Safety, technology, and luxury, All rolled into one.

Author's Rating:

Pros: High tech everywhere. MB exclusiveness. Safety galore.

Cons: Price, kinda looks like a C-Class from the rear.

The Bottom Line: 
This car deserves to be named E.

Author's Review
The 2003 E-Class is full of surprises. Like the other cars I test, I am only given only about 2-3 days time to evaluate a vehicle.

After my time with this car, to say that I did not want to give it up is a complete understatement. This is a very fine car.

Engine first. My tester was equipped with a 5.0L/302-hp SOHC V-8 and it provided extremely brisk acceleration. MB simply has a knack for making their cars feel lighter and quicker to the driver than they really are. This engine is simply beastly, perhaps overkill for most owners (like those over 50 years old, hehe), but not all.

This is another one of those cases as agile handling and a nicely weighted steering makes the 2003 E-Class extremely driver oriented. There was or is no dead on centre feel.

The press kit says this car can do 0-100k/h in 6.1 when equipped with this engine. Personally, I feel that it could go faster.

My tester had an auto, and it should be noted that this is the only way MB makes them. Sorry, no manual this year at least. Not to worry, the shifts were barely noticeable. (read super smooth)

Another pleasant surprise about this car is the dimensions. I think MB got it right on the money. The 2003 E-Class is just about the same size (total length) as any other Japanese 4 door but the MB cabin feels much larger, perhaps in part because of the car's longish wheelbase.

Some Internet research shows that MB spent about $1.8 billion to develop and redo the E-Class and it really seems the money was well spent. Every aspect of this car is improved from the previous model yet it still feel and looks like and carries some of the ol’ E’s past heritage.

For the exterior the tail lamps are considerably larger and more striking. Inside, the 3 gauge instrument cluster sports bright bezels and looks richer than the black face gauges of the previous model.

A square information screen occupies the centre of the speedometer's dial. That forced MB to use a thin analog needle (thinner than normal) that's somewhat difficult to see while driving. Perhaps it just takes getting use to.

Likewise, this car has carried the current design theme within MB of utilizing organic shapes (SL and S classes) as the 2003 E-Class dash gracefully moves between the A-posts. It really seems that MB felt a more ‘form first’ both inside and out was well overdue.

MB was right. This car really is graceful and the exterior is subtle and memorable from various angles when viewing. These flowing shapes consist of an aluminum body parts as the fenders, hood, and trunklid.

With regards to suspension, this 2003 E-Class gets standard air bladders and an all-new four-link front suspension. The air-bladder system, is called Airmatic Dual Control is optional in the 320.

Moreover, this car is also equipped with the legendary Electronic Stability Program (ESP), which automatically recognizes and instability and modulates pressure at all four brake calipers while reducing engine torque to aid the driver regain control.

Bottomline is ride is supple (but never washy like a Buick) regardless of the low profile (45 series) rubber this car came with (amazing).

Whenever I test a car with such a system, I simply have to try it out. And this I did, at my offices parking lot after hours. This system worked just as advertised. I thrashed the car into corners well above normal speed, and low and behold braked were applied to get the tail back in line. Nice.

This system felt somehow very similar to the vehicle control system that comes with the current Chevy Corvette. I am not sure why or how, but it did. I think what I am trying to convey here is that the moment that these two systems decide to intervene (to the driver error) is very similar to one another. They just act in the same manner.

Next brakes. These things stop. Period. MB calls it Sensotronic, which is an electro-hydraulic braking system that has the ability to apply extra force to outside tires when cornering.

These brakes are engineering marvels. Better than any sedan I have ever tested, even better than the current S-Class in overall feel/moderation.

These brakes can also apply braking pressure to each wheel individually. Also these stoppers have the ability to prime the brakes (dry the rotors) in wet weather.

It should be noted that there is no mechanical connection between the actual pedal and the brake master cylinder thus the system is completely controlled by computer signals.

In terms of other safety features, the car has seatbelt pretensioners, side curtain airbags, and enhanced crumple zones, to go along with both the front driver and passenger air bags.

Hot summer day? Don’t worry you got fan-cooled seats that also have the ability to bolster the driver in response to the vehicle dynamics.

Dark outside? The 2003 E-Class has bi-Xenon headlamps (HID lamp elements for both high and low beam. Can’t park? Sure you can with Parktronic, which is an ultrasonic park-assist system.

The list continues on and on: adaptive cruise control, a panoramic sliding sunroof (nice), control four-zone climate controls, a rain-intensity sensor (couldn’t figure it out), solar cell-powered auxiliary ventilation, and of course navigation. Which is probably the best I have ever seen, (Even better than the one in a Lexus).

In the end, MB deserves praise as this car was executed excellently from bumper to bumper. Nice to know that with a nearly 2 billion budget, this ‘world car’ (in many countries this car serves as a primary form of taxi transport), hit the target in form, function, and safety.

Performance, is not a problem, as this car can provide a very real driving experience if pushed. (as I found out for this test). All we need to see now is if it shines in reliability.

Considering MB’s past history, reliability won’t probably be an issue especially after the second model year as by then all kinks will most likely be ironed out.

The one knock I guess, if I have to provide one, is the styling. Earlier I said it was graceful and flowing, as it really is.

But some may deem it too conservatory. I dunno, maybe for some, but others may believe that the E is all about being understated. Personally, I think the rear section looks a little too similar to the current C-Class. You decide

Another thing is that often with cars like these, journalists really have to be extra picky when trying to find quibbles with the car.

Truth is, that many higher end luxury cars are built and engineered so well that often there are no glaring errors. As if there were any, the car would immediately be at a disadvantage in its respective market segment.

This is not the case for this car. Everything has been looked over with a very fine comb. All aspects of this car has been addressed. No gleaming errors, here. And rightfully so considering the price.

In cloing, the few days I had with the 'E' were both surprising (high tech) and comforting (safety). The car also did seem to get the attention of a few 'discerning' eyes who knew what exactly was before them, which is a tribute to the understated elegance that defines the 'E'.