Caught in the classifieds: 2018 Mercedes E Class AMG

In this week’s “Caught In The Classifieds” we discovered a stunning 2018 Mercedes Benz E Class advertised on the DesperateSeller.co.uk website. Not just any E Class either but one in AMG line. It had done well under 29k miles, had excellent bodywork, 19in AMG alloy wheels, attention assist, active braking assist, agility control suspension and even selective damping system. It was being advertised at just £18,495! We think this is a bargain and here’s why.

The executive saloon market is one of the most difficult markets to make a breakthrough in as a new car manufacturer. It’s been under lockdown by Germany’s finest for the last couple of decades, and the E-Class is the perfect example of why that is. No other car on the market blends luxury, practicality, sportiness and quality quite like Mercedes’ E-Class does. With the latest facelift unveiled just last week, it’s the perfect time to buy a slightly used E-Class for half the price of a new one.

To show you why an E-Class is the perfect car for any occasion, as well as why it makes financial sense, we’ll look at this particular E220d listed on our site.

Exterior
Visually, this generation of E-Class is probably the most aggressive looking out of all previous generations. When Mercedes gave the previous W212 a facelift, they decided to ditch the front quad-headlights setup and go for a more traditional single headlight per side, but with LEDs separating the housing itself. The rear of the W212 was always its biggest downfall though, as it was just too plain and conservative.

When the W213 came along, suddenly Mercedes had one of the most stunning looking cars on the market, edging out both BMW and Audi. For a company that has received a lot of criticism for being too conservative throughout the years, this came as a bit of a shock for most people. Mercedes completely overhauled the E-Class’ styling, bringing it more in line with the smaller C-Class and its larger brother, the S-Class.

To start off, the front fascia is all new. The headlights are smaller compared to the W212, and the E-Class is immediately distinguishable by its two vertical LED DRLs. The S-Class has three, and the C-Class has one. The rear is just as elegant, with slimmer taillights with two horizontal LEDs stacked on top of each other.

If you want the best looking E-Class, you’ll have to go for the AMG line, which is why we’ve picked this particular car as an example. The AMG trim features different bumpers, different exhaust outlets at the back (even though they’re fake), and bespoke AMG wheels. It does give the car a new dimension of sportiness and aggression, one which base models don’t have.

A useful feature to have is the Mercedes Intelligent Light System (ILS). Basically, you leave the headlights in auto mode and the car activates and deactivates high beams however it sees fit. More to the point, it can actually leave the high beams on all the time since it detects other cars in front and it will only shut off that part of the beam so as not to dazzle other drivers. It’s ingenious and despite seeming like a gimmick, it works brilliantly in the real world.

Interior
Inside, the E-Class is basically a scaled-down version of the S-Class, although we use the phrase ‘scaled-down’ lightly since it isn’t actually that much smaller. Fit and finish is traditional Mercedes, which is to say brilliant, and the materials are second to none. You can tell they spared no expense in creating the cabin. It’s closer to the S-Class in terms of feel than it is to the C-Class, there’s no doubt about that.

Even the design is practically identical to the S-Class, with the same dashboard layout, the same steering wheel, and the same centre console. The infotainment screen is massive and intuitive, so getting used to operating the E-Class takes literal minutes. The instrument cluster on this particular example comes with analogue dials and not the fancy digital one, but a lot of people actually prefer it this way. Most of the stuff you need is on the main display anyway, so having traditional dials isn’t a deal-breaker.

Elsewhere, the E-Class is just a big, comfortable saloon with more space than you’ll ever need. The second row is big enough for three full-sized adults to easily sit three abreast, and the boot is massive as well. If you need more room go for the estate version, but I doubt you’ll be able to use up all 540 litres the saloon has to offer. That’s 10 more litres than the Audi A6 and the same size as the Jaguar XF’s boot.

Engine and Performance
The E220d is the most sensible choice since it’s the most powerful four-cylinder diesel in the lineup, making it both quick enough and extremely frugal. It’s the same engine as the one in the E200d, but instead of 150 horsepower it develops 191 bhp and 295 lb-ft of torque. It’ll hit 62 mph in 7.3 seconds and top out at 149 mph, well beyond what you’re allowed to do on the public highway. Mercedes claims it’ll do right around 50 mpg, and feedback from customers backs that claim up as most people regularly get 47 mpg on an average run. Given how large it is, that’s mighty impressive.

If you need more power you can always go for the E350d or the E400d, both of which come with a straight-six turbodiesel (the E350d was a V6 up until 2018), but they’re more expensive to run and maintain. The same goes for the petrols, especially the E63 AMG and the E53 AMG.

In terms of driving dynamics, the W213 is significantly tauter and more composed than its predecessor, the W212. It’s still a comfortable saloon car which definitely prioritises comfort over sportiness, but it no longer turns into a marshmallow if you decide to have a bit of fun. The 5-Series is still the benchmark when it comes to chassis dynamics, but the E-Class is not far off.

Conclusion
Currently, you can get have this like-new E220d with just over 28,000 miles on the clock for £18,495. A brand-new E220d starts at around £38,000 before you tick any optional extras such as the AMG trim. Given that this car’s barely broken in, that’s a saving of over £20,000 for a car that’s practically new. Plus, since many people seem to prefer this car’s styling over the facelifted model that just came out, it’s a win-win scenario. Search for used Mercedes Benz E Class cars for sale now on DesperateSeller.co.uk.