Fifteen years ago, when Citycab introduced Singapore’s first fleet of Mercedes taxis, the dealership had to handle scores of cancellations and colour changes (nobody wanted white anymore) from its customers.
Today, we still have E-Class cabs plying the trade, but they are the older W211 model and the average road user no longer notices their existence (unless he is cut off by one of them scrambling for a flag-down fare).
He won’t notice this “secret” new saloon, either. It’s the E350 CDI, powered by a 3-litre turbo-diesel V6 that produces even more torque than the 5.5-litre petrol V8 in the E500. That 540Nm is enough to push the 1.7-tonne car from standstill to 100km/h in under 7 seconds, while squeezing an extra kilometre out of every litre compared to the E250.
Of course, the CDI sips diesel instead of guzzling petrol, but the point here is that the “taxi” E350 makes better use of black gold.
The diesel drivetrain needs to be warmed up, though, before it gets into stride. In the first couple of minutes after a cold start, the typical cab rattle is noticeable and the gearchanges by the 7-speed auto are strangely unrefined.
Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI’s 3-litre turbo-diesel V6 is torquey, eco-friendly and has long-legged performance.
After getting enough heat in the system, the E350 CDI becomes the smooth drive it should be, allowing the occupants to really enjoy the pliant ride and comfortable interior. The solid doors and tight windows shut out the engine din, traffic blare and wind noise. In other words, this is a classic E-Class cruiser that happens to run on diesel.
It is quick, too. Loads of torque build up strongly from 2000rpm and provide a solid shove from around 3000rpm, enabling the luxury carriage to take off in a greater hurry than any Sonata taxi.
It performs particularly well in town conditions, which require short bursts of acceleration to get ahead, often from low speeds. With an even spread of seven ratios, the gearbox works perfectly with the powerplant, making it pointless to toggle the S mode (for later upshifts). Just snick the lever into D and drive away quickly.
Big bosses won’t be rushing to buy one of these, however – because the annual road tax for the E350 CDI is $6,104 versus $3,164 for the petrol-fuelled E350. The towkay has to clock at least 500km per week if he wants to offset the tax penalty. But if he takes the plunge anyway and orders one from Daimler, he will be driving a special yet stealthy German limousine.
Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI 3.0 (A)
ENGINE 2987cc, 24-valves, V6, turbo-diesel
MAX POWER 231bhp at 3800rpm
MAX TORQUE 540Nm at 2400rpm
GEARBOX 7-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 6.8 seconds
TOP SPEED 250km/h
CONSUMPTION 14.7km/L
PRICE INCL. COE On application (as of April 2011)
Check out the latest Mercedes-Benz E-Class
