King's Landing

The new E-Class takes luxury to a whole new level.

- Rishaad Mody

The E-Class is a massively important car for Mercedes-Benz in India. Since the company set up shop in 1999, it has sold about one lakh cars in our market. Of those, 34,000 have been the E-Class. Understandably, there’s a lot riding on the new one, and this time around Mercedes-Benz is doing something it’s never done before – offering India the long-wheelbase model. The decision makes sense given that cars at this price point and above are primarily chauffeur driven. We’re in Goa for the first drive to see if the new car justifies its potentially higher price tag.

DESIGN AND STYLE

You’ve probably seen the pictures by now and know that this car wears the same design language as the C- and S-Class. I always thought that the large S-Class carries its design more elegantly than the C and the same applies to the new E. Up front, however, it’s quite hard to distinguish the E from the C, unless you can spot the differences in the grille shape and design. The full-LED headlamps also slightly differ in shape and DRL layout. Still, most won’t be able to tell them apart. Being the long-wheelbase model, the new E is over 5m long and this adds to the sense of presence and power. The rear slopes in a similar fashion to both its siblings, and the tail lamps also remind more of the C than the S. Overall, the E cuts a handsome, elegant yet all too familiar shape.

The cabin is pure class. Like the outside, the dash is inspired by its siblings but inside it’s more like the S-Class. The layered dash has beautiful flowing lines and houses a massive 12.3-inch high-res display that sits right next to the instrument cluster. The infotainment system is intuitive and easy to use via the multi-touch controller on the centre console. A clever design feature sees the dash form a subtle peak over centre display and instrument cluster, making them easy to read in strong sunlight.