This week we present the Mercedes E300, our test car was assembled at the Sindelfingen plant in Germany, the plant opened in 1915 where it began producing airplane engines. It now provides nearly 15% of all cars made for the Daimler group and is the 4th largest plant in Germany. Our test vehicle has an MSRP of $72250.
Fun Factor: 8
Can it Family: 7
Fuel-Friendly: 7
HWY-warrior: 8
Karaoke Friendly: 4
Baby friendly: 7
City Cruising: 5
The driving experience of the E-Class is smooth and refined, compared to other entries such as 5-series the E-class feels less sporty and not as engaging as its direct competitor. This does this mean that the E300 is slow in any way. In our tests, we achieved 100km/h in 5.96 seconds with winter tires. We think that these results could even be better with summer tires. What surprised us from Mercedes, is that they announce 6.4 seconds for the E300 to reach 100km/h. Compare that to the E450 that should reach 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds. The E300 is an exciting perspective for buyers. We also tested the GLC300 and found that the E300 felt a lot faster and more stable than it's smaller counterpart SUV. We enjoyed the linear power coming from our Benz, with its turbo 4 banger giving us 241hp and 273 lb-ft mated to a deliciously well programmed 9 speed automatic. Our car felt like it had a lot more power than the numbers announced by Mercedes. Other relaxing features we enjoyed on the E-Class was the semi-autonomous driving were you keep your hands on the steering wheel while the system does the heavy lifting. In case you're stuck in traffic and need to change lanes just press on your turn signal, and the change of lanes is done automatically while making sure no one hiding in your blind spot. The automation of the E300 makes driving relaxing and will warn you with a beeping noise in case it can't recognize the road marking to guide itself. The only negative point we found with the semi semi-autonomous driving feature was in longer curves the car doesn't take the proper angle of attack, hence always needing correction from the driver.
Can the E300 family? We test the car with three kids in the back row and even chauffeured around two adults in the back row. The front seats are well bolstered and give you a well-balanced seating position. What we enjoy less is how the windshield and steering wheel are so close to each other providing a sense of being in a much smaller environment then what we are actually in and making it less than ideal to find a comfortable seating position when entering the car. When comparing to the BMW 5-series, the seats and steering wheel move inwards to give you more elegant entry into your vehicle. The heated seat program is nicely balanced when turning it on to the highest setting; it will automatically reduce itself slowly until it closes itself. The drive can even program the desired level of heating for the passenger seat. The rear seats are as comfortable as the front seats. 3 Adults could fit in the back row. However, this might be pushing your luck as the middle seat can be uncomfortable for seating since the seat belt usually hides within the seat when not in use. Objectively the central spot will never be used as the seating it is too compromised unless it is for a child. As for Trunk space, the E-Class gives you plenty. We were able to fit two medium suitcases or 1 large stroller. The high opening lip of the trunk makes heavier items harder to place into your trunk without scuffing your bumper.
How's the fuel consumption of the E-Class? In our test, we averaged 10.2L per 100km, as for our HWY consumption we were able to achieve 8.8L per 100km as for the city 11.9L per 100km. We ran our tests with premium 91 Octane fuel while outside temperatures oscillated between -2°C & -10°C, as for our average HWY speed, it was 120km/h. Mercedes announces 11L per 100km in the city and 8.1L per 100km on the HWY. Our results were very close to these published by Mercedes and believe that these result could even be beating when the temperatures are milder.
Were we were slightly disappointed with our E300 when it came to the sound system and the infotainment. Let us start with the audio system. The speaker grills are beautifully engineered and look like something from a Maybach; however, the sound recreation of low frequencies is in our mind is questionable mediocre. On several occasions, the sound system distorted low frequencies almost to the point to sound like static, something I wouldn't even accept on budget headphones. As for the two massive 12.3-inch cluster & infotainment, they look stunning! They need a little getting used since they are controlled by two tiny touch screen on the steering wheel for the primary cluster and of a touchpad on the middle console. In our test, we were able to crash the central display on several occasions by connecting one phone via Bluetooth, and then the passenger would plug his iPhone to charge, the infotainment would then attempt to launch Apple car play causing it to crash, this wasn't a fluke as we were able to recreate the issue multiple times. We are sure that Mercedes will update the bug shortly, however, something like this occurring while driving can be stressful.
The E300 offers wide rear door opening making it easy to install car seats. The ISOFIX ports are hidden by little plastic trays that are detachable. Making it easy to attach and remove cars seats at a will. The only worry we have is that with time the removable plates may get lost and replacing might not be so simple. The E300 fits two rear-facing seats without any issue. However, this takes away any space for a 3rd person in the back compared to other cars in that category have more seating room such as the BMW 5 series, S90 or even the A6. The back seats only offer space for a maximum of 2 car seats as the middle seat is either meant to be decorative or to fit a small child and doesn't provide the option to latch a car seat.
This full-size premium vehicle is almost too big for the city in our opinion, it will always be a challenge to find large enough parking spots for your E-Class on the street, again who will want to park their E-Class on the road. Even city driving with the E300 can be stress-free with the semi-autonomous driving without having to worry about stop&go traffic. The 360° cameras equipped on our vehicle are of high quality and resolution they functional while the car is at a still stand. Different views can be quickly engaged when parking in tighter spots. The start-stop system is powerful enough to heat the cabin even if it is colder outside and doesn't fee disruptive when removing your foot off the brake pedal when the light changes to green.
What we've enjoyed on our Mercedes E300 4Matic: Beautiful infotainment, elegant ride, powerful enough engine, easy installation of car seats,
What we've like less on our Mercedes E300 4Matic: Weird seating position for the driver, sound system, massive center tunnel making long-distance driving less than comfortable,
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