Mercedes-Benz E-Class Review: First Step Of The Luxury Ladder

While the C-Class can show you’re rich, the E-Class is to display your generational wealth

The new-gen Mercedes-Benz E-Class has been launched in India in its long-wheelbase version, and it is a lot more luxurious than before. Priced from Rs 78.5 lakh to Rs 92.5 lakh (ex-showroom), the new E-Class combines sophistication with performance, and for its price, it offers a cabin experience that is close to what you get with the S-Class. But, does the E-Class feel right for its price? Let’s find out.

Sophisticated Design

The new E-Class has a very subtle and no-nonsense design which captures the essence of luxury very accurately. You get a massive star in the grille, surrounded by smaller stars finished in chrome, and the entire grille merges seamlessly with the headlights, making it look like one really thought out design element.

It has a smooth flowing design from the front to the rear, and curves all around to show the sophistication of this luxury sedan. The subtle but noticeable chrome touches on the alloys, door handles, and window lines also highlight the luxury quotient of the new E-Class.

Another small yet important detail is the new lighting element in the tail lights, which shows that this new E-Class has been designed with care and precision, and thought has been put in designing every inch.

Low On Boot Space

The boot space is where the E-Class needs to be better, and while the spare has been moved under the boot mat, the space is still not enough for a lot of luggage. However, loading and unloading is made easier with a powered tailgate.

The size of the boot won’t allow you to keep many bags, but due to its long space, you can keep two big suitcases with ease. If you are planning a long journey, we’d advise you to pack light, and use small bags to maximise the boot’s utility.

Is This An S?

No, but it sure gives you that feeling. When you step inside the E-Class, you notice that the entire dashboard is just a massive screen. Around the screen, you get slim AC vents, and the entire setup is surrounded by a chrome strip. 

Every inch of the cabin is covered in soft touch padding, and the areas which are not, get gloss black, wooden, and chrome treatment, and with all of this, you get consistency of luxury all around the cabin. 

Every button is solid and has a satisfying click, and the touch controls on the steering wheel and the centre console are also very responsive. However, physical controls for the AC would have been better and more convenient.

The seats are the best thing about this cabin, as they give you the feeling of sitting on a comfortable sofa. The front seats are power adjustable and come with 4-way lumbar support as well. The big contours provide excellent support and the soft cushioning of these seats will provide great comfort. There is a memory function as well, along with a soft head cushion.

However, the rear seats are where you’ll be spending most of your time, as the E-Class provides a great chauffeur-driven experience. The seats have a 36-degree recline angle and adjustable underthigh support for you to sit in your most comfortable position. You also get electrically operated sunblinds for not just the rear seats, but also for the rear windshield. The quarter glasses have their own small sunblinds which have to be operated manually.

The rear seat is wide enough to accommodate 3 passengers, but you would be more comfortable if you just pull down the middle seat, which turns into an armrest, and also doubles as a storage with cupholders and a wireless phone charger. For an additional cost, you can get the rear seat entertainment package, to make your chauffeur-driven experience even more premium.

So Many Features

The list of features in the E-Class can go on and on, and some have already been mentioned above, so we’ll stick to the important ones. The massive screen on the dashboard consists of 3 separate displays: a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display which relays the drive information in a neat manner, a 14.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system which has an easy to use user-interface and supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and a 12.3-inch front passenger display, which allows the passenger to control the music and climate control.

There is 64-colour ambient lighting, which surrounds the entire cabin to add more sophistication, and there is a selfie camera placed on the dashboard, which you can use to take photos or videos.

You also get two single-pane sunroofs (rear one being just a glass roof), four-zone climate control, two wireless phone chargers, and a 17-speaker Burmeister sound system.

Cabin Practicality & Charging Options

The E-Class offers you all that you need in terms of practicality. There are bottle holders on every door with space on the side to keep smaller items. It has an average-sized glove box, two cupholders in the front (cooled and heated), and storage in the front armrest.

The rear passengers get seat back pockets, a centre armrest with two cupholders, and a tray to keep your phone or wallet.

For charging options, apart from the two wireless phone chargers, you get two type-C ports in the front, and two in the back.

Safety

The E-Class’ safety kit contains multiple airbags including a front centre one for the driver. It also gets electronic stability control (ESC), a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), a 360-degree camera, and Level 2 ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) features like adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and autonomous emergency braking.

A Smooth Drive

The E-Class gets these aforementioned engine options, and we drove the E200 variant, which comes with the 2-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine. This engine might appear small for an E-Class, but it sure packs a punch, and accelerates quite briskly when you step on it.

The drive is pretty relaxed, and you will not feel much of the engine’s vibrations. You won’t even feel the car starting due to the electric motor, but once it's on, it becomes very loud when you’re standing outside.

Nonetheless, the cabin is well insulated which stops the noise and the vibrations. When driving, you get a linear acceleration and while you can go on high speeds very quickly, you would not want to with the E-Class. The car is capable of giving you an exciting drive experience, but once you get behind the wheel, you would want to drive it in a calm and relaxed manner to get a smooth drive experience, and that will go well with your chauffeur-driven needs.

This engine is further paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission, which has its pros and cons. The good thing about having so many gears is that the shifts are seamless, and you don’t feel the gears changing, which keeps the drive smooth. However, sometimes the transmission doesn’t know which gear to be on, because there are so many, and you end up being in a higher gear. So, when you want to accelerate quickly, the car takes a second to decide which gear is best, and then you get the power to go ahead, which is a little annoying.

Ride Comfort

The ride comfort of the E Class is peaceful at most times. The suspension does its job well, and absorbs all the small cracks of the road. You do have to slow down for bigger potholes and speed breakers, but that is understandable for a car of this stature.

You can also change the drive modes, which softens/stiffens the suspensions, so you can get a better drive experience. However, you hear the sound of the tyres a lot, which can be annoying, and the suspensions, even in the normal mode, are slightly on the stiffer side, which means while you don’t feel any sudden jerk, you do feel a noticeable body movement in the cabin.

Overall, the E-Class does not disappoint, and provides you the comfortable and plush ride quality you would expect in that price, but no matter how comfortable a car is, keeping that comfort consistent on Indian roads can be a challenge.

Verdict

If you want to have a luxury car but don’t want to spend north of a crore, then the Mercedes-Benz E-Class LWB (yes that’s the full name) would be a great choice. It embodies the luxury quotient of a Merc perfectly, offers a sophisticated design with a well equipped and luxurious cabin, and it is great for a chauffeur driven experience.

And while it is meant to be driven with care and in a calm manner, if you want to have a little fun, and push your car around, the E-Class can do that too.