Power Games

Two heavy weights vying for your attention. Give them some, won't you?

- Anubhav Sharma

A simple word like power can have many interpretations. For motorheads like us, it is about horsepower, but for those who move in the corridors of power it is the ability to influence people and get work done. Delhi specialises in the latter and powerful people need cars that exude power, too. The E-Class has been a sign of such power for years and the latest generation takes things many notches higher. Volvo has been inspired by Thor’s hammer and the S90 is a fine example of its power. I am trying to get into the driving shoes of these powerful people to try and figure out which car, out of these two, would be their choice.

If looks were winning power games, the S90 would win without even entering the arena. I don’t think I really need to explain, but let me try. It turns heads everywhere and it is not hard to see why. It is a beautiful car, which carries forward the same design language as its elder sibling, the XC90. The concave waterfall grille, Thor’s hammer as headlights, LED tail-lamps and minimal badging all come together in perfect proportion.

The E-Class is good looking, too, but for me the Russian-doll strategy backfires for Mercedes here. Most people on the road assume it to be the S-Class, which I feel is a compliment, which wasn’t the case with the previous generation E. The first thing you notice is the length of the car, all 5063 mm of it. The long bonnet, LED headlamps and distinct lines that run through the side of the car do leave a good impression. The big Mercedes grille along with the sporty chin do well to take away from the all-work-no-play impression the E-Class may project.