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By
EWAN KENNEDY
15 January 2007
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan and wagon received a
comprehensive facelift midway through 2006. At the same time there were
many changes to the mechanical setup, so much so, that around 2000
components are either completely new, or redesigns of existing parts to
further improve them.
Frontal styling is now more aggressive, with a slightly larger
V-shaped grille and bolder shape to the front bumper bar. The
headlamp glass has been restyled with horizontal louvres to give
the Merc a wider appearance. There are also styling changes to the
door mirrors, tail lamps, as well as to the side skirts on the
sporting Avantgarde models.
The overall effect works well, though the original model was so
good that only those who know of the styling cues to the new Merc
will appreciate just how many changes have been made.
Changes inside the cabin of the latest Mercedes-Benz E-Class
include new colour schemes in a good variety of choices. Our test
car for the past week featured a light grey and white interior
which looked positively stunning, though we don’t know if it
would be our shade of choice if kids were to be carried.
Interestingly the four-spoke steering wheel design from the
upmarket CLS model is now standard across the entire new E-Class
range.
Though five adults can be carried, four and a child makes a lot
more sense. There's good, though not outstanding, space in the
back seats and legroom will suit all but the tallest occupants.
All of the Mercedes E-Class station wagons being imported to
Australia are seven-seaters. The additional seats aren't that easy
to get into and are really only intended for children. However,
for a car of this size the wagon is a pretty good compromise.
Incidentally, the aforementioned Mercedes CLS can be regarded
as a four-door coupe version of the E-Class and is well worth
consideration if you don’t need quite as much space in the back
seats, but you do like the convenience of having rear doors. And
it looks simply gorgeous.
The Mercedes we tested was the E280 CDI with the 3.0-litre
turbo-diesel engine that has impressed us many times before in
vehicles such as the Mercedes ML280 4WD. A smooth V6 unit it has
the usual diesel attributes of strong lowdown torque and excellent
fuel economy.
You can pick it as being a diesel engine when it’s idling,
though it’s far more noticeable from outside the car than in. On
the move from inside the car it could almost be a petrol engine as
far as its smoothness and noise levels are concerned.
Most drivers will only use seven to eight litres of diesel fuel
per hundred kilometres of driving in the country, a figure that’s
unlikely to go much over 10 litres per hundred even during the
rigours of daily commuting in Sydney or Melbourne.
This low consumption makes it a great tourer as it’s possible
to easily cover 1000 km on a tank and have the ability to pick and
choose between areas with low fuel prices.
The prestigious German car maker has long been a front runner
in the safety stakes. Some items that were once only offered in
the topline S-Class models are now finding their way down the
price scale. As an example, Pre-Safe is now standard across the
range. This system can detect an imminent collision and set the
seats to the correct position, activate the seat belt tensioners
and close any open windows and the sunroof.
On the road this is an exceptionally easy and pleasant car to
drive. It really does seem to be able to anticipate the driver’s
wishes and turns into bends with a minimum of effort. There is
good balance on offer thanks to the use of rear-wheel drive and
the longitudinal mounting of the engine.
What Mercedes calls a Direct Control package is standard across
the E-Class range. This includes a 10 per cent increase in the
speed of the steering ratio, as well as suspension modifications
to improve handling safety and stability.
Few will ever call on the extremes of handling offered by this
Mercedes, but let me assure you it will look after you way beyond
what you may expect. Having said that, it’s still up to the
driver to anticipate and concentrate, and not depend on the car
getting them out of trouble.
Refinement remains as good as ever, with the latest Mercedes
E-Class being, if anything, even smoother and quieter to ride in
than the outgoing model. There's a real feeling of luxury, even in
the lowest cost models and we can understand why so many people
aspire to these German cars.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
E200 K 1.8-litre four-door sedan - $84,500
E280 CDI Elegance 3.0-litre diesel four-door sedan - $101,500
E280 Elegance 3.0-litre four-door sedan - $99,500
E280 Elegance Estate 3.0-litre five-door wagon - $105,500
E280 CDI Elegance 3.0-litre diesel five-door wagon - $107,500
E350 Elegance 3.5-litre four-door sedan - $126,500
E350 Elegance Estate 3.5-litre five-door wagon - $132,500
E500 Elegance 5.5-litre four-door sedan - $160,300
E500 Elegance Estate 5.5-litre five-door wagon - $166,300
E63 AMG 6.2-litre four-door sedan - $227,600
E63 AMG Estate 6.2-litre five-door wagon - $233,600
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard on all models
Air Conditioning: Standard on all models
Automatic Transmission: Standard on all models
CD Player: Standard on all models
Central Locking: Standard on all models
Cruise Control: Standard on all models
Driver Airbag: Standard on all models
Passenger Airbag: Standard on all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard on all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Mercedes-Benz E280 CDI 3.0-litre diesel
four-door sedan)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.987 litres
Configuration: V6
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 17.7:1
Bore/Stroke: 88.0 x 88.3mm
Maximum Power: 140kW @ 4000rpm
Maximum Torque: 440Nm @ 1400rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Rear
Manual Transmission: Not offered
Automatic Transmission: Seven-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 2.65:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4818mm
Wheelbase: 2854mm
Width: 1822mm
Height: 1452mm
Turning Circle: 11.4 metres
Kerb Mass: 1665kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 65 litres
Towing Ability: 1900kg with braked trailer
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, double wishbones, coil springs, gas
dampers, jointed mount anti-roll bar.
Rear Suspension: Independent, multiple links, coil springs, gas
dampers, jointed mount anti-roll bar.
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Ventilated disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 9.2 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 16.7 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Diesel
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 7.5 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/unlimited km
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Marque Publishing Company
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