Mercedes raises the bar with new E-Class

When autonomous driving becomes legal in the near future, you can bet that Mercedes-Benz will be one of the leaders of this new technology.

That’s a wild guess with no facts to back it up, but I’m still confident, judging from the latest E-Class that’s just been launched at the Bangkok International Motor Show.

Mercedes-Benz says that the 10th-generation E-Class is the most “digitised” car ever, and after driving it last week in Portugal, I am back here to confirm the German luxury carmaker’s claim.

The new car has grown in size over its predecessor, with a 43mm increase in length to 4,923mm while the wheelbase has been increased by 65mm to 2,939mm. This results in more space in the cabin to start off with, not to mention the smoother ride.

The new model is also lighter by about 100kg thanks to a lighter all-new diesel engine.

When test driving new cars, auto journalists generally look for engine performance, ride and handling, as well as comfort and convenience, while safety and eco-friendliness are topics that are kind of secondary.

 

Well this time, the focus isn’t on the usual topics but the amount of technology injected into the new model.

For example, when you need to park the E-Class in very tight spaces (where there is little room for you to open the door), just step out of the car and conveniently engage the remote parking app.

By spinning a circular wheel on the smartphone screen, you can make the E-Class slowly drive itself into the narrowest of garages, making slight steering movements as it enters.

For normal parking, it comes with both automated parallel (like the Ford Focus) and perpendicular parking.

And while all this is going on, safety systems watch out for other vehicles on the road, applying brakes to the E-Class if necessary, such as when backing out of a parking slot (cross-traffic).

While on the run, it even takes control of the steering if the driver fails to stay within a designated lane, and automatically changes lanes when it is safe to do so. Add this to the radar-operated cruise control system, and the E-Class can automatically follow vehicles in front all by itself at speeds up to 210km/h.

 

The left and right headlights work independently to illuminate as much road surface in front as possible without dazzling others.

The list of driver assistance systems in the new E-Class is so long that one might forget to notice the fundamentals of carmaking that Mercedes has somewhat mastered.

For the Thai market, only the diesel-powered E 220 d is offered initially, while the hybrid version is expected to follow later this year.

The all-new 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine is capable of developing 194 horsepower and 400Nm of torque, and is able to put eco-cars to shame with its 3.9 litre/100km fuel economy and 102g/km of CO2 emission level.

Mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission, the engine and its single-stage variable turbine blower propels the E 220 d from 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds to a top speed of 240km/h.

When driving the E-Class, the first thing you’ll notice is the smooth ride, even when driving on European cobblestone roads. Thank the car’s air-suspension, as it irons out sharp vibrations and shocks from the road surface effectively, leaving you with a highly refined ride. The system also helps raise or lower the vehicle’s height according to the road conditions to maximise dynamics. Furthermore, the driver is able to select various driving modes with different engine and suspension settings, as well as customise his own settings which the car memorises. 

Although the E-Class cuts through corners with ease when running in Sport+ mode, and has punchy acceleration, it still offers a high level of luxury, which I reckon is something E-Class buyers want all the time.

Thanks to a low drag coefficient of 0.23, the E-Class slips through with low wind noise, giving the cabin a serene atmosphere.

The interior is wonderful, just like an S-Class, offering a good balance of luxury and technology, and obviously you won’t notice any cheesy electronics. The interior features wood, aluminium and leather just like its predecessor. And all the technology is hidden under this skin.

The display in the new E-Class is also cool. There aren’t needles and gauges, as everything is digitally displayed with a choice of different templates to choose from. The screen is 12.3 inches wide and there are two screens, turning it into a very wide display.

The steering wheel features tiny touch-controls on each side, allowing you to make adjustments without removing your hand from the steering, in addition to the usual touchpad and controller in the centre tunnel.

And once you get in, close the doors and start the engine, the chrome Burmester tweeter housing on the A-pillar starts to revolve, a sign that it’s ready to go. And even though there’s no other use to this function, it still looks cool, right?

Another out-of-this-world feature is the lighting system in the cabin: you have 64 colours to choose from. Of course, at first you might wonder whether there are actually that many colours that you can notice. And which one do you like best? 

I opened the glove compartment and a similar air freshener system from the S-Class was there, giving the interior an even more enjoyable atmosphere.

The seats are also great, offering high comfort level, although I didn’t like the sports seats offered in the Avantgarde version, with the stiff lateral support locking the body into the bucket too much like a race car.

Being one of the core models, the E-Class is expected to dig up big sales for Mercedes-Benz globally, including Thailand.

It is just a pity that many of the intelligent radar-based features have not made it into the equipment list for the Thai version as they have not been approved by Thai authorities (is it a matter of national security?). According to distributor Mercedes-Benz Thailand, this will take considerable time and the company hasn’t decided when these useful features will be offered.

Nevertheless, Thai customers will be flocking to the E-Class cars which were officially launched yesterday and are on display at the Bangkok International Motor Show. The retail pricing of the new model starts at a highly attractive Bt3.99 million for the Exclusive version, but shoots up to Bt4.79 million for the sportier AMG Dynamic version.