On initial inspection, the E320's engine certainly doesn't feel as sporty as advertised. In fact, it's almost sluggish, with the revs slow to build as if there's a huge flywheel holding it back. Nor does it seem eager to scream like a modern, hair-trigger double-cammer that responds to the merest whiff of throttle tip-in. It feels, and I'm lowering my voice as I type this, almost diesel-ish. That is, of course, because it is a diesel -- Mercedes-Benz's high-tech, clean-living and supposedly mighty sporty E320 Bluetec diesel, in fact, replete with super-duper nitrous oxide emissions scrubber and a turbocharger only slightly smaller than a Porsche 911's. But starting it up outside Mercedes Canada's head office and then giving it a tentative jab of pedal and revving it in neutral, it just doesn't feel sporty at all -- just a run-of-the-mill diesel minus most of the clattering and juddering. Then I engage the seven-speed automatic and trundle slowly out of the parking lot, puttering along like a typical, cardigan-wearing diesel owner so that Mercedes' public relations staff notes that I'm treating its latest progeny with commensurate respect. It's important to keep up appearances as the most mild-mannered of autojournalists. Full Article
