W211, compare every engine
All 4 variants in this chassis on one screen. Identical body, identical electronics, identical suspension. Everything below is a consequence of which engine is in the bay.
Full comparison
| Variant | Years | Power | Torque | Fuel | Transmissions | Economy | Risk | Issues | Worst single repair | Band | Good buy | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E 220 CDI OM646 | 2002–2009 | 170 PS | 400 Nm | diesel | 6-sp manual, 5-sp automatic (5G-Tronic), 7-sp automatic (7G-Tronic) | 5.5–7 | R3 | 15 | €2,500 | €2,400–€7,000 | €3,150 | Buy with conditions |
| E 200 Kompressor M271-KOMP | 2002–2009 | 184 PS | 250 Nm | petrol | 6-sp manual, 5-sp automatic (5G-Tronic) | 8–10 | R4 | 12 | €4,500 | €1,850–€5,200 | €2,400 | Caution |
| E 280 CDI OM642 | 2005–2009 | 190 PS | 440 Nm | diesel | 7-sp automatic (7G-Tronic) | 6.5–8.5 | R3 | 16 | €2,500 | €3,150–€9,550 | €4,150 | Buy |
| E 280 M272 | 2005–2009 | 231 PS | 300 Nm | petrol | 7-sp automatic (7G-Tronic) | 9–11.5 | R4 | 13 | €2,500 | €2,400–€7,000 | €3,150 | Caution |
Issue overlap by engine. The row that decides it
| Issue | Cost | OM646 | M271-KOMP | OM642 | M272 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance shaft gear wearwalk away | €2,500–€4,500 | · | ● | · | · |
| DPF clogging and forced regeneration | €250–€1,800 | ● | · | ● | · |
| Oil cooler seal leak | €900–€1,600 | · | · | ● | · |
| Injector seat leaks and seized injectors | €400–€1,200 | ● | · | · | · |
| EGR cooler leak | €400–€1,000 | ● | · | ● | · |
| 7G-Tronic conductor plate and 13-pin connector leak (722.9) | €400–€900 | ● | · | ● | ● |
| Intake-port shut-off (swirl) actuator failure | €400–€900 | · | · | ● | · |
| Carbon buildup on intake valves | €400–€700 | · | · | · | ● |
Only engine-differentiating issues are listed. 11 further issues apply to every engine in this chassis. Cooling, electrics, suspension and the gearbox, and are on the chassis page.
Cross-chassis comparison
To compare against a different chassis: an E92 335i against an E90 330d, say, use the general comparison tool, which takes up to four variants from anywhere in the database and encodes them in the URL so the comparison can be shared.