28/04/2024 The Mercedes-Benz E Class is a benchmark for the premium saloon car sector. Between it, the 5 Series and A6 there is fierce competition with each of the three German players having their strong points. The E Class is loved by more senior executives, those who grew up knowing the three pointed star represented the pinnacle for the corporate motorist. Ireland’s older car buyers will remember the phrase phrase the ‘Ministerial Merc’ – that was a symbol of success. Today Ministers take whatever car the’re allocated, while the majority aren’t even allocated a State car at all and must source their own vehicle.
The new E Class has lost none of its imposing nature and looks every inch a car for a serious grown up! The front end announces the car with confidence thanks to its imposing grille and lights. There is no denying other road users will be aware of this Merc as it will fill rearview mirror nicely. When viewed side-on the car looks a lttle more like a fastback than classic three-box-saloon, as the boot is more desguised and less prominant than previous generations.
Our test car is the 220d, which starts from €81,185. This 2-litre diesel pushes out a repectable 197hp and 440nm of torque (with overboost on demand) delivered through a nine speed automatic gearbox (with a steering column gear shifter). What is most impressive about the 220d is its miserly fuel consumption and subsequent low C02 (129g/km). From a full tank of diesel this Merc has a range in excess of 1200 km!
On the road the E Class is comfortable in terms of ride quality. it has enough pace for intercity commuting and a 0-100kn/h time of 7.6 seconds. The five seat cabin features suportive seats and ther eis a nice aire of quality to the abience. The only downside to the cabin was it could be a little quieter – although I had gobe from an EV to the E Class and it was particulalry hushed. The dash is nicely laid out and compared to the model it replaces less fusy despite the abundance of tech and goodies available.
The overall shape has evolved with the boot looking less prominent than ever. The car is relatively aerodynamic and the key feature with this four-door is the adoption of pop out door handles which you become quite fashionable. Inside the cabin is really well appointed in keeping with Mercedes trend to have a large single dash area display the car looks elegant and not too fussy.
There are still a few analog switches to be found but most of the fiddling you will do to adjust and change settings will be via touch buttons operated by your thumb on the steering wheel that interact with the drivers display directly in front of him or her and the centre part of the display.the display housing is very neat and fussy.
Our test car weighed in at €89,318 thanks to a few optional extras: 19-inch alloys, Executive Line interior and exterior and the Leather Package that included climatised front seats. Annual Motor tax is amodest €200. We liked the E Class a lot. Michael Sheridan
See our 60 seconds video review here: https://youtu.be/NNNqmbx3PSA
