Without the T missing Mercedes E-class program what. If the sedan stands for refined elegance and convey convertible and coupé flair and finesse, the station wagon called the estate is aimed at drivers who want to demonstrate professional success, family skills and leisure interests in a chic form. The prestigious load carrier has been in its new edition on the German market since October last year; we asked him now as 220 d for everyday testing.
The station wagon looks really big when it is parked in the not very short garage entrance - no wonder with a length of 4,93 meters. He doesn't go for thick pants, but comes in the right mix of elegant and sporty design. Subtle enough not to make the neighbors jealous, but striking enough to show colleagues that you are positioned higher than the average in the company hierarchy. Luckily, Mercedes still sees the space available as a combination virtue in all chic body design. If there are inconsistencies to report for the occupants, it is more due to their own not entirely compatible body mass values than to the actual seating and space conditions. The luggage part can also be seen and used properly. Between 640 and 1.840 liters fit in there.
Let's stick to virtues: the E-Class is pretty well prepared for upcoming autonomous driving tasks. On the freeway it is no problem at all to leave the car alone. Even overtaking is automatically indicated by a gentle warning to the turn signal. However, the lawmakers and therefore the E-Class also want to briefly touch the steering wheel regularly. Incidentally, the independent adjustment to speed limits works very well. For example, you can set the cruise control to 160 km / h, the E-Class will adhere to all limits on the route, provided the driver does not override the correct driving style of the car using the accelerator pedal.
The E-Class is well networked. The latter can be seen, for example, in the navigation system, which reacts to traffic situations even in Geneva city traffic jams, or in small things such as the display of diesel prices at nearby petrol stations. We didn't like the touchpad operation so much, not because it didn't work, but because something was accidentally operated. But you can switch it off or leave it out when ordering. We do not understand why the steering wheel buttons are changed from the familiar and perfectly functioning rocker button system to mini-touch pads. They do not offer haptic feedback and at least we have often operated them incorrectly. Note: Not everything that is new is also progress.
Where we are at the moment. Freely based on the former advertising slogan from Baden-Württemberg "We can do everything except High German", the lady fought in the navigation system with her pronunciation. Not that she would announce her directional recommendations with a Baden or Swabian touch, but she had problems with the city of Basel, for example. The Swiss border town was renamed "Bassel". The rendering of French street names was not one of her strengths, just as the German word landfill.
The strengths of our test vehicle included the new, according to the ADAC Eco Test, actually clean 2,0 liter diesel, which was used here with 143 kW / 194 PS despite its very loud appearance. The four-cylinder scores with 400 Nm in the wide speed range from 1.600 to 4.000 revolutions. So there is almost always enough power. That has consequences. You can cruise more than relaxed. It goes from 0 to 100 km / h in 7,7 seconds, the top speed is reached at speed 235 km / h. The nine-speed automatic does the rest and in the interplay of the assistants described above you almost feel like you are on cloud 7. If you are still traveling on speed-limited motorways, the standard consumption of 4,6 liters is closer than ever before. The on-board computer displayed 5,1 liters over a distance of 1.400 kilometers. Not bad for an almost 1,8 ton vehicle.
The 194 PS diesel is not only a recommendation for frequent drivers, it is a good compromise between the basic offer (200 d) with 110 kW / 150 PS and the 190 kW / 258 PS strong six-cylinder (350 d). And In terms of price, the 220 d (from 50.486 euros) still has room for one or the other extra with a corresponding budget. Studying the extensive price list makes it easy to find amenities such as the adaptive LED high-beam assistant, massage function for the front seats, driver assistance systems, head-up display or navigation system. These quickly add up to substantial amounts. It is no problem to spend 10.000 or 20.000 Euro anymore. So it's good if the company car status shows that. (Elfriede Munsch / SP-X)