2011 Mercedes-Benz E250 Reviews

The Mercedes E-Class is a prestigious medium-large car that’s been reinvented in recent years. Once a conservative model, it has become pretty stylish as the Germans aim for a wider range of buyers.

Summer means top-down motoring. For those who can afford it, that in turn means the Mercedes-Benz E-Class cabriolet. It's the trendy way to shop in the trendy streets and a stylish item in its own right.And in the E-Class, even Melbourne's fickle summer weather can be tolerated with the soft-top down. Unlike the SLK, it can also cope with four adults in comfort.Audi and BMW are both switched on to the whole topless thing. They just don't fight in exactly the same space as the mid-sized Merc. BMW jumps from the smaller 3 Series drop-tops to the to-die-for 6 Series that is almost $90,000 dearer.Audi comes closer with the A5 cabrio - and it has all-wheel-drive reassurance - but it doesn't have the style of the three-pointed-star. And that's like having the body without the tan. The base Merc is still loaded with a seven-inch colour display, 6Gb hard drive for storing music, 17-inch alloys and leather seats front and back.It is hard to argue with a car that feels this solid but is powered by a 1.8-litre engine and still manages a sub-8 second sprint to 100km/h. It's like arguing with your younger sibling when they know martial arts ... not advisable.  The Merc has bi-xenon headlights with adaptive lighting and memory front seats for those rare occasions when you let someone else behind the wheel.The Mercedes is well-proportioned with the soft top up. Drop it and it makes me look good. That's because people tend to look at the angular lines of the car and ignore the obviously pretentious middle-aged bloke behind the wheel. The interior is smart but not spectacular. It is more refined than the outside but still exudes more class than I'd otherwise be capable of.A body shell that's tougher than your primary school vice-principal is matched with enough software to save a lemming from the cliff face and nine airbags for those that accidentally get pushed off. No surprise then that it earns five stars. Do something insane enough to roll the car and the hoop-bars will punch up behind the rear seats to protect the back seat passengers, who did nothing wrong in the first place.Pop the windows down on the E250 and the coiffed hairdo may get a natural touch-up. Leave them up, though, and there's little to critisize about the way it runs. We're not talking sports car performance here but cabrio owners shouldn't delude themselves they can take on a C63 AMG.We are talking style and there's not much to argue with here. The Merc copes with speed humps and stares with equal aplomb and this is a boulevard cruiser that few this side of a Maserati can match.

WE turn the spotlight on automotive's newest and brightest stars, as we ask the questions to which you want the answers. Ultimately, however, there is only one question that really needs answering would you buy one? What is it? This is Mercedes-Benz's entry level petrol E-Class sedan with plenty of BlueEfficiency

A wagon that massages your ego with style and performance yet minimises your environmental footprint is a winner in any language. When that language is German, you're in for something special.Enter the Mercedes-Benz E250 CDI Estate, a 2.1-litre turbodiesel that justifies its six-figure cost with an engine that hits hard in every area except the fuel bowser. Toss in the fact it's a seven-seater and you have a high-performance people-mover.VALUEThe simple face is you pay a premium for anything with Audi, BMW or Mercedes badge. Status symbols are undoubtedly part of it, the world can see you're doing well, but under the sheet metal are safety and engineering technologies that won't filter down to Japanese or South Korean models for years.The E250 CDI is a classic example of "you get what you pay for". The wagon costs $105,500 plus on-roads, and I'd buy one tomorrow if I had the cash and needed to haul seven people. It's only competition comes from the SUV sector and they don't rate on looks or handling.TECHNOLOGYThe turbodiesel engine is from Mercedes' BlueEfficiency range and it's a pearler. It cranks out 150kW and 500Nm yet uses just 6.3 litres/100km. It uses a host of small, but smart improvements to do that, from an on-demand alternator to cut engine-load to a grille shutter that smooths out the airflow when the engine doesn't need cooling.Self-levelling rear suspension automatically compensates for whatever load is in the back, and with a class-leading 1950 litres of space, it can be a fair load, and the suspension's adaptive damping improves the ride no matter who or what is onboard.There's also a parking guidance system that recommends when and to what degree to turn the wheel when parallel parking. That's handy, given the estate is nudging 5m in length.STYLINGWagons have always been the practical cousins of their sedan counterparts, but the E-Class estates are good-looking transport in their own right. The windows taper towards the rear to help disguise the boxy shape and the tailgate is arched so it doesn't look square from behind. It's still a relatively conservative design, but why tinker with what works.It's the same inside, where returning customers will be reassured by the familiar layout. New owners will need a few days to familiarise themselves with the myriad of buttons and on-screen menus that help control everything from the airconditioning to the satnav system.SAFETYThe Benz is at its best when comparing safety systems. Bi-xenon headlights and daytime running lights ensure the E-Class stands out night or day. The airbags extend to the windows in the second row of seats, and the Pre-Safe occupant protection system that does everything from pre-tension the seatbelts to closing the windows when it detects and imminent crash.The ABS braking system has a drying function to maintain stopping power in the wet, a hill-start assist, brakeforce distribution and is linked to the e lectronic stability and traction control. Hit the anchors hard and the brake lights flash to provide extra warning to following cars. It sounds simple, but definitely grabs the attention of anyone travelling behind the wagon.Sensors monitor driver behaviour and advise, via an illuminated coffee cup in the display panel, when a break is needed. If a crash does occur, the headrests push forward to reduce the risk of whiplash and the steering wheel and pedals are designed to collapse to give the driver extra room.The rearwards-facing third-row seats have enought headroom and legroom to even toss a couple of adults in for cross-town commutes and they're nearly as comfortable as the second-row seats.DRIVINGHIT the start button and head out of town and the big wagon feels small. It more than holds its own in the city where the blind spot assist and lane departure warning systems give extra reassurance, but it is out on the open road where the 500Nm can be put to best use. With that much torque the five-speed auto box isn't the handicap it might be on paper, remind E350 owners about the fuel use if they start bragging about their seven-speed transmission.Acceleration from 60km/h up is jaw-droppingly quick for this type of car and it's only under full throttle that the diesel makes itself heard. The rest of the time is a fairly serene, but not uninvolved drive, irrespective of the speed. And even hooking in only pushes the fuel consumption into the low 7-litre range.The leather-upholstered seats cosset both front occupants without deadening seat-of-the-pants (or skirt) feedback. The adaptive dampers switch from plush to performance as the weight loads up to keep the car flat and poised even through hairpin turns. And unless you're doing something wrong, the six passengers won't notice a thing. And that's not bad for a people-mover, no matter the price.MERCEDES-BENZ E250 CDI ESTATEPrice: from $105,500Engine: 2.1-litre turbodieselPower: 150kW at 4200 revsTorque: 500Nm from 1600-1800 revsTransmission: Five-speed automatic, rear-wheel driveFuel type, tank: Diesel, 59 litresFuel use, CO2 emissions: 6.3 litres/100km, 153g/km