Brand New Mercedes-Benz E-Class E220d Exclusive Premium 4dr 9G-Tronic

Mercedes hasn't abandoned diesel power just yet. Jonathan Crouch drives the black-pump-fuelled version of the company's executive E-Class model, the E 220 d.

Ten Second Review

The E 220 d diesel is a surprising stand-out in the W214-era Mercedes E-Class range. If you've dismissed diesel, then there's evidence here that the black pump might just be worth another look.

Background

Is there still a place for a diesel engine in a full-executive segment premium brand saloon or estate? Brand opinions seem divided. BMW thinks not, replacing black pump-fuelled versions of its 5 Series with petrol PHEVs. But up the road in Stuttgart, rivals Mercedes are still embracing diesel with their competing E-Class, both in a PHEV drivetrain and in the conventional E 220 d model we look at here. This variant is a 48V mild hybrid, as all W214-era conventionally-engined E-Class models now are. And if the tax implications of ownership still make sense for you, it could just be all the E-Class you'll ever need.

Driving Experience

This sixth generation E-Class offers a selection of combustion powerplants defiantly still including two formats well out of industry favour, diesels and a diesel PHEV. We tried a diesel for this test, the 197hp 2.0-litre four cylinder E 220 d, which like all mainstream E-Class engines is a 48V mild hybrid and gets offered in the UK only in conventional rear-driven form. Throughout our test, this unit served to remind us just what a good fit a great diesel still is on a car like this, wafting around on 440Nm of torque and easing through the perfectly-spaced ratios of the smooth-shifting 9-speed auto that all variants of this car must have. There's the usual set of Dynamic Select drive modes and in 'Sport', the most urgent of these, 62mph is 7.6s away en route to 148mph. There's also an E 300 de PHEV model with a 313hp drivetrain using a 25.4kWh battery offering nearly 70 miles of EV range. All versions of this Mercedes share a sweet handling balance, with plenty of grip and surprisingly feelsome steering. But of course an E-Class, particularly in a mainstream form like this, is most in its element at a cruise where, even in this diesel, refinement is remarkable. Ultimately, the raison d'etre of a large executive Mercedes will always be more about lowering the heartbeat than raising it and mainstream versions of this W214-era design feel more accomplished in that regard than ever before. It all delivers a special, very elegant driving demeanour that rivals still struggle to match. And in many ways, it's still the class benchmark that all of them have to aim at.

Design and Build

Design chief Gordon Wagener describes this E-Class as 'the business icon of Mercedes-Benz', something you don't mess with, hence an evolutionary take on the 'Sensual Purity' styling theme already established in current versions of the C-Class and S-Class. With 4,949mm of length, 1,880mm of width and 1,468mm of height in saloon form, this MK6 E-Class is slightly larger than before and it's 0.23Cd drag coefficient is slightly sleeker. But you're more likely to notice the smarter gloss black-framed front grille, which can now be back-lit and is flanked by slim LED headlights. The tail lamps are narrower too and get a Three-Pointed Star illuminating signature. As before, there's an estate body style option, but this time round, there will be no Coupe or Cabriolet versions, these body shapes relocated to a newly-created CLE model line-up. Once inside, the promised 'digital experience' continues - or at least it will do if you've stretched to a version with the brand's 'Superscreen' dash. Unlike with the 'Hyperscreen' layout we've tried in the brand's top EQ saloons (which gives you one continuous screen across the dashboard), here, just the central and passenger-side screens are seamlessly integrated together, with this 12.3-inch instrument cluster display kept separate. The other thing that strikes you fairly soon after getting in is that after years of falling standards with build quality, this sixth generation design finally seems to exhibit the kind of bullet-proof build quality we once associated with E-Class models of old. Everything feels solid, the doors clunk shut, nearly all the materials used feel lovely to the touch and you're surrounded by a slim ambient lighting strip that in its upgraded 'active' form can proactively prompt you on major functions. This stretches along the bottom of the windscreen round into the doors with their intricately-crafted Burmester speaker grilles. A longer wheelbase for this W214 design means slightly more rear seat space, but the more conventional Modular Rear Architecture platform in use here doesn't of course free up anything like as much leg room for folk at the back as the full-EV platform in the EQE allows for. Boot capacity is 540-litres for conventionally-engined E-Class saloons - and 370-litres for PHEV-powered ones. The estate has a 615-litre boot.

Market and Model

E 220 d pricing started from just over £58,000 at the time of our test in Summer 2025, with a premium of just over £3,000 if you'd prefer the estate body style. The base trim level is 'AMG Line' for combustion models, where there's an extra £1,650 needed if you want to go from the base petrol E 200 version to the E 220 d diesel variant we're trying here. From that starting point, the range progresses through four further mainstream trim levels - 'AMG Line Premium', 'AMG Line Premium Plus', 'Exclusive Premium' and 'Exclusive Premium Plus'. If you're prepared to pay the extra for Mercedes ownership, what do you get included? Well Stuttgart's had to stretch itself a bit more this time round. So all E-Class models now get 19-inch AMG alloy wheels, plus AMG body styling, LED high performance headlamps, an illuminated radiator grille, KEYLESS-GO keyless entry, power-folding mirrors, rear privacy glass, an alarm and an Active Park Assist system. Inside, standard kit includes a 12.3-inch instrument cluster screen, ambient lighting, stainless steel sports pedals and front seats with electro-pneumatic four-way lumbar support that are heated and climatised. There's also proper leather upholstery (in black, brown or beige). And THERMATIC two-zone climate control, a dash cam, a 180-degree reversing camera, a wireless charging mat and black open-pore ash dashboard trim. Media functions are taken care of by the 14.4-inch central display of the MBUX multimedia system, which includes augmented reality navigation, 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' and a fingerprint scanner.

Cost of Ownership

No matter how advanced this sixth generation E-Class might be, if it doesn't return the right efficiency figures, business folk won't consider it. But of course, Mercedes has covered that off thoroughly here. We'll quote figures for this Saloon body shape. The volume E 220 d mild hybrid diesel variant we're trying here manages up to 58.9mpg on the combined cycle and up to 125g/km of CO2. The same 2.0-litre engine in the E 300 de PHEV improves those figures dramatically of course - to as much as 706.3mpg and 11g/km, thanks to a potential EV range of up to 68 miles. It has a BiK tax-rating of 8%. Another thing we'll need to tell you is that the comprehensive three year unlimited mileage warranty is built upon by Mercedes' Mobilo scheme which delivers breakdown cover for up to thirty years, as long as you continue to have your car serviced at a Mercedes main dealer. What else? Well servicing is needed every 15,500 miles. And there's a three year unlimited mileage warranty, built upon by Mercedes' Mobilo scheme which delivers breakdown cover for up to thirty years, as long as you continue to have your car serviced at a Mercedes main dealer. Insurance is group 36 for this E 220 d. Because all versions of this E-Class cost over £40,000, they're subject to VED luxury car tax, which means a surcharge will be added from the second time the vehicle is taxed until it's six years old. Depreciation after three years and 36,000 miles is up around 50% (as good as a 5 Series).

Summary

It's tempting in this day and age to dismiss the idea of a diesel. The sales figures certainly suggest that many customers are. But in larger luxury cars like this E-Class, black pump-fuelled engines can still make sense. You may be put off by the tax implications of running one, but with this Mercedes, there's a diesel PHEV powertrain if that's an issue. We'd be quite happy with this more conventional mild hybrid E 220 d. It's quiet, torquey and frugal, with an engine that feels very suited to this car. One day, perhaps quite soon, diesels will be part of history. But clearly not quite yet.