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By Jonathan Crouch

There's plenty of life left in the E-Class model line, as this sixth generation design proves. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 104

Cars are rarely as crucial to their makers or buyers as this E-Class model is to Mercedes. This full-sized Executive segment contender is the backbone of the German company's range and a perennial favourite of the corporate car park. This sixth generation 'W214'-series model retains a sensible side but dials up the desirability, aiming to offer a smarter, more prestigious approach to Executive class motoring than close competitors. It does so with more efficient engines, cutting-edge drive technology and comfort that makes you question the need for a larger luxury saloon. Arch-rivals from Audi and BMW still have quite a benchmark to aim at.

Backgroundword count: 185

Over a history going back more than 75 years, the E-Class and the models it's derived from have been at the heart of the Mercedes range. Today, there's a similarly-sized all-electric E-Class alternative in Mercedes showrooms, the EQE. But the Stuttgart maker remains committed to its core combustion luxury model, as evidenced by the depth of development that's gone into the sixth generation 'W214'-series E-Class we look at here. According to the Three-Pointed Star, this is 'the most personal Mercedes ever', able to sense what you want even before you know you want it, be that media tech, cabin climate or drive dynamics. Much of course, including certain styling elements, is borrowed from the larger S-Class, though as usual, unlike that car, the 'E' can also be had as an estate. And of course it needs to be good, hitting the market at much the same time as new generation versions of its two arch-rivals, the BMW 5 Series and the Audi A6. To take on those two, this MK6 E-Class needs to be more than just an evolutionary step forward. Is it? Let's see.

Driving Experienceword count: 310

Class is permanent: fame is transitory. Well this 'FAME' is anyway, the letters in this case apparently standing for 'FAmily of Modular Engines', the portfolio of four and six cylinder combustion units chosen for this sixth generation E-Class. All of which are merely transitory electrified stepping stones to the time, not far off, when EV powertrains rule all. There's no full-EV option here to rival the BMW i5 or the Audi A6 e-tron because of course the brand already has the similarly sized EQE model for that. Instead, there's a selection of combustion powerplants defiantly still built around two formats currently falling from industry favour, diesels and PHEVs. For the time being, diesel E-Class sales are expected to continue strongly, primarily with the 194bhp 2.0-litre four cylinder E 220 d 48V mild hybrid model, which is offered in conventional rear-driven form. If you want the brand's 4MATIC AWD system (now improved), you'll need the E 450d 4MATIC, a six cylinder 3.0-litre diesel. What about the green pump models? well the mild hybrid petrol alternative is the E 200, another 2.0-litre four cylinder variant, which has 201bhp and, like the E 220d diesel, is boosted by a 23bhp electric motor. That motor, by the way, is now built into the improved 9G-TRONIC 9-speed auto transmission that all E-Class models have to have. The same 2.0-litre engine also features in the E 300e Plug-in petrol model, which offers 312bhp and now gets a larger 25.4kWh battery capable of taking the car up to 69 miles without troubling combustion power. Expect powerful Mercedes-AMG variants as usual to top the range. Whatever mainstream E-Class you decide upon, your dealer will want you to consider the pricey optional 'Technology Pack', which adds AIRMATIC air suspension and a rear axle steering system that can add 4.5-degrees of turning angle, reducing the turning circle to just 10.8m.

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