HWM Singapore — May 2017



TESTED & RATED

SINGAPORE

Pilot and the overall price of the car will

balloon quite quickly. But if money isn’t

so much of an issue, you would be hard

pressed to ȴ nd a car with more smarts

than the new E-Class.

&21&/86Ζ21

7KHQHZ(&ODVVLV

RQHRIWKHPRVWKLJK

WHFKVDORRQVPRQH\

FDQEX\

all the driver has to do is to engage
reverse and the car will begin to steer
itself into the lot. All the driver has to
do is to slowly ease the car in by putting
his or her foot on the brake. It is eerily
good and deȴ nitely useful when it
comes to parallel parking because the
E-Class is a big car - almost ȴ ve meters
long.
The new E-Class is undeniably clever,
but Mercedes-Benz hasn’t forgotten
about the other stu΍ that makes the
E-Class a benchmark in the medium-
sized luxury saloon market. The test
car came with optional air suspension,
which automatically raises and lowers
the ride height and also reduces body
roll, and so the ride quality is exemplary
and irreproachable.

The drivetrain is impressive too.

We drove the E200 model, which

has a turbo-charged 2-liter engine

that produces 184hp and 300nm of

torque. Mated to a speedy 9-speed

transmission, it sprints to 100km/h

from a standstill in 7.7 seconds and has

more than enough punch for our roads.

However, we never ever got into ninth

gear.

For now, the new E-Class is certainly

one of the smartest and most high-tech

cars we have driven. Unfortunately,

most of the really clever tech are only

available as optional extras, and that

does add to cost of the car substantially.

In basic trim, the E200 Avantgarde will

set you back over a quarter million. Add

in stu΍ like the air suspension and Drive

MAY 2017 | +:0 81