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.