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E51 vs E52

M

M111

Active Newbie
Premium Member
E51 Owner
North West
Messages
10
Reaction score
31
Points
163
Location
Manchester
First Name
M
Elgrand
E51
Region
North West
Hi all, hope everybody is doing ok,

I’ve not been on here a lot since selling my E51(the plan was to buy a newer one straight away but endee up waiting) I’m now actively looking for it’s replacement and I quite like the E52’s

I feel like after owning the E51 I ended up knowing quite a lot about them, what’s good with them, what’s bad and common problems etc but I know nothing about the newer models.

Can anybody give me any advice or pointers on them?

First off, is the 3.5 engine the same engine in the newer ones as it was in the E51?

Other than the body shape, what other differences are there?

Is there any positive reasons to buy one over an E51 and is there any reasons not too. I did love my E51 and still might just get a newer one.
 
The 3.5 has a bit more power in the E52.

Rear seats can't be removed. They fold down almost flat but not fully, so there's not as much room in the back compared to an E51 with the seats removed.

None of the seats can swivel in the E52.

Doesn't have a spare wheel.

E52 has a better interior in my opinion.

People will scream murder about the CVT. Yes it's prone to failure if not taken care of and mega bucks to fix if it goes wrong. Service it regularly and don't abuse it, it's fine.

E52 doesn't have the CAT or fuel guage issues that the E51 has.

Overall, if you still want the space of a minivan, E51 is the best choice.

If you want something a bit more modern and comfy with better interior, a bit more power at the sacrifice of little less space, then E52.
 
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BlockLike said:
The 3.5 has a bit more power in the E52.

Rear seats can't be removed. They fold down almost flat but not fully, so there's not as much room in the back compared to an E51 with the seats removed.

None of the seats can swivel in the E52.

Doesn't have a spare wheel.

E52 has a better interior in my opinion.

People will scream murder about the CVT. Yes it's prone to failure if not taken care of and mega bucks to fix if it goes wrong. Service it regularly and don't abuse it, it's fine.

E52 doesn't have the CAT or fuel guage issues that the E51 has.

Overall, if you still want the space of a minivan, E51 is the best choice.

If you want something a bit more modern and comfy with better interior, a bit more power at the sacrifice of little less space, then E52.
Click to expand...
E52 dash cracks can be a problem
 
BlockLike said:
The 3.5 has a bit more power in the E52.

Rear seats can't be removed. They fold down almost flat but not fully, so there's not as much room in the back compared to an E51 with the seats removed.

None of the seats can swivel in the E52.

Doesn't have a spare wheel.

E52 has a better interior in my opinion.

People will scream murder about the CVT. Yes it's prone to failure if not taken care of and mega bucks to fix if it goes wrong. Service it regularly and don't abuse it, it's fine.

E52 doesn't have the CAT or fuel guage issues that the E51 has.

Overall, if you still want the space of a minivan, E51 is the best choice.

If you want something a bit more modern and comfy with better interior, a bit more power at the sacrifice of little less space, then E52.
Click to expand...
Thanks.
So the E52 doesn’t need any of the cats removing like the 51 does then?
 
Four little words: The Continually Variable Transmission.

Although people might 'scream murder' concerning it, and talk of as long as it was well maintained, if you get a 70K miler E52 with no service history (i.e, like 95% of Elgrands, no service history at least), you can always cross your fingers and hope the prior owner or owners 'well maintained it'.
 
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Rear seats can be removed if you want a full camper but there is a lip as the boot is higher.
Seats are very heavy, held in by about 4 bolts, some wires as some E52s if not all have electric drop and raise rear row (1 /2 split)
The boot lip shouldn't be an issue and you do gain some storage where the boot compartment is under the cover.
Mid seats are easy to remove too.

Cvt look after it and it'll be ok, risks remain of course just like any 10 year plus aged vehicle....

3.5v6 is a generally good, can have head gasket issues so look out for them as well as coolant housing wearing and leaks, again same risk as any old car.
V6 is a bit more expensive to Service the rear bank etc if gasket etc needs doing.

Overall a great car has its plusses and minuses just like all cars.

I wouldn't let the CVT comments put you off I'd moreso ask what the percentage of failure is against quantity sold for a more realistic view. (I don't have the answer BTW lol)

Main thing is buy what you feel comfortable with.
 
I have had my E52 for 5 yrs and love it it uses LPG Nice and Petrol but I do use the upper grade not the cheap plonk that is one of the issues with the Ellies they use the upper grade see you at the meet this week end
 
Elgraman said:
Four little words: The Continually Variable Transmission.

Although people might 'scream murder' concerning it, and talk of as long as it was well maintained, if you get a 70K miler E52 with no service history (i.e, like 95% of Elgrands, no service history at least), you can always cross your fingers and hope the prior owner or owners 'well maintained it'.
Click to expand...
The rule of thumb for the CVT is, if there's no service history and the seller isn't prepared to get it serviced as part of the sale, or at least lower the cost of the sale by how much it'll cost to service, walk away.

And in either scenario, only if the current running conditions of the CVT are good and no related TCM errors.
 
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We looked at an E52 before either me or the wife had a clue about anything Elgrand, the wife said I'm not driving around in a hearse so now we drive around in an E51
 
PaulC72 said:
Rear seats can be removed if you want a full camper but there is a lip as the boot is higher.
Seats are very heavy, held in by about 4 bolts, some wires as some E52s if not all have electric drop and raise rear row (1 /2 split)
The boot lip shouldn't be an issue and you do gain some storage where the boot compartment is under the cover.
Mid seats are easy to remove too.

Cvt look after it and it'll be ok, risks remain of course just like any 10 year plus aged vehicle....

3.5v6 is a generally good, can have head gasket issues so look out for them as well as coolant housing wearing and leaks, again same risk as any old car.
V6 is a bit more expensive to Service the rear bank etc if gasket etc needs doing.

Overall a great car has its plusses and minuses just like all cars.

I wouldn't let the CVT comments put you off I'd moreso ask what the percentage of failure is against quantity sold for a more realistic view. (I don't have the answer BTW lol)

Main thing is buy what you feel comfortable with.
Click to expand...
Any more info on removal of the rear seats want to put the dogs in the back thanks jeff
 
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