[earthian]

As usual, a great review. I checked out the new E when i had gone to check out colours for my proposed GLE 250 D. It looked so good that i almost ( but not quite) changed my mind about buying the GLE. It does look superb in white.

[abhishek46]

Just 2 flies in this wonderful & expensive ointment!

- Spare wheel has no wheel well & occupies the Boot. Why has Mercedes done this? I am sure there has to be an extreme thought process behind it. Just want to know what that demented thought process is.

- The rear seats could have has integrated the Foot extenders/rests like the ones we get in Aircraft First class seats.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Gamechanger & masterstroke because it is a LWB car?

5-Series rear seat = Economy class in a Jet Airways flight.
E-Class rear seat = Business class in Emirates.

Need I say more?

Beyond a point, does extra legroom improve the comfort factor?

In a Skoda Superb, no. In cars which at best offered 'just enough' rear legroom, yes.

Then, there is the fantastically designed cabin, the soft pillows on the rear seat, the recline-adjustable back seat, the panoramic roof etc. It truly is gold class for chauffeur-driven owners (a majority of the segment).

No other car in this segment has interiors that make you go 'WOW'. I just heard that the waiting period on the new E-Class has already started stretching, Lexus' entry notwithstanding.

[abhinavsureka]

very detailed review. Cant wait to see how it compares to the new 5 series which comes out in a few months.
Mercedes have played a master stroke by bringing in the stretched E-class which will attract most buyers in that segment.
I however would prefer a BMW any day purely for the driving fun. Maybe when i turn 60 i would want this
Talking about the warranties and service packages, BMW is far ahead.
I know mercedes owners in indore who instead of sending their (out-of-warranty) cars to the merc workshop, send it to other workshops because of how unhappy they are there. overcharging and unnecessary delays are not expected from a Mercedes !

[sawnilrules]

Much awaited review is here, and how!!! I loved reading it. Though I liked the new E, but somehow I am not happy with Mercedes choosing to go the BMW way of ensuring all their cars look the same and only a die hard car aficionado can make out which class the car really is.

Very recently, I had an opportunity to drive 3 cars back to back, the 530d, A6, and the new E350d. If I would have been in the market to buy the car of this class, what would I pick and why,

First up BMW 530d, This would be my choice, if I chose not to hire the driver and drive my car to wherever I want to go every day. It would be an absolute crime to handover this monster to a chauffeur. This one demands the owner to be behind its wheel and no where else. Its like that Star Plus campaign #nowherelse.

Mercedes E350d, This would be my choice, if I did choose to split 10:90 ratio between behind the wheel vs rear seat comfort. Imagine a hard day at work, you have put long hours, Mumbai traffic sucks, but then what you have at your disposal is this beautiful Limo to just sit back and relax, just like how the 6E crew on indigo flight say, Sit Back, Relax and Enjoy an award winning service while on board. This merc's back seat is really an award winning seat to be in. To enjoy all the success that you have achieved through your hard-work. And on those weekend's when I want to flaunt my Star Status, would drive around to that late night party, be fashionably late and still arrive in style.

Audi A6, This would be my choice, if I did choose to split back seat comfort and driving pleasure to the tune of 40:60 split. Well, it's not an ultimate driving machine like the 530D, but its not a slow couch for sure. It pulls away strongly and that adrenaline push is addictive. The days when you want to feel you are sitting in a proper tech laden space craft with tons of buttons which confuse you more rather than simplify your life, I would chose the A6 in the drivers seat. It took me almost 4-5 minutes to search for the start stop button And on other days when I don't feel like driving, I would simply hand over the keys to the chauffeur to take over to take me around the town and paint it red.

But then, because I don't let anyone drive my machines, You obviously now know, what will I pick if I was in the market to buy a 70 Lac sedan.

[The Brutailer]

I was under the impression that E-Class is only for being chauffeur driven. After reading the review of the engine and gearbox, I'm highly impressed.

Back seat is of course superlative but the drive is no slouch either. In the sense, one those evenings when I'm coming back home frustrated, it'll probably put a smile on my face.

Looks like Mercedes wants to keep me inside their showroom itself, when I'd be itching to upgrade my GLA after few years.

Would say, when it's offering 80% of S-Class at 50% of the cost, might as well spend that extra 18 lakhs and get a 350d.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by The Brutailer

I was under the impression that E-Class is only for being chauffeur driven. After reading the review of the engine and gearbox, I'm highly impressed.
.

Think of it as the poor man's Rolls Royce Ghost - fits the bill both to drive and be driven!

Originally Posted by sawnilrules

Much awaited review is here, and how!!! I loved reading it. Though I liked the new E, but somehow I am not happy with Mercedes choosing to go the BMW way of ensuring all their cars look the same and only a die hard car aficionado can make out which class the car really is.

.

I agree, it even looks like the previous generation from the front. However, the E Avantgarde in Europe have different bumpers which make it stand out

Originally Posted by GTO

5-Series rear seat = Economy class in a Jet Airways flight.
E-Class rear seat = Business class in Emirates.

Need I say more?



Then, there is the fantastically designed cabin, the soft pillows on the rear seat, the recline-adjustable back seat, the panoramic roof etc. It truly is gold class for chauffeur-driven owners (a majority of the segment).

No other car in this segment has interiors that make you go 'WOW'. I just heard that the waiting period on the new E-Class has already started stretching, Lexus' entry notwithstanding.

If I had not been tempted out of the car for lunch at Martins', I would have loved to have continued my siesta that afternoon

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Just 2 flies in this wonderful & expensive ointment!

- Spare wheel has no wheel well & occupies the Boot. Why has Mercedes done this? I am sure there has to be an extreme thought process behind it. Just want to know what that demented thought process is.

- The rear seats could have has integrated the Foot extenders/rests like the ones we get in Aircraft First class seats.

When I spoke to the VP Sales about this issue, he awkwardly agreed with the excuse that punctures are hardly an issue abroad

As for foot extenders/ massage seats, they need to keep something for the S Class!

Originally Posted by sandeepmdas

Wow! review of a Wow! car. Voted five three-pointed stars!

As GTO has mentioned, kudos to the Merc bigwig who suggested the idea of launching it in Verlängert way. Looks like all a SA in a Merc showroom needs to do is, walk to customer next to this car and open the rear door. The E will do the rest of the talking. E-asy job.

The reviewer's observation on ARTICO upholstery also raises several points to ponder about the uniqueness of our country and it's culture too.

This is a car you need to experience. When I saw it, my first impressions were that it was too long and it would be cumbersome.

Vid and I were discussing Artico and speculated that the more vegan discriminate customers are a minority overall but in this segment, they are a significant critical mass. Vid claims a couple of people are on the waiting list since it is non leather.

Would I buy one? Well, I do not need the space, it would be a toss up between a C class or a BMW 530d (Having seen the display one at Frankfurt airport, it grew on me)

Originally Posted by avira_tk

Great review and luckily I got to read the whole thing while there is a fire drill going on.

This car is what every luxury car owner dreams of, the only thing I don't buy is the artificial leather, it's made from petroleum and is not biodegradable, hardly environment friendly.

Neither are the tanning processes for leather or the carbon footprint of the cow Range Rover claim that they have used more environmental friendly process for leather. Am not sure what is now industry practice or the carbon footprint for both.

[Arjun Reddy]

Well done Ajmat and Viddy. Super review.

There should be a lot of interest in this E Class. Though I feel that the 2 litre Diesel tuned to 204 BHP and 500 nm of torque would eventually become the bread winner for the new E. This is probably slated for a June launch.

Apart from all the goodies, you can now shut off the 4 vents in the center. This cannot be done In my C250.

Also a quick question. If the rear air conditioning is single zone , what happens in the C Class without the temperature control for the rear?
Does the right vent pick the temperature set in the driver , with the left vent taking in the temperature set for the passenger at the front ?

Also does the E class have the Intelligent led light system like on the C250 ?

What tyres are the car running on ? Is there any difference between the front and the rear ?

Big omissions are the audio controls for the rear( my Elantra Fluidic has it ) and surprisingly no cup holders. Are the cup holders available at least as an accessory?

[ganeshtvpm]

A very well written review. Front view has very much resemblance to the out going model though and I feel that side profile is disproportionately long. A quick search through the forum show s class wheel base as 3035mm and this one as 3079mm. Did I miss something here?

Originally Posted by ajmat

When I spoke to the VP Sales about this issue, he awkwardly agreed with the excuse that punctures are hardly an issue abroad

As for foot extenders/ massage seats, they need to keep something for the S Class!

There is the magic body control ride for the S

[nickolajj]

Guess the new E is not as well built as its predecessor. This one especially is not for the young Enterpreneur who loves to be self driven. It has the COMPANY CAR tag written all over it.

[viren83]

Great review Ajit! Are you the official reviewer of 50L and up cars? 😀

I won't call this a great car though. Checked it out a few days ago and came out of the showroom in less than 5 minutes. I didn't feel special sitting in this car. Despite best in class material and most elegant looking interiors, All Mercedes look and feel same these days.

This looks as an overgrown C-class more than the baby S-class. Compare the tail light design, Car width, the lower instance of the front profile and you'll know what I'm talking about. The S class remains the true XL sized Merc sedan.

Call the LWB E a cheap S-class. And that's the impression even the LWB 5 series gives in person.

It appears as an upgrade option for those who'd need Space more than anything else.

Missing flat bottom steering and that command infotainment screen is ok but what about the 2 way rear auto climate control, rear Ice controls and soft close doors? Are these really pricey options for someone who's going to sit in the back?

Originally Posted by GTO

To 9 out of 10 people who ask me, I'll recommend this LWB (long wheelbase) E-Class over the 5-Series & A6.

Too early. You'd probably change your recommendation once the new 5 series is reviewed.

Given the popularity of long cars in India, yes I agree that this indeed is a masterstroke by Mercedes.

Originally Posted by GTO

I'm hearing the next-gen 5 isn't spacious either.

Nopes. This time, Its as good as any other car in the segment.
Actually, The swb E class however doesn't look that spacious.

[Tanveer_2558]

Man, What a car and what a detailed review! Loved it! I have literally stopped watching video review's since they just don't do justice specially to these kind of car's, The amount of features these cars have just cannot explained in the video, I see myself getting this car 2.5 years down the line, Once i am bored of my recently acquired missile.

[bigron]

A brilliant gamble by Mercedes that seems to have worked. They have somehow managed to make it into a value proposition and convince us that what we need is excess rear space and comfort. And if 85% of E class owners are Chauffeur driven this is a no-brainer. The creamy engine certainly sweetens the deal for days one wishes to take the drivers seat.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by ganeshtvpm

A quick search through the forum show s class wheel base as 3035mm and this one as 3079mm. Did I miss something here?

The Indian S-Class has a wheelbase of 3165 mm. We've always gotten the long wheelbase version in India.

[Fullrevs]

5-star review! Love the attention to detail! You guys do a fabulous job always. I really wish they had the seamless digital display for the odometer and the car info display like they do in the European models. I felt the font on the RPM and speedometer is not classy at all.

I had recently purchase the Edition E200. I found the engine to be quite peppy and responsive. Its not anything as good as my E60 525i with the inline-6 but still quite effortless when it comes to highway driving. Reaches the 3-digit mark with barely a dab on the throttle and has quite a raspy note when getting there.

I read that the launch of E43-AMG is expected to be somewhere in 2018. Will be interesting to see how Mercedes prices it.