You have to feel for Mercedes. It spent a sizable country’s GDP developing its EQE electric saloon, only for that car to find neither critical acclaim nor commercial success. The latest E-class on the other hand, has proven to be the dependable, competent, agreeable saloon it always has been.
The W214 generation arrived in 2023 featuring the latest cabin tech and a generously varied powertrain lineup to suit most needs, but being able to choose between everything from old-fashioned diesels to mega-battery plug-in hybrids is only one factor that contributes to the E-class’s commendable versatility.
Engine, gearbox and performance
Broad range of petrol, diesel and hybrid options
Rear-drive and 4Matic AWD available, though all use 9G-Tronic automatic transmission
Four-cylinder engines a touch rough, six-cylinders potent and smooth
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The E-class range spans from the base E200 featuring a mild-hybrid four-cylinder petrol engine good for less than 230bhp, to the full-fat (but not quite E63-replacing) E53 AMG, with close to 600bhp thanks to its electrically augmented twin-turbo straight-six, with all E-classes using Mercedes’ nine-speed automatic transmission. In the middle, a range of four-cylinder and six-cylinder plug-in hybrids, mild hybrids and even good old-fashioned diesels. And yes, one of the latter is very good.
At the heart of the E-class range is the E300e plug-in hybrid, which pairs a 2-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor and 25kWh battery (the same used on the E300de and the E53) good for 70 miles of electric range, adding onto the 350 miles you’ll get on petrol power. The E300de and E53 are claimed to be good for 67 and 60 miles respectively.
Some say that hauling two powertrains around with you in a PHEV is a self-defeating prospect, and while this might have been true when the original PHEVs arrived over a decade ago and were, quite frankly, an embarrassment, the current crop are exactly what many need today: zero emission driving in urban environments and not a whiff of charge anxiety when further afield.
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