06 CLK 200 v 95 520i

Got a chance to drive the sister in laws new CLK 200
and was intrigued to see how things automotive
have moved on over the years. I came away really
unimpressed. It was no more comfortable or
refined, road noise was worse, the steering had very
little feedback and felt very remote, the throttle had a
good 2 inches of travel before anything really
happened, there was a rattle or two to be heard and
a squeeking sound from the suspension over speed
bumps. As a driving experience it left me cold, if I
had shelled out 60k on it I would be disgusted. The
interior design was very nice, and it did have all the
bells and whistles, oh yes, and the main beams
were awesome, err, that's it.

Given that the E34 is nearly 20 years since design
sign off I would have expected to see and feel 20
years worth of engineering improvements. No doubt
the CLK is safer and electronically far superior but in
terms of driving and refinement the old E34 gets my
vote. Just goes to show how good this car was and
is.

I agree with Mick, Mercedes sacrificed build quality for profit, my fathers merc has had so many problems, including the car cutting out and all the electronics failing altogether, the seats moving of their own accord, the cd player and a/c have given up the ghost several times. The service, from a well known Dublin garage, has been a disgrace. They even lied about how many owners the car had! Hopefully they'll get back on track and build proper cars again.

I was in a tight and very sorted E30 325i and was shocked at how 'modern' it felt.

My brother has a 99 E-class, and in terms of refinement, ride etc it'd knock an e34 into a wonky hat. And I've done 55k between a 518i and 525i.

Actually, in terms of just covering miles, I found his '99 E240 better than the '00 735i he had before it (he traded down to assist in buying a boat. Suffice to say he loved the BM, and has little affection for the Merc)

Daveco wrote: I agree with Mick, Mercedes sacrificed build quality for profit, my fathers merc has had so many problems, including the car cutting out and all the electronics failing altogether, the seats moving of their own accord, the cd player and a/c have given up the ghost several times.

By the sound of things its not a garage the car needs but a Priest  

I had a spin off a 00 S500 and came away seriously impressed by the versatility of the air suspension. the only thing is the soft was just too soft. the hard setting was awesome though - it changed direction like something half the weight. Minimal feedback though so you were wary of commiting too much.

going back to your Q Unkel,I did a 700mile run Cork to Coleraine rtn, with 3 in the car on a couple of occasions. This was a prime way to compare characteristics.

I found the ride, seats, and cruise control far better in the Merc. The engine was a slug, and worse on petrol than the 735i (both around 29mpg overall).

The 735i was of course far quicker, as frugal, and better dynamically. However I found the ride never quite settled into what I wanted from it. The cruise control hunted unnecessarily between ratios on slight inclines on occasion. Also while the cruise  responded quickly to requests for increased speed, the Merc did it in a less obtrusive fashion.

So in summary the Merc just seemed to deliver me fresher. The seats contributed greatly I think. They were cloth standard seats, and the 7s were leather standard seats. I'm 6'3" and 13 3/4 stone, so not exceptionally dimensioned in any way.