Mercedes-Benz E-Class E200 and E220d 2016 review | first drive video

Richard Berry road tests and reviews the Merecedes-Benz E-Class E200 and E220d with specs, fuel consumption and verdict at their Australian launch.

Read Richard's full review here: http://carsgui.de/2aNYNaV

Find out more at the CarsGuide.com.au E-Class hub: http://carsgui.de/2aNYxZw

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This is the latest generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Now Benz makes faster cars and it makes more luxurious cars, but if Mercedes-Benz was rushing out of a burning building and could only take one thing with it this would be it.

Why? The E-Class is the core of the Benz brand with a lineage that goes back to a time when most people were driving horses. This is Benz's executive class, the core of the brand and each time a new gen arrives it pioneers new innovations that push the standard higher.

This 10th generation has given that standard a massive shove this time it is the cleverest car Benz has made so clever it can drive itself, it can see hundreds of meters ahead with cameras and feel everything around it with radar… it's probably trying to read my lips now….

Ok so what variants do we get? So the first to arrive is the petrol E200 and the E220d - which I'm in now - and E350d diesels.

Later this year we'll get E300 and E400 and you can count on the big banger AMG 43, too.

The E200 has a grunty four-cylinder turbo petrol engines, while the E220d gets a brand new four cylinder diesel. It's lighter, smaller and more powerful than the one it replaces. The E350 is the diesel king of the line-up with its 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo engine.

The new gen E-Class has been given Benz's new family saloon styling – and though sleek and looking slipperier than a bar of soap it does just look like a bigger C-Class and a smaller S-Class. Which it is, sure, but a bit of variety would be nice.

Compared to the last one this E-class has grown in length and there's more legroom because the wheel base is also longer.

So what do you need to know – well you should probably know I'm not driving right now.

Benz stop short of calling it autonomous driving, and say it's partially automated driving so you needs to keep you eyes on what's happening.

We're lucky in Australia all E-Class variants come standard with the self-driving function in the Driver Assistance Package Plus...package.

This new-gen E-class is so clever. There's two cameras on the windscreen which can see 250m ahead, there's a radar behind the star which can feel half a kilometre in front the one of the back see 80m behind and radars on each corner of the car put a 40m ring around the vehicle. This car can see far more than you can and the systems connected to it are amazing. Apart from steering itself for short periods of time, it can change lanes automatically, it will serve to avoid a pedestrian it and it will brake to avoid a collision if somebody in front stops or a vehicle appears from the side.

What's it like to drive? In a word...effortless. The steering is light and direct, the ride is creamy, there great handling in there too and the power delivery in this one, the E200, is excellent.

So much work has gone into developing This new generation e class and the car is remarkable. And I'm sure I'll say that about the next gen and the next. But that's what in love about it – it's a mountaineer who does it because it's there or in the case of the e class they make the mountain then climb it. And even if you don't buy one the technology will filter down into all cars, thank you.
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