£37,985 Audi A6 3.0 TDI quattro S-line
Engine: 24v 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel, 2967cc
Maximum power: 237bhp @4400-4700rpm
Maximum torque: 500Nm @1500-3000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual, AWD
Weight: 1760kg
0-60: 6.6 seconds
Top speed: 155mph (electronically limited)

Average fuel economy: 42.2mpg
Carbon dioxide emissions: 179g/km

£42,605 BMW 535d M Sport
Engine: 24v 3.0-litre I6 twin-turbodiesel, 2993cc
Maximum power: 286bhp @4400rpm
Maximum torque: 580Nm @1750-2250rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual, RWD
Weight: 1735kg
0-60: 6.4 seconds
Top speed: 155mph (electronically limited)

Average fuel economy: 42.2mpg
Carbon dioxide emissions: 178g/km

£43,455 Jaguar XF Diesel S Portfolio
Engine: 24-valve 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbodiesel, 2993cc
Maximum power: 275bhp @4000rpm
Maximum torque: 600Nm @2000rpm
Transmission: JaguarDrive 6-speed automatic with paddleshift, RWD
Weight: 1820kg
0-60: 5.9 seconds
Top speed: 155mph (electronically limited)

Average fuel economy: 42mpg
Carbon dioxide emissions: 179g/km

(couldn’t find any decent pictures of the E350 CDI – but it looks identical to this E500 Sport)

£35,970 Mercedes E350 CDI Sport
Engine: 24v 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel, 1987cc
Maximum power: 231bhp @3800rpm
Maximum torque: 540Nm @1600-2400rpm
Transmission: 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic,
Weight: 1825kg
0-60: 6.9
Top speed: 155 (electronically limited)

Average fuel economy: 40.9mpg
Carbon dioxide emissions: 186g/km

For: Solid construction, fuel economy, spacious, comfortable accommodation

Against: Fussy styling, lack of a sixth auto gear, occasionally intrusive engine noise

Mercedes-Benz says this new car is its toughest E-class yet. Which is quite a claim, given that Mercedes’ executive saloon can trace its direct predecessors (if not the ‘E’ nomenclature) right back to 1947 and that the lineage has provided some of the world’s most trustworthy and durable vehicles.

More than 10 million executive saloons from this family have been sold, and many still have an enthusiastic following. There was a time when Mercedes’ advertising blurb claimed its cars were engineered like no other, and in the case of vehicles like the W124 it was probably true.

Those are the days and that is the image that Mercedes would like to evoke with this latest incarnation of the E-class. Keen to increase its share of the executive saloon market, Mercedes claims to have cut prices by five per cent and bolstered the equipment.

Ninety per cent of E-classes sold in the UK are powered by diesel engines, so our test car is too. It’s a 250 CDI, featuring a four-cylinder diesel engine, mated to an automatic gearbox and in SE trim.

VERDICT:

Full Story: Autocar – Mercedes E-class E250 CDI SE

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