Charlie Chaplin once reckoned the saddest
thing he could imagine would be getting too used to luxury. Get too familiar
with anything and it loses the ability to delight. That’s one of the reasons
why car makers have mid-life product improvement programmes, aka facelifts.
Merc’s current E-Class sedan has emerged
from a bout of reconstructive surgery so effective it has turned Joan Rivers
into Cameron Diaz. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
The 2009 W212 model was the epitome of
conservative clean-cut precision that, while thoroughly competent, failed to
excite. Its polarising split square headlamps and pontoon-style rear fenders
didn’t help, despite Merc trumpeting its historical significance. It took the
E63 AMG’s brilliant mechanical package to counteract the E-Class’ inherent
dowdiness.
The
Mercedes-Benz E-Class is one of the best high-performance executive saloons on
the market
Laudably, Merc’s designers pulled a U-turn
on the pontoons and the divided headlamp treatment, too. The classic four-eyed
effect remains, but is now graphically outlined by LED daytime running lamps
behind a curvaceous single lens cover. LED low-beams are standard, whilst full
LED headlamps are an option. A fresh bonnet accommodates two, all-new bumper
and grille designs. As per C-Class, the E can now be had in either three-bar,
bonnet star Elegance or sportier, two-bar, central star Avantgarde trim. Both
are palpably more attractive than before.
Less severe rear changes include a revised
bumper and new LED tail-lamps with a distinctive night time light signature.
But the most dramatic changes are reserved
for the AMG. Gone are the subtle inlet slits and modest air dams, replaced
beneath the distinctive two-bar AMG grille by a massively wide opening split
into three intakes by what Mercedes calls the A-wing. It’s like a remnant of an
F1 programme that the FIA banned for its beauty.
For
a simple, attractive and functional interior the E-class will not disappoint
Beneath the complex bonnet pressing sits a
revised range of petrol and diesel engines. E-Class debutants include a
2.0-litre four-cylinder direct injection petrol in 135kW (E200) and 155kW
(E250) guises, a 3.0-litre bi-turbo V6 that delivers 245kW and 480Nm of torque (E400)
and a diesel-electric hybrid (E350 Hybrid) that mates a 20kW electric motor
with a 150kW, 2.1-litre diesel engine, also available in non-hybrid E250 CDI.
Claimed combined cycle consumption and CO2 emission figures for the BlueTec
Hybrid model are properly impressive at 4.1ℓ/100km and 119g/km. A 3.0-litre V6
diesel (E350 BlueTec), a 4.7-litre V8 petrol (E500) and the mighty 5.5-litre V8
in the E63 AMG complete the line-up. All E-Classes now feature turbocharging
and stop/start technology.
Unchanged facia architecture can’t disguise
the significantly revamped interior. The centre console houses new switchgear
and a full-width trim panel incorporating neater air vents split by an analogue
clock. New instrument dials with individual cowlings and Merc’s latest steering
wheel designs complete a successful visual makeover.
Plenty
of shoulder room means three should be happy here on long journeys
Mercedes is also touting the increased
number and complexity of available safety and assistance systems, the highlight
of which is a stereo camera system with cross-path and pedestrian detection.
Active lane keeping and blind spot aids plus Adaptive High Beam Assist Plus,
which cleverly reshapes the main beams without switching them off – form part
of the optional assistance arsenal that supplements Merc’s standard radar-based
collision warning and Attention Assist.
You’d hardly expect the way the face lifted
E drives to be much different from before, yet there are subtle variances. All
the launch models, from the entry level E200 to the E63 AMG, felt more
responsive to steering inputs endowing a lightness that belies the dimensions.
Apart from the now standard speed-sensitive, variable ratio electric steering,
a chat with Head of Overall Vehicle Testing – Powertrains Juergen Dassler
confirmed that changes to the suspension mountings were aimed at sharpening
response and ride comfort.
Boot
is well shaped, and a wide opening is a bonus
On the credit side, the seven-speed auto
‘box with column-mounted selector and shift paddles is sometimes reluctant to
respond to downshift requests even when in manual mode. This, and the
under-whelming performance and metallic-sound quality of the entry 2.0-litre
engine are the only minor negatives in an impressive E-Class package that now
includes a six-year/100,000km maintenance plan.
With its desirable new aesthetics, enhanced
cabin and increased driving appeal, the E-Class provides a level of reward and
sophisticated luxury I’m pretty sure not even Charlie Chaplin would’ve tired
of.
