[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by crux

UPDATE
Wanted to bump this thread for quite some time and finally found the reason to do so

Have recently completed road trip of Goa-Mahabaleshwar-Lonavla-Pune-Goa .

The Merc performed beautifully. Absolutely a stress free drive. And contrary to popular belief, she actually was pretty much fun to drive along this route, which had a lot of curves.

The only thing about the car that robbed it of a perfect score on the driveability front is that gearbox. It is just too confused as to what gear it has to be at that particular time. So while the engine has more than enough grunt, its the gearbox that takes quite a bit of time to kickdown. Sorely missed the manual gearbox.

Stability on the dual carriageway exceptionally good and she was comfortable cruising at really respectable speeds on the dual carriageway. Had a blast on the Mumbai- Pune Expressway!
And yes she still garners a lot of respect on the road. An instance was when I slowed down for a speed breaker. Now if I was in my city, people would honk incessantly behind me to get a move on. But in the Merc, voila! People would patiently wait for me to cross the speed breaker at a really low speed.

Thanks for the updates!
Definitely reassuring after the experiences some of us have had with the older models! I won't lie, and contrary to most of my posts - I am starting to warm up to the Mercedes charm again. The ride quality mated with good dynamics make it perfect for our cities.

Is yours a 5 speed or the 7 speed gearbox? Since you picked her up in 2010, I am assuming 5 speed - in which case I can understand the pain! Its perfect for the city and for cruising, but takes away all the fun on open roads or twisties!

[crux]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Is yours a 5 speed or the 7 speed gearbox? Since you picked her up in 2010, I am assuming 5 speed - in which case I can understand the pain! Its perfect for the city and for cruising, but takes away all the fun on open roads or twisties!

She sports the antiquated 5 speed gearbox. That is the only thing that spoils the otherwise quite sporty setup of the car.

The Merc has been good with us and instilled confidence in us to trust the brand (I am in no way paid to market them), but the OTT pricing of the spares is the fly in the ointment. Some of the prices are insanely stratospheric.

[ibabsi]

Originally Posted by crux

The Merc has been good with us and instilled confidence in us to trust the brand (I am in no way paid to market them), but the OTT pricing of the spares is the fly in the ointment. Some of the prices are insanely stratospheric.

Hope your Merc is still performing well.

Am looking at buying an E250 BlueEFFICIENCY 2011 model and your inputs on long term ownership would be very welcome.

[crux]

Originally Posted by ibabsi

Hope your Merc is still performing well.

Am looking at buying an E250 BlueEFFICIENCY 2011 model and your inputs on long term ownership would be very welcome.

Sorry for the late response! Well the car at the moment is performing alright. However last year, at roughly the 95k km mark, the car showed signs of overheating.

First this was found to be a crack in a rubber hose. Even then after replacing that, there was a drop in the level of the coolant. To cut a long story short, the head gasket had to be replaced and the car is running alright at this moment.

Another problem was that the starter motor had conked off and that had to be replaced.

Please head to a Mercedes A.S.S. to get the car scrutinised thoroughly as each car may have different unique problems. Its well worth the cash spent as you will know what exactly you are dealing with.

Another small thing to look at, is to ensure that the car you are looking at comes with the three cables which help a device to connect by Aux, USB or a multiport to the audio system in the Merc. These cables are quite expensive to source if they are not provided with the vehicle.

If it were upto me, I feel that the W212 facelift launched in 2012 (if I recall correctly) is a more contemporary product with bluetooth audio connectivity and so on.

All the best with your search!

Originally Posted by ibabsi

Hope your Merc is still performing well.

Am looking at buying an E250 BlueEFFICIENCY 2011 model and your inputs on long term ownership would be very welcome.

Sorry for the late response! Well the car at the moment is performing alright. However last year, at roughly the 95k km mark, the car showed signs of overheating.

First this was found to be a crack in a rubber hose. Even then after replacing that, there was a drop in the level of the coolant. To cut a long story short, the head gasket had to be replaced and the car is running alright at this moment.

Another problem was that the starter motor had conked off and that had to be replaced.

Please head to a Mercedes A.S.S. to get the car scrutinised thoroughly as each car may have different unique problems. Its well worth the cash spent as you will know what exactly you are dealing with.

Another small thing to look at, is to ensure that the car you are looking at comes with the three cables which help a device to connect by Aux, USB or a multiport to the audio system in the Merc. These cables are quite expensive to source if they are not provided with the vehicle.

If it were upto me, I feel that the W212 facelift launched in 2012 (if I recall correctly) is a more contemporary product with bluetooth audio connectivity and so on.

All the best with your search!

[ibabsi]

Originally Posted by crux

Please head to a Mercedes A.S.S. to get the car scrutinised thoroughly as each car may have different unique problems. Its well worth the cash spent as you will know what exactly you are dealing with.

Another small thing to look at, is to ensure that the car you are looking at comes with the three cables which help a device to connect by Aux, USB or a multiport to the audio system in the Merc. These cables are quite expensive to source if they are not provided with the vehicle.

If it were upto me, I feel that the W212 facelift launched in 2012 (if I recall correctly) is a more contemporary product with bluetooth audio connectivity and so on.

All the best with your search!

I got the same suggestion of getting it checked at the ASS in another post. I understand now that it's a must.

Was not aware of the 3 cables that you mentioned. Hearing this for the first time. I will ask for these.

Thanks!