The new Mercedes-Benz E250 petrol runs a smaller engine with a trimmed down cabin. Worth a buy?
Words Bunny Punia Photography Sanjay Raikar
The all-new Mercedes-Benz E class has been the talk of the town ever since it was launched. Finally, there was a Merc to send shivers down the spine of its other European rivals. However, the price tag of the E350 petrol did raise a few eyebrows. With the introduction of the cheaper E250 V6 petrol, those with a limited budget have a reason to rejoice.
As the model name suggests, the E250 comes with a smaller 2.5-litre V6 engine that belts out 204 Stuttgart ponnies with 245Nm of torque. These figures are 25 and 30 percent lower than what the bigger 3.5-litre engine manages respectively. The kerb weight remains the same and as expected, this E seems to have lost its spirited and enthusiastic nature. While the E350 took a shade over 8.33 seconds for the naught to a ton sprint, the smaller engine does the same run in two more seconds. We wonder why Mercedes couldn’t use the new four cylinder 2.5-litre E250 CGI petrol engine that puts out 65Nm of additional torque. As expected, the roll-on figures also take a hit, but the effortless mile munching abilities of the E remain. At an indicated 130km/h, the E goes up biting miles without a fuss with no engine noise whatsoever filtering into the rather quiet cabin. Speaking of which, there is another big difference among both the petrol variants now. While the E350 came only in a higher Avantgarde trim, the smaller E250 comes only in the Elegance trim level to keep the costs down. In addition to a few missing features, the E250’s insides have wooden inserts finished in well, brown colour. They also make their presence felt more prominently and might be favoured by many owners as the E350’s insides felt overly black to some.
The exterior design remains the same except for the newly designed 17-inch alloy wheels. The E definitely looks the part and steals the show from its rivals when it comes to the oomph factor as well as the royal image. As much as we love its front, the rear somehow fails to impart the same luxury appeal. Certain design elements especially that of the tail lamps remind us of some high end Korean offerings. Passenger comfort remains the same and so does the ride and handling. The boffins at Merc seem to have not only worked hard on a plush ride but have also fine tuned the suspension to give the latest E a new found agility which was lacking in the older model. The steering continues to remain very light and is a boon at slow speeds. The good bit is that this model will continue to come with the superb seven-speed tranny (7G-TRONIC transmission) – the same as found on the bigger E350 petrol and diesel variants. Although the new E250 diesel has to do with a five-speed one.
Retailing at an ex-showroom (Mumbai) price of Rs 41.13 lakh, the E250 seems to offer a lot in terms of technology, lavishness, comfort and of course, the three-pointed star’s status. If you are one of those who like to be in the back seat and seldom take on the wheel, this car makes for a brilliant buy.
