When people talk about Mercedes Benz, the 1st model that will come to their minds is the Mercedes Benz E-class. Back in July 2021, Mercedes Benz Malaysia launched the facelifted E-class not only to bring the car up to date, but also to compete with its German rival.

On the outside, the new E200 is a handsome looking machine. Mercedes Benz designers have managed to make the new car look even sleeker than before. Starting from the front, the slimmer looking headlights blend well into the redesigned front bumper that has a chrome strip running across it. For the front grille though, it’s quite a let down as it looks like an aftermarket item.

Moving on to the side, the car continues to look elegant, and walking past the car you will notice that the E200 is much longer than the photo suggests. Being the lower spec car, the E200 gets a set of less fancy looking rims compared to the E300. Lastly, the rear of the car is fitted with a new tail light design to complete the looks, and it follows the current family look of Mercedes Benz.

Considering that this is a facelift model, the overall layout of the dashboard has been retained for the facelifted car. In order to give the facelifted E200 some visual differences, Mercedes Benz engineers removed the analogue clock, changed the steering wheel, and updated the MBUX system in the facelifted E200. The materials that were used around the cabin are as premium as ever, and it is to be expected in a Mercedes Benz.

Coming to the seats, the E200 that was loaned to me has black leather seats, while there is an optional brown leather seats available for customers. As a driver, the driver seats are supportive and snug, and plenty of adjustment to help the driver to get into a comfortable driving position. Being an executive sedan, the rear seats play a crucial role in this situation. The rear seats have to be comfortable with plenty of headroom and legroom to spare. Thus far, the rear seats of the E200 are definitely up to task to provide the best comfort for the rear passengers.

Overall, I would consider the E200 cabin a nice and serene place to be in, and the Mercedes Benz signature ambient lighting and the MBUX system is available, but I struggle to find anything else interesting or exciting that makes the new E200 standout. Mercedes Benz Malaysia could’ve at least given the E200 a better sound system to make the car more worth it to the buyers.

Everytime when the E-class received a mid cycle update, usually the cars will come with a brand new powertrain. This time round, the E200 gets the carried over powertrain, which is the same 2.0L turbocharged engine paired with the 9 speed automatic transmission. This powertrain has the ability to produce around 194hp at 5,500 rpm and 320Nm of torque from 1,650 rpm. This powertrain has the ability to allow the E200 to hit the 100km/h mark in 7.4 seconds, while hitting a top speed of 240 km/h.

In terms of performance, the E200 does have sufficient power to get the car going. I do notice that the throttle response is on the slower side, which causes the car to feel lazy when stepping on the throttle. At least this suited the characteristic of the E200, as the E200 is a comfort base vehicle. With the 9 speed automatic transmission, the gear changes are smooth and snappy, and the 9th gear does return good fuel economy when cruising on the highway.

Coming to the ride and handling, modern day Mercedes has been tuned with a much sportier characteristic than before. Gone are the days where Mercedes only knew how to make a comfort base vehicle. The suspension for the E200 may be on the stiffer side, but it still manages to do a good job in ironing out the road imperfections. But as the speed picks up, certain vibrations when going through those yellow lines on the road still manage to be felt by the passengers in the cabin.

Getting behind the wheel, the thick steering wheel does give me a satisfying feeling when taking corners. With the stiff dampers, it makes the E200 predictable yet confidence inspiring when in the corners, and there is enough feedback from the steering wheel to inform me where the front tyres are pointing. Paired with the 245/45 R18 tyres, all 4 contact patches have a high grip level to keep the car planted.

As per most continental vehicles, the brakes on the E200 have strong braking performance in order to slow down the car. To keep the car safe on the road, the E200 is fitted with all the standard safety systems, but limited driver assistance systems. The safety systems include 7 airbags, Anti Lock Braking System (ABS), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Adaptive brake lights, Tyre pressure monitoring system, and PRE-SAFE® system. As for the driver assistance system, it includes Active Parking Assist with PARKTRONIC, Blind Spot Assist, and Active Brake Assist.

As much as I like Mercedes Benz as a brand, I do think that the E200 suits those who really wants a Mercedes Benz. Because of the asking price of RM 330,240.80, I really struggle to find something that makes the E200 standout from its competitors. No doubt at the core, this is a very good vehicle to travel in, but the lack of features left me wanting more from this vehicle. Hopefully the E300 will redeem some extra brownie points for the E-class in general.

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