Mercedes-Benz E-Class Review
Published: 28th February 2005
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Ease of Use
The cabin is simple, ergonomically laid out and brimming with innovative features to reduce the strain of modern driving.
The E-Class is a very easy car to drive and visibility is excellent all round. Being a large saloon car parking in tight spaces can be a little daunting - thankfully our test car was equipped with optional Parktronic which is an audible and visual parking aid system which actually shows on a proximity scale how close obstacles are to the front and rear of the car and in our opinion is well worth the £590 investment.
The E-Class features a foot operated parking brake which takes a little getting used to but once you are it becomes second nature. It is released via a lever next to the steering wheel which annoyingly is not lit at night.
Speedtronic variable speed cruise control comes as standard with the automatic gearbox and enables you to select the speed you wish to maintain. You can also store a maximum speed at which you would like to travel which is ideal for those 50mph contra flows or for those with more points on their licence than they would like.
Bi-Xenon headlamps with headlamp wash and dynamic range adjustment are standard on the Avantgarde model and are superb offering increased vision in all driving conditions. Headlamp Assist is standard and ensures that the headlamps are automatically activated in low level light conditions.
An automatically dimming rear view mirror and drivers side exterior mirror is standard on the Avantgarde model which reduces eye strain when driving at night especially on the Motorway - I would like to have seen this extended to the passenger exterior mirror. Rain sensing windscreen wipers with one-touch wiper function are also standard - keeping your hands where they belong safely on the wheel.
Our test car was equipped with a CD-ROM Satellite Navigation system (£1,160 combined with Mercedes-Benz Audio 50 APS radio/cassette/6-CD in-dash autochanger). This system features a colour screen and covers the road network of the main European countries and does away with map reading, wrong turns and arguments - Just type in the address you wish to travel to and select your preferred route its as simple as that.
The E-Class saloon has a spacious boot with 520 litres of space (reduced by 10 litres with the optional AirMATIC Dual Control) and the rear seats fold to accommodate larger/longer loads. Load anchors are standard in the boot as is a 12 volt socket. The boot lid is exceptionally light and can be opened via the key fob or an interior switch. A space saver spare wheel is standard.
Safety and Security
The following safety and security equipment is standard on the Mercedes-Benz E 270 CDI Avantgarde:
Dual-stage driver and front passenger airbags, Driver and front passenger side airbags, full-length window airbags, alarm and immobiliser with interior monitoring, ABS (anti-lock braking system) with BAS (brake assist), automatic child seat recognition, ESP (electronic stability programme) with ASR (acceleration skid control), front seatbelts - height adjustable with two stage belt-force limiters, seat belt pre-tensioners front and rear, SBS (sensotronic brake control), LED rear brake lights, passenger safety cell, rollover sensor, Headlamp Assist and Bi-Xenon headlamps.
Mercedes-Benz have not fitted deadlocks for safety reasons.
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