The eternal battle resumes as we pit the all-new Mercedes-Benz E-Class against its arch enemy and former Top 12 Best Buys champion…
In the world of politics and business, presidents and CEOs take all the limelight, posing for pictures at press events and signing multimillion-rand deals. However, back at the office, the vice presidents put in late nights crunching the numbers to make sure it all works.
Things are not dissimilar in the motoring world. While models such as the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class garner all the accolades, it is the more affordable, yet no less capable, 5 Series and E-Class that are more popular, sell in larger numbers and are more important to the manufacturers’ bottom line.
March saw the international launch of the all-new E-Class and it’s now offered for sale here in South Africa. Mercedes-Benz SA has launched a trio of models: an E200, E350d and the protagonist of this test, the E220d. An E250 and E400 have since joined the local line-up, while two AMG-badged E-Class derivatives will follow (the E43 at the end of this year and the E63 around the middle of 2017).
With multiple gongs earned in CAR’s Top 12 Best Buys awards over the years, the BMW 5 Series is a perennial frontrunner in the executive-sedan category. It would be remiss of us not to bring it to the party to see if it can fend off a challenge from the brand-new E (of course, the new BMW 5 Series has been revealed, but this seventh-generation model will reach our shores only early in 2017).
Walking a fine line
One of the big talking points around the new E-Class will undoubtedly be its appearance. Traditionally, the mid-level model in Benz’s sedan family has managed to maintain its own individuality. Think back to the bug-eyed W210 and divisive pre-facelift W212; each cut a distinct shape and was immediately recognisable as an E-Class.
The same cannot be said of this newcomer. It seems that Mercedes-Benz stylists have taken a lesson from Audi’s cookie-cutter book of design and created a shape that makes the new E seem like an S-Class-lite, or bulked up C. The former connotation is, of course, not necessarily a bad thing, but it has robbed the E of a distinct identity. Styling traits borrowed from its siblings include swept-back headlamps, strong character lines on the flanks and a coupé-like roofline. To your taste or not, the E-Class’s sleek shape helps it achieve a record-breaking drag coefficient of 0,23.
Overall length is up by 43 mm versus the outgoing model, while an extra 65 mm has been apportioned to the wheelbase. In a bid to keep the mass low, the front fenders, bonnet, boot lid and large sections of the front and rear sub frames are made of sheet or cast aluminium.
The F10 5 Series, while being somewhat long in the tooth (its global introduction took place at the beginning of 2010), has aged well and its design remains contemporary in its appearance, not something easily said of its E60 predecessor. Despite being six years older than the Mercedes-Benz, the handsome BMW still holds its own, especially with the optional 19-inch alloy wheels fitted to our test car.
Occasion and modernity
Step inside the two cars, however, and the age difference is immediately evident. Barring the recently launched 7 Series, BMWs tend to err on the side of generic interior treatments. From the instrumentation design to the climate controls, iDrive dial, and pistol-grip shifter, there is a level of familiarity here that any BMW driver will easily recognise. The layout is functional and handsome, but it lacks any sense of occasion.
The complete opposite is true of the E-Class. Slide into the cabin and you are greeted by a curving facia that appears to have been plucked straight from an S-Class, replete with large-format infotainment system and Rolls-Royce-esque air vents. With the gear selector positioned on the steering column, the lower part of the facia has storage space and a large haptic controller for the infotainment system.
A re-imagined version of the Comand system features new graphics and an array of revised menus, and is now even slicker and easier to use. The smartphone-inspired touchpads on the steering wheel in particular are a treat to fiddle. There are a whole host of extras that you can add to a new E-Class, not least of all a digital instrument cluster and “autonomous” driving modes. Although the list is too extensive to delve into here, in some cases the technology offered on this derivative supersedes that of the bigger S-Class.
While the interior is an amalgam of those of the C- and S-Class, overall it works well and doesn’t appear contrived. It’s here that the Mercedes most comprehensively trumps the BMW and, let’s face it: you spend more time inside your car than outside looking at it.
Family sized
Space inside both models is commendable. In terms of measured space, the E-Class offers more front headroom and, subjectively, it does feel like it, too. In the BMW, you feel cossetted by the high centre console and protruding facia, but the opposite is true of the Mercedes-Benz. The facia and low console create a sense of airiness and space.
Rear leg- and headroom are also more abundant in the E-Class; scalp clearance in the 5 Series is impacted by the raked roofline. Having said that, none of our testers felt cramped in the rear cabin. Luggage volumes are comparable, although the BMW just edges the E in this area. The Mercedes-Benz goes one further by having front and rear seats that are softer on the rump than those of the BMW; the latter, conversely, has longer squabs that aid seating comfort.
Fuel-sipping diesels
Powering the E220d is a brand-new 2,0-litre turbodiesel engine, internally codenamed OM654. The firm’s first all-aluminium four-cylinder diesel mill replaces the mediocre 2,1-litre oil-burner, and what an improvement it is. From the get-go, the new motor sounds less clattery and feels more refined than its predecessor, and one of its notable traits is a generous torque peak of 400 N.m spread from 1 600 to 2 800 r/min.
Mercedes-Benz has mated the 143 kW engine with a nine-speed automatic transmission and, while that many ratios may seem like overkill, on the move you’d be hard-pressed to tell how many gears are at work, with up- and down-shifts almost imperceptible. The ECU does a good job of keeping the engine in the fat part of the torque delivery, with the beneficial side effect of extremely low engine speeds.
If anything, the 520d’s similar engine shows how adept the Bavarians are at producing turbo-diesel motors and slightly less noise emanates from its engine room, especially at start-up. While the 520d’s powertrain feels subjectively peppier, against the clock it was the E220d that recorded better acceleration times, both from standstill and in-gear.
Thanks to long gearing and ample torque outputs, both cars delivered excellent fuel consumption figures on our standardised fuel route. Although Mercedes claims the E220d uses just 3,9 L/100 km, we achieved a far more realistic 5,7. The BMW returned an equally commendable 6,1 L/100 km.
Made for cruising
It is unlikely that the typical buyer of a diesel luxury sedan is concerned with matters of outright grip, handling characteristics or feedback, and both cars seem to espouse that premise. In typical fashion, it’s the BMW that has more of a performance-oriented slant to its make-up. The ride is less cushioned over poor surfaces, probably due to the larger alloys and low-profile tyres, but it’s undoubtedly still very good. Some testers mentioned the BMW feels large when hustled, and that the steering system could feel a touch more natural in its rate of response.
This new E-Class continues the heritage of a cushioned ride for Mercedes-Benz’s executive sedan. Slightly firm at very low speeds, the suspension simply irons out road imperfections once on the move. Occupants are seldom bothered by what is going on below. The steering response is natural and the suspension setup is more progressive than that of the BMW. A loping gait is the best description of the E’s approach to movement. Short of an S-Class, there are very few luxury cars to rival this vehicle’s ride characteristics.
