The E-Class is an edgy design in more ways than one. Its harsh angles aside, the car’s sheet metal is full of high tension, and its profile askew with character lines that would have been more at home on a modern art canvas. Together with its rhombus headlights, the car strikes a pose unlike anything on the automotive landscape.
Wagener is not the only young turk who shaped the E-Class. The car’s product manager is one Mathias Geisen, who is all of 31 – a decade younger than the traditional E-Class buyer. The fact that Daimler has entrusted its most important model to two relatively young executives shows that it is serious about change.
Who knows? The latest E-Class may well be the shape of things to come. The previous E-Classes were fine for the children of the 1940s, the 1950s and even the 1960s. But going forward, it has to appeal to customers who were born in more recent decades. It has to shed the image of being “dad’s car”.
Well, it has most certainly succeeded, as far as appearance goes.
Elsewhere, the E-Class’ core values seem very much intact in the latest car. These pertain to comfort, safety and, to some degree, drivability. Built on an all-new platform, the new E is still a standard bearer when it comes to space, refinement and amenities.
Although occupying a footprint not much larger than the current car’s, it is packaged intelligently to offer more space inside. Its wheelbase is more generous, as is its elbowroom and headroom – even though the car sits lower. The latter helps the new E-Class achieve a drag coefficient of 0.25 – which is on par with the aerodynamic qualities of some sports cars.
The new E-Class has a sizeable boot, with a class-leading 540 litres of storage space. And the stowage area is now fitted with an easy-to-use extendable pack for wet or dirty things.
Along with its extended wheelbase, the new E’s suspension has been reworked to produce a more remarkable ride. This is noticeable within five minutes of driving. It comes across as being more settled than the current car, as well as a tad lighter on its feet.
The cabin is also generally better insulated against outside noise. On a test route, which takes me out of Madrid and into snow-lined mountains, wind noise begins to intrude only from 135km/h. But even at 170km/h, the cabin remains hushed enough for quiet conversation.
Its front seats come with active side support, with motorised bolsters that keep you in place no matter how hard you take a corner. Their degree of support is commensurate with the angle as well as the speed of the turn.
The only complaint about this feature is that the servos are audible (so silent is the cabin), and the control panels are slotted in a gap between the seat and the centre console – appearing rather aftermarket. It is not known if this feature will be standard or optional for cars arriving here sometime in the fourth quarter.
The smart air-conditioning system, however, is standard issue. It now has a “diffuse” mode, which allows the system to cool the cabin effectively without sounding like a leaf blower. With this new air-con, Mercedes-Benz claims the car’s windscreen won’t mist up on wet days – an occasional affliction in a humid place like Singapore.
In the luxury sweepstake, this Merc has all the amenities found in the current model. Wall-to-wall leather upholstery is likely to be the order of the day in cars sold here. Keyless access and ignition should be standard issue as well.
To keep the E-Class ahead of the competition, Daimler has zeroed in on a few “world firsts”, namely in the safety department. For instance, the car knows when you are too tired to drive, using sensors that monitor up to 70 parameters.
If you are drowsy, it will chime and display a coffee cup sign on the instrument panel to tell you so. For those who regularly drive up to Malaysia, this alert may well be a lifesaver one day.
The new E-Class will also alert you if you are too close to a vehicle or an object in front of you. If you do not react by stepping on the brake pedal, it will do so for you.
About 40 per cent of brake pressure is applied at first. And if you still do not take over, it’s 100 per cent. This may not prevent a collision, but it will mitigate the severity of the damage.
Upon impact, the bonnet pops up by 50mm to reduce the risk of pedestrians coming into contact with the unforgiving engine block.
Next, this car will also remind you of speed limits – another world first – using a special street sign recognition technology. As for its headlights, they adapt to road and weather conditions, and will dip when there is a vehicle in front or approaching.
In the area of performance, the car enters new territories with a line-up of new engines. Probably the most relevant would be the E250 CGI, with a 1.8-litre direct-injection turbocharged 4-cylinder powerplant that pumps out over 200 horsepower and, more impressively, 310Nm of torque from just 2000rpm.
This is the first time an E-Class has received a turbocharged petrol engine. The unit is quieter than the supercharged versions on the road now. Although it clearly does not sound as rich as the 6-cylinder engines, it is not aurally unpleasant.
The reluctant sensation of past E-Class cars is no more. Not only that, turbocharging – with 1.4 bar of turbine pressure on hand – makes for a more frugal car. This 1.8-litre hummer outperforms the 2.5-litre V6, and yet is less thirsty than the 1.8-litre Kompressor. Absolutely impressive.
The only downside to the E250 CGI is its transmission, which is “merely” a 5-speed auto when 6- or even 7-speeders are increasingly common.
