Thread: First drive review: Mercedes-Benz E250

Mid-life revisions make the E-class even better at what it does. The biggest facelift ever undertaken by the company, says Mercedes, although the extent of the exterior styling changes is not quite that obvious. The quad headlamps have gone, and not before time it would seem, given the less-than-glowing response to the appearance of the old model. The car also comes with the option of two grilles – a more conservative affair or a slicker sport variant, in the same manner as the C-class. In the UK, Mercedes will only offer the sport grille, as it reckons most buyers would choose it anyway. A new four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine has been introduced offering 181bhp in the E200 and 208bhp in the model driven here, the E250. The rest of the engines are carried over from the current E-class. The chassis has been tweaked a little, too, to improve the cars already fine ride. Inside, Mercedes says it has improved the quality of the cabin with new trim, higher quality materials and a new monitor for the infotainment system. There are more standard safety systems, too, including Collision Prevention Assist, which brakes the car in order to reduce the severity of an impact.