SUPERCHARGER SUPER(MERC)EDED

+ Click to Enlarge E-CLASS SHAPES UP: The distinctive dual headlights of the previous Mercedes E-Class have morphed into squarer versions and there are more crease lines on the bodywork.

April 4, 2009
By Denis Droppa

Welcome home. It's the catchphrase for the Mercedes-Benz E-Class just launched to the world's motoring media in Madrid ahead of its South African launch in July.

The E-Class is Merc's bread-and-butter model with more than 12-million units sold worldwide since 1947; the current version holds 30 percent of its market segment. It's for that reason - and the car's traditionally conservative buyer - that Mercedes hasn't fiddled too much with a winning formula.

It's also why any Benz buyer will feel instantly at home when he or she shuts the solid doors and encounter the cabin's sober and businesslike luxury.

They'll also experience the typical touring finesse of an E-Class after they fire up the engine and start cruising, its high-speed directional stability as unshakeable as ever. They'll be even more comfortable about trading in their old E-Class when they note the greater power and lower fuel bills from the new petrol - now turboblown instead of supercharged - and diesel engines that are also up on muscle but down on thirst.

E-Class buyers will also notice somewhat sharper handling; every derivative now has adaptive shock-absorbers and a 30 percent more-rigid body. They'll feel more comfortable sitting in the new active multicontour seats - standard in higher models, optional in others - which have a back massage function as well as powered bolsters that squeeze you tighter during cornering manoeuvres.

Benz has significantly redesigned the shell, but without really going out on a limb, to create a car that has presence without aggression. The distinctive dual headlights have morphed into squarer versions and the rest of the styling follows a similarly geometric theme.

The E-Class claims to be the world's most streamlined premium sedan; its drag co-efficient of only 0.25 helps the car glide along with remarkably little wind noise.

In the safety department, however, Benz has truly let its hair down. It's the first automaker to introduce a drowsiness detection system and it's standard in every E-Class. More than 70 parameters - primarily the driver's steering behaviour – are monitored and if it believes the driver's getting dozy it will emit a warning beep and show a coffee cup on the information display.

A slew of other safety devices - night vision assistance, lane departure warning, auto emergency braking, Pre-Safe, adaptive lights, seven crash bags and a blind-spot monitor - (some of them from the S-Class) make the new E "the safest car in its class".

SMOOTH PERFORMANCE

Ditching superchargers in favour of turbos in the E's four-cylinder petrol engines is something of a paradigm shift for Mercedes-Benz but the company says the time is ripe. The company says modern turbos are more refined and have less "lag".

I can confirm the smooth, step-free performance of the entry-level E200 CGi petrol I drove at the world launch in Spain after my expectations of general sluggishness and boredom.

The 1.8-litre direct-injection turbo engine turned wields its 135kW/270Nm most impressively. Its overall briskness and smoothness were a revelation and its 236km/h top speed is not to be sneezed at.

The quad-valve, direct-injection engine makes its maximum torque from 1800-4600rpm and delivers gutsy and linear power without a dead spot. It has the same power as the existing E200 Kompressor but 20Nm more torque. The car I tested had a six-speed manual transmission a lot slicker than previous Benz manuals but units to be sold in South Africa will only be available with an auto box.

ASCENT ABILITY

Next I drove the E250 CDI which, at 150kW/500Nm, was a lot more powerful than the E220 CDI (125kW/400Nm) it replaces. Maximum torque from the 2.1-litre, twin-turbo, four-cylinder diesel comes in at only 1600rpm; the result was smooth and effortless performance on the steep mountain passes near Madrid.

The engine's big selling point, besides its brawny ascent ability, will be its remarkably low (claimed) 5.3 litres/100km fuel consumption, though the five-speed autobox was a little slow-shifting.

Next up was the E500 petrol flagship that's gunned along by an unchanged 5.5-litre V8 petrol engine capable of 285kW/530Nm. It was everything I expected in terms of distance-devouring power and swift acceleration, underlaid by a subtly sporty growl, and the seven-speed 7G Tronic auto transmission was much quicker on the uptake than the five-speed version.

The E500 comes with air suspension (optional on the V6 models) for maximum glide factor. It's assisted by an electronically controlled damping system that hardens the suspension in hard cornering but softens for a plush ride when cruising.

CARVES CURVES

All other E-Class units have adaptive shock-absorbers that achieve similar results using a less high-tech solution. The shocks automatically adapt to any driving situation by reducing damping forces when driving normally, thereby noticeably improving ride comfort.

All three derivatives laid to rest any lingering negative perceptions about the handling ability of the E-Class. The steering is less direct and meaty than that of a BMW but this mid-sized Merc carved through curves with great agility for its size.

European mountain passes are notoriously narrow - seemingly designed around the width of a horse's bum - but in its handling sharpness the large Merc proved more of a sword than a bludgeon.

The new E-Class will make its South African debut in July along with the two-door E-Class Coupé. The The E63 AMG and Cabriolet versions will arrive in 2010. Elegance, Avantgarde and AMG sports packages will be available.

The launch schedule reads:

July 2009
E300 7G Tronic (V6 petrol 170kW/300 Nm)
E350 7G Tronic (V6 petrol 200 kW/ 350 Nm)
E500 7G Tronic (V8 petrol 285kW/530Nm)
E-Class Coupé E350 a/t
E-Class Coupé E500 a/t
September 2009
E200 CGI Auto (4-cyl petrol turbo 135kWS/270Nm)
E250 CDI Auto (4-cyl diesel turbo 150kW/500Nm)
E350 CDI 7G Tronic (V6 diesel turbo 170kW/540Nm)
2010
E63 AMG (V8 petrol 386kW/630Nm)
E-Class Cabriolet