Words Abhay Verma | Photography Saidatta Naik
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class has been the default choice for luxury car buyers for long, and its long wheelbase version has only made the sedan more desirable. And while the new generation E-Class has set fresh benchmarks already, the option of the more powerful E 450, with a 3.0-litre, straight-six, turbocharged petrol engine under its hood is yet another gamechanger potentially. Mercedes-Benz made a smart move by announcing prices for the E 450 last year itself, and admittedly, it’s the version I was looking forward to drive, given the engine’s outputs of 381PS and 500Nm – that’s AMG territory. And with a claimed 0-100kmph acceleration time of just 4.5 seconds, the E 450 is certainly capable of smoking performance cars too!
The E 200, the base petrol version, impressed with its ride comfort, features and luxury, but did leave me wanting for more firepower. And it’s the want for more power that the E 450 addresses (it’s also equipped with 4MATIC all-wheel drive system), besides carrying forward all the traits and features of the new generation E-Class that make it so desirable. That said, the E 450 comes with the AMG Line package that should help you distinguish it, but despite the additional dose of sportiness the car still looks more luxury sedan than a performance one. The AMG Line package comes with different bits like a more aggressively styled front bumper, AMG wheels – shod with higher profile rubber in the interest of a good ride quality – and dual, trapezoidal exhaust tips finished in chrome.
The cabin remains unchanged and feels supremely luxurious thanks to its layout, choice of materials and ultra-low NVH levels. The ‘superscreen’ housing the three displays – including the 14.4-inch primary touchscreen besides the 12.3-inch displays for the driver and the front passenger screen – takes up most of the real estate. Most functions are now ‘touch-only’, even the air-conditioning vents can be adjusted via the display, though thankfully, unlike the Porsche Taycan, you can still adjust and move them manually. The ‘selfie’ camera boasts excellent resolution but sits atop the dashboard, meaning only front occupants can use it.
While the experience at the front, especially behind the wheel is as luxurious as it gets, it’s the rear bench that truly pampers, like we saw in the E 200. Seats are supremely plush and it’s easy to forget you’re sitting in a car when you close your eyes. The seat back reclines from 24 degrees to 36, and given the acres of legroom and kneeroom in front, stretching out to feel like you’re in the business class seat of an aircraft is easy. The ‘Chauffeur Package’ adds the ease of moving the front passenger seat ahead to make even more space. Of course, there’s no dearth of features to pamper you – electrically operated sun shades and a rear sun blind, 4D Burmester music system with Dolby Atmos, dedicated climate control, a wireless charging pad, fast charging USB ports and more.
Comfort and luxury aside, it’s the 3.0-litre straight-six engine that I’m itching to talk about. A mild hybrid system offers an additional 23PS over the engine’s 381PS, though there’s so much shove on offer at any given point in time that you really don’t care about the additional 23 horses. A big difference as compared to the go-faster AMGs that it is as quick as, is the way the E 450 accelerates and builds speeds. There’s a silky-smooth feel to its performance with barely any hint of aggression, which is at the core of the E-Class experience. Then there’s the rather quiet and restrained exhaust note, which belies the strong engine performance. It thus masks its intentions very well, but the E 450 packs in serious performance, and pressing down hard on the gas pedal is grin inducing.
In-gear acceleration is very impressive too, irrespective of the speeds you’re doing, thanks the engine’s fat torque spread. With the E 450, you’re thus sure to raise a few eyebrows on the streets with your acceleration, every time you press down on the throttle. The 9-speed automatic adds to the car’s likeable feel with its alacrity, especially in Sport mode, while ensuring you barely notice gear changes in Comfort mode. And with 4MATIC doing its thing, staying in control is all too easy, be it when going fast around bends or hurtling down a highway at triple digits. 4MATIC does a brilliant job of transferring the engine’s power to all four wheels in a metered manner, but you can still get the big E to hang its tail out in a controlled and very likeable way to discover its sporty edge, should you choose to turn ESP off. In a nutshell, this is the E-Class in its most potent form yet, sans an AMG badge of course.
The E 450 is priced at Rs 92.50 lakh ex-showroom, which makes it a steal, if you’re looking for an irresistible mix of luxury and performance. That’s because it offers loads of performance effortlessly, while ensconcing you in great comfort and is easily ‘the’ E-Class to buy.
