
In 2016 Mercedes-Benz unleashed the brand new E-Class and never before has it looked as well. The E-Class was first introduced in 1993 and since then it has been through five generations. The actual history of this car starts back in the 1960s, when the “E” at the end of the car’s number represented that the car had a fuel injected engine. Of course, as time went on all Mercedes-Benz cars housed fuel injected engines, so they turned the original style into the “E-Class” as we know it today. The new design of this car is more S-Class than ever before – and with that in mind, it’s never looked better. This information is based on the E-Class saloon, which shares many features with the estate and cabriolet versions.
Only two engines are available to the Irish market, both of which are diesel. First up is the E220d. We took the AMG Line E 220d through its paces and it’s very difficult not to warm to the performance of this vehicle. Of course the style aspect makes you want to be actually driving an AMG, but the 2.0 litre option is a good one. It’s economical, yet when you want more power, it doesn’t argue.
The 9G-Tronic gearbox is extremely smooth and doesn’t put up a fight when it should be changing gears. The changes are seamless. On-paper, this car will get you from 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds and we’re told that it will bring you up to 240km/h. It runs on 4 cylinders and despite the constant comparisons with the power in the E 350d’s 6 cylinder 3.0 litre engine, the 4 cylinder option is powerful enough for most buyers.
On the motorway the E-Class is about as comfortable a car that you will find. This is a beautiful cruiser. The suspension is soft and it deals well with the potholes which can be found on many Irish roads. However, it can be shaky on estate roads with bumpier surfaces. There is an optional “Air Body Control” suspension – which comes as standard with the E 350d.
The car is long (4.923 metres) and therefore it does have a bit of roll on corners – especially if approached at higher speeds.
Refinement is certainly the name of the game with the E-Class. The only minor complaint with the AMG-Line that we were testing is a small bit of road noise from the tyres (one of the downsides of the AMG Line trim), however, it was by no means terrible.
The E-Class is more like the S-Class than ever before and the car is excellently padded.
The interior quality of the new E-Class is superb. The new layout of the dashboard and the new technology is a much more attractive offering than before. The only downside of the new dash is that Mercedes-Benz are still using the Garmin SatNav system – it’s just not classy enough. Apart from that, the interior quality is excellent. The nearest competitor in this department would be Audi and then BMW, Mercedes for us is the nicest option.
One of the major factors of owning a Mercedes-Benz E-Class is ensuring that it’s kept in good shape and while the cars themselves are reliable, service costs can be high.
Mercedes-Benz are very responsible when it comes to safety and the E-Class is no exception. Euro NCAP results for the new model are not available yet, but the 2010 model unsurprisingly received a full five stars. This car features items like Active Brake Assist, LED high-performance headlights and much more.
The front cabin offers ample head, leg and arm room. Three adults would comfortably sit to the rear, where leg and headroom is ample. The boot offers a capacity of 540 litres.