Fuel-injected Mercedes

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33052, 20 October 1972, Page 11

Fuel-injected Mercedes

Mercedes has always been a name which has justly commanded considerable respect in the world of motoring: one has only to drive a Mercedes to realise why this is so. The Mercedes 280 E saloon described in this brief-test report is no exception to the general rule. It is clearly a car for the connoisseur. But that is certainly not to say that it is a car without faults, and any car costing $13,000 must be judged by severe standards. For that price, one would expect a lot of motor-car. The 280 E saloon has a 185 b.h.p. twin overheadcamshaft fuel-injection engine: the fuel injection system is the relatively new and widely-praised Mercedes electronic system. The test-car had a heater and screenwashers, but none of the other extras which are available: they include a heated rear window, air conditioning, a master-lock system which permits one to lock all doors and the boot with one control, a sun-roof, car telephone system, special suit-cases, headlight-clean-ing gear, and much more. The car did, however, have both power-steering and automatic transmission: items which must be regarded almost as standard on a vehicle of this class. A manual gearbox is available. It also had electrically-

operated windows, with an unusual and practical feature: an extra button which renders the rear-compart-ment window controls inoperative, so that children cannot fiddle with them. The rear doors are also fitted with child-proof locks. The Mercedes doors open wide, and shut with a solid clunk. There is room for five adults (there are individual reclining front seats), and rear-seat legroom and headroom is good. Visibility for the driver is good, particularly to the rear when parking, which makes the car seem smaller than it actually is. The steering is light, but retains enough feel to make one wonder if it is, in fact, power-assisted: in other words, just as it should be. The comprehensive instrumentation is wellplaced and well-marked, but suffers from reflections in the dial-glasses. One fingertip stalk controls indicators, flashers, dipswitch, and wipers—there is a foot button for wash-and-wipe of the windscreen. The wipers have two speeds plus a third “intermittent wipe” position: a feature that many more cars should adopt. At present, it seems confined to models from the Continent. Ventilation is good, with a large central grille (adjustable) which can be set to produce a good flow of cold air while the heater is warming the feet The eyeball vents at either end of the dash produce only warm air while the heater is on, and can be used to help demist the side windows. Warm air is is directed by the heating system into the insides of the doors, and this also helps keep the windows clear. There is a vast amount of space in the Mercedes boot Under the bonnet, all the service points that any owner of such a car is likely to want to get at are reasonably accessible. On the road, the Mercedes is quiet, smooth, and gives a well-damped but not excessively firm ride. Bumps are heard rather than felt. The brakes are powerful and light to the point of being over-assisted: it is difficult to make a completely smooth stop. This was accentuated in the testcar by the excessive amount of “creep” caused by too high an idling speed setting. Handling is safe and predictable, with little roil, and a slight basic understeer. The briefness of the test, wet roads, and natural inhibitions inspired by the price tag precluded too earnest an exploration of the car’s limits, but it was obvious

that fairly desperate driving would be needed, even on a wet road, if one were to provoke any severe reaction from the car. The Mercedes four-speed automatic transmission, as fitted to all modem Mercedes automatics, is an outstanding unit. It sets standards by which other makers must be judged. Not only are the changes very smooth, but they remain smooth on up and down changes, and when the kick-down or manual selection is used. The four speeds mean that the ideal ratio is available for every condition, top is high enough for the car not to be strained at high speeds, and the flow of power is always smoothly delivered. In short, it is hard to believe that anyone would want to specify the manual gearbox after having sampled the automatic. The gate for the tunnelmounted selector has a series of detents to aid manual selection, and once learned, they are of great assistance. But most of the time the transmission does its job in such a way that manual assistance is really superfluous. The selector markings include “S” for slope—a third-gear hold the manual recommends one use on long, steep hills, and “L” for load—a first and secondgear hold for use on steep hills, in crawling traffic, or when towing. The car’s performance is good without being in any way startling, particularly for a vehicle of this size and price. The top speed is round 120 m.p.h., with acceleration to 60 m.p.h. in about 9.8 seconds. The Mercedes rear seat is very comfortable and well shaped, but the front seats are a sad contrast. They are hard, badly shaped, and provide little or no lateral location. Three other people confirmed the writer’s impression of the seats: Mercedes research and seating dummies notwithstanding, the unanimous verdict was that the front seats were “terrible.”

After 15 miles both driver and passenger were wriggling, adjusting the back, and jiggling around in an effort to find a more comfortable position.

It is impossible to avoid comparing the Mercedes to its nearest rival on the local market: the XJ6 Jaguar and its Daimler equivalents. On price, the 280 E must be compared to the biggerengined 4.2 litre Jaguar, which costs $2500 less. With this price in mind, one can see no reason for favouring the Mercedes save its finish: truly outstanding, in the Mercedes tradition, while the Jaguar finish too often leaves a lot to be desired in a car of such cost. It is worth pointing out that this cost disparity may disappear when British pre-

ferential tariffs are phased out: after this time, Jaguar will have to look to both their laurels and their prices if they are to continue to succeed on the New Zealand market. Carrying the comparison further, however, the XJ6 is quieter, smoother, more powerful, slightly less roomy, better instrumented, has a less logical control layout, a poorer automatic transmission, poorer ventilation, comparable steering, more pleasant over-all handling—and incomparably better front seats. Compared with the 2.8 litre Jaguar, the Mercedes has much better performance and feels a more satisfactory road car: the automatic 2.8 Jaguar verges on being under - powered. Against this, the price disparity is even more marked. SPECIFICATIONS Engine.—Six cylinders, bore 86mm., stroke 78.8 mm., 2746 c.c., 185 b.h.p. nett at 5400 r.p.m,. overhead camshafts, electronic fuel injection, transistorised ignition. Transmission. — Mercedes Benz four-speed automatic, or four-speed manual gearbox, with diaphragm-spring clutch. Suspension.—Front: independent by double wishbones and coil springs. Rear: Mercedes diagonal swing axle and coil springs. Self-levelling rear suspension optional. Brakes.—Dual circuit power brakes, discs on all four wheels, parking brake with additional brake shoes and drums, warning light for both circuits. Steering.—Recirculating ball, collapsible column. Mercedes power steering optional. Price and availability.— $13,000 as tested; availability about three months. (Test car supplied by Cable Price Corporation.)

Town and country An interesting view on motorways and their effect on the cities has been put forward by an American, Mr H. Heltzer of the International Road Federation. A network of top-grade roads will make it possible for more people to live in rural and semi-rural areas and commute to the cities for work, and also for some industries to move to less-populated areas. Thus, he-says, better roads make it possible in terms of comfort and travelling time for people to live in the rural areas and still enjoy most of the aspects of town life. The result, he says, will be less city crowding, and a reduced degree of drift to the cities. “We have an obligation to both citydwellers pressured by too many neighbours and the young men and women who prefer to remain in a smaller community if it will offer them the opportunity to develop themselves."” The arguments apply more overseas than they do—at present—in New Zealand, of course, and there can be counter-arguments. But it is a point of view worth noting. No appreciation In those cities where living in the country and