E for...

What we like:

It’s well-equipped and lives up to our expectations. Surprisingly nippy despite having less power than the E250 and is a fuel-saver at that.

What we dislike:

Slow reacting gearbox lets it down. New E-Class styling may not be everyone’s cup of tea and may get tired quickly.

It’s hard not to find any fault with the E200 CGI, much less the rest of the E-Class. It is hard not to recommend this variant to anyone looking for a new executive sedan. While it’s the last of its class to be introduced, it also means that competitors will not have an answer for the next two years – at the very least.

Compared to its E250 twin, will you missing out much? Not really. Considering that the E200 is a good $18,000 cheaper, it seems to be a better proposition – in fact. It offers you what you really need and probably more.

But for whatever reason you need to get to zero to 100km/h in 0.7 seconds faster, or that you’ve aspired all your life to fiddle with MB’s COMMAND interactive system, then by all means opt for the most costly 1.8-litre version. After all, life is about aspirations and paying for what you want. But we know where our money is put on. The E200 CGI, of course.

Credits: Story by John Toh Photos by Raymond Lai