hey guys. i was wondering if someone could explain this technology to me in laymans terms. i am very interested in upgrading from my 97 C280 to the new E class, but read somewhere that the new E class will upgrade to direct injection gas engines in 2004 or 2005. will there be a great improvement in performance over the engines in the first production models? thanks guys.

Direct injection means that fuel is squirted directly into the combustion chamber instead of the intake manifold or somewhere upstream.

I don't know how comfortable I'd be with a fuel system in the 700psi range.

Sixto
91 300SE
81 300SD

As a note CDI (common rail direct injection) is currently used on Mercedes and BMW diesel engines. These engine make excellent fuel economy and good power for a diesel. If I could only get my hands on one of these engines in the US.

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

Ditto here Ali! But with Bush in the whitehouse and the economy as it is the odds of this happening is even slimmer than it was before. Unfortunatley (or fortunately, depending on which way you look at it ) gas is to cheap and to available for us

700 PSI isn't anything pressure wise. Those of us with diesels have lived with higher pressures for years. Actually, for the CDI coming stateside. It is the democrats that are in bed with the enviroweenies, who run around screaming how our cars will be the end of the world, and diesels are the antichrist. Our own sulpher content regulations in diesels keep them out. This is supposed to change in a few years, when the US adopts specs along the lines of European diesel fuel standards. The market should open up then for a renewal of the diesel market here. I know I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Going back a bit, do you not get CDI/Common rail diesel engines in the states? How strange, all new cars in the UK seem to have them now.

Matt,

Only VWs. No MBs.

Sixto
91 300SE
81 300SD

Going back a bit, do you not get CDI/Common rail diesel engines in the states? How strange, all new cars in the UK seem to have them now.

NO BMW or MB diesels in the US, I can't believe that MB does not offer any diesel model in the US. The last one was the W210 E300 turbodiesel.

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

I had inquired as to the lack of diesel engine choices. It has to do with the new regs for diesel emissions that are going to be in effect as of next year (03). MB could not justify the cost of certifying an engine that they would only be able to sell for two years here before having to pull it. Due to the comparatively abysmal fuel quality here (high sulphur compared to Europe), the sulphur content of our fuel will destroy the emissions equipment. Untill the ultra low sulphur fuel regs go into effect in '06, we are pretty much SOL.

I'm not sure of what VW's intentions are going to be as of the '03 model year, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see the TDI removed from the list, or be VERY hard to get.

One of the other factors must be that the cost of running a car here in the UK is so much more expensive than in the states...even down to filling the tank. People here tend to buy Diesel cars to save on running costs....which is wise. The new Renault Clio CDI does almost 70MPG....which is impressive!


Now that Common Rail engines have bene introduced the popularity of Diesel cars has rocketed.

yal,

Bush is not the environmental extremist, Clinton and his cronies were. The environmental extremism as well as the bad economy were inherited from Clinton. My disappointment with Bush is that he has not reversed any of the tree hugging BS. But, of course, he has been too buisy with the war to work on much else.

The lack of diesels in the US is mostly because fuel is cheap here and the tree huggers have been tightening the emissions laws on diesels without understanding the difference in diesel vs. gasoline engine emissions.

Have a great day,

Talking of Prices, just as a matter of interest, what would it cost to fill the average family Saloon with Unleaded. Say the standard 60-65 Litre tank. (based on a Ford Mondeo..i think you call them a Ford Contour)

Over here its about £40-£45...which is roughly $60-$70.

Disgusting isnt it.

Although I am a pretty big fan of the diesel engine concept, the reality is that have pollution issues that are a BIG problem. They emit fine/ultra fine/nano size particulates, which are extremely bio-reactive. They unequivocally cause many health problems, including lung and cardiovascular disease, whether with 'crummy' US diesel fuel or with European fuels. So far attempts to deal with these emissions (regarded by most pollution researchers as even more hazardous than gasoline emissions) have only succeeded in dramatic increases in oxides of nitrogen at the expense of modest decreases in ultra-fine particulates. The powerful and high fuel mileage CDI engines so far have been unable to circumvent this major problem.

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John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E