[maxbhp]

That was a very conclusive review having all the details neatly laid out. Thank you.

I am now thinking just one thing , how are they going to market S-Class coz this looks quite close to it. My Bro bought an S-Class today so when I get back home I will just get to know it little closer and deeper and do a comparison.

The lighting is looking really class . Am slowly getting used to the rear end.

Can you get a real comparison between the German warriors ?

[Guna]

Originally Posted by ajmat

Great review

Looks like Merc are going back to being Mercs and not trying to be everyone else

Except for a bit of Lexus? Especialy those lights

[Gilead]

Excellent review, GTO. This has to be the best one till now. I really like the front, especially the DRLs. In India, they are meant to impress the car in front and it does its job well.

How did you guys manage to take the video shot were the two wheels on the left are seen in motion? Was someone hanging out of the boot with a camera?

[Slick!]

Thanks for a great review GTO. This saves me a lot os research into buying a merc for my parents.

[Mpower]

Congrats to the team on a killer review. Super informative.

My take on the looks. Nothing radical. Both F and R have both been seen before on other cars.
Back end is uber conservative and retro-1992. Think Audis and Lexi from early 90s.
Front end execution is superb. You guys captured a great angle too. The ponton feature is very subtle and will probably be missed in a first impression.
ORVM looks overstyled! sorry but that's ricer...trying too hard very un-Mercedes like.

They always seem to launch the diesel first. If they launch all versions together they are afraid 90% will go for the diesel.

Originally Posted by GTO

The Device on top is the rear parking sensor. The rear neck restraints / headrests are now soft (unlike the ultra-hard compound of yesteryear Mercedes). Well cushioned: Look closely at the cheap looking "neck-pro" branding. 4 of them (2 on each front seat)!:Small touch. On the bottom of the mirror, you'll see an orange dot. That's part of the ambient lighting and subtly throws light on the center console:

I think because the headrest is now active, it can be made out of softer material.

BTW does it have anti glare IRVM?

How well does the navi system work for Indian roads?

Loved the video of the moving car....and the cow crossing the road

[Sahil]

Mighty impressive review,as always,GTO ! If this trend continues, you would be saving me Rs.200 a month by not having to purchase Autocar & Overdrive.

On the exteriors of the car, I am with the rest of the gang, I really like the front end ! The rear is 'butt' ugly (pun intended) infact if I were an E-class buyer the rear design would be the biggest factor for me not buying the car. Alloys looks fantastic, Mercedes has always given the worest alloy designs at least in the initially launched models. I remember when the previous gen E was launched it had the most hideous alloys, nothing could have been more boring than those. Not too happy with the 45 profile though.

The interiors are niiiice ! Love the new leather shades coming in, although I still prefer the Nature brown that we have on our 520d compared to this one. The interior space being as much as the 5 is not much to talk home about, yes the 5 is more spacious than the previous E but I was expecting merc to make it a bit bigger this time.
The seat angle is the saving grace and this alone would make it more comfy than the 5. My friends often complain of the 5's rear seating angle, although I must add these complaints have increased after I got the Superb
As mentioned the screen in the center is just to keep up the gizmo feel in comparision to the competiton. Why couldn't they just give us a more advanced system like the iDrive & MMI ! Seems like a half hearted job done in terms of gizmos.

Can't really comment on the driving experience as I haven't test driven it yet. However 0 to 100 in 7.9 second doesn't impress me especially from an E 350 !

All in all, seems like a good package and a hard fight for the 5 series. But I am disappointed with MBIL, when will they wake up and smell the coffee? Your monopoly days are over ! The customer usually wins when there is fierce competition in the segment as they get more bang for their buck. MBIL should be ahead of the race and take charge by offering the Indian customer that has nourished it's balance sheets for over a decade, with that they deserve.
When BMW came in, they shook up the segment by giving us what we deserve, heck we didn't even get Xenon lamps after paying 50 lakhs for the previous E ! After which MBIL stepped up a bit and throw in a few more features, after which BMW took a giant leap by offering night-vision and ultra high-tech gizmo's of the sort.
I really was hoping MBIL to take the race further and let the customer be the winner in this battle. But all they have done is to 'match' the 5 for the most part. And this is the highest spec'ed model the smaller engines would be even more stripped.
On the brighter side, juding by merc's history of electronics, it's best they stick to less gizmos
Last but not the least, maintenance packs ! We have been hearing about them for a long time and this is a major major drawback, don't they trust their own product enough to offer it? I don't think I would ever step back into the MB stable unless there is a maintenance to back it up.

[Ramsagar]

That's an impressive review GTO.
Why can't we publish a monthly Auto magazine with all the reviews.

Pls confirm me the dial i.e in the pic marked in red.Is it a analog clock in speedometer.

I read push to open & push close fuel cap.won't it easy to steel the fuel.

[Jaggu]

Well written review GTO! The details you have captured is really good and coming from an owner of one of these cars, it really helps the reader to associate the improvements with previous models.

Looks wise i like it, including the rear Saw one in darker shade yesterday and i somehow dont have much to complain about it. After reading the review i realized the blunder of having had the low sulpher blue discussion with Rudra.

This Merc and BMW have a thing for each other or what? lol

[StreetAddict]

That's a well worded review. Great job GTO.

I agree that the ride looks so much like un-Mercedes. This one looks aggressive as compared to more suttle looks of the old ones.

[anekho]

Excellent review GTO, and nice video aswell. It's really comprehensive and gives a great insight which auto mags often fail to do.

Thanks.

The e-class is rocking, and I love the way the car looks.
It oozes much more of s-class than before and the deep tan interiors are beautiful.

I can't wait to see the next gen 5 series to see what they throw at this e-class.

cheers

PS. @Ramsagar, yes it's a clock. A Mercedes trademark

[1-Testosterone]

This review is as clinical as it gets. Your next challenge lies in comparing this beauty with B5 and A6 and then to put it down a fantastic comparative review . I have read many comparisons between this trio and somehow Volvo S80 is left out - Why?

[theMAG]

Very nice review GTO. I am curious about the utility of those LED fog lights. How was their performance ?

[khan75]

Superb review mate! After reading that though, I still feel that the Bimmer 5 series is the car to buy.

[V-16]

Thats a very professional review GTO. I wont be surprised if parts of it are flinched by some magazines for a review.

Overall i would like to add my two bits. I have yet to test drive the car. I have seen it but not so thoroughly. That i would be doing in the near future.

What i liked about the new E class is that its getting closer and closer in creature comforts which was till now the domain of the S class. Interior wise, the poered seats in the front, Memory for driver as well as passenger, steering tilt for easy access, Bixenon lights, not standatrd even for the S class over all models (W220)

WHat immediately came to my notice is the lack of space in the W212 as compared to the W211 and the W220 in the driver leg space. By leg space i mean the spread which a driver can enjoy in the previous gen E is somehow compromised. I think it is the result of making the door arms thicker, maybe for safety reasons (as i dont see any other reason for doing something like this) the driver, who could drive with his legs comfortably spread, is now restricted to keeping them closer of else, the arm irritatingly is in contact with the leg which is not comfortable at all. I still have to drive her though, but as soon as i sat in, this is the impression i got.

Bringing in the E class in the S class territory, might affect the S class sales but then, again, it might not. They share the engine, the gear box and now even creature comforts.

I would like to completely agree with GTO on his noticing the Ponton-esq rear overhang of the W212. It looks like a Mercedes trait now. It started with the S and at that angle, it looks like an S class rear panel too.

Like i have always maintained that the Merc seems to be getting ideas from the BMWs. First the I Drive, which all German cars seems to have a fetish for and then the gear shifter. A little lever which does the trick. BMW introduced itin the earlier gen S class and recieved some flak for it. Immediately in the later models, it was discontinued. Mercedes, continues with it somehow. The shifter, i find is less involving and shifting it to the right makes matters worse. The steering looks like its out of the C and M class. I dont think it feels of looks the part.


The interiors on the whole, look good and are top notch in finish and quality. Dont particularly care for the vague shade of brown, burgundy on the seats...what the heck is that colour and how does it match with white exteriors? This is one department i would rather a Lady handles. At least we would get better uniform shades of upholstery.

I loved the touch of the dual sun visors, very ingenious and makes one wonder why no one ever thought of it. I remember the Toyota Crown Super Saloon came with self rotating swing controls on the front a/c louvres. A great touch. Wonder why no one has though of that?

Somehow this car, in my opinion is inclined towards the chauffeur and less to the owner driver. The BMW and the Audi on the other hand are completely opposite. One can almost hear these cars say "Drive Me-Drive Me" whereas the Merc says "Get in the Rear and be comfortable." Lets not forget, one can be very comfortable even in an American tank on coil springs, defying law of aerodynamics and fuel efficiency (for eg the mid 80's box shaped cars like the Lincoln) but are they fun to drive???

In the looks department i have already made my preferences clear. I really do not like this E. It looks like a Lexus (Jap) crossed with a Hyundai (Korean). The front looks Lexus-Toyota ish and the rear Hyundai-Honda Accord-ish, all in all confused. With the long rear lights the Merc is trying to return to the W123-116-126 era but those were classic designs and as rightfully put by GTO, timeless. This car will start looking like an eyesore in some time and will stop turning heads once a few of them arrive and arrive they will. The indian love for the star marque is endless. Just like the S class, no one gives it a second look but look at the New 7, thats what turns heads.

If it were me, I would still go in for the 5 series. I will keep the driving comparison to after i have test driven it.

[DKG]

Wow, now that's going through a car with a fine toothed comb !! Fantastic write up and very objective.

The first thing I wanted to know when I started reading was whether you thought it surpasses the 5 in drive, and it doesn't !

I guess the finest sedan on the planet still rules !