Mercedes E Class

Cutting-edge assistance systems, a class-leading EV scope and a good interior springiness a mini-me S-Class feel Walking retired of our edifice successful the bosom of Vienna’s historical Petersplatz square, a chap writer and I caput towards our property car for the day, the all-new, sixth-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and effort to unfastened the door. The salient connection present being ‘attempt’, due to the fact that it’s lone erstwhile the retractable doorway handles neglect to deploy from their recessed cubbies that we realise we’re trying to leap wrong a Mercedes S-Class enactment car.Mistaking 1 car for different is simply a alternatively embarrassing faux pas for an automotive journalist, but successful our defence Mercedes has designed the caller E-Class to lucifer its large member rather closely. More conservatively styled than its electrical parallel, the Mercedes EQE saloon, it retains a classical ‘three-box’ plan with a agelong bonnet, a ample grille (two grille designs are offered successful Europe with an optional illuminated surround), and a accepted enactment of wheels depending connected spec.The caller E-Class is offered with mild-hybrid oregon plug-in power, and each models person a nine-speed automatic transmission. Mild hybrids commencement with the 201bhp E200, which uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol motor boosted by a 23bhp electrical motor. Then determination is the perennial E220d (available with all-wheel drive), whose 2.0-litre diesel motor makes 195bhp.Perhaps the astir breathtaking model, however, is the E300e plug-in hybrid. Thanks to a immense 24.1kWh battery, the rear-wheel-drive exemplary (four-wheel thrust is offered arsenic an option) is said to screen up to 71 miles connected a complaint without the motor stirring, making it 1 of the astir long-legged PHEVs connected the market.With a afloat charged battery, the E300e defaults to Electric mode, which is arsenic creaseless and quiescent arsenic you would expect. With conscionable 154bhp powering implicit 2 tonnes of saloon, acceleration isn’t precisely sprightly, but there’s capable punch to woody with rush-hour traffic, and it tin adjacent accelerate up to 87mph connected artillery alone. This makes for a serene acquisition for passengers, with nary motor sound oregon gearchanges to disturb the ambience.When the four-cylinder motor does footwear in, the modulation from electrical powerfulness to petrol is hard to observe unless you’re giving it a bootful. This creaseless handover, combined with well-suppressed upwind and roadworthy noise, makes the E300e rather relaxing connected the motorway. As does the level-four operator assistance tech: if the radar cruise power senses a slower car successful front, it volition activate the indicator, alteration lanes, execute the overtake and past slot you neatly backmost into the close lane erstwhile the manoeuvre is complete. At archetypal it feels wholly unnatural, but specified is the smoothness of the strategy that you soon larn to spot it. It’s a shame the tech won’t marque its mode to Europe until immoderate clip adjacent year.Speaking of kit we won’t beryllium getting successful the UK: aerial suspension isn’t connected the options list. Instead, we volition get alloy outpouring suspension with adaptive damping. This mightiness not look similar a large deal, but our air-equipped European property car exhibited awesome assemblage power implicit dips and crests and took the sting retired of potholes and raised ironwork. With the authorities of our roads successful the UK, it seems thing of an oversight not to connection specified a set-up to British buyers. But connected a much affirmative note, the E-Class handles gamely for specified a large car. It whitethorn thin a spot successful corners, but determination is plentifulness of grip and the steering is precise. Our trial car’s rear-wheel steering made it amazingly nimble connected switchback roads, but again, that’s an enactment that UK buyers volition beryllium denied. The lone existent weakness is simply a spongy brake pedal that tin rob you of assurance connected the mode into a corner.Indeed, it surely feels much wieldy than its predecessor, which is awesome erstwhile you see that this latest-generation car has grown successful each absorption – an enlargement that’s astir noticeable erstwhile sitting successful the rear. Thanks to an further 2cm having been added to the wheelbase, rear-seat passengers person much country to agelong retired connected longer journeys. Passengers volition besides find themselves surrounded by a overmuch much striking interior design. Sharing a fig of its styling cues with the EQE, it has a glitz and glamour that’s usually associated with a Gulfstream jet. Ostentatious ambient lighting and materials abound, and it each feels pleasingly good screwed together.It astir goes without saying that the compartment is crammed with tech. The E-Class’s enactment portion is the MBUX Superscreen. Essentially a smaller mentation of the Mercedes EQS’s Hyperscreen, it features a single-panel show that houses the cardinal infotainment surface and a abstracted rider display. It’s a slick-looking set-up, but much importantly the in-house-developed MBUX infotainment bundle has taken a large measurement guardant erstwhile it comes to connectivity and entertainment. Third-party apps specified arsenic TikTok tin beryllium used, and you tin adjacent instrumentality Zoom meetings with a high-definition camera mounted connected the dashboard. We sampled the second and it worked flawlessly.If you’re successful the marketplace for a luxurious enforcement saloon but aren’t rather acceptable to perpetrate to a afloat electrical car, past we reckon the E300e is simply a compelling choice. Not lone is it relaxing to drive, plentifulness speedy capable and packed with tech but, due to the fact that it has a class-leading pure-electric range, it’s besides highly frugal. On our spirited trial drive, it returned a respectable 101mpg. Factor successful a claimed 18g/km of CO2 and it should besides marque for a comparatively inexpensive institution car.Mercedes has yet to denote pricing, but expect the saloon to commencement from astir £50,000 erstwhile it goes connected merchantability aboriginal this year.