With the smallest diesel under the hood, the E200d may not be the fastest Mercedes-Benz. But one of the most economical and comfortable.
The current generation of the E-Class was launched in 2016 and was refurbished this summer. In passing, that is better to see with the sedan, which now has ‘reclining’ rear light units instead of standing. The shape of the Estate did not change so much, but they are new rear light units with a slightly different layout. The changes under the skin are much greater. For example, new driver assistance systems became available and the car got a different dashboard with the MBUX control system.
The tested E200d has a diesel engine, namely a four-cylinder with a displacement of 1.6 liters and a maximum power of 160 hp. It is a modern, all-aluminum motor, in which frictional resistance has been reduced to a minimum. Everything to reduce consumption, and the manufacturer is quite successful in this. Under normal circumstances, we drove it 1 in 20, while a fast ride through hilly Germany yielded a still reasonable 1 in 15. Such a consumption leads to a range that you say against you; our calculations result in no less than 1,320 kilometers.
What is striking is that the engine only needs to make a little revving to do its job. At 100 km / h it spins about 1,300 rpm, and at 130 km / h that is barely 1,700 rpm. But despite the low revs, it is not a silent power source. And that engine noise detracts from the otherwise high level of the complete experience. The nine-speed automatic transmission from Mercedes has already been praised in other tests, and that is still completely justified. With the facelift, the box has been further refined and made lighter. He always seems to choose the right proportion and seamlessly change resistance. He’s so good you’ll forget his presence.
High level
The chassis tuning of the E-class is clearly aimed at comfort and tranquility. The springs and dampers seem to level the road surface, without the car ever feeling soft. You can take turns tight; the car does not tilt and the steering gives a nice counter pressure. This gives you a clear sense of where the front wheels are going.
The interior of the Benz is in keeping with the comfortable driving character. It has pleasant, well-adjustable seats, which are surprisingly partly electrically adjustable. Handrail and height go with a button, forwards and backwards with the well-known lever. Mercedes-Benz used beautiful materials and the finish is of a high level, with no unintentional crack or a part that is skewed. It’s just 100 percent sleek. The E-class no longer has a traditional dashboard with clocks; with the model update, he too switched to the MBUX system. This includes a wide, two-part tablet-like screen. The right part, above the center console, is also a touch screen, which you can also operate by moving your finger over a kind of picture. Fortunately, some main functions can still be operated with a button. Fortunately, Mercedes sees that this is sometimes simply the most convenient. Naturally, the system contains all the important functions of the car, such as the settings for the interior lighting, telephone, radio and navigation. Voice control is also included: with the command ‘Hey Mercedes’ you start it up, after which you simply tell the car that you are hot or that you want to go to the Utrechtsestraat. The system obviously takes some getting used to, but we think it is one of the nicest on the market. In an earlier test we already said that the E-class Estate does not have a luggage compartment, but a cargo area. That is really true, because behind the lid is a huge space of no less than 640 liters, with even a kind of cellar underneath where a shopping crate (included!) Can be placed.
Real grain
With the facelift of the Mercedes, the driver assistance systems were also examined and further refined. Only our test car was reasonably basic and not equipped with the optional systems. By the way, they did emerge in an earlier test. Our E-class, for example, lacked adaptive cruise control, which is a big miss for a car in this class – a Suzuki Swift often already has it as standard! Is the E-class such a bare car? No, it is not. The previous basic version has been deleted and all Es are now at least as Avantgarde. So you are always on leather, have beautiful mood lighting, the multimedia system as you see it in this test and beautiful dark wood with a real grain on the center console. Our test car then has an AMG line package, which does a lot for the appearance. It must of course be your taste, but most of the chrome is then painted black, and the wheels are also a size bigger. Moreover, you get the beautiful steering wheel. The basic price of the E200d Estate is around € 63,000, the tested car costs around € 70,000. Know that at Mercedes-Benz you can then browse for many hours through the options list and tailor the station wagon to your wishes.