bhp 510
mph 190
0-60 4.1
engine capacity 6.0
engine cylinders 12
asparation natural
weight 1680 kg
gearbox 6 speed manual
drivetrain RWD

bhp 507
mph 155 (limited)
0-60 4.6
engine capacity 5.0
engine cylinders 10
asparation natural
weight 1710 kg
gearbox 7-speed paddle shift manual
transmission rwd

bhp 507
mph 155 (limited)
0-60 4.6
engine capacity 5.0
engine cylinders 8
asparation supercharged
weight 1801 kg
gearbox 6 speed
drivetrain rwd

bhp 517
mph 155
0-60 4.3
engine capacity 5.5
engine cylinders v12
asparation twin turbo
weight 2023 kg
gearbox 7 speed manual
drivetrain rwd

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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