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Driving the Mercedes-Benz E 200
Powering the E 200 is the M254 motor - a 2.0-litre, inline 4-cylinder turbo-petrol portion that makes 201 BHP @ 5,800 rpm and 320 Nm @ 1,600 - 4,000 rpm. It is mated to a 9G-Tronic torque converter automatic transmission:
The M254 motor is rather versatile and Mercedes precocious introduced it successful the smaller C-Class successful the C300 guise with a higher powerfulness output. In the E-Class however, the absorption is connected comfortableness and a creaseless driving experience. The motor features a 48V electrical strategy and an integrated starter generator (ISG). These further bits summation the maximum powerfulness by 23 BHP and 205 Nm. Exhaust state aft attraction is besides done astatine the motor itself. This allows the catalytic converter to scope its optimum operating somesthesia much quickly. The petrol particulate filter is besides installed adjacent to the engine.
From mentation to retired connected the road. The 48V strategy on with the integrated starter generator makes definite that the motor fires up rapidly and much gently. You hardly consciousness the motor starting up. There are definite things that you would expect from a car from this conception and the E 200 does that beauteous well. Rolling disconnected the enactment is precise creaseless and the car crawls guardant calmly. The EQ boost adds a spot of pep astatine debased speeds portion driving astir successful the city. Keeping up with postulation volition ne'er beryllium an contented successful the E 200. The car gets up to velocity rapidly which makes closing those gaps successful postulation oregon overtaking precise easy. Once you get utilized to the size of the car, you volition recognize however casual it is to thrust it successful the city. It doesn?t consciousness similar a large vessel that you are trying to maneuver. It feels speedy connected its feet.
Out connected the road is wherever you tin flex your close foot. The champion mode to picture the E 200 is that it?s quick, but not fast. Don?t get maine wrong. The claimed 0-100 km/h clip is 7.5 seconds, which is precise good. But overall, the E 200 is focused connected providing a creaseless driving acquisition and particularly for the rear spot occupants. This means that the car has been acceptable up for comfortableness and not show which shows erstwhile you effort to propulsion the car. The powerfulness transportation is precise linear which is thing you volition admit portion cruising connected the highway. At 100 km/h, the motor spins comfortably astatine 1,500 rpm successful D8 and astatine 120 km/h, you volition spot it revving astatine 1,800 rpm successful D8. You tin besides prime the 9th cogwheel manually if you privation to further little the rpms. All successful all, the E 200 is an effortless mile muncher.
The 9G-Tronic automatic transmission has a torque converter and is simply a precise creaseless gearbox. The upshifts and downshifts are precise smooth. With a airy foot, you hardly consciousness the transmission going up and down the gears. Driving astir successful the city, the gearbox ne'er felt similar it was successful the incorrect cogwheel oregon confused. It was ever successful the close gear. On kickdown, the gearbox doesn?t hesitate to driblet 3 oregon adjacent 4 gears astatine times to get the motor into the powerfulness band. The effect time, however, isn?t arsenic speedy arsenic the ZF transmissions successful BMWs. You tin adjacent usage the paddle shifters if you privation to displacement manually. They?re reasonably responsive.
The E 200 has a full of 4 thrust modes: Eco, Comfort, Sport and Individual. These modes change the throttle and steering response.
In Eco mode, the throttle effect is dull and the gearbox upshifts earlier to maximise substance efficiency. This mode provides the smoothest thrust and honestly, with the powerfulness and torque that the motor produces, it is bully capable to beryllium utilized successful the metropolis arsenic good arsenic connected the highway.
The Comfort mode is the default mode which is successful betwixt the mediate of Eco and Sport modes. It works good successful municipality and connected the road and offers a bully equilibrium betwixt ratio and performance.
In Sport mode, the motor becomes much responsive and anxious to respond to throttle inputs. On undivided highways, this is the mode to usage to propulsion disconnected speedy overtakes. The transmission holds a cogwheel for a longer clip and the steering firms up too. Unlike astir different cars, the Sport mode successful the E 200 is not precise aggressive. The powerfulness transportation does not consciousness precise spiky successful the city.
Individual mode gives you the enactment to customise your driving acquisition to your requirements.
Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH)
Thanks to the 48V electrical strategy and the integrated starter generator (ISG), the motor cranks up rapidly and smoothly arsenic well. You tin hardly perceive the motor successful the compartment astatine idle and portion driving astir successful the city. On the extracurricular though, the motor is loud. The motor enactment astatine precocious revs is bully and suits the quality of the car. It?s not excessively large nor is it forcibly muted. Enthusiasts volition find it dull, but past they should beryllium looking astatine the 6-cylinder E 450 and not the E 200.
Wind sound and roadworthy sound are good controlled astatine 100-120 km/h.
Mileage & Fuel economy
Mercedes hasn?t revealed the substance ratio numbers for the E 200. What works successful favour of the substance system is the tech similar the idling start-stop strategy and the integrated starter generator. We?ll person to hold for immoderate ownership reviews for real-world substance system figures.
Recommended substance is 95 octane and arsenic you tin see, the E-Class is E5, E10 and E25 compliant:
Suspension
Ride Comfort
As mentioned earlier, the absorption of the E-Class has been connected comfort. At dilatory speeds, the suspension feels absorbent and tiny bumps and potholes are handled well. Be mindful of the information that it?s a German sedan and you won?t find immoderate issues with the suspension astatine dilatory speeds. However, you perceive the bumps oregon potholes wrong the compartment if taken astatine speed. As the velocity increases, the thrust gets flatter. There is simply a spot of vertical question implicit roadworthy undulations, but it?s not excessive.
Handling & Dynamics
Straight-line stableness is bully and you oregon the passengers won?t realise that you are cruising astatine triple-digit speeds. The car masks velocity rather well.
The comfort-oriented suspension setup doesn?t truly promote you to onslaught corners. The car manages to clasp its line, but isn?t precise comfy being pushed hard into corners. The brushed suspension means that determination is question wrong the cabin. The 225/55 R18 Nexen N'Fera Sport tyres provided decent grip done the corners.
Steering
The E-Class has a precise airy steering that is casual to usage successful the metropolis and connected highways. It is reasonably nonstop which makes the car precise casual to drive. Manoeuvring this agelong car done the metropolis and adjacent taking 3-point turns doesn?t consciousness precise cumbersome owed to the user-friendly quality of the steering. It weighs up a just magnitude connected the road and makes cruising rather comfortable. From an enthusiast's constituent of view, however, it is inactive airy (even successful Sport mode) and though direct, it doesn?t consciousness precise confidence-inspiring successful corners.
Braking
As expected, you get all-round disc brakes successful the E-Class. When you are driving wrong the limits, the brakes enactment perfectly and much importantly they are precise predictable. Under hard braking, the car stops without overmuch drama. The E-Class is besides equipped with Active Brake Assist.
