THE MORE THINGS CHANGE

The world might be going electric but you still fancy a nice German saloon. The choice remains the same: Mercedes or BMW?

- Georg Kacher

YOU DO NOT KNOW what you have got until it is gone. Not literally gone in the case of the combustion-engined Mercedes E-Class and BMW 3/4 Series, but clearly beating a hasty retreat from decades of loyal service. Decades in which we have got very excited about the flagship AMG and M versions, but also come to trust the lesser models and to take for granted their all-round excellence.

By hanging on to elements of the styling and the naming, both manufacturers are clearly hoping to carry over some of that goodwill to their electric equivalents. In the case of the BMW, it is not all smoke and mirrors. The i4 is based on the same Cluster Architecture (CLAR) as the 4 Series and both inside and outside it looks a lot like a petrol 4 Series.

The EQE takes far more liberties with continuity. From some angles-especially side-on, where the truncated nose is most obvious-it is clearly something quite different from the classic three-box "Stuttgart taxi". Inside, there is a similarly large disconnect; yes, familiar Mercedes seats and vents, but the view out is disconcerting and the rear passengers are lost in space-space that is only possible because this is part of the same EVA2 electric-only family as the EQS.

You will be aware that the 4 Series and E-Class are one size different. The bigger dimensions of the Mercedes are amplified in the transition to electric, with the EQE being much bigger than the i4 outside and roomier still inside.

That is reflected in the pricing. This is the entry-level i4, with a UK price of £55,345 (Rs 52.57 lakh) on the road. The step up from Sport to M Sport spec, taking the price to £64,255 (Rs 61 lakh), gets you mostly visual changes; it makes an eDrive 40 look a lot like the more powerful xDrive M50 (which itself costs £72,995 = Rs 69.34 lakh).