Incremental Progress. Review on Mercedes Benz E280

Note: I am the Executive Editor for CAR India, and first wrote this review for the magazine. It's being posted here so it can reach a wider audience.

Conspicuous consumption – that’s the name of the game. Anyone who believes that the old E240 was ‘perfectly adequate for India,’ and that Mercedes didn’t have to bring in this new E280 at all, is missing the point entirely. You see, it’s not about being adequate. It’s about being bigger, better, glitzier, more expensive and more exclusive. It’s the age-old need to be one up on everybody else. It’s why you’d buy a Vertu mobile phone rather than a Nokia. Or why you’d choose a Girard-Perregaux over a Titan. And why you’d wear a pair of John Lobb brogues rather than slip on some Bata loafers. Like the aforementioned baubles, the E280 is for gentlemen (and ladies...!) who want to be noticed and who can afford to pay for the privilege.

With an engine displacement of 2997cc, the E280’s V6 is 400cc bigger than the old E240’s. And where the older car had 167PS on tap, the E280’s is a rather more respectable 234PS, which is available at 6300rpm. Compared with the E240’s DOHC, 18-valve V6, the E280’s DOHC, 24-valve V6 is definitely more advanced. It features continuous intake and exhaust camshaft adjustment, which, claim Mercedes, optimises combustion efficiency, reduces friction losses, improves thermal management in the coolant circuit and optimises oil and water pump drive efficiency. In plain English, all of that translates into one powerful and creamy-smooth six-cylinder engine that has the potential to waft you from one continent to the next, without disturbing your afternoon siesta. And the performance won’t put you to sleep either. Prod the accelerator pedal and the three-litre V6 takes an instant to gather its forces, and blows you down the road after that. Nought to sixty comes up in 4.29 seconds, while zero to 100km/h takes 9.16 seconds. The E280 certainly isn’t a runaway rocket, but to its credit, the E280’s V6 stays extremely smooth all the way to its 6500rpm redline and never sounds stressed. Whether you’re trundling along at 80km/h or loafing down the Expressway at 233km/h (which is what we saw on the speedo before running out of road…), it all sounds and feels about the same. Sure, the scenery flashes past faster at 233, but… er, that’s about it. Deep into triple digit speed zone, the big E remains calm, confident and totally unruffled.

The composure is not limited to straight line speeds either – the E280 also handles high speed bends with equal aplomb. Weighing in at about 1700 kilos, this car is no lightweight, but the multi-link suspension (front and rear) has been tuned so that it offers a good balance between outright handling prowess and plush ride quality. For engineers, it’s a difficult feat to pull off, but the E280 does manage to offer very good ride comfort and yet refrain from excessive roll and wallow while cornering. It feels like a middle-aged Sharon Stone rather than a middle-aged Drew Barrymore. Well damped, but also er…, sprightly and adequately nimble. The E280’s 16-inch wheels, clad in 225/55 Goodyear NCT rubber, help in the roadholding department, and lack of grip is never an issue.

It isn’t perfect though. Enthusiastic drivers will definitely wish the steering offered more feel – it seems the steering wheel conveys your inputs to the front wheels via a dial-up connection rather than broadband and can be a bit vague and slow-to-react at times. Having driven various previous generation E-class cars, I suppose I should have known better than to expect this one to have brilliantly crisp, connected and responsive steering, but if it did, driving the E280 would be so much more fun. At least the car’s anti-lock, electro-hydraulic braking system, with Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC is Mercedes-speak for brake-by-wire, which substitutes mechanical linkages with computer-controlled, electronic ones…), is beyond reproach. Braking hard from triple digit speeds, the E280 stopped in a straight line every single time, without either end threatening to break loose. Even dabbing the brake pedal hard in the middle of high-speed lane change maneouvers failed to defeat the system, with the car simply shedding velocity without any major theatrics whatsoever. Hundred to zero was dispatched in 3.29 seconds, during which the car traveled 44.17 metres, which isn’t bad at all. SBC calculates optimum braking pressure for each wheel individually, which makes it much safer while braking hard on slippery surfaces or, in an emergency, while braking in the middle of a corner. These brakes, along with the electronic stability program, should make the E280 one of the safest cars on the planet.

Another notable aspect of the E280 is its seven-speed automatic gearbox, which complements the powerful V6 very well. Called the 7G-TRONIC, this was the world’s first seven-speed automatic when it was launched, back in 2003. (Interestingly enough, Toyota have developed an eight-speed automatic since then, which is fitted to the new Lexus LS460.) At that time, the 7G-TRONIC was only fitted to Mercedes-Benz’s V8-powered cars, but has since then found its way to V6-powered cars like the E280 as well. By proving a wider range of ratios, the system is supposed to boost fuel economy and also help acceleration. The seven ratios allow for relatively small, incremental increases in engine speed, which means smoother, more linear power delivery. It also helps lower the average engine speed, which again not only helps fuel consumption, but also lowers overall noise levels. On the road, the system is quite impressive, with gear changes being barely perceptible. There is still the option of clutchless manual shifting, by tapping the gear lever sideways, but I doubt if too many people would be using that option. The 7G-TRONIC is perfectly good enough on its own and quite suits the E280’s character. Automatic gearboxes are notorious for harming fuel efficiency, but with the E280, we got about 8.5kmpl overall, which is quite good for a car of this class and means that the 7G-TRONIC is doing something right. It definitely is a step in the right direction.

Mercedes-Benz sold 825 units of the E-class in India last year, which accounted for about a third of their total sales in the country. Now, with Audi and BMW having entered the fray (albeit in a rather limited sort of way), and the A6 and 5-series cars presenting an option to people who are willing to spend in excess of Rs 40 lakh on a car, the E-class may face stiffer competition. At this level, any mention of the term ‘value for money’ has to be relative anyway, but at around Rs 41 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune), the E280 certainly isn’t cheap. Then again, consider its state-of-the-art V6, which makes 234PS of power and 282Nm of torque. The seven-speed automatic gearbox, which works in the most unobtrusive manner ever. And the totally sumptuous interiors, which cosset and pamper even the most demanding of owners. The brakes are stupendous. Ride comfort is exemplary. And the badge, of course, is 24-carat gold-plated. Yes, for now, this E280 is pretty much the king of all it surveys.