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Old 2nd July 2012, 12:40   #1
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Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

Fellow BHPians,

This past weekend, I took a test drive on both the models of the same car. There's barely any difference between the two. Neither has thumping power, but both are adequately powered, and that's more important for a chauffer driven car for us. The only difference was that the Petrol had a smoother acceleration curve, but the diesel was better on bumps because of its heavier motor.

The price difference between the two is substantial, with the (more refined) petrol motor being 5-6 lakhs cheaper than the diesel.

I'm trying to do a cost-benefit analysis - for that, I need the actual gas mileage that both the cars provide. Unfortunately, I know no one who owns a E200 CGI in India, and the only ownership thread on the CGI is from Dubai. The dealer claims 10 KMPL for the petrol, 12 KMPL for the diesel. Does anyone here know if these numbers are correct?

Driving is 40-60 KM / Day, and the expected ownership period for the car is 8 years (ie, driving is moderate, and we dont care about resale value)

Power is not important to us (in fact, the less the better -- it makes for a smoother chauffer driven ride), but ease of driving is, for the times when we dont have a driver.

What do you guys think? Any views?
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Old 2nd July 2012, 13:01   #2
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re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

Quote:
Originally Posted by mudittandon View Post
The dealer claims 10 KMPL for the petrol, 12 KMPL for the diesel. Does anyone here know if these numbers are correct?
I don't think that you will get 10 kmpl on the petrol variant. My Honda City gives me 10-11 kmpl in city traffic. I would peg the figure at around 7-8 for petrol and 10-12 for diesel.
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Old 2nd July 2012, 14:13   #3
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Re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

With Germans, it's the diesel that is usually superior. Better torque, fuel efficiency, regular diesel works just fine (Merc has a bad history with the quality of local petrol), longer tank range, more durability and far superior resale value.

You can expect 6 - 7 kpl from the E200 CGI and 10 kpl from the E220 / E250 diesels.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mudittandon View Post
The price difference between the two is substantial, with the (more refined) petrol motor being 5-6 lakhs cheaper than the diesel.
That is quite a large difference. Can you reconfirm the prices of the E200 CGI, E220 CDI & E250 CDI (before and after discount) and list them here?
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Old 2nd July 2012, 15:03   #4
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Re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

Practicality-wise, the E 220 CDI is a better bet.
Although the CGI accelerates more linearly ( read easier to drive) than the 220 CDI, the 220 CDI will give you more peace of mind, with regard to more FE, and basically you can drive the car out of the city too without worrying about the fuel used.

We have been getting an average of around 10 kmpl from our 250 CDI. On the reliability front, we have not faced any breakdowns or any major repairs so far ( Our car is a 2010 model and has now been driven for approximately 30,000 km so far)

Last edited by crux : 2nd July 2012 at 15:10.
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Old 2nd July 2012, 15:30   #5
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Re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

GTO said it very well.

You should realistically expect between 6 and 7 kpl from the E200 and between 10 and 12 kpl from the E220.

The pros and cons are as follows:

DIESEL
  • Pros
    • More torquey to drive, so fewer gear changes which results in a smoother ride.
    • A fuel cost of approximately Rs. 4.5 per kilometer, which if you're doing about 60km a day (say 1500km a month) will result in a saving of at least 10 grand a month as compared to the petrol.
    • Much higher resale when you eventually sell it.
    • Longer range, so much longer periods between fillups as compared to the E200 CGI
  • Cons
    • Slightly gruffer NVH levels.
    • Marginally higher maintenance (not even sure about this).
PETROL
  • Pros
    • Slightly quieter and more refined, but not by much (in my opinion).
    • Lower sticker price.
  • Cons
    • Given your running, you're going to be spending at least 10 grand a month more on petrol bills.
    • Less (real-world) powerful than the E220 CDI
    • Shorter range, more frequent fillups
THE BOTTOM LINE
  1. Like GTO said, check the prices again. The difference seems high.
  2. If you're taking a loan on the cars and your EMI difference between the E200 and E220 is less than 10 grand a month, then I would pick the E220 CDI if I were you. It makes perfect fiscal sense.
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Old 2nd July 2012, 15:36   #6
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Re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

Another point is if you feel the E220 is slow, it is farly easy to tune for more power through a remap!
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Old 2nd July 2012, 16:02   #7
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Re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

Being Delhi I think you can expect 8kmpl for the 200cgi and 11 for the 220cdi depending on how light your chauffeurs foot is.

The acceleration is smoother in the 200cgi because of the 7 speed gearbox.

Do check out the final prices being offered, petrol will be cheaper but 5-6l seems like too much of a difference.

I would pick up the 220cdi since over the 8 years you would recover the extra cost of it even if 5-6l.
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Old 2nd July 2012, 16:19   #8
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Re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

Prices as per MBIL website:

E 200 CGI Elegance Rs. 42,75,200
E 220 CDI Elegance Rs. 40,39,700

The Diesel has actually a lower sticker price, but the petrol one has higher discounts. There was an offer of free fuel on the petrol variant, but that is no longer there, I think.

Resale value depends on whether you are able to find a buyer for a petrol E Class nowadays after all. At least in our state, if you put out a petrol Benz for sale, you lose even more on spending money on advertising.

On smoothness, I have very briefly driven a W212 E200CGI while on a visit to the North. Even its owner conceded it was a rare variant, selling very few numbers. The engine was silent and smooth, and unless you do 500- km runs regularly on those new highways those of you up North are fortunate to have, I don't think you would find it wanting. Both the CGI and the CDI have the 5- speeder gearbox, which is more reliable than the fancy 7G Tronic. I don't know about the detuned 220CDI, but have driven the 250CDI extensively, and the CGI motor in comparison IMO is a very good option if you do 1,500km per month and keep the car for 8 years or so, if you overlook the fuel cost and resale value, and factor in the service costs for the Diesel.

Mercedes reliability depends a lot on your luck, I should say. We have an almost half- decade old W211 270CDI (the most notorious Diesel Benz in India) which has not thrown up any major problems till date, that with 135k km on the odo.

Last edited by Yeldo : 2nd July 2012 at 16:21.
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Old 2nd July 2012, 16:30   #9
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Re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

As Yeldo mentioned, the E220 is actually lesser than the E200 CGI in ex-showroom price by a couple of lakhs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by akshay1234 View Post
Being Delhi I think you can expect 8kmpl for the 200cgi and 11 for the 220cdi depending on how light your chauffeurs foot is.

The acceleration is smoother in the 200cgi because of the 7 speed gearbox.
Akshay, small correction. The E200CGI does not get the 7G-tronic. Only 5 speed gear box unless this has been updated in the last one month. Till May the E200 CGI was a regular 5 speeder but the C200 CGI had the 7G-Tronic.
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Old 2nd July 2012, 16:58   #10
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Re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

ll said and done, E220CDI is a better buy. A 5L difference points to a 7L discount, a bit difficult to digest, unless they have a huge stock which needs to be cleared.

Please note that a petrol version will definitely need better (and higher grade) fuel, unlike the diesel version which uses normal diesel.

So considering higher fuel costs and higher resale value a petrol version makes very little sense in present day.

These are the Delhi Prices from the site - Mercedes-Benz India - Price Overview - North
E 350 Avantgarde Rs. 52,61,300
E 350 CDI Avantgarde Rs. 53,81,600
E 250 CDI Avantgarde Rs. 43,60,500
E 220 CDI Elegance Rs. 40,39,700
E 200 CGI Elegance Rs. 42,75,200
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Old 2nd July 2012, 18:31   #11
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Re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aroy View Post
These are the Delhi Prices from the site - Mercedes-Benz India - Price Overview - North
E 350 Avantgarde Rs. 52,61,300
E 350 CDI Avantgarde Rs. 53,81,600
E 250 CDI Avantgarde Rs. 43,60,500
E 220 CDI Elegance Rs. 40,39,700
E 200 CGI Elegance Rs. 42,75,200
But these prices do not include any discounts or offers. I have seen Mercedes and BMW dealers normally have very good offers at times. I am sure the dealer will be willing to include a huge discount to the E200 CGI.
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Old 2nd July 2012, 19:32   #12
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Re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

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Originally Posted by .anshuman View Post
But these prices do not include any discounts or offers. I have seen Mercedes and BMW dealers normally have very good offers at times. I am sure the dealer will be willing to include a huge discount to the E200 CGI.
Not always. Merc is not interested in selling this model. The dealers will calmly tell you sir, we are charging more for Petrol as it's a very silent engine and some buyers want no vibration, no sound and petrol refinement. For those buyers we have the E200 CGI option and it is pricier than E220 CDI.
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Old 2nd July 2012, 20:20   #13
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Re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vid6639 View Post
As Yeldo mentioned, the E220 is actually lesser than the E200 CGI in ex-showroom price by a couple of lakhs.



Akshay, small correction. The E200CGI does not get the 7G-tronic. Only 5 speed gear box unless this has been updated in the last one month. Till May the E200 CGI was a regular 5 speeder but the C200 CGI had the 7G-Tronic.
The E200 also has a 7 speed gearbox now, because of which they are claiming a higher efficiency. This is as per my conversation with the dealer last week.
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Old 2nd July 2012, 20:34   #14
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Re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

When I last checked, the E220 CDI came missed on certain basic features like a multi CD changer, which made it unacceptable to me in a car of this class. Has that changed? The E 200 CGI then came with a 5 speed autobox, which made it pretty mediocre to drive.
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Old 2nd July 2012, 20:38   #15
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Re: Mercedes E200 CGI (Petrol) versus E220 (Diesel)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aroy View Post
ll said and done, E220CDI is a better buy. A 5L difference points to a 7L discount, a bit difficult to digest, unless they have a huge stock which needs to be cleared.

Please note that a petrol version will definitely need better (and higher grade) fuel, unlike the diesel version which uses normal diesel.

So considering higher fuel costs and higher resale value a petrol version makes very little sense in present day.

These are the Delhi Prices from the site - Mercedes-Benz India - Price Overview - North
E 350 Avantgarde Rs. 52,61,300
E 350 CDI Avantgarde Rs. 53,81,600
E 250 CDI Avantgarde Rs. 43,60,500
E 220 CDI Elegance Rs. 40,39,700
E 200 CGI Elegance Rs. 42,75,200
The on-road price for the E220 Avantgarde is 45.x, while the on-road price for the E200 CGI is ~<42. Then, there's a 2 lakh rupee incentive in the form of free fuel etc, which brings the cost down to below 40.

GTO - I did not ask about the on road price or discounts on the 250, because I was sure I dont want to give my driver more power to spill my coffee - so stuck to only these two.

Anshuman is right -- the reason for this large difference in the price, is that (as evident in this thread itself), no one wants a petrol anymore. There are no discounts on the diesel. I'm thinking this might just be the arbitrage I'm looking for - sub-40 for an E200 is probably a good deal for someone in my specific situation, who has low daily usage, and wants less power!

Aroy has a point though - in my return calculations, I have used normal petrol, which is incorrect. But lets use premium petrol for pricing now. Lets assume 8 KMPL for Petrol and 10 KMPL for diesel. Let's look at the calculation then:

Fuel cost:
DIESEL: 10 KMPL = .1 L / KM = 4.1 rupees / KM at 41 Rs / L
PETROL: 8 KMPL = .125 L / KM = 9.25 Rupees / KM at 74 Rs / L

Thats a difference of 5 Rs / KM. To make up 6 lakh rupees in price difference, I will have to do 1.25 lakh kilometers. This doesnt take cost of capital into account.

Really, what tips it in the Diesel's favor is the higher resale value. Which I dont care about. I only care about maintenance costs - and Im not sure if theyre higher or lower in Petrol.

BUT Now here's the googly. If the mileage is 6, then the whole story changes:
PETROL: 6 KMPL = .1667 L / KM = 12 Rupees / KM at 74 Rs / L
Thats a differece of 8 rupees / KM, and now this will be done in 75,000 KM.

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