Mercedes E-Class 2009 Review

Last year, Mercedes introduced a new C-class Whichrespect, the seven-speed E350 CDI is much lively but
is the nearest it has come to making a MW 3- series.our experience with the new Jaguar AJ-V6D (and the
The C-class has the spirit and driving dynamics that itsBMW 335d) suggests it is not the best of the latest
predecessors lacked and even introduced differentcrop of high performance diesels.
front-end styling to distinguish the most popular SportAs before, the F-class is better to travel in than to
versions. Surely, its bigger brother, the new modeldrive. All models have adaptive shock absorbers that
E-class, would follow the same pattern?react to the driving situation and adjust to provide
The answer is no. The new E class has many virtues,maximum ride comfort or cornering stability as
but sportiness isn't one of them. At least not for therequired. The seats are improved, the air conditioning
first versions to go on sale; we can expect the E63allows the choice of three different air volume and
AMG, announced at the New York Auto Show in Aprildistribution modes and is arranged in three independent
and due to go on sale at the end of the year, to bezones driver, front passenger and rear passengers -
the exception.and there is more space inside thanks to the 2cm
Mercedes bosses say that as the heart of the range,longer wheelbase and 3.5cm extra width. Mercedes
the E-class is too important to change fundamentally.aimed to make this car the most comfortable car in its
They point out that in this market sector, Mercedes isclass. I think it may have succeeded.
dominant; it easily out-sells the BMW 5 Series and AudiMercedes has been in the fore front with most of the
A6. So the ninth generation would develop by evolution,active safety systems that we now take for granted:
not revolution. It had to be a comfortable familiarity butABS anti-lock braking, ASR traction control, ESP
below the surface incorporate a myriad of detailstability control. The new F-class moves this to a new
improvements and all the latest technology.level with a raft of 'assist' systems, all electronic and
So W212 is lower, wider and more prominentlyvery clever and designed to see and react to the
wedge-shaped than its predecessor. That allows it tomotoring hazards and mitigate their consequences.
have the best aerodynamics in its class: a dragThis car doesn't quite drive itself but you get the
coefficient of 0.25 (most of its rivals are 0.28 orimpression that it could... Where to start? Attention
above) The imposing grille is still there - and the star stillAssist is a good example of Mercedes-knows- best.
rises above it - but the four headlamps are angularThis drowsiness detector is standard equipment on all
rather than oval.E-class models. Sensors monitor 70 different
To meet European regulations for pedestrian safety,parameters to pick up irregularities in driving behavior. If
that low, wind-cheating bonnet has to be able to popit detects a series of steering errors or other
up 50mm in an accident; while others use complexinconsistencies it concludes that the driver is sleepy
pyrotechnics, Mercedes has an elegantly simpleand sounds a warning and a symbol representing a
solution with steel springs.cup of tea appears on the instrument display to
The emphasis on aerodynamics is part of a programsuggest that you take a break.
to improve fuel consumption and carbon dioxideBrake Assist Plus is a radar- based system linked to
emissions dictated by other EC regulations. For somethe optional Distronic cruise control which provides the
reason, in Germany environmental measures thatdriver with optimum braking pressure when a collision is
elsewhere are called 'green', turn blue.imminent and if no action is taken will apply the brakes
Mercedes calls its eco-pack age BlueEfficiency. Itautomatically. Lane Keeping Assist uses a camera on
includes more efficient engines, low rolling resistancethe windscreen to follow lines in the road and when
tyres and energy-saving alternators, and fuel, airthe car has moved out of a lane with out indicating, an
conditioning and power steering pumps that switch offelectric motor in the steering wheel vibrates its rim as
when not required.a warning. Blind Spot Assist provides a light warning of
The four-cylinder petrol engines are downsized to 1.8the presence of a car in the blind spot of the side
litres, have direct fuel injection and are turbocharged.mirror. Speed Limit Assist, recently available on a
The three four-cylinder CDI diesels - E200, E220 andnumber of other cars, recognizes speed limit signs and
E250 - all use the new 2.1-litre engine in different statesdisplays the prevailing limit at the center of the
of tune. The E350 CDI and E350 CGI havespeedometer.
developments of the previous six-cylinder engines; theNightview Assist Plus uses an infrared camera to give
petrol CGI also has direct injection. The 5.5-litre V8a greyscale image on the dashboard screen to show
engine for the top model, the E500, is carried overhazards beyond the light range and highlight
from the old E-class; this is the only version not topedestrians. The new E-class takes vehicle lighting
have the additional BlueEfficiency features.further forward, liter ally and technologically. Others
In Europe, more than half the market for this type ofhave active headlamps that turn with steering or
car is diesel, so I concentrated on the E250 CDI andilluminate corners but Mercedes' optional Adaptive
E350 CDI. These engines develop respectively 204Highbeam Assist uses a windscreen camera to
and 231bhp. The 250 comes equipped with arecognize oncoming traffic and adjust the headlamp
six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmissionbeams accordingly. This is much more than automatic
while the six-cylinder 350 has Mercedes' latestdip ping; it changes the shape of the dipped light beam
seven-speed automatic.to give the best possible road illumination from 65 to as
The four-cylinder diesel has a curious combination ofmuch as 300 meters. It works beautifully.
characteristics. It is unusually smooth and quiet at idleMercedes talks of all these systems making the car
but noisy when pushed hard. Although the 250 hasyour 'intelligent partner'. My first reaction was 'too much
two turbochargers in sequence to even out the powerstuff' but there is no doubt that they represent further
delivery, the performance is far from startling, and theadvances in safety technology and of course you
automatic transmission does it no favours. In thisdon't have to tick all the options boxes.