2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class E320 CDI review from UK and Ireland

There was a hissing sound coming from the speaker system, but this went away on its own.

There has been a very noticeable ticking sound from the engine for which the car has been into MB three times after which they finally said this is coming from the timing chain area and cannot be fixed. We have simply to "put up with it". They do not still know what it is. There could even be an inherent fault within the timing chain assembly.

The car shudders as if it is about to stall when accelerating gently under light throttle. The car has been in once and came away from MB unfixed. It is about to go in again.

It seems to me from my own experiences and those of my friends and relatives of MB's warranty services is that they want to do the minimum work possible to temporarily fix the problem and send you away. Sometimes we feel that they don't even want to fix the problem and just want to book the car in to give you a reassuring feeling that work is being done on your car to rectify any difficulties you may be experiencing giving you back the car with maybe just a software upgrade.

The car itself drive well when it is working.

We have the previous model E-Class as well and have noticed the deterioration in cabin space between the two cars - the previous generation vehicle feels much more roomier and comfortable to sit and ride in: it's a better bet.

In addition we were going to plump for the current S500 for our other car, but chose the W140 previous generation car simply because it feels better put together (just like the old Es) and again more comfortable to sit and ride in. We have sources also within MB that told us we made the right decision.

My recommendation - go for the old E class or an Audi and check Carsurvey for experiences.