Sun shines on the Mercedes Benz E Class

THE weather has been very good in Ireland this summer, but last week my thoughts turned to the Canaries. Not for the weather, but the sight of a white Mercedes at the pickup point on Monday afternoon brought back memories of the volcanic island.

I used to holiday in the Canaries a few years back and was always struck by the number of white Mercedes used by taxi drivers. They were gorgeous and so much cheaper to travel in than taxis in this country. I often wondered how the drivers could afford such luxurious cars as taxis, but then the Canaries are more tax friendly than Ireland.

This is not a new car, just a few important tweaks and adjustments to the front and inside. The two-piece headlamps have been by replaced by a curvy one-piece unit. Mercedes’ famous three-pointed star can be found on the bonnet of the Elegance trim or in the middle of the grille in the Avantgarde version.

There is an old fashioned clock on the dash, but I liked the line in the Mercedes brochure which suggested that this car is

‘an ideal place to forget about time.’ Yes, it’s hard to disagree with the copy writer as you tend to glide along in the E Class. I drove an automatic version, which was even more luxurious.

When you sit it you should have no difficulty finding a comfortable driving position as the front seats are very easily adjusted. And there is ample leg and head room for the back seat passengers also. The white was gorgeous, but naturally it could be difficult to keep clean in Ireland; the good weather won’t last forever. Likewise the beige leather seats, but I suppose you could live with them.

The boot is massive and you get a

‘mini’ spare wheel. The E-Class’ competitors are the 5 Series BMW and Audi A6, but the famous Merc is well able to compete with its traditional rivals. The E-Class range accounts for approximately 50 per cent of all Mercedes cars sold in Ireland.

Traditionally you associated the E Class with managing directors of companies or maybe Government ministers. Now Mercedes is hoping that the changes to the design will attract younger customers.

This is a very safe car with

‘Collision Prevention Assist’ and a Pre -Safe system which will kick in before the driver realises there is a problem. Pre-Safe scans the area around the car and if it detects that an accident is imminent, it sends an audio warning to the driver. Collision Prevention can detect what’s happening 80 metres ahead of the car. So not only will you travel in comfort, but also in safety.

Prices start at e44,305, while the Avantgarde automatic version I drove with electric sunroof will cost you e53,665. Road tax is e270. And if you buy one it should be able to cope with your motoring needs for many years to come. A former colleague, who didn’t have any children, treated himself to a Merc in the 1990s and said it would do him for the rest of his life. He still has it.