Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic

1/12/2012

The E-Class and its forebears have always managed to combine luxury and utility.
They have always been stylish and desirable but spacious and exceptionally durable too, qualities which have kept E-Class sales steady as buyers of big executive saloons have had their heads turned by off-roaders, people carriers, coupes and cabriolets.
Over 1.4 million outgoing E-Classes were sold since its launch in 1995, and its importance to the DaimlerChrysler group cannot be overstated.
If Mercedes’ four-year, £1.2 billion programme to develop its replacement produces nothing more than a fresh version of the same concept it will have been time and money well spent.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic Design

Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (1)
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (1)
Like other new cars the new E makes greater use of aluminium to cut weight. The new car is 23mm wider and 12mm higher than the old one and 18 per cent more rigid, but weight is almost identical for comparable models. All this bodes well for its dynamics.
The suspension has been changed to a four-link MacPherson strut at the front and a multi-link arrangement at the rear, with the S-Class’s Airmatic suspension an option.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (2)
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (2)
The biggest change is to the brakes. Sensotronic Brake Control or SBC was only offered on the SL before but is standard across the new E range. The brakes are still operated hydraulically but are triggered by an electronic signal from the pedal. It brakes wet discs imperceptibly to dry them, can sense a rapid shift from throttle to brake and increases effort accordingly and decreases effort as the car comes to a halt for smoothness, a function known as Softstop.
The E270CDI tested here is the middle of three diesels. Peak power of 177bhp comes at 4200rpm but the more impressive figure is torque – 313lb ft at 2000rpm
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic On The Road
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (3)
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (3)
In 8.2 seconds you’ll be doing 60mph, in 24.1sec 100mph and you’ll run out of steam at 135mph. The BMW, Audi and Saab rivals manage sixty in around 9.0sec; the Volvo and Renault ten-plus.
These figures show that you can have diesel economy and low-end lug without sacrificing any performance. Nor do you have to tolerate poor manners; the E270 sounds clattery from without but from within there’s no vibration through the pedals or steering wheel.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (4)
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (4)
The SBC brakes stopped the car from 70mph in an impressive 50.6m without fuss. The Softstop function takes some getting used to – as you feel effort decreasing your instinct is to brake harder, which makes your stop anything but soft.
For your first fifty yards in a new E-Class you’ll think about nothing other than its immensely impressive filtration of surface and suspension noise and vibration, which immediately makes the ride seem very good indeed.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (5)
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (5)
But from the way the body jiggles slightly over poor surfaces and bump-thumps noisily into the biggest potholes you can tell that its pure glide has been wound back slightly in favour of injecting some dynamism at bigger speeds and on more challenging roads.
As a balanced package for lesser-powered E-Classes, it’s pretty good. If we had to make a criticism it would be that the driver can feel slightly removed from the action.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic Living
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (6)
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (6)
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (7)
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (7)
Despite costing £27,435 the basic E-Class is very basic indeed. Cloth seats, a cassette player and the steel-look 16-inch alloys all demand an upgrade from the very long options list. In its defence the E Classic offers ten speakers, automatic climate control and the full complement of safety kit as standard.
At least Mercedes has got the fundamentals largely right. Seat comfort, range of adjustment and driving position are all bang-on. In the back kneeroom and headroom are both generous.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (8)
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (8)
But why did Mercedes decide that an E-Class should only carry four? The two main rear seats are well-shaped but the bolster between them is so high that an adult looks and feels slightly ridiculous perched on it. Good boot though, vast and with a wide, low aperture.
We managed 38.4mpg in our automatic car on our touring route, but with a better run-in engine and a lighter right foot high forties should be easily achievable, astonishing for a 1665kg car that will do 60mph in 8.2sec. On our touring return the range is a vast 631 miles. These figures are probably the most important in this road test and make the E270 almost impossible to argue against.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic Verdict
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (9)
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (9)
The Mercedes E270CDi is the first new E-Class we’ve tested, but already it’s hard to see how any other E-Class will beat it to the pick-of-the-range title. How do you argue with large luxury car which will crack sixty in 8.2 seconds yet return 40mpg or more? But what a range; the E-Class’s ride, refinement, image, engine range and technical innovation are a mighty arsenal.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (10)
Mercedes-Benz E-Class E270 CDi Classic (10)

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