on mine was bad. All my windows other than the driver one failed at least once. The right rear broke down twice. The window regulator was the problem. It is weird as the window that was used most is fine and the least used window broke twice. My rear sunshade stopped working once. My sunroof stuck open once. Most of these were fixed under warranty. I did have to pay for one broken window regulator. On another occasion, my sunroof was stuck again but it fixed itself. I closed it by using the emergency crank and it sort of unjammed itself. Now, every time I take the car in for service, I ask the service to lube the sunroof rails. The sunroof never did get stuck again.

Maintenance
I used to change oil and oil filter every 3,000 - 3,500 miles. I got to know my Service Advisor very well. After all, I have known him for years. He told me since Mercedes uses synthetic oil it is not necessary to change oil this often. He told me just follow the car's computer. It notifies me when the service is needed. The schedule service is something like every 10,000 miles or when the computer tells you.

Conclusion
At about 87,000 miles, my car still drives and rides like new. I am surprised that how well this transmission matches with the engine. It has a 20 plus gallons tank. Since it does more than 21 MPG, I normally goes over 400 miles between fill ups. I guess an E55 or even an E430 would perform better but this E320 is fast enough. It will hit about 140 MPH and then the speed governor would cut the fuel. It will reach top speed in either 4th or 5th gear. The car still feels steady at that speed. At triple digit speed, only rolling hills would unsettle it. That is why I mentioned earlier that shocks with tighter valves and a heavier set of progressive springs might help.

For those people who is considering buying one used please remember that maintenance for an old and new Mercedes is the same. While the initial cost of ownership might be the same for a cheaper new car and a used Mercedes, new cars carries a warranty and old cars doesn't. The Major components of this E320 are rock solid but the electrical is questionable. May be this is a peculiar problem with my car. Some of my friends that own the same car do not have this window problem.

Despite the electrical problem, I still like this E320 very much. If I were in the market for a new car and if this car were still available, I would probably still consider this.

One last tip. If you did not tighten the gas cap after refilling, the engine warning light would come on. There is no need to panic, or even need to go to the dealer to reset this. Just tighten the gas cap and drive it for a little over a hundred miles and the computer would reset itself. Remember this only applies when the engine warning light comes on right after you filled the car. If the light comes on for no reason, go see your dealer/mechanic.





Amount Paid (US$): 52,756.67
Condition: New
Model Year: 1998
Model and Options: E320