A class act from Mercedes

By ALASTIAR SLOANE

The launch was on Wednesday in Mt Wellington, after coffee, tea, chicken on a stick, angels on horseback and cheese and grapes. Mercedes-Benz handed 12 motoring writers the keys to six new E-Class models and said: "See you in Mt Maunganui. Maps of the route, with stops for driver changes, are in the cars."

The route was a mix of highway and byway. Down State Highway One to Te Kauwhata and a driver change, past the old Waikato wool-scourers' shed and left over the railway line towards Tahuna. Change cars outside the Tahuna school.

Do an about-turn, turn left a couple of kilometres down the road, join Highway 27 and on to Matamata, Tauranga and the Mount.

"What's-its name will be in a lead car in front and thingamajig will bring up the rear, in case anyone gets lost. Any questions?"

No one likes to get bushed on such trips, but it happens. A year or so ago, one carmaker following a similar route mistakenly told everyone to turn left in downtown Tahuna instead of right.

Drivers ended up all over Waikato. The 021 network made much money, and staff at the mystery Hamilton lunch venue were still serving soup to stragglers at 2.30pm.

The new E-Class can't get lost, not if the wise men in the cars know that Tauranga is in the east, like the star of Bethlehem.

For the multi-function gizmo on the steering wheel has an electronic compass of sorts. It appears on the instrument panel, a globe behind the steering wheel and directly in the driver's line of sight.

It won't blaze a new trail bypassing the Desert Rd, it doesn't come close to satellite navigation, but it will help to keep the car pointing in the right direction. Those who get lost on a roundabout can use the built-in phone, standard equipment across the range.

The all-new E-Class comes with other conveniences to spoil occupants rotten, and goes on sale in New Zealand on August 29.

It is called the W211 in Benz-speak and is longer, wider and taller, with more interior room and boot space than the W210 it succeeds.

It also handles and rides better, is stronger, more accurate and more refined. It's much more complete than the W210 which, with sales of 1,374,409, is the bestselling Benz.

As expected, the new sedan incorporates styling cues from the S-Class and entry-level C-Class. But it retains the look of the previous model's twin headlights. The shape is sleeker, with an aerodynamic CD factor of 0.26 against the outgoing car's 0.27.

The front suspension has been updated, a four-link system replacing the double-wishbone set-up for more accurate steering. The rear multi-link system remains largely the same.

The car is made up of 47 per cent high-strength steel, 42 per cent sheet metal, 10 per cent aluminium and 1 per cent plastic. Rigidity is up 18 per cent over the W210.

The list of standard equipment reflects Mercedes-Benz's place in the world.

So do the options, with things like DVD, AMG alloys - and front seats that sense lateral cornering forces and change shape to support occupants.

"No other model reflects the basic values of our brand as clearly as the new E-Class: safety, comfort, innovative engineering and individuality," said Benz board chairman Jurgen Hubbert.

"The E-Class is an outstanding image promoter, as well as a guarantee for solid sales and profits at our company.

"We therefore placed special value on an entirely distinctive design and have equipped the model series with trendsetting innovations."

The new E-Class spearheads a plan by the German company to produce a raft of new models and engines over the next six years, chock-a-block with new technology, including pedestrian-detection radar systems linked to brakes, and electronic steering.

Some of the new technology is available in the new E-Class. The fly-by-wire braking system, Sensotronic Brake Control, is standard across the range.

Airmatic dual control, a development of the adaptive suspension first seen on the flagship S-Class saloon in 1998, is standard on the top models only.

Sensotronic sends braking commands to a computer which monitors grip and suspension loads to determine optimum braking pressures at each wheel. Hydraulics take over if the electronics fail.

The system allows smoother stops and shorter stopping distances. It even brakes gently to dry off discs it senses are wet.

Airmatic electronically alters damper and spring rates to match road conditions.

It also has a manual mode, providing a 15mm-lower sportier ride for fun on the right road, or up to 25mm higher for a lumpy, country driveway, for example.

The Classic, Elegance and Avantgarde model range is badged E240, E320 and E500.

The misleading badge here is the E240. It is powered by a 2.6-litre engine. The E320 uses a 3.2-litre V6 and the E500 a 5-litre V8. Each petrol engine is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission with manual override. Mercedes-Benz calls it Touchshift.

The E240 engine develops 130kW (177bhp) at 5700rpm and 240Nm of torque at 4500rpm. The E320 produces 165kW (224bhp) at 5600rpm and 315Nm between 3000 and 4800rpm. The E500's output is 225kW (306bhp) at 5600rpm and 460Nm between 2700 and 4250rpm.

The E240 comes in Classic, Elegance and Avantgarde specification, costing $99,900, $115,000 and $119,000.

The E320 is restricted to the Elegance and Avantgarde, at $131,000 and $139,500, as does the E500, at $160,000 and $169,500. The company says it will sell 80 E-Class models this year, followed by 160 next year and 200 in 2004 - that's the year it believes it will sell 1000 cars of all models. In 1994 it sold about 250 in total.