The “sad-eyed mersu” soon made the owners’ eyes sad too, because he changed thirty years ago long term car to a fairly standard model, even of poor quality. Fortunately, the owners did not have to endure this sadness for long, because after a while these cars literally fell apart due to the great love of rust.
In Stuttgart they realized that the situation was bad and quickly began to improve it. The W212 E-Class produced in the previous decade brought Mercedes back to the ranks of quality car manufacturers, and from then on users mainly had to contend with electronic and software errors. But who wouldn’t have them?
Conservatism is included
Externally, changes compared to the previous generation car are modest, and if you look very carefully, you will not even notice the model update. In this car and in this price class, customers appreciate conservatism and do not want to repeat the “sad” mistake that happened 30 years ago.
The lanterns have become longer and narrower, and LED technology allows for an exciting play of colors: the front has an illuminated grille (as in some other Nobel brands), while the rear lights carry motifs of a three-pointed star. A few centimeters have been added to the length.
Compared to the smaller C-Class, the car, just 3cm taller, offers surprisingly comfortable entry and exit for a sedan and surprising headroom. Sure, the rear seat is very narrow at two metres, although the added centimeters were mainly for the well-being of the rear passengers (not that it was cramped before), but the average Estonian man can fit in it without any effort. problems.
The finish and quality of the interior are worthy of a three-pointed star. By chance, we managed to compare the car with one of the top models of the moment, the EQE SUV, and although the latter has a rather high price (prices start from 65,400 and 95,520 euros respectively), the new E-Class It is superior quality in every detail. On this occasion, excuses of having to make concessions elsewhere due to an expensive traction battery will not be accepted.
Enough equipment for everyone
Mercedes does not hide the fact that both ICE-powered and EQ series submarines are expected to become one within the next decade. We start with the A-Class, but the new E-Class already features several hints of electrification, and is also equipped (albeit in optional equipment) with the door-to-door MBUX Superscreen.
The latter offers many opportunities to enjoy modern technology – so the passenger can watch a film on their screen while driving, but the driver’s field of vision does not reach there – safety is paramount. However, this feature was not ordered (or activated) on the test car.
In total, the list of additional equipment for the E-Class is more than ten pages long, so almost everyone can combine it with the vehicle of their choice. It’s inevitable that the price will accidentally reach six figures, but the aftermarket is full of poorly equipped Mercedes (and not just Mercedes!) and it’s hard to get rid of them later. Here you will find the complete price list and equipment.
In the center of the dashboard there is a camera with which, according to Mercedes, it is possible to hold online meetings and make calls, but both only when the car is stationary. Unfortunately, neither was successful during the test, so we did not have to settle for confirmation from the manufacturer of the existence of this extremely valuable option, even though the main function of the camera is probably to follow the driver’s eyes.
Initially the choice of engines is limited to four versions, of which 11 in total. Of these, only two simpler and more economical ones (one petrol and one diesel) do not have a plug-in hybrid system, even if they are also semi-hybrid . However, it is worth noting positively the capacity of the traction battery used in the case of two plug-in hybrids: 25.4 kWh allows on paper over 100 kilometers of emission-free travel and this could be quite sufficient for most people .
The test car was the penultimate version of the rating of propulsion schemes, in which a two-liter petrol engine with a development of 150 kW was combined with an electric motor with a development of 47 kW and all-wheel drive. Fortunately, Mercedes has been modest about adding all-wheel drive to the E-Class: we’ve previously experienced that it makes maneuvering more comfortable, but it doesn’t instill too much confidence on the winter road.
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2024-01-03 13:08:49
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