Vehicle: 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI
Price as tested: CDN$74400

Performance: Underneath the hood of this E-Class is Mercedes’s exceptional 3.2L straight 6 common-rail diesel that has 201hp and 369 lb/ft of torque. The amount of torque is larger than its more expesnive silibing, E500′s 339 lb/ft of torque. Its not easy to spin the tires during launch given the huge amout of torque delivers to the rear wheels. All this works in a very refined Mercedes fashion with high level of refinement and NVH. The only place you can hear the diesel clatter is outside the vehicle. Inside, it feels just like driving a gasoline-powered E-Class. Matched with this powerplant is the typical Mercedes smooth 5-speed Touchshift. Its shifts are crisp and responsive without any drama. Thanks to its clever gearing, I have clocked 100 km/h at a lowly 2000 rpm which is truly amazing. It also shows how torquery this powerplant is.

Handling: With the additional torque, it actually makes the driver more encouraging when pushing through corners. This E-Class feels more energetic and willing to turn when accelerate into a corner than its gasser silibings. It all comes with the same confidence-inspiring dynamic package. The steering has plenty of steering feel and responsiveness. On the other hand, ride quality remains as sublime as you would expect from a Mercedes. The body rolls are well-controlled and oversteer is easily detected thanks to the stability control system.

Brakes: It got the same 4-wheel discs, standard ABS with Sensotronic Braking Control. Mercedes finally addressed the touchiness of SBC in earlier cars by giving a system that has better feel and modulation. As you expect from Mercedes, the stops are short and linear.

Interior: Inside its typical E-Class fare with great set of leather seats, analog instrumentation gauges and high-quality materials. The only difference between a CDI and gasser is the low redline of diesel-powered vehicle compares to gasoline-powered ones. The defogger also works exceptionally well during today’s foggy morning.

Conclusion: With a base price of $1400 more than the equiavlent gasoline-powered E320, this CDI worths every pennies. Its not only simply the best passenger-car diesel currently available on the market, its probably one of the best cars you can buy in terms of overall package. With the benefit of better fuel economy at a little more expensive package, you kinda wonder why there are still people buying gasoline-powered counterparts.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 CDI
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Performance: 5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4.5/5
Value-for-money: 5/5

Overall rating: 4.75/5