2017 Mercedes-Benz E 220d review, road test

Far more affordable diesel E-class debuts Mercedes’ new 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine in India.

Published on Jul 11, 2017 07:00:00 AM

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2017 Mercedes-Benz E 220d review, road test

Steel springs give consistent body control but it’s still too big to be fun in bends.

At 11.8kpl in the city and 15.2kpl on the highway, the E 220d is a considerable improvement over
the six-cylinder E 350d’s 8.49kpl and 13kpl. The urban figure is particularly good, and you can put some of that down to this car’s 110kg lighter kerb weight.

While the E 350d has air suspension all round, this one uses steel springs, so you lose out on adjustable damping and the lift function that raises the car. The good news is that Mercedes has got the setup just right this time around. It’s a bit more supple than the older E-class and yet manages to maintain good body control over a rough patch of road. On the flip side, yes, you do lose out on that ultra-soft plushness of the air suspension, but then you get almost none of that floatiness you get over bumps and at high speed as you do in the V6 car. That said, the rear has been set up softer than the front, so you will feel a bit more bounce if you’re sat in the back and the car does feel a touch jittery on corrugated surfaces. Overall, it’s a great compromise between stability and comfort.

There’s less body roll than in the air-suspension-equipped car, although it hasn’t been eliminated entirely. The steering is very light at low speeds, as it should be, and if you want more heft out of it, simply dial the car up into Sport or Sport+, where it weighs up very well. It’s very quick and accurate too, helping you place the E-class quite easily. But what really stops this from being a fun car to drive is just the sheer size of it, which is constantly apparent.