LISBON, PORTUGAL – it may occupy the middle berth in the Stuttgart luxury carmaker’s saloon line-up, but the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class blends the best of what its siblings have to offer in a package that looks set to take the executive saloon segment by storm.
Safely styled
Although gasps of wonderment accompanied the reveal of the current S-Class a couple of years back, its curvaceous shell was actually a portent of an almost Russian doll-like familial design language that would make the three models forming the core of Mercedes’ saloon line-up near-indistinguishable at anything less than a glance.
Granted, Mercedes has at least tried to apply the blend of C- and S-Class cues in such a manner that gives the E-Class a character of its own, resulting in a car that’s more full-bodied and less sharply creased in the sheetmetal than the former and a touch less imposing than the latter. Is it a bad-looking car? Not in the least. Such appealing design staples of Mercedes’ sedans as ornate, swept-back headlamps, strong character lines on the flanks, coupé-like roofline and rakishly stacked brakelamp arrays are stretched over a frame that’s 43 mm longer overall than the outgoing car, rendering the E-Class a suitably smooth-skinned and upmarket package.
There will, however, be some that will lament the fact that this is the first E-Class that doesn’t really strike an individual figure from the rest of the range…and yes, that includes the bug-eyed W210 and divisive pre-facelift W212.
Business-class cabin…
may sound rather hackneyed, but it’s a term that neatly sums up what Mercedes has done with the interior treatment of the new E-Class. Barring a pair of circular air vents on either side, the upper facia is heavily S-Class-inspired, especially with its vast, tablet-like floating TFT instrument array that houses two 12,3-inch displays. The lower section will receive a nod of recognition from those who’ve sat behind the wheel of a C-Class and includes that model’s haptic input pad. The latest version of Mercedes’ proprietary Comand infotainment system is possibly its slickest and most easily navigable to date, the lattermost down t the application of touch-sensitive arrays sporting Blackberry smartphone-like sensor pads in lieu of buttons.
Much like the exterior it’s another combination of C- and S-Class bits that, in theory, could’ve looked rather clumsy, but is in fact neatly applied and solidly built; striking a good balance between the former’s shapely but unfussy innards and the latter’s theatrical cabin.
The E-Class has perennially impressed in terms of interior space, and with a wheelbase that’s 65 mm up on that of the outgoing model the new car’s rear passenger compartment is generously proportioned; serving up plenty of legroom for a brace of six-footers, not to mention room enough to put daylight between occupant’s scalps and the normally headroom-robbing panoramic sunroof setup. Sealed within the E’s cabin you’re impressively isolated from wind and road noise, although their absence does unearth a touch of tyre roar on coarser surfaces.
Despite its relatively modest boot aperture for a car of its size, luggage space is very generous, with Mercedes claiming an impressive capacity of 540 dm3.
Lower decibel diesel
Replacing the 2,1-litre OM 651 turbodiesel unit that’s done sterling, if somewhat noisy service in a wide variety of models and paving the way for a new family of turbodiesels, the new 2,0-litre OM 654 in the Mercedes-Benz E220d is the firm’s first all-aluminum four-cylinder diesel engine. Although smaller and lighter than its forebear, the new unit’s claimed 3,9L/100 km fuel consumption is around 13% more economical than the previous engine while power has jumped from 125 to 143 kW while torque remains at a still-healthy 400 N.m.
But what’s most impressive is the leap forward in terms of mechanical refinement. Where the 2,1 took on a decidedly agricultural grumble at most speeds, the new engine is palpably quieter at both idle and motorway speeds. It also gels well with a new 9-speed automatic transmission that doesn’t aimlessly hunt through the gears nor occasionally baulk at low speeds like the outgoing seven-speeder.
On the road
Much as with the styling and packaging, the new E’s dynamic manners meet a pleasing middle ground between sporty and blissfully isolated. Even on steel-sprung models, the ride quality is really impressive, being well damped yet supple. Equip the car with the firm’s multi-chamber air suspension and it shrugs off road surface pockmarks with a composed disdain that’s approaching S-Class levels of waft. Push the E through more challenging stretches and the power steering’s progressive feel and good reserves of front-end grip make the E a reasonably involving drive.
Who’s doing the driving?
Whereas the S-Class has traditionally been the showcase for the company’s latest technological innovations, it’s now the E’s turn to usher in some impressive new features, the core of which under the Drive Pilot umbrella. Sub-features of this system can take over the majority of the driver’s steering and pedal-related inputs on motorways, and can even automatically resume its services after a 30-second halt in traffic. There are also a host of autonomous braking, lane keeping and even an automated lane-changing system that’s activated by holding the indicator stalk down for more than two seconds.
Overall
The new E is no awkward in-betweener; it manages to cleverly combine the best traits of the C- and S-Class to evolve the model’s traditional doctrines of comfort and class in a manner that doesn’t tread on either’s toes. It could well prove the byword in comfort within its segment when it arrives here in June.
FAST FACTS
Mercedes-Benz E220d
Engine: 2,0-litre, four-cylinder, turbodiesel
Trans: 9-speed automatic
Power: 143 kW
Torque: 400 N.m
0-100 km/h: 7,3 sec
Top speed: 240 km/h
Fuel cons: 3,9 L/100 km
CO2: 102 g/km
ETA: June 2016
Manufacturer’s claimed figures