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Heavy fuel heavyweight
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Incredibly built, brutally powerful and fantastically refined, the E 280 diesel is so good it can silence its own petrol brethren...
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AUTOBAHN STORMTROOPER This diesel Merc is no slouch - give it the stick and the scenery between towns will pass by in an unexpected blur of movement
Car manufacturers need to take a lesson from Mercedes Benz on how to make an already good car better. Why, you ask. Because these guys have just replaced what was an already staggering performer, the E 270 CDI with what promises to take the definition of `staggering' to a whole new level - the E 280 CDI. And by the way, this replacement comes in around just two years since the last car was launched.
Still not convinced about how good the new E 280 is? How about a mountain-moving 46.5kgm of torque from a low 1400rpm? And this, translated to tarmac by no less than Merc's brilliant seven-speed, 7G-Tronic automatic gearbox. So nail the throttle to the high quality carpet, and 280 CDI stabs forward so strongly you'd be forgiven to think it's a single seat racer and not a 1.7-ton behemoth. The 100 kph figure comes up in 8.72 seconds, quicker than the 270 CDI and the petrol 280 as well. 150 kph is breached in 19 seconds, and compared to the petrol car; this diesel is a whole five seconds quicker to 190 kph. This motor is also the world's first-ever all-aluminium V6 diesel. Step inside the cabin and you will be greeted by the usual Teutonic quality that a Merc in this class exemplifies. The car's interiors feature a solid build and oodles of class, with discreet lighting just about everywhere, illuminating just about everything. For those who simply love to boast about their car's technology, there's a seven-speed automatic transmission, which is easily the highlight of the package. It is an in-house Mercedes-Benz development and improves acceleration and fuel economy, thanks to the use of seven transmission ratios. Fuel efficiency is quite impressive, the seven gears helping optimise fuel efficiency. The 7.8kpl figure we got in city is considering the size of the motor and the weight of the car, an impressive figure. Highway figures are almost the same as the 270CDI at 11.1kpl.
It might not be an all-out sporty handler like the BMW 5-series, but for the sheer length and breadth of its talents, yes, this is the best India-built diesel sedan that money can buy.
ASHISH MASIH
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