Published on April 29th, 2022 | by Matthew Albutt
We were pretty excited to receive the new E-Class E220D from Mercedes at the Agility Fleet offices last year. This new AMG Line, 2.0-litre diesel sits one above the baseline model and starts at around £45,000. With high levels of competition in the market from the Audi A6 and BMW 5 series, Mercedes will need to come up with something special to live up to their name.
We gave a selection of Agility Fleet staff members areas to review, read their thoughts below or watch our video review.
From the outside of the vehicle we can see a few changes; there is a new front grille, split headlights/tail lights and a sleeker front bonnet. These changes make the new 2021 model look slightly more aggressive as well as keeping the style of the car modern. The interior has also had some updates, with the main and most predominant one being the steering wheel. They have completely redesigned this feature and it now has a new split style with two cross members each side, complete with touch sensitive buttons.
Design features that we loved included the three different infotainment control options; steering wheel buttons, the touch screen and the centre track pad. Everyone has different preferences and this way you can control your infotainment system with your favoured method. Head of Direct Sales and Rentals, Sean, disliked the steering wheel controls but really appreciated the trackpad, however, it was vice versa for me. I preferred the steering wheel controls.
The touch points all felt very high end and expensive, whilst the black wood accents throughout the dashboard and centre console gave the car an executive feel. The ambient lighting flooded the empty spaces, exuding a high tech feel.
Reviewed by Mike McKernan, Fleet Sales Executive
The E-class has one large screen that spans across the dashboard holding a split display for infotainment, and the driver instruments such as the speedometer etc. As a first-time user the infotainment system was pretty intuitive and easy to figure out. The customisation was extensive, with the driver having the ability to alter many settings and dials on the displays. Even the ambient light can be set to a preferred colour.
As picked up previously in the design section, everyone has different preferences so having the option to control the infotainment system through either steering wheel buttons, the touch screen and the centre track pad was hugely welcomed.
Reviewed by Mike McKernan, Fleet Sales Executive
The E-class is a very comfortable place to be with plenty of leg/head room in both the front and the back for 6ft+ adults. The new steering wheel is comfortable to hold and ergonomically designed. Some colleagues noted that the grip points being thicker made them feel more in control, however, with the amount of buttons likened to a pilot’s cockpit, there was a feeling that these may get knocked haphazardly.
The car itself was pleasant to make journeys in, but the manual lever for the sliding seats felt clunky and in complete contrast to the electric manoeuvrability for some of the other seat features.
Surprisingly, it’s quite a loud vehicle with the sound deadening not really making an impact. The car fared well in comparison to other Mercedes cars experienced by the team, with most enjoying it and even claiming it was the best Mercedes they had ever driven. But, it was felt that it didn’t offer much over competitors, with general agreement that it didn’t ‘excite’ and it was ‘nothing special’.
Reviewed by Andrew Wright, Group Financial Controller, and Callum Jones, Assistant Accountant.
Some of the positive practicality features included the ability to comfortably fit both a pram and a set of golf clubs in the boot. It was easy to connect a phone to the MBUX (Mercedes infotainment software) and it was instantaneous – no sitting around trying to figure it all out. Storage compartments were very functional, so I managed to fit in everything needed (keys, phone, water bottle to name a few), which helped keep the car looking and feeling tidy.
Despite it’s executive appearance, the Mercedes E-class is a family friendly vehicle with plenty of space in the back, plus it can easily fit a child’s car seat. The doors felt lightweight making the car very easy to get out of; useful when holding a baby seat in one arm too.
What really let it down was the manual seats. The seat tilt and comfort options were electric but the slide forward and backwards options were operated using a manual lever. Not what I would expect from a luxury automotive brand.
Reviewed by Sophie West, Senior Marketing Executive
The car noise has already been pointed out, so this contributed to a disappointing score for performance. It was also a bit lacklustre. With 191hp, it has all off the performance most drivers need and it provides company car tax-friendly emissions. It also packs a bit of power going from 0-60mph in 7.3 seconds.
Some of the features that did get us going though, was the smooth gearbox transition and the throttle response. At 49mpg it does have very good efficiency making it a reputable option for those longer journeys.
Reviewed by Sean Dalton, Head of Direct Sales and Rental
It appears as though Mercedes are the victims of their own success. Everyone had such high expectations of the brand, which unfortunately made it even more noticeable when smaller, less important features were not focused on or missed off completely, perhaps in an effort to save money. We appreciated the experience though.
The Agility team gave the Mercedes E-Class 220D an overall score of 18/25. To read more of our vehicle reviews click here.
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