Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate (2010 - 2016) E250 AMG Sport 5d Tip Auto Owner Review

Bought this after a long succession of Audis and fancied a change. It covers around 16,000 miles a year so wanted something reliable and this hasn’t disappointed. In the four years I have owned it I have had absolutely no problems, niggles or failures. It is regularly serviced and my driving style is restrained, but this is the first car I have owned that hasn’t needed something doing in four years. The drive itself is good and the car feels stable under any conditions with more than enough grip and very little body roll in any scenario. The gearbox is a little slow to work out it’s place in life for the first few minutes on very cold mornings and shifts slightly later and slower than usual, but it quickly wakes up and returns to the smooth changes at just the right moment which is how it works 99% of the time. All in all it is a great car to drive and and time spent behind the wheel is generally an enjoyable experience. The boot is a generous size and can take almost anything but the dimensions mean you can struggle to get longer items in which you though it would take easily. It’s easily rectified by moving the front seats forward but the boot could do with being just a few inches longer, although I have only run in to this a couple of times on very large items. Placement of the controls is just right for me although the only slight negative is the Comand system is slightly over complicated in comparison to Audi or BMW. It’s not so bad it’s unusable and the menus are laid out in a sensible way, but having used both Audi and BMW systems I know it could be a little slicker and quicker. Despite the couple more clicks to get around the system it works well and is very clear and functional so it’s not really a problem. I deliberately opted for the 250 to keep maintenance costs reasonable as services fall into to a lower bracket than it’s more powerful counterparts. The trade off is that whilst it is still rapid from a standing start it makes a fair bit of noise about it and feels like it could do with a little more power. However, that power comes at a price which I chose to avoid so it’s not a complaint as the car is still plenty quick enough. Cruising is everything you would expect and at 70moh I can get 40mpg over about 100 miles and at speeds above that it’s still in the high 30’s which is respectable. The car never feels like it on the limit and cruises very quietly with enough power and response to overtake. It’s getting on in years now but both inside and out it looks like a much younger car with no damage anywhere. It costs me very little run with just an annual service so no complaints there. If there is a negative it would be that it gets through rear tyres pretty quickly, not so much it’s a problem but it’s something to be aware of. I am told this is true of all rear wheel drive cars and the E-Class is no worse than others but I am getting them replaced about once every 12 to 18 months which is more frequent than other non-rear-wheel-drive cars I have owned. Overall I am happy with the car and can’t find anything to dislike about it. I would definitely consider another one if things carry on as they are.