Mileage: 7,707
Economy: 40.6mpg
It’s the time of year when most of us are waking up in daylight and getting back home before the sun has set. It’s blissful. And yet, I’m a little sad, as I’m not getting to use my favourite gadget on our new Mercedes E-Class Estate.
The big wagon is packed with technology, but it’s the clever headlamps which have really dazzled us. There’s no need to munch on carrots to be able to see in the dark when you’re driving the Mercedes, as they can almost turn the night into day.
The lamps use 84 LEDs, each controlled by a camera and sat-nav data to make sure the maximum amount of light is spread around and that it’s not dazzling to other road users. It’s – quite literally – brilliant.
The headlamps are just one of the options on my car. The various packages and goodies have added nearly £10,000 to the £41,170 list price of the E 220 d AMG Line Estate. Some of them have been wise investments, others are more difficult to recommend. Perhaps the most surprising is the need to pay £1,595 to have real leather upholstery. The car comes as standard with artificial hide, but actually, Mercedes’ fake leather feels posher than the real cow you get in cheaper cars.
We spent the savings here on Drive Pilot, a gadget which means the E-Class will almost drive itself. Once you have mastered the bewildering steering column stalk layout, you can set the cruise control knowing that the car will steer in traffic up to your set speed without having to touch the pedals. It’s an encouraging step towards a fully autonomous car and – almost – works perfectly.
It tries to save your licence by reading speed limit signs too, and changing the set speed to match the posted maximum. It’s got an alarming glitch though, as the camera often misinterprets random numbers from other signs as a speed limit. More than once I’ve been overtaking a lorry with a “This Vehicle Is Limited To 52mph” sticker and the car has read that and suddenly cut the power.
Another self-driving gadget that’s less useful but still a great party trick is Mercedes’ app that lets you extract the car from a parking space using your phone. My only gripe is that Mercedes makes you pay for a subscription. I took the £14 three-month option just to try it out, but it’s unlikely I’ll renew.
A less sophisticated option are the 20-inch alloys. Every time I see the car from the outside I think the £595 Night Package that they’re part of was money well spent. But inside I curse the harsher ride which results from having gossamer-thin 30-profile tyres. It’s bearable on slightly rippled roads, but even the smallest pothole sends a crash through the cabin.
With all the technology it’s easy to overlook old-fashioned things like the engine. The 2.0-litre diesel is a technical tour-de-force, with strong performance which almost matches the sporty AMG Line bodykit. The figures claim it should be returning 61.4mpg, but of course it’s not getting anywhere close. In mixed driving we are only just breaking 40mpg, despite using the ‘Eco’ setting for most journeys.
While we’re talking of filling up, an estate owner is always going to want to know about the boot. It’s big, of course, at 640 litres, and with the holiday season approaching, the E220 is set to be packed to the roof and pointed across the Channel for some European adventures.
*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.
- Model: Mercedes-Benz E 220 D AMG Line Estate
- On fleet since: March 2017
- Price: £41,170
- Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbodiesel, 191bhp
- CO2/tax: 120g/km/£450
- Options: Metallic paint (£645), Driving Assistance Plus package (£1,695), Premium Plus Pack (£3,895), COMAND Online system (£1,495), Widescreen cockpit display (£495), 360-degree camera (£335)
- Options cont: Night Package incl 20-inch alloy wheels (£595), Thermotronic climate control (£750)
- Insurance: Group: 31/Quote: £923
- Mileage: 7,707
- Economy: 40.6mpg
- Any problems?: None so far