Weekend Drive by Hormazd Sorabjee: Waving the matic wand

Mercedes knows how to make a customer happy, both in the driver’s seat and at the back. The new E 450 is all class and all business – for an all-consuming price

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class has long been the benchmark for luxury sedans, offering a blend of comfort, tech and driving dynamics. It’s the best-selling car in its class, thanks largely to its long wheelbase, offering more legroom to the rear-seat passenger. Luxury cars are largely chauffeur-driven. So, owners get to stretch out as they travel.

Mercedes’s E 450 4MATIC has a formidable 381 hp — an impressive 177 hp more than the base E 200.

The cabin liberally uses soft-touch plastics, piano black and brushed aluminium finishes.

The Superscreen setup has a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.