E-Class now from under $80K

Mercedes-Benz has lowered the price of admission to its E-Class range to less than $80,000, with the new E200 BlueEfficiency sedan now available in Australia for $79,900 plus on-road costs.

Undercutting the previous E-Class range opener – the $84,800 E220 CDI diesel sedan – by almost $5000, the German luxury brand’s large sedan line-up now carries an entry price that is just $2000 higher than that of its key rivals.

They include the new 2.5-litre six-cylinder petrol-powered Lexus GS250 and two four-cylinder turbo-petrol models in BMW’s new 520i and Audi’s A6 2.0 TFSI, all three of which are priced at $77,900 plus ORCs.

For its part, the E200 BlueEfficiency sedan is powered by a turbocharged 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine which, matched with a seven-speed automatic transmission as standard, produces 135kW of power and 270Nm of torque.

While the E220 CDI remains the most efficient E-Class at 5.2L/100km, the E200 returns average fuel consumption of 6.6 litres per 100km and emits 154g/km of CO2 when running on 95 RON premium unleaded petrol.

The E200 employs the same direct-injection, Euro 5 emissions-compliant engine as the C200, which actually consumes more fuel at 6.8L/100km — despite being smaller and lighter. According to Mercedes-Benz, the difference is due to gearing and aerodynamics.

As in the C200, the E200 engine is essentially a detuned version of the turbocharged 1.8-litre mill in the E250 BlueEfficiency sedan, which produces 150kW, returns 7.2L/100km and costs $95,300 plus ORCs.

The E200 BlueEfficiency sedan comes with the same standard equipment as the previous E-Class price leader, the E220 CDI diesel sedan, including 17-inch twin five-spoke alloy wheels, the COMAND infotainment system, a TFT colour information display, Artico faux leather trim, Attention Assist, Parktronic, steering wheel gearshift paddles and electric front seat height and angle adjustment.

As with all E-Class models except the E63 AMG, the base E200 also features a fuel-saving idle-stop system.

Mercedes says the E200 will be aimed at ‘user-chooser’ company car buyers who are restricted to four-cylinder models, as well as E-Class customers who deem the E250 BlueEfficiency sedan too expensive and those who do not want a diesel E-class sedan in the E220 CDI.

However, it admits the new E-Class range opener has the potential to steal sales from the C200 sedan, which kicks off the mid-size C-Class line-up from $58,600 plus ORCs.

After a brief drive this week, motoring.com.au can confirm the E200’s 1.8-litre turbo-petrol engine does not blunt the performance of the bigger E-Class sedan by a large margin. In fact, its smooth, linear power delivery feels almost as spirited as the more powerful E250.

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