German Car Zone

What is it?

This is the new Mercedes E250 CDI SE BlueEfficiency, the big-selling version of the new E-class. It is the one car Mercedes has traditionally relied upon to boost its bottom line. But after more than a decade of niggling quality problems, the E-class’s once-glittering image has become somewhat tarnished.

No surprise, then, that Mercedes is talking up the perceived robustness of the new model – the W212 as it is known internally – describing it has the toughest E-class of all time. It is a bold claim.

Diesel engines traditionally make up 90 per cent of E-class sales in the UK, so it is the 201bhp twin-turbo E250 CDI SE BlueEfficiency, the most powerful of the two 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbodiesels in the E-class range, that we test here.

What’s it like?

The Mercedes E250 CDI SE BlueEfficiency could never really be described as a performance car. Still, with a 0-62mph time of 8.2sec, it is encouragingly quick off the line and, with a prodigious 368lb ft of torque arriving at just 1600rpm, gathers speed with enthusiasm.

Once the initial rush subsides, the E250 CDI SE BlueEfficiency settles into its stride with a less frantic – but still convincing – degree of shove all the way to the 5000rpm red line.

For all this, the E250 CDI’s best work is done while cruising on part throttle. At a constant 75mph, the E250 CDI is barely pulling 2000rpm in fifth gear. And it does this while returning a claimed 47.1mpg in automatic guise which, in turn, provides it with CO2 emissions of 159g/km.

There is, however, a curious weak point in the E250 CDI’s driveline. Mercedes has decided, presumably for cost reasons, to provide all four-cylinder diesel versions of the new E-class with its old five-speed automatic gearbox.

It is an odd move, given the clear focus placed on fuel economy and emissions with the new car. It ultimately fails to operate in quite the same crisp and intuitive fashion as the more modern seven-speed automatic offered on other E-class models.

The Mercedes E250 CDI SE BlueEfficiency is a big car, weighing all of 1660kg, but it feels much smaller on challenging roads. It is not quite as agile as the smaller and lighter C-class, but there is not much separating them.

The new E-class also boasts enhanced low-speed manoeuvrability. The variable-ratio steering reduces the amount of lock required around town by almost 15 per cent, and the turning circle has been cut by almost 15cm.

But what about the E-class’s legendary ride? A final appraisal will have to wait until we get to drive the new E-class in the UK, but over the Spanish roads we tested it on there was sufficient evidence to suggest the new suspension, with an extra 5mm of spring travel both front and rear, is at least as cosseting as that of the old model.

The truly impressive thing about the new E-class, though, is the way it isolates its occupants from the outside world. Mercedes has worked hard on aerodynamics and insulation. Indeed, with a drag co-efficient of 0.25 and a specially developed film integrated within the windscreen designed to keep wind buffeting to a minimum, it cruises in a serene and unruffled manner.

The mechanical aspects of the E250 CDI SE BlueEfficiency are equally impressive. The engine is barely audible on part-throttle, with typical diesel chatter only evident under hard acceleration.

For those who have spent any time in a recent Mercedes, the dashboard architecture, steering wheel design and general organisation of the secondary controls instantly feel familiar.

Take time to study the individual elements, though, and you discover there is sufficient differentiation to ensure the E-class gets a truly unique interior, even though the materials are not quite to the standard of some rivals.

Access to the rear has been improved by raising the roof line and providing a larger door aperture. The 450-litre boot is also slightly larger than before.
Should I buy one?

It would be difficult not to recommend one. That the new Mercedes E250 CDI SE BlueEfficiency is a tremendously competent car comes as no surprise; for Mercedes to turn out anything less would be a major disappointment.

The true revelation, though, is that it has finally delivered an E-class that is not only fun to drive but also boasts all the apparent solidity you expect of a Mercedes.


Full Story: Autocar - Mercedes E250 CDI BlueEfficiency SE


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Take time to study the individual elements, though, and you discover there is sufficient differentiation to ensure the E-class gets a truly unique interior, even though the materials are not quite to the standard of some rivals.


Oh please.

Good report. Too bad we won't see it here in the USA.

I disagree on the 5-speed. That was a great tranny. The 7-speed has too many quirks. It's never seemed to be a smooth as the 5. And the 5 seems better with the smaller displacement engines.

I kinda agree. I've practised a lot of these 5 and 7 boxes.
The 7 is incredibly smooth... but every now and then it will "miss" a gear, engaging it quite brutally. Typically, when you let the car ride with no throttle, it will downshift from 2 to 1 with a clonk... Very annoying on my Dad's ML, and no update could really cure that.

However, the ML is known for that jerkiness at slow-speed downshift, maybe it's not the case on other models.

The 5 is not as incredibly smooth, bit slower... but it will never ever make that kind of errors. It's totally harmonious, doesn't have 2-1 issues or things like that.

Overall, I think it's a better box. And I don't see the problem if it has the 5 and not the 7 anyway, I don't think the mpg-benefit are that huge with added gears. 5 is enough unless you drive at 200+ km/h.

The real aim of an auto slushbox is to remain unoticed, so 5 or 7 or 10 speeds... Sounds a bit like marketing to me.

My car has 3 gears... Now that's a little short on high speed. But not that much. It changes to third at around 50km/h, which makes the rpm a bit high at 130km/h, but honestly...

I'm enjoying the noise of the V8 more, it increases the speed sensation which is a good thing, and my car wouldn't be that much more economical with more gears... So 7 or 8 speeds make me laugh.

Well i guess it's pretty good for fuel consumption if you can do 100km/h at sub 2000 revs.. but then for "smooth", why not just get CVTs? surely smooth! just absolutely feel-less. =D

not a fan of those pics too, the car looks heavy and bland there.

Nice car, but the sharp edges of the interior come off a little cold. The materials may be better, but I wouldn't say its better than a 5 series or A6 to look at. And the Jag XF interior kills this!

There are other "cures" other then software updates. Snap ring replacement and clutch plate replacement...

Talkin' like a true MB service tech.

I would beg to differ. On my 560SEC, my RPM is often over 3000 while driving on the freeway, and I would imagine that a 5,6 liter engine with a flat torque curve would benefit from having much lower RPM, perhaps in the 2000 range. In my case, the differential ratio is 2,46 (from what I remember), which is also the final drive ratio. A fifth gear to bring the final drive ratio down to about 2 would make the car much better on the highway without sacrificing drivability.

Likewise, I find the 3,07 final drive ratio on the W126 300SD models sold in the US to be horrible, and something like the 2,46 from the M116/117 models to be more fitting for that diesel.