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Mercedes E ClassJuly 2009

Recommended.

Mercedes is back on form with its most important model. It has all the traditional qualities of discreet good looks, refined performance and quality construction.

45 variants from £27,570 to £73,855

Our rating:

4

User rating:

4
Mercedes E Class
 
 

Fifth Gear Mercedes E Class review

 
 

1. Refinement
2. Mercedes' quality feel has returned
3. Thoroughness of design - it does everything either well or very well

WE DON'T LIKE

1. 1950s-style crease around rear wheelarches is a bit contrived
2. Most petrol engines seem pretty pointless in the UK
3. Auto is not a six-speeder on smaller diesels

 
 

Mercedes now has a vast model range, but the E Class has always been its heartland car. It was profits from these that paid for the expansion of the range, first into the 190/C Class and then everything else. Now freed from the disastrous marriage with Chrysler, Mitsubishi and most of the other idiotic ideas of the previous management (only Maybach continues to hang around like a bad smell), Mercedes can get back to doing what it does best.

The styling of the new E Class immediately tells you this is a company that has recovered its self confidence. The front end is assertive without being shouty - the new sharp-edged headlights look far more positive than the slightly apologetic round ones of the old car. That air of confidence pervades the whole design. Mercedes knows it is not BMW and has developed a car which is good to drive, but concentrates on refinement rather than outright handling.

Mercedes being Mercedes, you can have Sport and even AMG versions, but that is rather missing the point of the car. The new E Class makes most sense as an E220 or E250 CDI, with the excellent diesel engine proving strong performance and very competitive fuel economy. The E350 CGI petrol is amusing when you really want to press on, but for 99% of the time the smaller diesels provide all the power you want.

Nowadays, there are so many cars trying to be something they are not, that is very satisfying to waft along in an E250 CDI. It is a car that knows exactly what is wants to be and achieves it goal: a refined, spacious executive cruiser that can handle impressively when needed.

Fifth Gear overall car ratings

STYLING

It is a conservative basic shape, but there are an awful lot of details. The more angular front and rear ends are successful, but the crease behind the rear doors is another matter. Mercedes is harking back to successful

HANDLING

The standard E Class is no sports model, but it is a good handling car given its size and character. The accurate steering also makes it feel very controllable. Sport versions lose more in comfort than they gain in handling.

COMFORT

It is spacious, refined and comfortable - everything you could reasonably ask for. Front seat occupants may prefer the Jaguar XF's more dramatic interior, but rear passengers will stick to the Mercedes.

QUALITY & RELIABILITY

After hitting a low point around 2000, when some Mercedes felt more like Renaults, things have steadily improved. The new E Class could well turn out to be a five star car after a few years of experience, but it is too early to be sure.

PERFORMANCE

Mercedes has got serious about its smaller engines and the new four-cylinder diesels are excellent - the C220 CDI provides 170 PS and the C250 CDI offers 204 PS. Bigger engines provide more power - up to the unreconstructed 518 bhp E63 AMG. The E250 CDI is perfectly adequate, however.

ROOMINESS

As well as being the world's second most famous taxi, the E Class has to transport a lot of executives in its rear seats. Hence Mercedes has made sure they have plenty of room and even worked on the shape of the rear door aperture to endure that it is as easy as possible to get in and out of the car.

STEREO / SAT NAV

As ever, there is a huge range of possible systems. They range from good to excellent, although if you are new to Mercedes, the more you pay, the longer you are going to have to spend learning all the controls.

RUNNING COSTS

Clearly, no E Class is going to be cheap to service, but fuel economy is much improved. Residual values should be strong provided that Mercedes resists the temptation to pump up the volume too far.

VALUE FOR MONEY

Mercedes? models have been getting steadily better value over the years as the market has become more competitive. Equipment is now respectable with alloys, air conditioning and Bluetooth standard across the range. The price for the big-selling E220 CDI is almost identical to the BMW 520d, which is as reasonable as you could hope for.

ENVIRONMENT

In theory, the E 220 CDI manual's figure of 149 g/km of CO2 is outstanding - except that not many people buy a Mercedes manual. The 159 g/km of the E220 CDI auto is still very good and the range as whole has one of the lowest overall CO2 figures in its class.

This review has been tagged with: Mercedes | Mercedes E Class

There are 45 variants of the E Class

E Class variants Price (£) Fuel type Engine
size (cc) 		CO2 emission
(g/km)
200 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY SE £27,570 Diesel 2143 137
200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY SE £28,035 Unleaded 1796 169
220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY SE £28,640 Diesel 2143 139
200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY SE £29,370 Unleaded 1796 168
200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY SE £29,785 Unleaded 1796 184
220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY SE £29,975 Diesel 2143 139
200 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde £30,065 Diesel 2143 140
250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY SE £30,225 Diesel 2143 139
220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY SE £30,395 Diesel 2143 150
200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde £30,530 Unleaded 1796 172
250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY SE £30,630 Unleaded 1796
220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde £31,140 Diesel 2143 142
200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £31,365 Unleaded 1796 171
200 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £31,570 Diesel 2143 145
220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £31,975 Diesel 2143 142
250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY SE £31,980 Diesel 2143 150
200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £32,030 Unleaded 1796 176
200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde £32,320 Unleaded 1796 187
250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY SE £32,380 Unleaded 1796
220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £32,640 Diesel 2143 144
250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde £32,725 Diesel 2143 142
220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde £32,915 Diesel 2143 152
250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde £33,125 Unleaded 1796
200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £33,820 Unleaded 1796 187
250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £34,225 Diesel 2143 144
220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £34,415 Diesel 2143 153
250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde £34,500 Diesel 2143 152
250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £34,665 Unleaded 1796
250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde £34,915 Unleaded 1796
350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde £35,795 Diesel 2987
250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £36,000 Diesel 2143 153
250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £36,415 Unleaded 1796
350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £37,335 Diesel 2987
350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde £37,585 Diesel 2987
350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde £37,725 Unleaded 3498
350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £39,085 Diesel 2987
350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £39,225 Unleaded 3498
350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde £39,475 Unleaded 3498
350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Sport £40,975 Unleaded 3498
500 Avantgarde £47,110 Unleaded 5461
500 Avantgarde £48,460 Unleaded 5461
500 Sport £48,610 Unleaded 5461
500 Sport £49,960 Unleaded 5461
63 AMG £71,355 Super Unleaded 6208
63 AMG £73,855 Super Unleaded 6208
 

Average

4

User reviews (7)

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Ian Jeppesen
5

Ian Jeppesen28 July 2009

i have a new E-Class 350 Diesel on order and am looking very much forward to the day of delivery.

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William Mack
4

William Mack06 August 2009

I also have one E350 CDI sport on order via the factory and will collecting it from Stuttgart, Germany. Nice gentle journey home to England.

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audihater
5

audihater23 August 2009

I love that car !!! That CDI engines are brilliant and economical and they have good performance. The 350 CDI with its 231 BHP engine is just the best. But it's still hard to choose between the 5 series and the E-class. ( 530d and E-350 CDI )AND THE E 250 CDI

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paul
3

paul27 August 2009

will be a fab car if serviced by BMW or Lexus....

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VIJAY CHADDA
4

VIJAY CHADDA17 January 2010

AN EXCELLANT CAR WHICH HAS PUT THE E CLASS BACK AT THE TOP BOTH IN LOOKS AND DRIVE, I HAVE REALLY ENJOYED DRIVING IT WHILST IT WAS WOKING!! MY CAR WAS ONLY TWO MONTHS OLD WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS FOUND. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE THE PISTONS AND IT IS A PROBLEM ON ALL E CLASS DEISEL ENGINES UPTO E320 SIZE. THE PISTONS ARE FAULTY AND MERCEDES KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM, THERE IS A WAITIG LIST OF CARS NEEDING NEW PISTONS AND THE PROBLEM IS NOT ONLY IN THE UK. MERCEDES HAVE BEEN GOOD IN GIVING A REPLACEMENT CAR AND HAVE PROMISED TO GET THE REPAIRS DONE ASAP, BUT I AM NOT DRIVING MY NEW CAR (E200CDI) OF TWO MONTHS FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH AND EVEN UPTO TWO MONTHS! BUY THE PETROL OR A BIGGER ENGINS; AT LEAST ASK THE SALESMAN.

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This review has been removed.

goldee
3

goldee08 March 2010

i tested the new E, diesel 3L. perfect..but: at the snow was problematic. i will leave this car home at winter season. theree were winter pirelli tires..sotozero.. or they may be were out of quality??

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