Skip advert
Advertisement

Mercedes-Benz E-class review – executive tour-de-force still one to be reckoned with - Ride and handling

The E-class is more diverse, multi-talented and capable than ever, but still retains those key Mercedes attributes

Evo rating
Price
from £36,895
  • Impressive build quality, refinement and comfort. High-spec powertrains very impressive
  • Not the most interactive exec to drive

The smaller-engined E-class is equipped with regular steel springs, with the choice of three different driving settings available: Comfort, Comfortable Avantgarde which lowers the ride height by 15mm, and a Sport suspension option which includes further damper options and also lowers the car by 15mm.

Air suspension is available as an option and provides the E-class with a truly superior ride to that of any of its rivals. All models also offer four driving modes adjustable via the Dynamic Select control; you can select Comfort, Eco, Sport or Sport +, or dive deeper into the system and select your desired set-up in Individual mode.

Advertisement - Article continues below

>Read our Audi A6 review

On the road, and especially so in the UK, an air-suspended E-class is an exceptional car to be in when it comes to ride quality. Occupants are isolated from any imperfections but without a sense of being disconnected from the process of driving. It absorbs poor surfaces, undulations and larger obstacles like few others can, with exceptional body control and refinement levels you would expect in a car from the class above.

When pushed, the E-class will revert to its executive roots, with a soft front end and a pair of front tyres that will break traction way before the rears become unstuck. It’s not a car you’d thread along a favourite stretch of road with a large grin on your face, but you will be impressed at how it flows and absorbs compressions and controls its body. AMG E53 models feel much the same as standard E-class variants, with perhaps a touch more clarity and firmness to the ride.

The E63 S is a completely different animal; its tough, nuggety ride, road roar and the considerable weight to its controls makes it feel like a far more serious animal. The excitement factor begins the moment you press the start button, the engine blaring into life with an aggressive rev flare and bassy idle. Move away on full lock and the 20-inch tyres skip and chatter as the completely revised and aggressively set front suspension makes its presence felt. Part of the tough ride is down to those 20-inch performance-oriented tyres, but it’s the suspension set-up itself that’s also firm, as even when the adaptive dampers are in their softest setting it remains tight and unyielding. We could go on, but we’ll save that for the specific E63 S review.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

BMW M340i xDrive Touring Fast Fleet test – 6000 miles in the six-cylinder estate
evo Fast Fleet BMW M340i xDrive Touring
Long term tests

BMW M340i xDrive Touring Fast Fleet test – 6000 miles in the six-cylinder estate

The six-cylinder M Performance estate departs the evo Fast Fleet, confirming a renaissance for the everyday BMW
20 May 2024
Toyota GR Supra Fast Fleet test – 11 months in Japan's Porsche Cayman
evo Fast Fleet Toyota Supra
Long term tests

Toyota GR Supra Fast Fleet test – 11 months in Japan's Porsche Cayman

With a 335bhp straight-six and rear-wheel drive, the Supra should be very much our sort of car. But after nearly a year on our fleet, did this prove t…
17 May 2024
The Lamborghini Huracán replacement will get a 10,000rpm flat-plane crank V8 
Lamborghini V8 to replace V10
News

The Lamborghini Huracán replacement will get a 10,000rpm flat-plane crank V8 

The iconic Lamborghini V10 is no more, but its upcoming eight-cylinder successor will pack hybrid drive and a 10,000rpm redline
20 May 2024