Mercedes Benz E350

It’s no surprise that the E-class comes across as a brilliantly engineered car with outstanding comfort, refinement and top-notch quality

Published on Sep 29, 2009 07:00:00 AM

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At the heart of the new E-class’s brilliant handling is Mercedes’ variable ratio Direct Steer system. It is a brilliant combination of being perfectly weighted (not too heavy and not too light) accurate and blessed with good feel. The new E darts into corners with lots of enthusiasm and little body roll. The harder you go, the tauter the handling gets which allows you to place this big saloon precisely and directional changes are dealt with confidently. The two-stage hydro-mechanically self-adjusting dampers offer a supple ride for relaxed driving and a stiffer set-up when you want to barrel into corners.

The variable steering system cuts steering lock by almost 15 percent and the turning circle too has been shaved by 15cm, allowing you to more confidently negotiate city traffic and parking. When roads are at their worst, the E-class glides over the worst surfaces with barely a jolt filtering into the cabin. The damping is well judged making the car feel very pliant. The brakes were outstanding and offer significantly better feel with none of the previous system’s mushiness.