Road Test: Mercedes-Benz E270 CDI

The best five-pot oil burner in the business.. One of the strongest engine configurations in the Mercedes-Benz diesel portfolio has to be the five-cylinder inline range but the 270 CDI is also one of the most modern, having been conceived to power not just saloons and estates but also upscale SUVs. This unit embraces a cast iron cylinder block and an aluminium head which have been designed to withstand the immensely strong operating pressures whipped up by the latest common rail diesel technology. The engine features near all-square cylinder dimensions (bore and stroke measuring 88.0 x 88.3mm) making for a 2685cc engine capacity. This twin overhead cam, 20-valve engine though is not all about its huge displacement but also packs in a highly efficient VNT turbocharger which has its vanes designed and turned to perform in such a way that there is a strong build up of pressure even from light throttle openings low down in the rev range. This second generation CDI unit features improved electronic controls, especially in areas like fuel metering which is even more precise. Of course hardware details have also been brought up to speed, notably in areas like newer injectors (seven-hole type) and higher injection pressures (up from 1350 bar to 1600 bar). Then there is also the double pilot-injection which in a direct injection diesel helps cuts down combustion noise appreciably. So allied with both a large volumetric base and a most efficient turbocharger ramming in even ore air for combustion, the five-cylinder engine develops a strong 175.5PS of power at 3800rpm but this is nothing in contract to the prodigious 425Nm of torque produced in the 1800 – 2300rpm band. This has to be the most powerful automobile diesel in the country and as one can see from the test results, it is also one of the brawniest as well as supremely efficient powerplants going. The E270 CDI, like most in the Mercedes range sports an automatic transmission, this being the five-speed ‘box also seen in previous other models. Given the torque on tap, this electro-hydraulic system is best able to handle power delivery to the wheels and is a fantastic piece of kit in its right.

The best five-pot oil burner in the business..

One of the strongest engine configurations in the Mercedes-Benz diesel portfolio has to be the five-cylinder inline range but the 270 CDI is also one of the most modern, having been conceived to power not just saloons and estates but also upscale SUVs. This unit embraces a cast iron cylinder block and an aluminium head which have been designed to withstand the immensely strong operating pressures whipped up by the latest common rail diesel technology. The engine features near all-square cylinder dimensions (bore and stroke measuring 88.0 x 88.3mm) making for a 2685cc engine capacity. This twin overhead cam, 20-valve engine though is not all about its huge displacement but also packs in a highly efficient VNT turbocharger which has its vanes designed and turned to perform in such a way that there is a strong build up of pressure even from light throttle openings low down in the rev range.

This second generation CDI unit features improved electronic controls, especially in areas like fuel metering which is even more precise. Of course hardware details have also been brought up to speed, notably in areas like newer injectors (seven-hole type) and higher injection pressures (up from 1350 bar to 1600 bar). Then there is also the double pilot-injection which in a direct injection diesel helps cuts down combustion noise appreciably.

So allied with both a large volumetric base and a most efficient turbocharger ramming in even ore air for combustion, the five-cylinder engine develops a strong 175.5PS of power at 3800rpm but this is nothing in contract to the prodigious 425Nm of torque produced in the 1800 – 2300rpm band. This has to be the most powerful automobile diesel in the country and as one can see from the test results, it is also one of the brawniest as well as supremely efficient powerplants going.

The E270 CDI, like most in the Mercedes range sports an automatic transmission, this being the five-speed ‘box also seen in previous other models. Given the torque on tap, this electro-hydraulic system is best able to handle power delivery to the wheels and is a fantastic piece of kit in its right.

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