UPDATE: Facelifted W211 Mercedes-Benz E230 Test Drive Review
Earlier this month, DCM launched the latest facelifted Mercedes-Benz E-Class which boasts about 2,000 design and engineering changes. In Malaysia, the new E is available in E200 Kompressor in Elegance trim as well as the E280 in Avantgarde trim.
The front end of the facelifted Mercedes-Benz E-Class now comes with an updated grille, bumper and headlamp design. The headlamps now have transparent louvres to the top section, producing a striking light effect when the turn indicator lamps are switched on. The E280 Avantgarde now uses white LED lights as parking lights. The E200 also now gets the Avantgarde model’s side skirts and sportier rear bumper, previously the two models had design designs. On the interior, you get a new four-spoke steering wheel and a new control unit for the THERMOTRONIC 4-zone automatic climate control.
The new locally assembled Mercedes-Benz E 200 Kompressor is priced at RM353,842.80 (on-the-road without insurance) while the locally assembled Mercedes-Benz E 280 Avantgarde is priced at RM423,888.00 (on-the-road without insurance).
More photos after the jump.
[ GALLERY: High resolution images of the new Mercedes Benz E-class facelift. View the high resolution gallery to see more detail. ]
Interior – Classic
View interior (Classic) high res gallery
Interior – Elegance
View interior (Elegance) high res gallery
Interior – Avantgarde
View interior (Avant-garde) high res gallery
After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history. An avid electronic gadget aficionado as well as big-time coffee lover, he's also the executive producer of the Driven motoring TV programme.
hoho… the men in black mobile has evolved! the more i look at the front, the more i think of a car… jaguar…
oways love the photography technics used by the pro when taking merc cars… very enjoyable to look at…
busy cocpit
Looks great on the move but the enlarged grill makes the car look a tad funny. The W211's styling evolvedd around making the grill smaller and sleeker from its predesessor but in its latest facelift, the grill is now made much bigger whereas by now, many of us are so accustomed to the new sleeker ones, which are not just apparent in the E series but also the rest of the Merc family.
The 5 series is still the car to the beat primarily because of its nimble handling, while the Lexus remains the king of the hill when it comes to drivetrain refinement and impeccable quality. The Merc, still with its premium pricing with the elegance of the 3 pointed star will not lose out, as it has a great folowing all over the world. However, if people are willing to forego status and prestige and look into other alternatives with more on offer, then the Merc makes less sense.
I've always had a soft spot for Mercs, especially when i had a spin in the W210 E230 back in 1997, but one fortunate drive in a 523i in 1998 changed my juvenile perception on the issue of handling when it comes to BIG cars. I was then helplessly in love with the old E39 5 Series.
Still, it's still a tussle between your head and your heart, so if you ask me to choose between a new E-class or a 5 series, i'm gonna go all bonkers.
2000 design and engineering changes??!!??? oi paul, sure or not. or mercedes is saying (rubbish) things??
2000?!!!??? is a longer side signal indicator consider design changes?
yes it is.
Old man car……
I've notice there's an button that disengages the front passenger airbag which i assume that the airbag won't deploy in an event of a frontal collision. What's the purpose of having that button in the first place ???
The airbag switch off button is for the front passenger seat.
It is used when you use the front passenger seat with a baby seat installed.
Tests have shown that in the event of a crash with an installed baby seat, the triggering of airbags is dangerous to the baby.
front passenger SRS airbags are disabled in the event there is a rear facing child seat in the front. Deployment of airbags with child seats in the front have been known to kill infants and children seated in that position.
An interesting note/feature of Kia cars (a new one I drove in USA) had a sensor in the front seat which disabled the airbag unless a weight of 25 kg (I'm guessing) or more was detected in the front seat as a safety feature.
i've always like the merc e-class. with the black interior, it look sporty and even more attractive to me. my boss drives a e-class v6. a powerful car, and i just simply loves it, eventhough a bmw 3-series has better handling. hehe…
it could be an old man car, but you don't drive this car if you have no achievement. i'd say it's an achievement car.
Cant believe how expansive these cars…so many of them on the roads. Sometime even bang thier side mirrors while riding my bike. Better to watch out myself next time.
Facelift again? Em, so boring to say it's facelift. AMG spec is facelift, Brabus spec is facelift (except technical), what else? Avangarde, Elegance.. Put on Carlsson bodykit, and call it facelift too. Put on custom made bodykit and interior, say it facelift.
Don't want to say much, it just a E class. It time to do the face surgery. No more facelift will take impact.
Better grab the used E class, and modify it to high spec Merc tuner.
Like DTM spec? Best! Best!
(opsss! i make a controversy statement again, many will be mad to me.. Someone will accused me as used car salesman, kuikui…. so funny you are)
apart from the germans car like vw audi porsche with a distingtively clean solid design, mercedes alyaws with busy design, lines cromes,
well i dont blame them for the look, go back to the older or classic, this is the way they design mercedes ,busy line with chrome touch ,maybe hitler ask mercedes to mantain this feature,,,,.. for this e mercedes not really facinate me, …dont know if the next e would,
although AUDI bare cheaper brand name, for me AUDI is a true german in character, for now
My vote still goes to the new Lexus IS…(design wise laa – never drive any of these cars so cannot comment on that)
Yes, A4 kick ass too…
More electronic = More problem?
More vulnerable to floods??????
black merc got korean fog lamp
thanks to P1, it too expensive…
and i'm quite phobia electronics used in these cars…. too much sensors too… repair cost would burn my pocket…
thanks to the government you mean transformer? P1 is just a car company started by the government. they dont make policy.
anyways.. trust me on this, when you actually own a car with lots of electronics.. you will be too busy enjoying all the gadgets than worrying about the cost of repair.. and if you've paid more than RM100,000 and above for a car like this, the repair bill won't bother you either. Besides, new mercs, bmw's, audi's…. lexus..etc.. are a lot more reliable today than they used to be.
besides, all cars will be damaged in a flood, with or without electronics.
Mercedes-Benz is quite aware that its current E-class, although a relative success, has been the poster child for the company’s well-publicized quality problems. With the car nearing the halfway point of its life cycle, engineers are working with suppliers to address numerous electronic glitches that have dismayed owners worldwide. However, sources say that the SBC electronic brakes remain an Achilles’ heel for which there is no lasting fix.
—————————-automobil——————-
Folks, I am at the verge of buying a 2007 E-Class Elegance E280 Sports. My main requirement within the allocated budget is COMFORT and POWER. Can anyone give me any inputs on the above choice? I live in Islamabad, Pakistan so keep the local weather in mind…HOT….HOT…HOT! The roads are however, excellent to drive the MB
I am interested in purchasing a 2003 E500. Want some feedback before I make the purchase, be it negative or positive feedback. i,e. engine problems, electrical, etc…