Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

You know what else I can buy for the $52,150 Mercedes wants for a base E-class powered by four guinea pigs in a treadmillthat 241hp/273tq I4?

I can buy a slightly older E-class design with a 363 horsepower V8 and still have thousands left over:
2017_chrysler_300_vlp_gallery1.jpg.image.1440.jpg

Can you tell us which parts on that are directly from an E-class?
 
I was happy to see the end of the W211; I was not happy to see the end of the I6 Merc diesels. I'm not a huge fan of diesel engines in cars - especially cars of this class - but if you absolutely have to have one you should at least be able to get one that's done right. As of right now, your new diesel car options in the US are either "no" or, well, this - AKA "crappy."

2014-Chevrolet-Cruze-TD-030-medium.jpg

Are you implying the best diesel car in the U.S right now is made by GM? Okay, I know that isn't saying much but...
 
Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

The Cruze itself is not a bad vehicle. If the diesel offers similar power as the gas engines it won't be awful. A Cruze is still incredibly slow but, it's not on Patriot levels.
 
Anyone have a 94-01 (02 for a 2500 or 3500 Ram pickup?

If so, can you measure the distance from the front of the bed to the centerline of the fuel filler and from the center of the wheel arch to the back of the bed?

And let me know if you have the six or eight foot bed.

I'm trying to work out if a bed can even be installed on this chassis configuration....
 
Are you implying the best diesel car in the U.S right now is made by GM? Okay, I know that isn't saying much but...

Think about who wrote it and what he said. :p

It's a diesel car. Made by GM.


My bet is that he doesn't exactly hold it in high regard. :lol:
 
And before making strong statements about diesels, please come to here and drive the good ones. Current OM654 is fantastic unit: yeah it only has 4 cylinders, but in E 220d spec it produces 194 hp and 400 Nm. It's enough to take the largeish car from 0?62 mph in 7,3 seconds and top speed is relatively decent 240 km/h. It's miles more refined than it's 2,1 liter predecessor was, and it on longer commutes less than 4,5 l/100km is possible (52 US mpg). It's obviously not as nice as six cylinder diesels, but its sibling, OM656 is coming this year, and it's the return to straight six format.

While I love good big petrol engines, diesels in that class just make sense. Fuel tanks are shrinking to 50 liters in many cars (I think MB still offers 70, but I'm not sure) and modern turbocharged petrol engines are not that efficient, so reasonable ranges are somewhere between 500?800 kms. In a similar diesel you get easily 1300 kms.

Oh, and before somebody brings up the dirty diesel: actually at least the M654 has fared pretty well in real world tests. But obviously it must be crap, because it has zero spark plugs in its four cylinders.

Edit: km/h, mph, whatever :lol:
 
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And that won't meet our emission standards....
 
Sure, but if there is enough market for it in the US, I'm sure it could be modified to work there. A diesel and 4 cylinder can be a good thing, that was my point.
 
Sure, but if there is enough market for it in the US, I'm sure it could be modified to work there. A diesel and 4 cylinder can be a good thing, that was my point.

Perhaps, but not the ones we've gotten here to date, at least not when you're putting them in a $50K luxury car. The Cruze mounts a modified Opel I4 diesel and is in a class where the NVH of the four banger diesel is more or less within acceptable class limits. The same engine NVH is emphatically not acceptable in the North American market segment the E-class lives in and sales have reflected that.

It's also worth noting that historically when a Euro market diesel has been modified to bring it in line with US emissions regulations, it is usually down quite a lot of power and usually runs rougher.

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Can you tell us which parts on that are directly from an E-class?

Give it one more generation and it won't have any - but from what I've read, parts of the floorpan, trunk and firewall are still from the old E-class the original LX was based on. However, since Euros here seem to delight in running down the LX as "just a crappy old Mercedes rebadged" sometimes, I'm perfectly happy to throw it back at them. :p
 
Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Ive always heard it was more LH than E-class save for stuff like a steering column, rear suspension, etc.

Any truth to this, given that the LH was rear drive capable.

The platform was close to completion before Daimler was like engineer in some E-Class shit or it's killed, IIRC.
 
Are you implying the best diesel car in the U.S right now is made by GM? Okay, I know that isn't saying much but...

IIRC, your only other option for a diesel car in the US or Canada at the current time is the BMW d cars (Note - this does not refer to SUVs, CUVs or trucks, just actual cars). Their engines are a considerable improvement over the godawful unit Mercedes tried to foist off on us with the 2015 and 2016 E-class, but even so they're still not quite up to par with the standards of the various market segments they're in. The diesels are definitely a step down from their gasoline models in many respects; though that should be compared to the E250 Bluetec being thrown off a cliff in comparison to the rest of the E-class...

Which (unfortunately) leaves the Cruze as the only diesel car where the diesel powerplant's characteristics are actually in line with the rest of the market segment.

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Ive always heard it was more LH than E-class save for stuff like a steering column, rear suspension, etc.

The platform was close to completion before Daimler was like engineer in some E-Class shit or it's killed, IIRC.

I've read it the other way around - the RWD LH project parts were grafted on to the Merc chassis to get costs down. :dunno:

Either way, it's still a competing model and it still costs thousands less.
 
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And before making strong statements about diesels, please come to here and drive the good ones. Current OM654 is fantastic unit: yeah it only has 4 cylinders, but in E 220d spec it produces 194 hp and 400 Nm. It's enough to take the largeish car from 0?62 mph in 7,3 seconds and top speed is relatively decent 240 km/h. It's miles more refined than it's 2,1 liter predecessor was, and it on longer commutes less than 4,5 l/100km is possible (52 US mpg). It's obviously not as nice as six cylinder diesels, but its sibling, OM656 is coming this year, and it's the return to straight six format.

While I love good big petrol engines, diesels in that class just make sense. Fuel tanks are shrinking to 50 liters in many cars (I think MB still offers 70, but I'm not sure) and modern turbocharged petrol engines are not that efficient, so reasonable ranges are somewhere between 500?800 kms. In a similar diesel you get easily 1300 kms.

Oh, and before somebody brings up the dirty diesel: actually at least the M654 has fared pretty well in real world tests. But obviously it must be crap, because it has zero spark plugs in its four cylinders.

Edit: km/h, mph, whatever :lol:

A diesel in a 50K luxury barge? You smoking something.

Also TIL you can fully remove rear seats in the X, it has a little tab after you lift them to pop em right out.
 
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A diesel in a 50K luxury barge? You smoking something.

Also TIL you can fully remove rear seats in the X, it has a little tab after you lift them to pop em right out.

Remove as in "remove remove" or just flip the seat bases forward?
 
Flip em forward, pull red tab, take it out he car.

Interesting! I just remembered that the XJ rear seat cushion is also fully removable for additional cargo room.
 
Interesting! I just remembered that the XJ rear seat cushion is also fully removable for additional cargo room.

The Bronco's rear seat comes out completely as well, though being older it takes more steps. Fold seatback down against seat base, flip entire assembly forward, pull cotter pins, pull hinge pins, remove entire rear seat. Not a new feature, though I note many modern SUVs have gone to needing tools to remove their rear seats.
 
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A diesel in a 50K luxury barge? You smoking something.
Then I'll smoke it too, because emissions fiasco aside, it makes sense. Effortless torque and great fuel economy lengthening the distance between fuel stops are part of the luxury experience. And a properly built diesel is quiet, so the "diesel clatter" argument doesn't hold.

However, like Spectre said, it's a shame we don't get any of the proper engines here in North America.
 
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