New 2013 Mercedes-Benz E200 CGI review, test drive

It's smooth at idle, responsive enough in traffic and has enough pace to hold high speeds easily on the highway. Meet the Mercedes-Benz E200 CGI. It's the recently launched E-class with a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-charged, direct injection petrol motor. These engine specs equate to a healthy 184bhp and 30.6kgm of torque and that measures up well with the base BMW 520i that makes an identical power figure but less torque. 

 

The E200's performance left us wanting little. Driving in Mumbai's traffic, it responds smartly to small throttle inputs (mostly because it makes peak torque from an ultra-low 1200rpm) and pulls in a linear manner to the higher reaches of its rev range. It does so in such a smooth and unobtrusive manner, the engine remaining a mostly silent source of power right until it's close to the 6500rpm redline. The fact that it is more silent (and smoother) than the E250 CDI might be a clincher for those who believe their luxury cars must be very refined. 

 

Then there's Merc's seven-speed automatic that shifts smoothly and unobtrusively and, for once, is pretty obedient to paddleshift commands when you feel like taking more control of the gearbox.