Every time a new E-Class comes to town, the birds stop chirping and the car jungle notices.
Few cars can match its influence and reputation.
The last time that happened was more than half a decade ago, when the W211 generation car came along.
Between its quad oval headlamps and the flowing silhouette, Mercedes created a beauty.
Gone are the smooth curves; right angles are the new cool.
Seven years on, Mercedes comes out with this.
Known internally as the W212, it’s a sedan that looks like it was drawn with an Etch A Sketch.
Instead of subtly evolving the W211’s design, Mercedes went off tangent.
The old car’s smooth lines have been hacked into hard angles, the pretty oval headlamps have been chiselled into a rhombus shape.
Steering feels a little more connected than the old car’s, but it’s still a doodle to use at low speed.
The E-Class is Mercedes-Benz’s biggest seller, sold to the most conservative of buyers.
It is its golden goose.
The risks of breaking from the mould are enormous, arguably greater than the time BMW rolled out its Bangled 7 Series.
Obviously, signing off the W212 this way was by no means a casual decision.
New-style toggle switches are not only easier to use but have better graphics, too.
To get an idea of where it is going, we must consider the car alongside its predecessor.
Cue the W211.
The irony is that it’s the delicate and pretty W211 that’s the oddball in the brand’s tradition.
Merc 4-doors were always known for their image of vault-like solidity and chunky design.
Comand interface is standard on all E-Class models.
With the two generations parked side by side, it seems Mercedes is definitely returning to the blocky age.
The new car is bigger (longer by 48mm and wider by 34mm) but the lines pulled tautly around the boxy body hide the increased dimension, apart from the boot, which looks a little stretched.
One significant aspect that isn’t captured visually is the way the W212’s doors close.
That characteristic “thunk”, which has enamoured traditional Merc fans, has returned after being dampened in the recent generations of the E.
Column shifter is exclusive to V6- and V8-powered E-Class models.
More likely than not, the door closing note was deliberately calibrated to evoke the memories of the classic Mercedes sedans. But the cabin is where the W212 really hits home.
It not only echoes the upright and formal lines of the exterior, but the attention in getting the tactility right really brings back the good ol’ days.
There seems to be just that little bit more care in the choice of materials used than in the W211 (which was improved throughout its life).
It’s by no means retro, though.
4-cylinder E-Class models get the usual floor-mounted gearshift lever.
Modern details like the reflective climate control display and the diffused amber lighting – which were first seen in the S-Class – make a tasteful appearance here.
Mercedes has always championed new technologies in its sedans.
On the W211, it dabbled in some interesting innovations, some of which were probably a bit ahead of its time (the iffy brake-by-wire system that was deleted in the facelift comes to mind).
The W212 continues this tradition of innovation – but with nothing that seems too contentious or challenging to its target audience.
Curvy lines and elliptical headlamps are replaced by sharp lines and square headlights.
The Comand interface, already found on the C-Class and S-Class sedans, is neatly integrated here.
New for the sedan is a battery of active safety features that include something that alerts the driver of objects in his blind spot, and another that monitors if the driver is dozing off.
This comes on top of the latest active cruise control called Distronic Plus, which is able to bring the car to a complete halt and move off again on its own.
In some ways, the E-Class seems almost capable of doing without the driver.
No more ugly rubber button for the keyless entry.
But that will be missing out on an important aspect of the W212.
(Well, you do have to make some adjustments to the definition of “driving” when it comes to the E-Class.)
Between the all-out, hair-on-end kind of driving in a twitchy sports car and wafting along in a Rolls-Royce, the W212 is firmly anchored on the cushier end of the scale.
It’s a different blend of driving pleasure from the kind associated with so-called sports cars.
The previous W211 E-Class had rubber buttons for keyless entry.
The chassis may be obviously more rigid than the W211’s but the benefit is not reaped in terms of sporty handling but ride comfort.
Surprisingly, the test car trips up occasionally when driven over uneven expansion joints at very low speeds.
But everywhere else, it delivers a ride that won’t shame an S-Class, soaking up bumps that would have bottomed out the W211 – especially the run-out version that comes with huge 18-inch alloys.
Just for the die-hard fans, the slightly wooden feeling of the accelerator remains, although it’s less pronounced than on the W211.
While this may feel strange and aloof at lower speeds, it (kind of) makes sense during cruising.
A sharp-acting throttle will jolt the car unnecessarily.
Perhaps the one thing that Mercedes should have left behind, though, is the power- and drivetrain combination.
The 3-litre V6 and 7G-tronic gearbox have been taken pretty much wholesale from the basic S300.
Surprisingly, in the E300, the pairing feels more laboured despite the E-Class being smaller and lighter than the S-Class.
It doesn’t pull as cleanly as you would expect of a 3-litre car.
Something suggests that the 3.5-litre E350 or even the 1.8-litre turbocharged E250 CGI with decent options could well be an even better proposition than the E300.
But in any case, there’s no denying Mercedes is getting its mojo back.
2009 Mercedes-Benz E300 Avantgarde 3.0 (A)
ENGINE 2996cc, 24-valves, V6
MAX POWER 231bhp at 6000rpm
MAX TORQUE 300Nm at 2500-5000rpm
GEARBOX 7-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 7.4 seconds
TOP SPEED 247km/h
CONSUMPTION 10.8km/L (combined)
PRICE INCL. COE $220,888
