The most popular Mercedes-Benz gets a comprehensive facelift and can almost pass itself off as an all-new car
What makes German luxury cars more desirable than their competitors is the meticulous attention to detail their engineers pay in order to give their automobiles an immaculate quality. Take the newly upgraded E-Class, for example, where Mercedes-Benz have replaced no less than 2,000 parts and components with modern and appealing ones. So much so that this luxury saloon can almost pass itself off as a completely new car.
If you flip the pages of recent auto history, the E-Class will emerge as the most popular model from the German luxury car-makers internationally and the trend was followed in India too. Mercedes-Benz started their Indian innings with the CKD production of the E-Class, making it the first luxury saloon to be assembled on our soil. In fact, the company boasts of the E-Class being the highest sold luxury sedan in India… ever, with 23,000 units sold to date! Currently, the company seems to be keeping things simple, for the new model is being offered in just two engine variants: the diesel 250 CDI (which we tested) and the petrol 200 CGI, both available only in the Avant-garde line.
The Stuttgart engineers have introduced smart design revisions that interestingly complement the classic lines of the E-Class, making it appear much younger and vibrant. The fresh new face sheds the old sharp edges for more flowing and fluid styling. I particularity find the new, single headlamps to be the highlight of this car’s exterior design. They have a pair of LED strips that retain the quad-headlight look, which, over the years, has become synonymous with the E-Class design. The bonnet and front bumpers have been completely re-designed and are now attractively carved out, with the chunky dual-slat grille firmly holding a new tri-star, lending the right amount of spunk to the saloon. The overall length has been increased by 11 mm than in the out-going model and now a new feature-line runs from the rear door through to the tail-light to give the new model a distinct side profile. Enhancing the look are cool five-twin-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels, which, interestingly, are of different sizes, where the front has slimmer 245/40 R18 tyres, with much wider 265/35 R18 rear tyres. The rear design also gets some smart tweaks with a revised bumper, chrome-tipped dual exhausts and a pair of new LED tail-lights. The new E-Class exudes its inherent class and elegance, yet looks refreshingly fresh and saucy.
The interior keeps the Mercedes tradition going with a new dashboard layout and spacious cabin. There’s plenty of opulence to talk about like the matte wood trims, high-quality chrome highlights and ambient lighting beneath the dashboard and on the doors, to name a few. Altogether, these augment the mood inside the E-Class of sophistication and luxury. The feature list is long and raises the level of comfort like the memory seats with lumbar support for the front seats, while fine ARTICO leather upholstery add to the premium feel. There’s even a new infotainment system with upgraded COMAND system, which includes Sat Nav and DVD player. Features like the Universal Media Interface UMI and Bluetooth providing connectivity to various phones and portable devices such as iPad, iPod, among others, are a welcome addition to the E 250 CDI.
The new multi-function steering wheel looks smart and comes with gear shifting paddles as standard to keep the sporty theme going. The centre console looks neat as the gear selector is located on the steering column. But then the steering column becomes cluttered as it holds several levers, including one for indicator and wiper, another for cruise control and a tiny one to adjust the steering wheel’s rake and reach. Getting used to all these can take a while. I find the rear seat comfort of the E-Class second to none in the segment, with plenty of pampering for those who prefer to be chauffeur-driven in well bolstered seats, dedicated a-c vents, reading lights and a full-sized sun-roof. Front-head-rest mounted display for the rear seat occupant would have been ideal, but, unfortunately, are not included in the standard fitment of the E 250 CDI. But you do get a very practical 540-litre boot along with a full-size spare wheel as standard, which is essential for our country, especially during long hauls.
The E 250 CDI we tested was equipped with a 2,143-cc, four-cylinder diesel engine, which is also seen on the B-Class that we featured last month. Here the motor generates a strong torque of 500 Nm at 1,600-1,800 revolutions per minute and has a rated output of 204 PS at 4,200 RPM. And as on the B-Class, it has audible diesel clatter, but due to the great sound insulation on the ‘E’, most of the noise does not filter through to the cabin. The saloon is mated to a seven-speed torque converter, called the 7G-TRONIC PLUS transmission. The gear shifts, however, are not as brisk as one would have desired and it takes a fraction of a second longer to shift down, which makes the drive competitively less dynamic. And this is by design as the E-Class isn’t a car that munches a sports car for breakfast, but is more like being transported to work or home in the comfort of your favourite couch. It comes with two driving modes, Sport and Eco, which change the characteristics of the car as their names suggest. But even in ‘Sport’ the gearshifts weren’t really lightning-fast and neither was the throttle response blistering fast. This may disappoint enthusiasts, although the chauffeur-driven majority won’t have many complaints as the gradual flow of power ensures a smooth and relaxed drive for the occupants, albeit a bit lethargic. With a limited top speed of 242 km/h, a 0-100 km/h time of 8.93 seconds and quarter mile run in 16.43 seconds with 138.10 km/h terminal speed, the performance is fairly decent, but not enough to leave the competition biting the dust. The good roll-on figures from 40-100 km/h in just 7.16 seconds indicate a fairly strong mid-range, which makes overtaking very easy and it’s just what you need within the city.
The well-cushioned and supple ride quality also highlights the focus on comfort than for enthusiastic driving. The multi-linked suspension of this car has been tuned for comfort, though the Agility Control damping does a great job of firming up the setting when it senses harsher body movement, which improves the car’s dynamics, such as during fast cornering manoeuvres. At the same time, Agility Control softens things up at lower speeds to improve comfort, due to which some sharp bumps do creep into the cabin. The E shows its best side at high speeds, as it soaks in all the road undulations and ride improves several folds and even the engine sounds better, though there is some body-roll round sharp corners. The electrically assisted steering is light, making it excellent for city driving and while parking, though I desired a little more feedback and connect. The new, flowing body design gives the E-Class excellent aerodynamics with a Cd value 0.26 and is also equipped with ECO start/stop function, a combination which makes the new E-Class very efficient. We managed to squeeze out 9.5 km/l in the city and 15 km/l on the highway and with a large 80-litre fuel-tank, this luxury saloon can cover up to 1,200 km on a full tank.
Making my life easy are plenty of driver’s aids, like the full LED headlights with adaptive lighting, reversing camera, tyre pressure loss warning system, Hill Start Assist and Adaptive Brake Light with HOLD function. One of the interesting additional features is the Active Park Assist, which helps to locate a suitable parking slot and automatically parks the Mercedes, all I had to do is moderate the speed. However, the self-parking system in other cars, such as the one in the Volkswagen Passat, is smarter and more intuitive. Reinforcing European safety standards the E-Class comes with Pre-Safe as standard and boasts of ESP, ASR (Anti-Skid Resistance), ABS and eight airbags.
The new E-Class is aggressively designed and efficient, flaunts a long list of features, though it isn’t the most involving car to drive in the segment. However, as an overall package it is emotionally more appealing now. It’s an excellent option for the Rs 50-lakh car-buyers, especially for Mercedes-Benz aficionados. With an aggressive price of Rs 43.65 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune) for the new 250 CDI Avant-garde, the E-Class is back in the game.
There’s plenty of opulence to talk about like the matte wood trims, high-quality chrome highlights and ambient lighting beneath the dashboard and on the doors, to name a few
Story: Sarmad Kadiri
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
