Whatever it is, the Merc still has it. Audi has thrown
millions at image, BMW at engineering and Jaguar style, but nothing quite turns
heads in my neighbourhood as the three pointed star. Does that say more about
the neighbours than about the car?
The last time a car caused such envious looks was the Range
Rover Evoque and before that – another Merc.
There was a time when Merc had fallen out of fashion, but
it’s back, and the E220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY parked outside my house has had
grown men peering in the windows at the leather and small boys casting envious
looks at the gunsight on the grille.
It’s not as blatant as a Bentley or as ostentatious as a
Roller, but the new shape does have presence. It also has the engineering to
match. On a return trip to Aberdeen and back, I was getting 50.5 mpg and that
was without really trying, just normal ‘go with the flow’ motoring.
The car had the optional 7 speed automatic ‘box (6 spd is
standard), which added 1500 quid to the price, and which made the most of the
170 hp from the 4 cylinder diesel. There was no real need for the steering
wheel paddles as it changed gear as quickly as anyone would need buying this
type of car, although there is a ‘Sport’ version, but it’s another 4 grand more.
It’s a roomy, comfy cruiser, but it’s fitted with low
rolling resistance tyres as part of the BlueEFFICIENCY package, so although you
hear the thump over pot holes, you don’t really feel it as the Merc’s suspension
makes a good job of soaking it up, even with 17 inch rims.
So what has the new Mercedes got that others haven’t? In a word
– Class. The use of the word ‘Class’ to separate the model range like ‘B’
Class, ‘C’ Class and ‘S’ Class is a marketing triumph. No need for fancy names
and checking to see if the chosen model name means something rude in another language, the use of this single word imparts something
that even an overloaded WAG can’t buy – class.
The big surprise is the price. It’s comparable with a top
end Ford or Vauxhall. Now I know Ford and Vauxhall have made huge strides
forward over recent years in quality, comfort and reliability, but so has Merc.
On that basis, Merc is back. The only downside is that the
man came to take it back yesterday.
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