Mercedes new E-Class sets luxury benchmark
Mercedes new E-Class sets luxury benchmark
By Russell Williamson
Mercedes Benz is set to release, what is surely going to become a new benchmark in mid-sized luxury cars.
Due to be launched in Jakarta on May 30, the new oval-eyed E- Class will replace the existing E-Class model range.
Production of the old E220 and E320 has now ceased although there are limited numbers left throughout Indonesia's 24 Mercedes Benz dealerships.
Mercedes is expecting the new sedan range, available with either four cylinder or six cylinder power plants and in two trim levels, Classic and Elegance, to lift sales of the vehicle from 1,300 in 1995 to about 2,000 vehicles a year.
Replacing a vehicle often described as the best passenger car in the world must have been a daunting task for the new model's designers, but the new E-Class proves they were up to the task.
It is a bigger, safer car that performs better, uses less fuel and emits fewer exhaust pollutants.
With its arresting front-end styling, carefully calculated body curvature and a bigger interior, the new car builds on the rock-solid foundations set by its predecessor.
From the driver's and passenger's viewpoint, the obvious changes are the increased front and rear space. The E-Class has never really suffered from being short on interior room, but the new car has even more shoulder, head and leg room.
With its excellent aerodynamics, the new car is also very quiet on the road. Wind noise is down to the point where only the exterior rear view mirrors make any noticeable intrusion and there are few, if any, sedan cars that so successfully minimize the road noise transmitted up through the suspension.
That said, ambient mechanical sound has not been eliminated to the point of detachment from any awareness of what is going on inside, outside or around the vehicle.
Most drivers will probably not notice the fact Mercedes has finally switched from recirculating ball to rack and pinion steering. The previous system was so good there didn't really appear to be any need. The company cites the advantages as being considerable weight savings rather than any huge improvement in steering response.
Switching from a strut system to a dual-wishbone front suspension has brought lower levels of noise and vibration, and allowed more precise control of wheel movement, further helping the subtle sharpening-up of the car's handling.
The 162kW 3.2-liter six-cylinder engine is unchanged from the previous model, but the car is claimed to actually perform slightly better despite a slight weight increase, and is measurably more economical, as well as being significantly less polluting.
The four-cylinder engine used in the E230 has benefited from a slight capacity increase from 2.2 liters to 2.3 liters and uses the extra capacity to increase torque by 10Nm in the important midrange.
Power output remains at 110kW but the E230 follows the six- cylinder engine by being faster, more economical and cleaner- running.
Underlying all this is the fact that the midsize Benz rates as one of the safest cars on earth.
From the company that started the ball rolling on passive safety as long ago as the 1950s, it is no surprise that the technologies used in the E-Class are cutting-edge.
Adopting things such as a front-end engine-suspension-steering support structure designed to disconnect under certain impact loads so it will slide underneath the vehicle, the company has come up with a design that gave the best-ever results in crash tests conducted by the German magazine Auto Motor Und Sport.
There is also the availability of side air bags that add to an already comprehensive side-impact protection system, and a seat belt design that reduces passenger load in a collision by actually paying-out a little in the first milliseconds.
Whether these side air bags or even the driver or passenger air bags will be available in the Indonesian market has yet to be decided.
To driver and passengers, the new car impresses as a refined version of the previous E-Class.
While exact equipment levels are yet to be determined, expect the new Mercs to come with a full accompaniment of leather and wood, all things electric, climate-control air conditioning, premium sound systems, traction-control and antilock brake systems, alloy wheels and advanced central locking/vehicle security systems.
Midsize passenger cars just don't come any better.