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The mid-size E-Class has been a Mercedes staple for decades, offered variously in sedan, wagon, coupe and cabriolet form.
The current range includes the four-cylinder turbo-petrol E200, more powerful E300e plug in-hybrid and the flagship E350.
All are rear-wheel drive, although AWD Mercedes-AMG variants are available - the in-line six-cylinder turbo-petrol E53 and powerhouse 4.0L twin-turbo V8 E63S.
The line-up currently starts at $117,900 for the E-Class E200 (base) and ranges through to $310,369 for the range-topping E-Class E63 S 4Matic+ Final Edition.
There hasn’t been a move by Mercedes-Benz Australia to fix this problem, which is not to say it hasn’t been noted by owners. But, really, a carmaker will only issue a recall for a fault or problem that represents a safety issue, which peeling door cards does not.
Sometimes, a manufacturer will issue what’s called a technical service bulletin which is like a recall but for non-safety related problems. Again, though, a floppy door card is unlikely to elicit that response. If you still have the trim pieces in question, a motor trimmer should be able to reattach them for you in a way that means they won’t come adrift again.
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Traditionally, Mercedes-Benz has taken the entirely logical step of printing a legend of the fuses and what circuits they relate to on the inside of the fuse box cover. By referencing this, you can quickly identify what each fuse does while you’re in there checking whether they’re blown or not.
For some reason, however, sometimes Mercedes placed a paper diagram of the fuse layout in the boot with the jack and tools. So check there as well. The owner’s manual should also offer this information in the electrical section. If none of that works, you can Google the make and model and ask for fuse box information.
Don’t forget, either, that there are often two fuse boxes in many modern cars; one under the bonnet and one under the dashboard or inside the glovebox.
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At the first sign of a fuel pump that has started to play up, the advice is to replace it as soon as you can. These electric pumps can start to have intermittent faults where they will not pump fast enough or not at all, and then the next time you start the car, they'll work perfectly.
Don't be fooled into thinking it's all okay, however, as the pump will progressively get worse and worse until it won't work at all. Trust us, these things do not fix themselves. And since a fuel pump will leave a modern fuel-injected car absolutely high and dry, you're way better off fixing it now (by replacing the pump) than finding yourself stuck on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
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An evolution of previous interior E-Class design language, the current version of the big sedan is a mix of sheer glass surfaces and small, busy design elements that tend to hide how many features are present.
A mix of traditional luxury and modern tech, like leather upholstery and the giant 'Superscreen' dash, create a modern but considered approach to touch-points and styling.
Heated and vented electrically adjustable front seats, two multimedia screens, ambient lighting, a 17-speaker Burmester sound system with Dolby Atmos 4D sound, a glass roof, 20-inch alloys, LED headlights, and an 'AMG Line' styling kit are all standard on the E-Class.
Expected features for a car like this, including wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charging and voice control are also standard.
The E300 has a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine making 190kW and 400Nm, assisted by a 48-volt battery system which can add 17kW and 205Nm for a short time.
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a traditional five-seater sedan, with a split-fold rear bench seat. The seats are comfortable, leather-trimmed, and heated and cooled to some extent, depending on variant.
Mercedes claims the E300 will hit 100km/h from standstill in 6.3 seconds. AMG models yet to arrive should be convincingly quicker. Top speed is 250km/h.
With its 50L fuel tank, the E-Class should theoretically be able to cover 694km on a single tank if the 7.2L/100km is achieved, though realistically it would be much less, 550-600km depending on driving style.