Mercedes Benz E350 BlueEfficiency

Smooth, super-refined, a pleasure to drive in our start-stop environment and capable of massive performance when needed, the new diesel motor complements the new E’s character perfectly

Published on Dec 08, 2009 08:00:00 AM

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The new E-class’s ride is as flat as Dal Lake at any speed, no big vertical movement even when poor roads are driven over at speed. This new car is also a whole lot nicer to drive when you want to press on. The steering is quicker, the car feels much more agile and willing to take corners hard and after that initial bit of body roll, the frequency selective dampers firm up automatically when you drive harder. And once you are pressing on, there’s a nice cohesiveness to the manner in which this car drives, making it shrink around you.

However, there remain areas where the new E has not taken a big step forward. The earlier E had a more absorbent and silent ride at low speeds, rear seat comfort is not nearly as good and some of the plastics you don’t come into direct contact with feel quite flimsy. But the ride improves dramatically as speeds increase and there is additional room for rear seat passengers, which compensates to some extent.