There is no denying that we here at Signature Car Hire love to get ourselves behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz; not just us, in fact, but our client’s, too. Whether it’s high-performance car hire you’re after, like our Mercedes S63L AMG, or the perfect executive car hire, Mercedes-Benz never fails to deliver. Thus, you can imagine our excitement in the lead up to the Detroit Motor Show; there, Mercedes-Benz blessed us with a bold and beautiful present, pulling the covers from its brand new Mercedes-Benz E-Class saloon. We were there to get you the gossip.
The fifth generation E-Class executive car has been labelled “the most intelligent saloon in the business class” by Mercedes-Benz themselves, full of innovations and technology which will be sure to benchmark the future of luxury, executive cars. Let us take you on a test drive.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class facelift
The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class imitates some aspects of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, flaunting a bold grille and an oversized Mercedes-Benz badge to the front. The latest E-Class is larger than its predecessor, longer by 43mm in overall length, but narrower by 2mm and lower by 6mm, thus increasing its aerodynamic capabilities – music to our ears here at Signature Car Hire…we crave a daily dose of speed (just take our Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 as an example.) It brings to the table up to eight engines for the driver to choose from, including a leading-edge plug-in hybrid variant, gifting the driver with up to 19 miles of drive time on electric-only power, along with a brand new four-cylinder diesel engine, which claims to produce best-in-class CO2 emissions.
Somewhat surprisingly, Mercedes-Benz are not planning a manual gearbox option for the new executive saloon, but will instead, manufacture the models with a new nine-speed 9G-Tronic automatic transmission gearbox, again, contributing to far better fuel economy figures, and a quieter drive at higher speeds; this catapults the new E-Class to the more obvious choice of a chauffeur driven car hire, alongside the Mercedes-Benz S-Class S350 LWB, Bentley Mulsanne, and the Rolls Royce Phantom.
On to the meat – what can we expect from the drive of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class?
All UK models will have the ‘Comfortable Avantgarde’ suspension as standard, though with a slightly sportier feel due to it’s lowering by 15mm; not only this, but, in a ‘class first’ according to Mercedes-Benz, an adaptive ‘multi-chamber’ air-suspension option will also be available. The Air Body Control system enhances the drive even more so, with a self-leveling function that automatically controls the ride height according to the speed you are driving. Oh, how we yearn to take to the roads and test-drive this new ride…
Mercedes-Benz takes autonomous driving to its next level
The most interesting innovation of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class is its brand new ability to wirelessly update its software, affording Mercedes-Benz drivers of existing models to upgrade their car to the latest specifications, much like we do with our phones; how fantastic to finally see such technology applied to our most prized automotive possessions, and we will be sure to be testing such originative and contemporary technological advances at the first opportunity.
Last but not least, the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class pioneers the latest in autonomous driving through Drive Pilot, an option package that allows drivers to follow the car in front at a safe distance, up to 130MPH – but it does not end there. The car can steer around ‘moderate’ bends, slow to a complete stop, and even claims to ‘see around corners and through obstacles’ using other drivers’ mobile phone signals and data to pick up on congestion or danger. Simply beautiful!
Make your Marque with a Signature Car Hire Rental
Should you find yourself searching for a high specification, reliable car for luxury private hire, be sure to contact us and check out our car hire fleet – we dare you, make your marque.