Mercedes’ new E-Class carries on a legacy with more than 70 years. From the 1953 W120 to today, the Mercedes executive saloon is an icon for the industry.
The E-Class holds a very important mantle for Mercedes, retaining a huge group of customers who are loyal to the brand generation after generation.
The German saloon always has the difficult task of having to innovate without departing from what the brand’s conventional customers expect. With the new 100% electric EQE range, Mercedes has rightly separated what are its more traditional values from what is a totally forward-looking investment. This way, customers in the E-Class segment who want to leave their comfort zone can opt for the EQE, and those who want their Mercedes as it always was have the lovely option of staying put: in their Mercedes E-Class with a combustion engine. And it would be a wise choice, because the sixth generation of the German saloon is, in a word, fantastic.
With a completely up-to-date design that manages to evoke all of the model’s rich history and marvellous aesthetic details – such as the three-pointed star in the rear lights – the new E-Class easily rivals the EQE for its avant garde image, managing to be more harmonious and, in fundamental terms, more beautiful, if not as futuristic, naturally.
Essential Algarve tested the 220d version, with mild-hybrid technology, an oasis of common sense in the midst of a market that is too concerned with eschewing diesel, which is still the right fuel for medium and long-distance journeys. With a two-litre diesel engine that delivers 197 horsepower and 440Nm of torque, the E220d can offer impressive performance for a saloon of this size that achieves consumption averages of around 5.8 litres, even less if the journey is only on the open road.
The interior is a blend of traditional and modern, combining Mercedes’ typical sturdiness with technology, spearheaded by the fabulous MBUX Superscreen system, which combines two 12.3’’ and 14.4’’ screens.
And then, above all else, the E-Class plays its trump card with supreme ride comfort and a perpetual sense of luxury and well-being, reflected in the materials, the finishes, the quality of every element of the interior and the way it isolates passengers in an automotive bubble that explains why Mercedes is the most recognisable brand ever in the entire industry.
An absolute triumph for the Stuttgart brand, the E-Class remains, still and always, one of the kings of the segment and of the entire market.
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