Mercedes Benz E-Class (2002-) Review

Comfort and Equipment

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This is an extremely cosseting car, thanks to its exceptional, ride comfort, space and comfortable seating. A little wind noise at high speed and the mild rattle of the diesels are the only objectionable noises, while the ride quality is let down only by the occasionally excessive firmness of the steel-sprung versions around town. Models with Airmatic DC suspension, which have three separate settings, serve a pillowy urban ride on their softest setting, a good, supple compromise in the middle position and a sportingly firm set-up for hard, high-speed driving.

Up front, the E-Class scores not only for its extraordinary spaciousness, but also the exceptional adjustability of the seats and steering column - very few cars offer so much scope for tailoring your driving position. Rear room is good but not great - Mercedes has been careful to preserve the need for the bigger S-Class - but the boot is impressively spacious. The rear seats fold neatly for long loads, too. One recommendation is the optional loadbay Easy Pack system. This sees the boot floor fitted with pair of deep-set grooves for a set of aluminium stoppers to allow odd-shaped objects to be locked in place. A retractable nylon band locks onto the side of the boot so bottles and cylindrical objects can be strapped in securely. And as a final touch, the tailgate has the option of electric power opening and closure - useful when your hands are full of shopping bags or children.

Standard equipment includes plenty of active and passive safety equipment, as well as automatic wipers and headlamps, alloy wheels, climate control, electric windows and single CD player. It's very easy to add thousands to the list price by going overboard on the options list though. We'd recommend against it.