E500 4Matic - a demon disguised as a Mercedes?

What is the nature of the three main premium brands in our market? BMW makes sports cars, Audi tries to please everyone, but in the meantime, I would like people to finally distinguish between new models and old ones, but what about Mercedes? The idea of ​​a sofa bed on wheels stuck to him. You are sure?

Once upon a time, Daimler conducted a study to show how unique the cars it produced were. It is true that experimenting with people is inappropriate, but the producer had no other choice. He found a group of volunteers with driver's licenses, gave them miles of cables, and forced them to drive various premium cars. What happened in the end? Mercedes drivers, on average, had a lower heart rate while driving their cars. To be honest, I'm not surprised. Most of Daimler's work is like a shell—as soon as you close in the middle, and suddenly time starts to flow more slowly, unpaid bills stop worrying, and the neighbor's dog, howling in the middle of the night, falls silent or even dies. The moral of this is that these cars should be sold in pharmacies as a substitute for antidepressants. I just wondered if they were all. Class E with a V-shaped eight under the hood, already from one name, accelerates your heart rate ...

First, a little theory. Mercedes compares the E-Class to the armored E-Guard line that has been serving the government for 80 years. There is something in this. 9 airbags, active hood, reinforced body… This car is like a tank. Literally – it even has night vision for comfortable driving at night. Fortunately, the manufacturer abandoned the gun, because standing in a traffic jam could end badly for other drivers. But you can count on plenty of foreign-sounding security systems. Attention Assist puts the driver to rest when they fall asleep at the wheel, sensors monitor the blind spot, facilitate parking, recognize traffic signs, help keep the correct lane, and the Pre-Safe system prepares the driver for an accident. By the way, it must be an interesting feeling - you are driving a car, a difficult situation arises on the road, your Mercedes tightens its seat belts, closes windows and roof, and you ... a car has just crossed you. But at least it ensures that you get out of any traffic accident safe and sound.

The E500 resembles an ordinary E-class with a humming diesel engine under the hood. The body is slightly angular and square, but nevertheless proportional. It looks very classic, and the most striking thing about it is the front and rear LED lights - the connection between them and the E-Class is more or less like the case with Hugh Hefner and Marila Rodovich's hat on her head in the press. conference. The difference is that in a Mercedes everything fits together wonderfully. Anyway, in this segment, it's not about being particularly conspicuous, because our society loves to report, especially at night. The E-class does not need to prove anything, so it is very cautious. In addition, while driving, a star sticks out in front of the driver’s eyes from the radiator grille, which is enough to inspire respect on the road. Or jealousy, although it's almost the same thing. All this, however, does not change the fact that everyone around will see the owner of a Mercedes as a boring person with a slower than usual pulse. Also, from time to time he forces the priority because he is the king of the city, but this is the case for many premium brand owners. It's just that this Mercedes doesn't look quite normal.

Huge alloy wheels with an embossed AMG badge… No, it can't be the E 63 AMG, too relaxed design. But there are two exhaust pipes in the back, so huge that you can stick your head through them. Any other extras? No. In addition to the inconspicuous inscription “E500” on the cover, which may not be on request. But in this case, it is a sin to refuse it, because it is enough to look at this marking for the pupils to expand ... A monstrous, 8-cylinder gasoline engine with a capacity of 4.7 liters, which environmentalists hang on the gallows along the crankshaft. 408 km are capable of changing the direction of the Earth's rotation. 600 Nm of torque, which, when transferred to the wheels, can dig a hole for the foundation. And almost 350 thousand. PLN, because that's how much this pleasure costs. All this is behind the E500 logo - and how not to get excited? This car is an antiperspirant test because you already get into it sweaty, but what happens when it comes to starting the engine and driving? Well, surprisingly nothing.

Hello, is there anything under the hood? Yes it is. But it's so intricately soundproofed that you don't know what it is. Even after a deeper press on the gas pedal, the gods do not descend to Earth, there are no spots before their eyes, and people do not bow in the street - just quietly. In this case, power is sent to all wheels via a 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic transmission. Interestingly, the 4Matic drive constantly transmits torque to both axles, the electronics through the ESP only doses it accordingly. However, that doesn't mean you can jump into the field with an E-Class right after being picked up from the show floor. All this is just an ideal remedy for snow, ice and rain. And how does a 4,7-liter monster compare with the ecology that has been fashionable lately? After all, it is tactless to produce large motors now.

If you look closely at this car, you can see the hippie badge with the words "BlueEfficiency". After all, it is worn only by Mercedes cars focused on protecting nature. Does this mean that every E500 owner contributes to a slower extinction of cetaceans? Well - environmentalists already hate this engine for the mere fact of having 8 cylinders, but 4,7 liters is better than 5,5 - and it was from this power that the concern until recently achieved similar parameters. Technology has changed everything - a turbocharger, a higher compression ratio and direct fuel injection were used. In addition, the fuel pump is regulated, the alternator shuts down after starting, and the air conditioning compressor only runs when cooling starts. As a result, the driver has more in his pocket at the gas station and less carbon dioxide is emitted from the exhaust system. But how exactly does this car behave on the road?

You usually drive down the road knowing the possibilities under your right foot until you want to use them all. Knowing that you have 408 km at your disposal, you may even doubt whether you can somehow tame them. But the E500 is different. In it, a person becomes so lazy that he simply does not want to race with idiots who want to prove their superiority on the road. The Harman Kardon sound system sounds better than Osbourne at his concert, the seats massage more passionately than the Thais, and the kids will be silent because they will be busy watching cartoons on the on-board DVD system. Despite its monstrous capabilities, this machine is relaxing. But is it always?

The truck interferes with a smooth ride. Judging by the age, appearance and amount of smoke from the exhaust system, technical testing is still far away. But be that as it may - for your own safety, you can simply overtake him. "Gas" to the floor and ... suddenly there comes a moment of reflection: "For God's sake, 408KM! Will I meet St. peter ?? “. I guessed, I thought that everything would be fine, but the 7-speed automatic G-Tronic, unfortunately, continues to think ... “Are you sure? Okay, then I throw two gears down, let it be ... ". Suddenly, through the tones of soundproofing mats, a sound is finally heard from under the hood, it starts to put pressure on everyone's seats, the truck disappears as soon as it appears, and ... that's it. Contrary to appearances, there are still no strong emotions, worries about one's own life and stress. Even St. Peter did not want to appear before his eyes. This car just has a huge opportunity, which he serves in a simple, even easily digestible way. Does this mean that the equivalent of an apartment in the center for a car neutered from feelings is left in the Mercedes dealership? No.

You just need to fiddle around with the settings a bit to fine-tune its behavior. The dampers can be switched from Comfort to Sport mode and the gearbox can be switched to S mode (like Sport) or M mode with sequential shifting. The car then transforms from a high-speed couch on wheels into a real roller coaster! The gearbox allows the engine to spin the mixer, the Direct Control drive system informs the driver about every grain of sand on the pavement, and fuel consumption increases from 10-11l / 100km to more than 15! After a few manipulations and driving, my hands are shaky like after a weekend party, and the Play Station on the E500 seems boring, like a train ride from Bydgoszcz to Krakow. Despite this, subconsciously I want to turn on the “Comfort” option again ... Why?

Because this car is not a fast, sneaky, bloodthirsty monster on wheels. No, he's fast, but he just doesn't want to kill his driver. This is the plot of the E 63 AMG. The E500 is an ordinary limousine that relaxes, but if necessary, can drive most cars within a radius of several tens of kilometers. Thanks to this, it remains a regular Mercedes, which lowers the heart rate like the rest of the models. And this despite more than 400 km of run under the hood. In any case, why keep the adrenaline at an unnecessarily high level when you can save it for other, more fortunate occasions?