E-Class

Vehicle: 2011 Mercedes E350 4-Matic Wagon with Premium Pkg, Advanced Driver Assistance Pkg and leather seating surface
Price as tested: CDN$76800

Performance: The Wagon version of Mercedes’s bread-and-butter E-Class is powered by the same 3.5 liter V6 24-valve DOHC as its sedan and coupe silibings. It is the same 268hp unit, which delivering up to 258 lb/ft of torque. However, all of these have to move 1845kg of German leather and wood trim of luxury appointments. That means this 265hp mill continues to feel gutless when pushed through the paces. What Mercedes really needs is to bring the 3.5 liter with CGI BlueEfficiency direct injection technology with 295hp to the market, especially if the 4-Matic is standard across the E-Class range in Canada. Otherwise, even Mercedes’s superb 7-speed G-Tronic gearbox with proper gear ratios can’t solved this engine’s fundamental problem. The saving grace is the low 1st and 2nd gears which make this E-Class wagon moves along much better at the lower end of the rev range. The 6th and 7th gears have been tuned with rather high ratios for comfortable highway cruising. The rest of the powertrain is typical Mercedes-Benz fashion, which is a smooth operator that is both refined and quiet when mesh with its heavy throttle. If I were Merceds Canada, I would bring over the CGI BlueEfficiency and CDI BlueEffciency technologies for this stylish wagon. As the E350 CDI BlueEfficiency has been proven to be reliable, refined and more economical than any of its gasoline silibing.

Handling: No one would ever doubt Mercedes’s chassis rigidty and stiffness, the same goes for their bread-and-butter wagon. When combined the stout chassis with a well-calibrated suspension and Mercedes 4-Matic AWD system, the E-wagon handles as good as any of its E-sedan and E-coupe silibings. Although its tuned more toward comfort and luxury rather than all-out sportiness, the E-wagon handles exceptionally well consider its status-of-life as a luxurious family wagon. The steering provides decent feel and feedback, albeit with Mercedes’s usual slightly numb off-center feel when playing left to right transition. Steering response is as expected from Mercedes. Ride quality is both supple and firm. Even if it rides on E-Class’s standard suspension, the body motions are well-tempted. Thanks to the 4-Matic AWD mated with Electronic Stability Control, both over and understeer are controlled exceptionally well when pushed. Dynamically speaking, E-wagon is a very pleasant car to drive.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs and standard ABS along with Brake Assist. The E-wagon has stopped confidently without losing any of the composure one expects from a Mercedes. The stopping distance is short and while pedal always feels alive. There are always lives feel along the pedal when pushed into the metal. ABS doesn’t step in unnnecessarily.

Interior: The biggest highlight of the E-wagon has to begin at the back. It all starts with a low liftover for luggages. The side sills have been designed as a box for maximum cargo capacity. There are plenty of cubbyholes for miscellaneous underneath the floor. In order to keep prying eyes from all the luggages, there is a removable privacy cover. When you fold down the split fold down rear seats, there are enough space to put a refrigator or any long items that won’t be able to make it in a standard sedan.

In the front, its the typical E-Class interior. That means soft-touch plastic materials used in the cabin right from the dashboard to the door panels. The leather seats are covered in soft hides for excellent back and thigh support. The firmness would remind anyone that this is a Mercedes-Benz.

Thanks to the more upright C-pillars, the E-wagon provides better headroom than E-sedan. The legroom is as spacious as its E-sedan silibing which is always been a good thing.

Conclusion: The new E-Class wagon is indeed a very attractive package. As it combines stylish appearance with a superb cargo space, without losing any of the execution which has been the E-Class hallmark for years. The answer is loud and clear if I have to choose between this E-Class and similarly priced M-Class.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2011 Mercedes E350 4-Matic Wagon
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Performance: 3/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.25/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 5/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 4/5

Vehicle: 2011 Mercedes E550 Cabriolet with Premium Package
Price as tested: CDN$80700

Performance: Mercedes has just about every E-Class for everybody. We have reviewed the E-Class sedan and coupe, there will be a wagon and the highlight of this test drive. The E-Class Cabriolet.

The Cabriolet, as with its coupe silibing, is available with both V6 and V8 guise. While we are feeling solely disappointed that Mercedes Canada refused to bring their impressive direct fuel injection technology with the V6, which dubbed CGI BlueEfficiency. We were downright impress with Mercedes V8 offering. This 5.5 liter V8 DOHC 32-valve has a whopping 382 ponies and 391 lb/ft of torque, moving the E-Class Cabriolet’s 2295kg of Teutonic open air of motoring with ease. The credit has to go to Mercedes’s smooth 7-speed G-Tronic gearbox, which has excellent gear ratios for both low and high end. The 1st and 2nd gears are low enough for peppy acceleration, on the other hand, 6th and 7th are tall enough for awesome highway cruising. That’s when leaving anywhere between 3rd and 5th to keep the V8 in full boil. On the other hand, there are paddle shifters on E-Class’s thick steering wheel for manumatic mode. We are glad to see Mercedes is willing to let any driver to drop a few gears even when in “D” through the paddle shifters. That makes for much better control of the whole vehicle. Its pretty hard to doubt Mercedes V8′s world-class refinement and smoothness. It won’t feel anywhere that’s lack of power at any rpm. The throttle response is linear and quick without feeling too abrupt. That’s exactly what a Mercedes stands for. Calm, stable and powerful.

Handling: The Cabriolet, just like the Coupe, is based on a modified C-Class platform. That’s different than sedan and wagon which are based completely on E-Class platform. Either way, both are world-class platforms which are worthy of mentioning. Mercedes platform has always been famous for the rock-solid structure, which never felt any cracks and rattles. With the Cabriolet’s case, its completely free of anything so common on convertible. That’s called cowl shakes. Even when driven aggressively through railroad tracks and roads with patholes, there are any slight sense of cowl shakes transform into the cabin. The rest of the vehicle feels just like every other E-Class, which is rigid and solid. Its suspension is comfortably compliant, which provide firm handling without losing any ride comfort one associates with Mercedes products. When pushed the E-Cabriolet through twisties, there are slight body rolls. The standard Dynamic Package really enhances this E550′s character with the press of the “Sport” button on the center console. It really transform the E-Class from a plain blvd cruiser into a capable handler. Not only does the suspension stiffen up, the steering provides much better feel and feedback in return. The ESP in Mercedes has always been instrusive for our liking, which steps in a bit too early, when pushed hard into corners. However, given the status-of-life as a comfortable highway cruising. This kind of ESP instrusiveness is more than forgiving. The steering provides decent feel and feedback, even though Mercedes’s numb off-center feel remains intact. All and all, a complete enough dynamic package.

Brakes: Mercedes Benz’s braking performance has never been disappointed, the same goes for the E-Cabriolet. With 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, the E550 stops with confidence. Mercedes’s BA, or Brake Assist, won’t grab driver’s leg as aggressive as other similar systems. The brake pedal feels solid and alive all the time. ABS doesn’t step in unnecessarily is truly a hallmark of what make a great braking system.

Interior: You got what you pretty much expect from a Mercedes with the E-Class Cabriolet. The use of materials are notch above those nasty and hard plastic used previously in CLK, however, it won’t make A5 lose any sleep. The leather seats are finished in soft and supple leather hides, which provide excellent thigh support.

The rear seats are comfortable enough for two persons with the roof down. With the roof up, there is almost no headroom whatsoever.

The reason Mercedes remains true to soft-top instead of all those retractable hardtop is the amount of luggage space. As we have experienced with many hardtop convertible, there is almost none luggage space even for two persons on a weekend getaway as we have seen in both Infiniti G37 and Lexus IS350. With the soft-top configuration remains in the E-Class, it got more than enough luggage space for two persons on a weekend trip. Its also spacious enough to bring some shopping bags back home.

Conclusion: Mercedes is about to complete its E-Class range with the latest Cabriolet. Just like the rest of the E-Class range, its what Mercedes-Benz is all about. Classy, stable, calm, luxurious, understated with authority.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2011 Mercedes E550 Cabriolet
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Performance: 4.5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 4.25/5

Vehicle: 2010 Mercedes E550 Coupe with AMG Sport Pkg and Premium Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$71900

Performance: Just like its sedan silibing, the E-Class Coupe is currently powered by 1 of 2 engines. The base E350 is powered by a 268hp 3.5 liter V6 or the uplevel V8 in our tester. As with the model designation, the E550 is sourced by a sweet 5.5 liter 32-valve V8 DOHC engine. Not only its sweet as a nut, with usual Mercedes refinement and flexability at every rev range. Its 382hp and 391 lb/ft of torque generate plenty of performance. Unlike the base V6, which feels somewhat gutless when pushed. This V8 doesn’t have the remedies associate with V6. The throttle response is quick and instant. 391 lb/ft of torque at 2800rpm plenty plenty of torque. On the other hand, 382hp provides excellent mid and upper range performance. Along with Mercedes’s hallmark 7-Gronic 7-speed manumatic gearbox, which have excellent ratios for top and bottom. The extra gear on top of 6th provides wonderful cruising high ratio as an Autobahn cruiser. That set, it moves 3891 lb of German lined luxury with authority. The low ratios on bottom gears provide peppy launch, which is a perfect match for V8 engine’s character. The paddle shifters on the steering actually encourage to shift’em yourself, which is a radical depature from Mercedes grand touring coupe of the past.

Handling: Unlike its sedan silibing, E-Class coupe is actually based on C-Class platform. But given Mercedes’s usual standards of engineered solid and rigid chassis, based a touring coupe on a lesser platform isn’t anything to ashamed about. Although Mercedes has claimed the new E-Class coupe already much more dynamic than its CLK predecessors, we still feel it isn’t very much a capable hander. At least its not as capable as the C-Class which its loosely based on. While the C-Class feels agile and nimble, the E-Coupe feels more cumbersome and grand touring. Even when we pushed the “sport” button, which in turns with sharper steering and throttle response. We still don’t feel as dynamic and sporty as what it is suggested. Yes, its a rear-driver with near ideal 50/50 perfect weight distribution. But certainly far from its V8 competition when it comes to dynamic abilities. While the suspension is comfortably complaint with nice handling and ride compromise, it just doesn’t zoom the edgy dynamics as its rival does when it comes to eating corners. The steering provides decent feel and feedback, with excellent response. It still has Mercedes’s usual numb off-center feel during turn-in, though. The ride comfort, on the other hand, exceeds on every pavements. It simply absorbs all those roughness and patholes with ease. Very firm and very supple, in turn, very Mercedes solidty. The ESP has stepped in quite abruptly when pushed hard into a corner. There are some understeer but oversteer is hard to detect, thanks to the instrusive ESP.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, the E-Coupe stops exceptionally well given its weight. The stopping distance is short and pedal is easily modulated. The brake pedal actually has some lives when it comes to the travel. ABS doesn’t step in unnecessarily.

Interior: At the back of the E-Coupe, the trunk opening is narrow and liftover is high. It doesn’t have split fold-down rear seats. It only got a ski pass through the center armrest.

For a grand touring coupe, the backseat of the E-Coupe feels rather cramped. There aren’t much legroom and headroom is at a premium.

In the front, however, it got all the spaces that you actually needed it. The leather seats are firm and supportive, as with Mercedes tradition. Instrumentation gauges are clear and analog. It got everything you expect from a Mercedes. The use of materials and fit-and-finish are of high standards. Both the climate control and stereo are easy to figure out

Conclusion: If you are in search of a coupe that has a sporty driving experience, the E-Coupe definitely not your cup of tea. On a contrary, if you are looking for a luxury cruiser with Mercedes ambience and cachet. The E-Coupe would suit both your needs and wants.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2010 Mercedes E550 Coupe
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Performance: 4.5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 3/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 2/5
Value-for-money: 3/5

Overall rating: 3/5

Vehicle: 2010 Mercedes E350 4-Matic Sedan with Premium and Technology Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$67600

Performance: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” has always been right when it comes to the automotive world, that’s especially true with it comes to Mercedes’s bread-and-butter E-Class sedan. That’s exactly the dliemma Mercedes is facing when its time to redesign their most important car in the product profolio.

As one would expect from Mercedes, there are at least 2 engine choices for the E-Class. The uplevel E550 is powered by a V8 with 382hp, which is simply a gem of a motor. Or the V6 on our tester. Mercedes’s tried-and-true 3.5 liter V6 with 268hp and 258 lb/f of torque. While we don’t expect E63 AMG’s kind of performance through a base V6, we expect a bit more from a Mercedes V6. Instead of giving us the V6 with direct fuel injection as in the SLK350, this 258 lb/ft of torque feels gutless on the bottom end, even with the low gear ratios on low 1st and 2nd gears. Its not until the mid-range before this engine starts to shine. 268hp certainly does help a lot in this regard. Even if its 35 horsepower short of what we expect, it still delivers high level of engine refinement and smoothness one expects from Mercedes. Its not only have excellent NVH and revving smoothly, its also a quiet operator. However, the paddle shifters on the steering wheel definitely help driver to use this 3.5 liter’s rev range when they are in a need to push this 4068 lb of AWD mid-size German luxury sedan around. Another saving grace is the tall gear ratio does provide quiet and luxurious cruising on highway speed, which is always been a Mercedes forte. If you want more Mercedes, I would recommend to wait for a year or 2 for that directly injected 300hp V6. Or better yet, opt for that 5.5 liter V8 if you can’t afford the 613hp beast called E63 AMG.

Handling: Mercedes has been very well-known for producing rigid and stiff chassis, the new E-Class is no exception. The chassis is so solid and stiff, that it is completely free of anything called flex and rattles. Its also good enough for suspension to base its hats on. The suspension is comforably compliant when pushed, which absorbs all the bumps and roughness with ease, in Mercedes’s typical supple fashion. Here in Canada, all E-Class saved for AMG, only come with Mercedes’s 4-Matic AWD system. This is a system that gives out a bit of rear-drive feel without losing the AWD confidence. When it combines with the already wonderful chassis and compliant suspension, its really hard to get the E-Class unglued on any surfaces. The E350 acts confidently without losing any drama when pushed hard through corners. The steering provides decent feel and feedback, with excellent response but come with Mercedes’s typical dumb off-center feel during turn-in. There is some understeer and body rolls. Oversteer is hard to detect thanks to Mercedes’s instrusive ESP. While its instrusive for enthuisastic drivers, this system has acted exceptionally for E-Class’s traditional audience.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs and standard ABS, the E350′s braking prowess certainly lives up to the emblem on the hood. The stopping distance is short while pedal is easily modulated. ABS only acts at the right time at the right place. That’s what we called a good set of brake system.

Interior: Everything else inside the E350 is what you would expect from a Mercedes. The use of materials and fit-and-finish are top-notch. There are plenty of soft-touch plastic on the dashboard and door panels. Mercedes has put the shifter behind the steering instead of as a gearlever, as they want to leave for more storage space on the center console. The joystick on the steering takes some time to get used to, especially when it time to shift from Park to Drive. The leather seats are made of high-quality hides, which is both firm and comfortable.

There are plenty of head and legrooms at the back for any sizes.

In terms of cargo space, the E-Class has a rather high liftover and narrow opening. That seems to be the norm for most sedans these days. The split fold-down rear seats and center ski pass through certainly help though.

Conclusion: Redesigning any new car can be a risky propostion. Redesigning Mercedes’s bread-and-butter can be between boom and bust. The new E-Class is certainly is a boom. As it provides a balanced blend of performance, handling dynamics and interior comfort; without losing the usual composure of a Mercedes-Benz.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2010 Mercedes E350 4-Matic Sedan
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Performance: 3.5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 4/5

Short review of 2006 Mercedes-Benz E350
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Price as tested: CDN$74300

Mercedes has taken the already excellent E320 into another height with the introduction of E350. The E350 shares the same excellent 3.5L V6 with C, CLK, SLK and M-Classes which bumped out 268 hp and 258 lb/ft of torque. There is no shortage of power here. All you feel is a sense of Mercedes sensibilities with top-notch refinement and NVH. Unlike the SLK, the engine note is more muted for E-Class’s executive sedan character. As impressive as the engine, its 7-speed automatic transmission, or what Mercedes called 7-Gronic has done a marvelous job by providing crisp shifts and proper gear ratios. Driven at 100km/h only ticks at 2000 rpm which is amusing for a V6. The gearing on the 7th gear serves as an overdrive for fuel economy while the manumatic mode is responsive enough, when a driver has an urge to aggressively driven this car.

Except for the heart transplant, E-Class continues its tradition by providing 1st-class comfort, perfect handling/ride compromise with Airmatic DC. In the lowest setting of Airmatic, it rides as softly sprung as a landyatch. On the other hand, one can really appreciate the damping aggressiveness when pushing into corner if you set at the stiffest DC setting. The beauty of Airmatic DC is the system has perfected the balance of softness and suppleness between all settings.

Overall rating: 5/5

Vehicle: 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI
Price as tested: CDN$74400

Performance: Underneath the hood of this E-Class is Mercedes’s exceptional 3.2L straight 6 common-rail diesel that has 201hp and 369 lb/ft of torque. The amount of torque is larger than its more expesnive silibing, E500′s 339 lb/ft of torque. Its not easy to spin the tires during launch given the huge amout of torque delivers to the rear wheels. All this works in a very refined Mercedes fashion with high level of refinement and NVH. The only place you can hear the diesel clatter is outside the vehicle. Inside, it feels just like driving a gasoline-powered E-Class. Matched with this powerplant is the typical Mercedes smooth 5-speed Touchshift. Its shifts are crisp and responsive without any drama. Thanks to its clever gearing, I have clocked 100 km/h at a lowly 2000 rpm which is truly amazing. It also shows how torquery this powerplant is.

Handling: With the additional torque, it actually makes the driver more encouraging when pushing through corners. This E-Class feels more energetic and willing to turn when accelerate into a corner than its gasser silibings. It all comes with the same confidence-inspiring dynamic package. The steering has plenty of steering feel and responsiveness. On the other hand, ride quality remains as sublime as you would expect from a Mercedes. The body rolls are well-controlled and oversteer is easily detected thanks to the stability control system.

Brakes: It got the same 4-wheel discs, standard ABS with Sensotronic Braking Control. Mercedes finally addressed the touchiness of SBC in earlier cars by giving a system that has better feel and modulation. As you expect from Mercedes, the stops are short and linear.

Interior: Inside its typical E-Class fare with great set of leather seats, analog instrumentation gauges and high-quality materials. The only difference between a CDI and gasser is the low redline of diesel-powered vehicle compares to gasoline-powered ones. The defogger also works exceptionally well during today’s foggy morning.

Conclusion: With a base price of $1400 more than the equiavlent gasoline-powered E320, this CDI worths every pennies. Its not only simply the best passenger-car diesel currently available on the market, its probably one of the best cars you can buy in terms of overall package. With the benefit of better fuel economy at a little more expensive package, you kinda wonder why there are still people buying gasoline-powered counterparts.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 CDI
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Performance: 5/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4.5/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4.5/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4.5/5
Value-for-money: 5/5

Overall rating: 4.75/5

Vehicle: 2003 Mercedes-Benz E320 Elegance with 5-speed Touchshift and Panoramic roof

Handling: One of the best attributes of the new E-Class has to be its handling dynamics even in standard suspension form. Combine a bank-vault chassis with very well-balanced suspension, the E320 is a joy to drive. Unlike the outgoing E-Class which had a tendency of softly sprung through corners, the new one feels firm and agile. All of the previous car’s cumbersome feel has gone. The biggest complaint of last E-Class was the overboosted steering. Once again, Mercedes has addressed this issue. The steering is decently weighted with plenty of feedback. Both the off and on-center feel are excellent. As with all Mercedes, ride comfort is second-to-none. The suspension absorbs every bumps beautifully without sacificing the firm driving experience that’s typical of German luxury sedan. The most surprise fact is the ESP is not as instrusive as I expect considered this is a luxury sedan. The stability control kicks in at the right time without kicking in too early. That’s a huge surprise since the SL500 I drove had more instrusive ESP than this E320. The oversteer is easy to control. Body rolls are reasonable cosidered E-Class’s weight. The only drawback is E320 feels underengined because of such an agile and sporty chassis. This chassis will be perfectly match with E500 and E55 AMG.

Perfromance: As I said earlier, this 3.2L 18-valver V6 that turns out 221hp and 232 lb/ft of torque feels a bit slow due to the superb chassis. Despite that, this 3.2L is a very refined engine unit that’s flexible and willing to rev. The throttle response is typical Mercedes “heavy” but its easy to modulate and responsive. 5-speed Touchshift tranny allows you to rev before shifts up a gear. The shifting process is smooth, refine and well-tuned. In a single word: flawless. This is an engine that you have to experience yourself to enjoy, same goes to the beautifully sorted-out chassis.

Brakes: E-Class comes with Sensotronic Brake Control, Brake Assist along with ABS. The pedal feel is simply exceptional. The stopping distance is short while the pedal modulation is well balanced. SBC elminates the jerking effect of many braking system. It works effectively in both E and SL-Class.

Interior: If E-Class’s interior is any indication, Mercedes’s build quality finally comes back after years struggling through C and M-Class. There are soft plastic abound. The center console’s wood trim is beautifully put together. All the switchgears use soft plastic that have very high-quality texture feel. The climate control is effective, stereo sounds excellent. The analog gauges are logically layout. Glad to see Mercedes finally uses more traditional speedometer instead of “half moon” style used in C and S-Class. However, the clock looks a bit too large for my liking. The seats are comfortable, provide excellent back and leg support. The power seats and steering guaranteed to help you find perfect driving position. On the back, there are plenty of leg and headrooms. The rear auto climate control is a nifty feature for rear seat passengers. The trunk is large with low liftover. Instrusive trunk hinges are covered by carpet so they won’t crash into any cargo inside.

Conclusion: Mercedes has upped the ante with the new E-Class. While the outgoing car feels too sedate, the new car feels sporty. Combines with beautiful styling, docile chassis, rock-solid build quality and spacious interior. Its really hard to find a better luxury car anywhere, maybe except for E500. The next A6 and 5-Series have to be exceptionally good to take on new E-Class. Until then, E-Class is the trendsetter of senior luxury sedan segment.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2003 MERCEDES E320 ELEGANCE
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Performance: 3.75/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4.95/5 (probably 5 if its a “Sport”)
Build quality/fit-and-finish: 5/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 5/5
Cargo/acessibility/layout: 4.5/5
Value-for-money: 4/5

Overall rating: 5/5