The Essentials

• Price from £29,125
• What Car? says:
• Fuel economy: up to 56.0mpg
• What is it? The Mercedes E-Class offers limo-style comfort and refinement, as long as you choose the right version

• Drive

  Strong, smooth and quiet the E-Class simply wafts you along

• Inside

  Favourite-armchair comfortable, but some irritating foibles and cabin could be classier

• Safety

  Goes above and beyond with gizmos including a driver-drowsiness detector and pop-up bonnet to protect pedestrians in a crash

• Reliability

  Decent reliability record and five stars in Euro NCAP crash tests

• Space

  Great for four, but a fifth must straddle a central tunnel. Boot is good but folding rear seats to expand your load space cost extra

• Standard and extras

  Plenty of goodies come as standard, but you can also add a host of extras to tailor the car to your exact requirements

• What's it like to drive?

  You expect a Mercedes to make journeys relaxing, calm and comfortable. That's exactly what the E-Class delivers. Provided you choose the right one, that is. Each version comes on a different suspension set-up, which changes the car's character. The SE's soft suspension is comfy, but the handling is soggy. Our favourite is the lowered Avantgarde, because it's more controlled without sacrificing much in the way of comfort. Sport models are firmer than a Mercedes should be, while the models with air suspension are terrific, but pricey. There's a wide range of engines to choose from, too, but we reckon the diesel V6 in the E350 CDI is the pick of the range; it's smooth and strong, and averages over 45mpg. True, the four-cylinder diesels (E200 CDI, E220 CDI and E250 CDI) are cheaper and more efficient, but they're so noisy and rough that they completely ruin the E-Class experience. There are four petrol engines, too, but these don't make any financial sense.

• What's it like inside?

  Getting comfortable is easy thanks to part-electric seat adjustment, so settle in and relax. It'll take you a while getting to grips with the how the car's major functions work, because most are operated by scrolling through on-screen menus with a central dial. Mercedes' foot-operated parking brake is annoying, too. Most disappointingly, though, the E-Class' interior doesn't feel as plush or as luxurious as you expect from a Mercedes. There's lots of space for four passengers; even those in the back get generous head and legroom. A third rear passenger will have to sit legs astride a bulky central tunnel, though, which isn't that comfortable. The boot is large, but you'll have to pay extra for folding seats if you plan to carry longer loads. Standard equipment includes most of what you expect in a car of this calibre, and you can also choose from a vast selection of optional extras. These quickly hike up the price, though.

• How reliable is it?

  Owners gave the E-Class the thumbs up in the latest JD Power customer satisfaction survey, ranking it highly across the board and 'above average' for mechanical reliability. Safety kit goes well beyond the basics, too, with gizmos like a driver-drowsiness detector and pop-up bonnet to protect pedestrians in a crash. When Euro NCAP crash tested the E-Class, it scored the maximum five stars, with 86% for adult protection and 77% for child protection, better than a Jaguar XF (79%/73%) (79%/73%) but no match for the BMW 5 Series (95%/83%).

• Should I buy one?

  Certainly, the Mercedes E-Class is no budget option, especially when you have to buy the most expensive versions to make it the car it should be. However, it'll hold onto its value pretty well, which will help whole life costs. Fuel consumption and emissions are both reasonable, so if it's your company car, bills won't be astronomical. The BMW 5 Series would be more economical to run, however.