For more in depth reviews check my channel: www.youtube.com Filmed by: Tomaž Kožar Jesenice In July 2002, having waited six months for the new Mercedes- Benz E-class to hit the showrooms, I borrowed one. After driving several hundred miles I was left with one overwhelming emotion: disappointment. I loved the sleek lines and the clever technology; the huge boot swallowed the largest load. But none of this could hide the car’s Achilles heel: its engine. The 177bhp V6 petrol engine fitted to the E240 sounded harsh when pushed, performance felt moderate and after 800 miles it had averaged only 21mpg. But my reaction was out of step; almost universally the car was heaped with praise. And it was 18 months before my opinion was to change. This time I drove an E270 diesel. It was blessed with virtually identical power to the petrol car on paper but in reality the leap in torque produced a smooth wall of power that made the car genuinely fun to drive, and it also averaged close to 40mpg. At last I understood what everyone had been saying: this was quite possibly the best executive car money could buy. I also tried the more modestly priced E220 diesel with 150bhp. It still felt good, and the 3.2 litre E320 diesel with 204bhp was a real hoot. With these cars Mercedes proved that not only had diesel engine technology caught up with the petrol equivalents but actually eclipsed them. In fact only one petrol version is comparable with the diesel. The E500 boasts a 5 litre V8 that kicks …

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