Luxury and legacy: the two characteristics Mercedes hopes will put clear water between its brand and long-time rivals such as Audi and BMW.
Car buyers are already encountering this new approach – not in the showrooms, but in the price lists. New arrivals in the past three years from Mercedes have been accompanied with a hefty price increase on its predecessor.
With this new E-Class due to land in Ireland this October, it’s almost guaranteed that it will follow suit. And it’s the most important play in the strategy change to date.
While the S-Class remains the pinnacle of the three-pointed star, it’s the ability to trickle down its winning traits that will determine whether the luxury strategy will fly or fall.
The introduction of the sixth generation of the E-Class also allows Mercedes to play its legacy card.
The chance to tootle through the forested hills outside Vienna in a 1958 Mercedes-Benz 180 Ponton was clearly instigated by the PR folks at the German car giant to remind us motoring hacks of the pedigree of the E-Class.
Coming out of Germany from 1953, when the consequences of war were still very evident, the Ponton is a marvel; running sweetly even on cobbled roads, bouncing along at 60km/h with the opulence that for decades defined the Mercedes brand. True, its big steering wheel had only the most rudimentary relationship with the front wheels, but there wasn’t a rattle or roll in this car that showed its age. That said, it does belong to the firm’s classic car division, so that’s to be expected.
But it’s a useful benchmark for how far we’ve come. Working through the generations, you can see the advent of in-car entertainment, airbags and suspension engineering.
Which brings us to this latest iteration of E-Class, where you can hold Zoom calls through the centre console screen while you passenger catches up on Netflix box sets via another touchscreen on their side of the dash.
Billed as the Superscreen, this dash comprises: a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel for the driver; a 14.4-inch screen in centre stage; and another optional 12.3-inch screen for the front passenger. Powered by a responsive software pack and an admirably intuitive layout, it can also run TikTok and other social media apps, and even take selfies via the optional – and utterly pointless – dash-mounted camera.
Once more all the infotainment razzmatazz has been reserved for the front-seat occupants. In the back there’s nothing as swish as a Superscreen. Or even a simple screen. It’s an odd approach by Mercedes to throw tech at the front-seat passenger but leave the rear passengers playing with their phones and iPads.
Back in era of the 180 Ponton, the big talking point was that the dash was padded – regarded as a big safety feature. Staring at the plethora of unnecessary apps on the E-Class screen – a photo-matching memory game, to pick just one – makes you long for the Ponton’s simple layout.
The screens are a big distraction, but there are other developments with the new E-Class worth noting.
There is an improved driving assist programme, a new staging point on the route to the self-driving E-Class. Not only will the car take care of steering, acceleration and braking at motorway speeds – under the supervision of the driver, of course – but the E-Class will also overtake slower traffic, indicating and moving between lanes. Mercedes suggested it will even manage to manoeuvre on to motorway exits, though out test car never managed it.
Artificial intelligence is being used to learn the driver’s regular routines
For now this quasi-autonomous driving system will only be offered in North America but the hope is that it will be offered in Europe later. It’s not the first manufacturer to offer this feature, but it’s the first time we tested such a system that was as smooth in terms of braking and maintaining pace during overtaking. The car is also installed with the technology for automated valet parking, so the car will park and return automatically without a driver. A Mercedes spokeswoman said the system is awaiting national laws and local infrastructure to be put in place.
New tech is also applied to the cabin comfort functions. Artificial intelligence is being used to learn the driver’s regular routines. There’s an anti-travel sickness programme, for example, which changes the lighting and seat position for the passenger, along with offering guided breathing exercises.
It’s all part of an approach to make this high-end saloon the comfort choice in a market where it runs against the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6, respectively regarded for driving prowess and refinement.
The last generation of E-Class was the first to ever overtake the 5 Series for driving dynamics, a big milestone for Mercedes engineers. We’ll await an upcoming drive in the newest 5 Series before making a judgment call on these generations, but the new E-Class certainly hasn’t taken a backward step in terms of direct steering feel and performance.
Power options for Irish buyers include a mix of petrol, diesels and plug-in hybrids. Petrol starts with the E200, a smooth if somewhat underwhelming option. The diesels start with the E220d – in either two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive 4matic. On first impressions this is the better-choice entry model, though the engine can be a little noisy when you need to push on.
While there is no fully electric version (that job is done by the EQE), plug-in hybrid versions come in either a 312hp E300e – with option of 4matic – or 381hp E400e 4matic. Both are powered by a four-cylinder two-litre petrol engine combined with a 24kW (net) battery pack. Mercedes is claiming a range of 100km on electric-only power, pushing it up towards the top of the league for PHEV ranges, and something to please the corporate buyers. Charging is possible up to 11kW on AC, and 55kW on DC faster-charging, so you can go from flat to full in 30 minutes.
Again, Mercedes calls its software engineers into play on this system. Based on the information from the route guidance of the navigation system, the PHEVs hybrid driving programme provides the electric driving mode for the most appropriate route sections in each case. Electric driving is prioritised on journeys in urban areas, for example. The operating strategy considers factors such as navigation data, topography, speed limits and the traffic conditions for the entire planned route.
It’s easy to get lost in the tech, but park that to one side and you get a smart-looking comfortable saloon that certainly warrants its premium tag
As with every car launch these days, the engineers have spent the past few years making the car bigger yet lighter, maximising cabin space without turning it into a tank. The end result is more legroom in the rear, but bootspace remains the same on the PHEV as with the outgoing model, as any extra room is devoured by the bigger battery pack. At 370 litres, it’s less than you get in a VW Golf, though the regular petrol and diesel versions manage to offer up a more spacious 540 litres.
The styling changes are subtle, though in parts a little overworked, such as with the rear light clusters, which attempt to mimic the three-pointed star, but its sleek profile is eye-catching as is the latest format for the grille.
It’s easy to get lost in the tech, but park that to one side and you get a smart-looking comfortable saloon that certainly warrants its premium tag. It glides along effortlessly with enough steering feel to keep the driver engaged.
The real question is how does it compare with the new 5 Series and what will be the leap in price? For answers to those, we’ll have to wait a while longer.
