From the outside, the new E-Class seems to have been inspired by its larger stablemate, the S-Class, which is certainly nothing to complain about. It has an overall longer wheelbase and body, with its elongated bonnet, sloping roof line and punctuated rear giving it a very sleek profile. A new contour line slopes elegantly down the side bodywork, giving way to broad shoulders at the back and redesigned LED ribbed taillights. Here the technology is already apparent as the lights feature different intensity levels for day and night driving, and also come in an optional shimmering crystalline look for the first time.
At the front, the characteristic E-Class ‘double eyebrows’ LED headlights clearly establish the identity of the vehicle. The optional multibeam LED headlights each feature 84 individual LEDs that can adjust in brightest depending on the weather and traffic conditions, providing optimal visibility for the driver without dazzling oncoming drivers.
Overall the exterior of the car has a very subtle elegance, but it’s when you enter the cabin that things really start to get exciting. Immediately, the most outstanding feature is the widescreen cockpit and COMAND system featuring two expansive 12.3 inch screens, one for the navigation and entertainment systems, and one featuring a completely digitized instrument cluster. The graphics are superb and the resolution crystal clear. You even have three configuration options for the display style: Sport, Classic and Progressive. Speaking of options, the ambient lighting which follows the flowing horizontal trim lines of the dashboard, comes in 64 different colour choices – something to match every mood and outfit choice.
To make life easy for the driver, there are multiple ways to control the navigation, driving and entertainment functions. Of course there are the traditional buttons and toggles, and the COMAND system’s intuitive touch pad and toggle setup located on the piano-black central console. And for the first time, there are also two small touch sensitive swipe pads integrated into the spokes of the nappa leather steering wheel, and even voice control.
The cabin is a very comfortable space to be, with power-adjustable seats, dual zone climate control and a 13-speaker Burmester surround sound system, upgradeable to the 3D version with a staggering 23 high-performance speakers.
With an extra 63mm of wheelbase, the rear seats also offer plenty of legroom and comfort and the 540 litre boot is one of the largest in its class. One very handy feature is the wireless inductive charging station for your smartphone.
The comfort continues on-road with the E-Class gliding effortlessly over bumps and dips thanks to its Air Body Control suspension system with adaptive dampers. There are a total of five driving modes to choose from via the Dynamic Select function: Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport + and Individual.
New to the E-Class is an in-line 4-cylinder, 2.0-litre engine connected to a 9G-Tronic automatic transmission, with two more gear ratios than before. The engine is lighter than the previous 6-cylinder version in the outgoing model but still delivers a comparable output. The E200 version puts out 184hp with peak torque of 300Nm, while the E300 version your hands off completely for about 60 seconds before the car instructs you to put them back again. Eventually, if the driver doesn’t respond, the car will slow down, turn on the hazard lights and pull over to a complete stop.
Autonomous driving technology is certainly something that many manufacturers are trialling, and Mercedes-Benz is at the forefront of bringing this ‘future driving’ experience to its customers right here and now.
There is of course a bewildering array of other safety technologies built in to the new E-Class, and it seems there is nothing the designers haven’t thought of – the new Pre-Safe Sound system emits white noise at a particular frequency if the car senses an imminent accident to prevent damage to passengers’ ears, apparently a very common injury in car crashes.
And the optional extras and upgrade packages also offer an impressive choice of extras.
The original E-Class was launched in 1953, and now, some six decades later, with sales of over 13 million units worldwide, the latest version of this luxury saloon continues to raise the bar on luxury, comfort, performance, safety and of course, exciting new tech.
Zung Fu Motors (Macau) Ltd. | T: 2883 1283 | Email:[email protected]
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