2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class in Detail

[Submariner]

You're only saying that because it's a Mercedes Benz. Any other car and you'd be blasting it for its ugliness.

Uh...No.  I'd call it ugly if I thought it was.  I think the current car is very much an evolution of the current model (which I thought was only mediocre looking at launch) This car could once again become (in my eyes) a fine looking machine, or (as I said before) could be just as "so-so" as it appears in pictures.

[cawimmer430]

It looks good to me, inside and out. The pictures are revealing a nicely done interior, definitely better than the current W211 but I need to see it in real life to be absolutely convinced and get a feel for it. Can't wait to drive it too. 

[SVT666]

The headlights are very Lexus-like, and the C-class "open" hood look doesn't do it for me.  The interior is soooooo bland.

[the Teuton]

Why did they make this car more generic than any other car in the range?  If anything, if I were MB, I'd have made it look more CLS-like instead of C Class-like.

[cawimmer430]

The headlights are very Lexus-like, and the C-class "open" hood look doesn't do it for me.  The interior is soooooo bland.

You know why the hood is like that? Because of pedestrian safety laws. There is a system in the E-Class that will raise the hood at the rear (near the wipers) by a few inches within milliseconds of slamming into something upfront like a pedestrian. It should minimize damage to the person.

Interior bland? Huh? 

[SVT666]

You know why the hood is like that? Because of pedestrian safety laws. There is a system in the E-Class that will raise the hood at the rear (near the wipers) by a few inches within milliseconds of slamming into something upfront like a pedestrian. It should minimize damage to the person.

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.  So the poor guy who gets hit in the legs is also gonna get smacked in the head by the hood?  Great.

Interior bland? Huh? 

I expect more for the amount of money this car commands.

[Submariner]

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.  So the poor guy who gets hit in the legs is also gonna get smacked in the head by the hood?  Great.
I expect more for the amount of money this car commands.

I fail to see how it is any less bland than the new design. 

[YO]

GO TEAM GO!

[Tave]

I fail to see how it is any less bland than the new design. 

Hmmm. That sounds like a personal problem.

[TBR]

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.  So the poor guy who gets hit in the legs is also gonna get smacked in the head by the hood?  Great.
I expect more for the amount of money this car commands.

Ugh, I hate grey tinted wood trim.

[Raza]

I'm beginning to like it.

And all this talk about the interior being boring, bland, or barren makes me want to pose a question. 

What exactly do you want in an interior?  I prefer clean design, straightforward controls, and simplicity.  To me the Holy Grail of interior design is the S2 Elise.

[Raza]

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.  So the poor guy who gets hit in the legs is also gonna get smacked in the head by the hood?  Great.

If you get hit in the legs, you're going on the hood anyway.  This way, you don't smack your head on the engine.

[cawimmer430]

That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.  So the poor guy who gets hit in the legs is also gonna get smacked in the head by the hood?  Great.

How is this dumb? It's a feature that may prevent more damage to a pedestrian. The C-Class has this too, at least in Europe. I tried looking for the AMS magazine that had this feature in detail but I seem to have thrown that issue away. Look it up on the net.

I expect more for the amount of money this car commands.

This car hasn't even been tested yet by any magazine. YOU have not even seen it in real life. It's way too early to make such comments.

This is a new car with new features and new technology and it is bound to be extremely competitive. And furthermore there will be tons of buyers who will be interested.

[omicron]

The very same bonnet-lifting feature debuted on the Jaguar XK-series:

As well as the convertible's hidden, automatic roll-over protection, every car in the new XK range features Jaguar's pedestrian deployable bonnet system (not fitted to Federal market cars). In the event of a collision with a pedestrian, the system raises the bonnet by 170mm in just 30 milliseconds to provide a clear space between the surface of the bonnet and the hard points underneath, to reduce the severity of injuries - particularly those to the head - while still allowing the new XK low bonnet line. An energy-absorbing bumper system also helps minimise lower leg injuries to pedestrians.

I see no ridiculous jumble of panel gaps there.

[omicron]

I'm beginning to like it.

And all this talk about the interior being boring, bland, or barren makes me want to pose a question. 

What exactly do you want in an interior?  I prefer clean design, straightforward controls, and simplicity.  To me the Holy Grail of interior design is the S2 Elise.

I like dashboard designs that emphasise width, with strong, well-defined horizontal elements that give the impression of space. I like consoles that flow seamlessly into dashboards without an awkward gap that suggests one was added before the other. I don't like odd angles or curves that suddenly appear for no good reason, nor do I like great expanses of plastic that are out of proportion with the rest of the interior.

The Volkswagen Phaeton's interior is a marvellous effort: handsome, elegant, straightforward and timeless.



Alfa Romeo 159:



Audi A8:



Volkswagen Passat:



Holden Statesman:



The W126 S-class is a classic example:



As is the 1963 Riviera:

[cawimmer430]

The very same bonnet-lifting feature debuted on the Jaguar XK-series:

I see no ridiculous jumble of panel gaps there.

So? Look at the bonnet design. The E-Class bonnet extends outwards in a sideway fashion, like the C-Class. The Jaguar hood takes the traditional approach.

I don't even get what the fuzz is all about. As if that design gives an impression of cheapness or something.   

[omicron]

So? Look at the bonnet design. The E-Class bonnet extends outwards in a sideway fashion, like the C-Class. The Jaguar hood takes the traditional approach.

I don't even get what the fuzz is all about. As if that design gives an impression of cheapness or something.   

But why is it on the side of the car where the gap can be easily seen, especially in the lighter colours, when a Jaguar with the same bonnet technology looks far cleaner? Noticeable panel gaps and awkward joins are a sign of lower-quality construction and cheapness - representative of lesser attention to detail and build quality. It's better on the E than it is on the C, I'll grant you, but on either car it's not a clever nor thoughtful way of solving the problem of joining panels together and closing the bonnet.

[cawimmer430]

But why is it on the side of the car where the gap can be easily seen, especially in the lighter colours, when a Jaguar with the same bonnet technology looks far cleaner? Noticeable panel gaps and awkward joins are a sign of lower-quality construction and cheapness - representative of lesser attention to detail and build quality. It's better on the E than it is on the C, I'll grant you, but on either car it's not a clever nor thoughtful way of solving the problem of joining panels together and closing the bonnet.

Look, it obviously was intentional. It was a design aspect that the MB designers thought would suit the C-Class and new E-Class. When I see a W204 C-Class on the street I don't even notice this. And if I look closely I am not bothered by it. Stop being so picky. 

[ifcar]

Look, it obviously wasn't intentional.

Yeah...what happened to all that attention to detail?

[cawimmer430]

Yeah...what happened to all that attention to detail?

Like I said: It's obviously intentional. It's something the designers at MB find "attractive" or something. I don't know.

It doesn't bother me though.


Oh, and the attention to detail is usually on the inside when it comes to MBs.

[ifcar]

Like I said: It's obviously intentional.

That's the opposite of what you said.

[cawimmer430]

That's the opposite of what you said.

Yeah, I just noticed my mistake. Corrected it.


This is obviously intentional. Period.

[Danish]

I like the front of it but the side looks weird because the past the B-pillar it looks oddly proportioned.... like the rear is much higher than the front even though it isn't.

[cawimmer430]

[Submariner]

Aside from those stupid twin fog lights (watch them become the next big thing on luxury cars) I'm really warming up to the new E. 

[Tave]

This is obviously intentional. Period.

Well, OK. Just because it's intentional doesn't make it a good idea. People make mistakes: yes, even Mercedes.

[Danish]

Damn Omi, that 159 interior is flat out gorgeous

If I ever wanted to use a car interior as a desktop background, that would be it!

[Raza]

Damn Omi, that 159 interior is flat out gorgeous

If I ever wanted to use a car interior as a desktop background, that would be it!

Yeah, but he lost the argument with the picture of the Holden's interior, which is visibly cheap and slightly more than reminiscent of recent Mercedes designs.

[Hachee]

OK, not sure if I'm too late to the discussion here, but here's my take:

I do find the the design growing on me - I think it's going to take some time once they're out on the road. 

Right now, I'm not thrilled with the exterior design.  I'd agree with Wimmer and say it's conservative, not bland, but with some elements that are meant to make it more dynamic, some of which work and some of which don't.  The side character lines are just a bit too wedgey, especially the lower line.  The rear end is perhaps too generic; many Benz models have had simple rear end designs but look like Benzes immediately.  I'm not feeling this one, but again, time will tell.  That curved side character line, which does go back to long-ago MBs, is a bit too much of an arbitrary design flourish for my tastes (and too last generation Chevy Impala).  I think there are better old design cues which they could have incorporated...perhaps at the front, where they should have left plain metal where those smaller (and controversial) lights are between the main lights and the grille.  I think the lower front valance looks a bit cheap too.

As for the hood (bonnet) and its shut lines - well, since the hoods are now higher because of the pedestrian laws, I would have liked to have seen a slightly higher, narrower grille, sort of like early 70s, which would look good today (obviously finessed for aerodynamics), along with the aforementioned lack of lights flanking it.  And shutlines like these - on the side profile rather than on top of the fenders, have been on many cars, not just the current C and new E (old Saabs, for example), and are definitely intentionally placed there for style.  Whether they work or not is a different story.  I'm not convinced here.

I like the interior a lot, definitely clean and a bit old school, but majorly let down by the placement of the nav screen.  Really ruins it for me.  I'm in agreement with the guy who pointed out the Phaeton and W126 interiors - they are perfect, along with the last generation A6.

I do think it's better than its predecessor, which just never did anything for me.  As Wimmer knows, I'm a major fan of the 70s and 80s generations (W123 an W124, I think).

[omicron]

Damn Omi, that 159 interior is flat out gorgeous

If I ever wanted to use a car interior as a desktop background, that would be it!

It's even better to sit in and experience - the seats are very comfortable, the leather is delightful (especially with all the stitching), the metal trim on the dashboard is icy-cold, and so on. Just lovely.

Yeah, but he lost the argument with the picture of the Holden's interior, which is visibly cheap and slightly more than reminiscent of recent Mercedes designs.

I do wish it was built better and used richer materials, but I still like the design.