Pure Indulgence

The new 5th generation Long Wheel Base E-Class from Mercedes Benz India is not all about speed, power and torque. It is a lot about Indulgence. Where else in the world will you find in a car, a rear seat so spacious and an ambient lighting with 64 different shades for your cabin that light up areas on the dashboard, under the front seats, on the door trims, etc?

- P. Tharyan

I was handed over the keys to the 350d, powered by a 2987cc V6 diesel engine. The new E-Class also comes with a 1991 cc 4-inline petrol engine option. Both the petrol and diesel engines are mated to a 9G-Tronic transmission which in essence means that it’s automatic and has nine forward gears. But it’s the diesel car that performs far better on several fronts. While the peak power is 258hp in the diesel variant, it’s only 184hp in the petrol one. Similarly the peak torque is 620Nm (300 Nm), acceleration from 0 to 100kmph is 6.6 seconds (8.5 seconds) and top speed is 250kmph (240kmph).

The moment you touch the Start / Stop button the engine kicks into life. The moment you engage the gear into D mode, off goes the car like a butterfly. There are different driving modes to choose from, be it Eco, Comfort, Sport, etc. Changing these settings can be done through the scroll button on the console. The space between the dead pedal and the brake pedal was a bit too narrow for my liking.