Mercedes-Benz E-Class
New-generation BMW 5 Series rival gets S-Class tech and longer plug-in hybrid ranges On sale Summer Price from £50,000 (est)
Doug Revolta doug.revolta@haymarket.com
IN THE 1990s, if you’d told a high-flying exec that one day they could own a car capable of parking itself with no one in it, or connecting them to worldwide video calls, they’d have thrown their Nokia at you.
Welcome to the future, and the latest Mercedes-Benz E-Class.This sixth-generation model features cutting-edge tech that first appeared in the S-Class flagship, plus a heavily reworked, BMW-beating plug-in hybrid (PHEV) set-up.The BMW reference is important, because since the E-Class first appeared in 1993, it’s been trading blows with the 5 Series.
Indeed, the 5 Series has had the upper hand for a while. Better to drive and sit in than the fifth-generation E-Class, it’s a more talented and polished product. So, is that superiority now under threat?