Mercedes Benz E-Class (2002-) Review

On the road

• Previous: Reliability and Quality
• Next: Safety and Security

Few will fail to find a comfortable driving position, such is the range of adjustment available from seat and wheel. The Merc is a big car, but its controls are easy to use and most of its minor systems, such as satellite navigation, are easily mastered. That foot-operated parking brake is an anachronism, though, and makes hill-starts a challenge in manual versions. We're also unhappy with the operation of the brakes, which is an electro-hydraulic brake-by-wire system. It's extremely difficult to adjust braking pressure to ensure a smooth stop, while the system noisily re-pressurises itself in a fashion most unbecoming of a large Mercedes, too. What's wrong with normal brakes?

Visibility is fairly good for a thick-pillared car, but parking distance sensors would be a wise option, particularly on the estate, which despite its sleek, cohesive lines is a big car to manoeuvre around tight car parks.

Few Mercedes are truly entertaining drives - even the sports models tend to feel too remote and grown-up. But while the E saloon and estate are no sportsters, they provide more enjoyment than you'd expect. That's down to the precise steering, which weights up reassuringly as you corner harder and impressively resists running wide. While the saloon makes more of a go on twisty back roads, the estate logically feels slightly bigger and heavier. That's not to say it's unwieldy, but it's always best to remember that you're driving something that's almost five metres long and weighs around 1800kg.

The petrol engines are eager, particularly the 5.0-litre V8, which makes a great noise, even if it is less potent than it might be. The adaptive gearshift strategy, which hangs onto cogs longer and will not allow changes mid-bend if you're driving enthusiastically, is an effective aid to keen driving too - not always the case with adaptive transmissions.

The E's engines dispense fairly competitive power outputs. There are gaps in the engine range, too: no 4.0-litre, and the 5.0-litre doesn't perform a lot better than the 4.0/4.2 motors of BMW, Audi and Jaguar (although it does sound good). The E55 AMG is suitably daft, however. But most impressive is the smooth 2.2 CDI diesel which, if you're not after scorching performance, offers a great balance between brisk zip and fine fuel economy. The five-cylinder 2.7 CDI pulls with greater urgency and is the ideal choice for the slightly heavier estate version. The sweet-spinning, almost throaty V6 petrols are the best in terms of power and performance, even if they need to be revved a little to go hard. All these engines are best mated to the adaptive automatic gearbox, which does a good job of matching its shifting strategy to your driving style. The six-speed manual 'box, better than past Benz boxes, is nevertheless a slightly cumbersome thing best ignored.