Despite the “230” badge being one of Mercedes-Benz’s best brands, it’s taken up to nearly the end of the W211’s lifecycle for Malaysia to welcome the W211 E230 onto her roads. With reports of a new generation E-Class set to debut at the end of the year, this comes late in time, but is still very much a noteworthy addition to Mercedes’ best-selling line.
The E-Class is easily Merc’s best-selling model with the W211 making up some 48% of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s total sales. So the question might be, is it really necessary to expand the model lineup? How many more E-Classes can you sell?
Well, apparently, there’s a little segment that’s been unfulfilled by the choice of an E200K and an E280. The E280 obviously provides a more luxurious and powerful option to the E200K. It means you can have the best of both world’s of “status symbolsâ€. You have the de facto big boss car, the E-Class but also a bit extra to place yourself above the run-of-the-mill big bosses.
But you’d have needed RM70,000 or 20% over the E200K’s retail price for that privilege. Given that the E200K’s supercharged engine provides enough pull for everyday use, not many were willing to shell out just to be a bit special.
The E230 ostensibly brings this privilege to a more affordable price point, albeit, still 45 grand over the base model’s RM353,888 pricetag. With the more recognisable 230 badge, it combines both the sense of discernment yet avoids the ostentatiousness of buying something top-of-the-line for what is meant to be a an executive limo unlike the imposing and attention-grabbing presence of the S-Class.
In fact, Merc has probably realised that while they’re at it, they might as well make the E280 even more ostentatious with the AMG Sports package, giving it AMG styling and also technical changes for the suspension, brakes, exhaust and a jacked-up price of RM438,888.
Interestingly, this is all locally-fitted as the entire E-Class range is locally-assembled. Predictably, Merc says that audit teams from Germany as well as high levels of local QA ensure that there is no discernible difference between a CKD and CBU unit, and in fact, the CKDs, they claim, can be better due to adjustments for local conditions.
At a factory tour, one of the more impressive processes was the computerised measuring station, where two mechatronic arms take 919 different measurements to ensure that the dimensions of the car are correct. The allowable variances are miniscule, for example, the wheelbase of 2855mm is allowed a maximum of 1mm deviation, which is a 0.035% tolerance. Tolerances for safety-related measurements are even more stringent.
In any case, the E280 AMG’s presence (white car above) gives the E230 some breathing room, once again, avoiding the admittedly good-looking but hardly subtle AMG styling as it’s practically spec-ed the same as the E280 Avantgarde. This means as opposed to the E200K, it has completely different interior trim, 17†wheels, the huge panoramic glass-roof that offers better sound insulation, through-loading from boot to rearseat for long objects and sat-nav as standard. There’s also Linguatronic, the intriguing voice-control system to work the Comand APS which oversees all telematic functions.
There’s no need to go into all that at length but what’s new is the Intelligent Light System, an evolution of the Active Light system. The bi-xenon headlamps include five different modes now, for example, the country mode that provides brighter and further illumination, increasing the driver’s range of vision by around 10 metres. The motorway mode on the other hand, which activates automatically above 90km/h, produces a light cone that extends up to 120 metres away.
What’s going to be the big issue in fact, is whether the 201hp 2.5-litre V6 coupled to the 7G-Tronic actually offers much better performance than the 5-speed auto trasmission on the E200K’s 181hp 1.8-litre supercharged unit. The answer is: sometimes.
Certainly it’s much creamier whether just cruising or accelerating but as far as sprinting away, the stats say it all. The E230 only offers a 0.3s improvement in the 0-100km/h, clocking just outside of 9s. It’s a situation that arises despite the 700cc difference in displacement due to the Kompressor’s peak torque of 250Nm as compared to the naturally-aspirated V6’s 245Nm. The V6 though, feels less harried due to its wider peak torque band, ranging from 2,900-5,500rpm.
Annoyingly, while the 7G-Tronic offers better fuel consumption (combined rating of over 10km to the litre) and smoother acceleration, dropping gears to burst away from traffic and in overtaking manoeuvres results in the car hunting for the right gear, losing you precious time. Time you can hardly make up by keeping your foot down due to the E’s traditional bias for ride quality over handling.
Happily for prospective Merc owners though, this is certainly not the sort of driving they intend to do on a regular basis. In fact, the car seems to have the effect of sedating any such desires. The highly-wooded interior and four-spoke steering (both of which are not to my personal taste), the suitable sound system and overall spaciousness and ride quality tends to make one prefer to just take it easy.
After all, once you’ve adjusted your seat with the outstandingly intuitive system on your door and popped out the concealed six-disc changer at the bottom of your centre console, you’re already delighted to know what an elegantly conceived car you have.
PHOTO GALLERY: Mercedes-Benz E230 Avantgarde
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nice review, so a brand new e200k costs 350k while a e230 costs about 395k? correct me if i am wrong
No doubt this car really bring joy of driving pleasure. Let’s hope it keep it that way
I look forward the AMG one.
A friend of mine actually bought the current E200K, and for the past 2 years, every service he does for the car has been somewhat below average.
Don’t get me wrong, the service team was polite and the entire experience was comfortable, but what irked my friend were the faulty electronic seat adjustment buttons for the front seats and the rattling noises from the dashboard. They fixed it for him but after awhile, the problem comes back again. He wrote to MB Malaysia once, and they assured him that his problem will be fixed. They have replaced the seat adjustment buttons for him but the dashboard still rattles everytime he travels over uneven surfaces.
I’ve sat in a couple of new Mercs and somehow, despite MB’s claim that the CKD ones are better since they are “climatized”, the CBU units feel better assembled.
yes..ure correct…its nt worth to buy a bimmer or merc ckd…better gt the cbu one if u can afford it…
hard to believe Mrec got rattling sound in the dash. What is the problem with the dash actually?
I supposed parts are from overseas, I guess the workmanship here could be the culprit….
I would avoid this E-Class Merc if I’m going for a Merc. of all quality surveys, this is the one that got Merc hit the hardest.
The new one’s on the way, why buy this? Moreover the new C wasn’t that far apart from this C in terms of size and spec.
Oh, after I sat in one, I finally understand why Camrys and Accords are selling like hot cakes in Malaysia.
They’re larger, hence more comfortable, cuts out wind noise on par, except the part where the Japs will begin to wallow when speeds reach around 130km/h whereas the Merc stays calm even up to 170km/h.
But, if it’s for normal usage which 99% of the time it is, the Camry and Accord just trumphs this in everything they do, larger, more fuel economical, cheap, and RELIABLE.
THIS CAR IS FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW THAT THERE’S A NEW ONE COMING OUT THIS AUTUMN OR NEVER HEARD OF A CAR CALLED THE BMW 5er
Paul, the pics are nice… captured at scenic locations… also, your photo software is easy to navigate…
However as for the car… I’d say it is the “norm” for us to see “gimmick” when it’s near end of lifespan… sigh
Good review. Its really intriguing how Merc positions its engines. The power and torque figures for the 1.8 and 2.5 is quite similar and thus the choice to the local consumer may be based on features and additional gimmicks.
I have always wondered whether Merc will stop making the 1.8 T and move to their new generation of V6 and V8. The fuel price increases nevertheless puts an interesting dilemma to this question. The argument of merc owners being able to afford fuel is only relevant in Asian countries as in Europe/US these cars are generally more affordable and customers there are very conscious of cost of ownership.
What are the published economy figures for the 1.8 and 2.5 for comparison sake?
One thing i must say about Merc is the ride. Its an amazing feeling, similar to gliding. Does not make much of a case for sporty driving but the general ride is exceptional. I drove an e280 advan for a week and i was amazed at the fact this was achieved on 45/18 inchers. Didnt notice any issues with build quality though so maybe its a one off, and when things go wrong they really go wrong…anyways waiting to see ( definitely not to buy ;) the new E next year.
Nice review, only the rich can afford this car. The poor will have to settle for something less than 200k
nice car, nice scene, nice photo :-)
btw, the correct word is panoramic or panaromic roof?
can someone tell? confused lah….
commentingn on Kington – about the workmanship..
what do u expect.., the contractor tasked to assemble the ckd part are paid by peanut..
that’s why they locate their factory in some god-forsaken place in pekan.., so they can pay peanut to the line-worker..
some more look at which company that assemble the ckd? AAM – another DRB-Hicom? what do their track record says about vehicle that come out from any of their assembly line.. ?
sutera? suria? sangyoong? merc?
Daimler Malaysia should do the CKD themselves so they can better manage the quality..
Merc was better during the C&C time..!
am i the only one who thinks that all these e-classes in malaysia are pathetic? in my opinion, the only E’s worth considering are E430 and E500. which are what they use in the US and Canada. come on…a 1.8L engine in a “luxury” car? what a joke. that’s a honda civic! and don’t give me that nonsense about the cost of fuel. if you are loaded down enough to own a “luxury” car, 2.70 a liter (or more) should be spare change to you.
lone-star..
wut abt road tax???do u think its worth of ur money…with dat kind of road tax charge(refer to e500 or e430)i wuld rather buy the sports car or sports luxury sedan like quattroporte or merc cls..tgk marketla bang…if they sell e500 or e430…x lakula sgt…
If Lone-Star is a Texan, perhaps he could be forgiven thinking that….but if he is a Malaysian, he’s seriously out of touch of our road taxation system…
Yes, 1.8L for a mid sized luxury car is pathetic. E’s in NorthAmerica start at 3.5L, But take it in context our our market and the rising fuel charges.
Wait till you see the 1.8L Diesotto in future benzes. What will you say then?
Mercedes are good car. after having different japanese and european cars, merc is the best. newer merc are good to drive, especially on high speed highway travelling, in 160km/hr +. it is also good on hard cornering and can be driven hard without engine breaking.
And the quality feel on the ride is superb and solid, go over large pot hole? no problem. feel it can last at least 5yrs +
car quality issues you will only notice it after buying the car and using it for some time.
e500 is US problably cost cheaper than a e2.8 or e3.5 litre in malaysia. therefore you have tons of money left over to burn petrol or diesel. but you also need to consider. the turbo unit is more fuel efficient. quite a few good examples of turbo units available now mainly the 3litre turbo in the bmws, in the peugeots 308s. some NA engines that can hope to match them in fuel efficiency (considering larger power and torque output) are the ones from porsche and more recently the 3.5litre units in the toyota aurion and to a lesser extent the 3.5litre in the accord. the 2.3litre e class is cheating coz they equipped it with the 7 speed gearbox.
audi also seems to be improving on thier TSFI in the golf gti.
what is the pricing for second-hand?
Dear all,
May i know this model W211 E230 total how many unit in Malaysia market.
what would a 10 mths old E230avantgarde V6,locally asembled (M) model cost now(2010year manufactered).There is a kind of springy noise come from the front seats whn i drive ..any review or experiences on the rim and tryes?pls do drop a comment or some tips ..
I owned a 10 months old E200K which i bough new last year, its a sport version Avantgarde with peddle shift & 4 pot calipers brake, so far this car ‘s performance is the best as to compare my previously Japanese model, Travel in NS highway with 185 km/h just nothing for its supercharge engine , & the sport version with 245/40R18 & 265/35R18 tyres I can really feel the difference. Choose Mercedes , you will never be wrong, This is my 3rd Mercedes.
May I know market price for e230 AV manuf2008 n registered 2009 w 130,000km mileage