Review: W213 2021 Mercedes-Benz E300 - A facelift shouldn't be this much better

Getting a new Mercedes-Benz to evaluate is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you’re going to get. Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of the W205 C-Class nor the W176 A-Class, both of which lacked the substance to back their attractive styling.

Ride comfort of those two are spec-dependent, ranging from "It’s liveable" to “Dear lord, have they forgotten about suspension tuning?” Worse still, the poor ride quality didn’t exactly translate to driving pleasure, so I wasn’t particularly fond of them to say the least.

And frankly speaking, I became somewhat disenchanted by Mercedes-Benz cars for a period of time. However, the more recent products like the W177 A-Class or even the V167 GLE are more pleasant to drive and be in. In fact, I would go as far as to say that I really like the GLE.

The pre-facelift W213 E-Class, too, was somewhat disappointing in the driving department and the loose-feeling suspension gave motion sickness to passengers on the highway. Now we have the W213 2021 Mercedes-Benz E300 facelift, and I genuinely didn’t know what to expect. A box of chocolates indeed.

Also read: W213 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class facelift launched in Malaysia; RM 326k to RM 375k

Exterior - Most radical facelift yet

Changes to the exterior are quite significant as far as facelifts go. The new model gets new headlamps, taillamps, front grille, and wheels to complete the update, bringing the E-Class in line with the latest design language.

Feedback from others on the exterior has been mixed, with some pointing out that the headlamps are a little small in respect to the car’s size or that again, like the pre-facelift, it looks too much like other current Mercedes-Benz models.

Personally, I like the cleaner and more discreet look of this facelift, especially in this black colour. The redesigned set of taillights stretching horizontally give the impression of the car being wider. The A-shaped diamond grille adds a touch more aggression along with the AMG Line kit.

If there’s one thing practically everyone isn’t fond of, it’s the wheels. While the five twin-spoke design is generally agreeable, the circular shroud is somewhat of an eyesore. Perhaps it’s a design feature that harks back to certain models or it could be for structural rigidity but regardless, most are of the opinion that it looks out of place.

Interior - Almost perfect

Inside, the tweaks are not as radical. The E300 here has the AMG steering wheel with capacitive sensors for the controls, which I found to be fiddly at times to swipe through menus. Function-wise, it’s the same as before – the left side controls the infotainment screen, the right side controls the instrument display.

As for the user interface, it takes a bit of learning of you’re not familiar with newer Mercedes-Benzes, which makes it poor because even something as trivial as skipping tracks isn’t as intuitive as pushing a “next” button.

There’s also a new touchpad without a rotary dial, though with the wireless charger located above, there were some unintentional clicks and swipes when reaching for the phone and my hand brushes against the touchpad. Just a minor annoyance to take note of.

What’s not minor is the twisted driving position. Unfortunately, this is not something that a facelift can fix. The steering wheel is offset to the left while the massive centre tunnel means that the footwell is cramped. It also lacks a proper footrest.

In a car of this price and stature, I find it difficult to accept. It’s a shame because the rest of the interior is fantastic. The sweeping design with circular air vents still looks as elegant as it did before and no one does ambient lighting with the flair of Mercedes-Benz.

The Burmester surround sound system is quite lovely, even if it’s not the top-of-the-line system available for the E-Class. Bass is on the heavier side as usual, but small tweaks on the equalizer will remedy this for a more balanced sound to enjoy with the layered presentation and shimmery highs.

Space wise, it’s not massively spacious for the size of the car, with slightly more than 2 tennis balls of kneeroom for yours truly who is of 177-cm height and 1 tennis ball of headroom. Build quality wise, it’s generally sturdy except for the slight creaking noises around the door grab handles, a common trait in newer Mercedes interior.

Driving Experience - More coherent

Twisted seating position aside, I am pleased to say that the driving experience itself is quite enjoyable. Controls like the throttle, brakes, and steering are progressive to make smooth progress. This is an aspect I prioritise above many things when it comes to driving.

Regardless if you’re a fast or slow driver, it is more important to be smooth. With linear controls, driving smoothly is made that much easier and your passengers will also thank you for it.

And the good news continues. The pre-facelift model’s suspension wallows about on highways, particularly over expansion joints and the rear gets unsettled. In this facelift, the suspension is noticeably better sorted over uneven surfaces and no longer gets jostled around by sudden change in road surfaces.

The variable ratio steering picks up pace in a reasonably progressive manner and feels much more coherent to the car’s handling characteristics.

Oddly, there seems to always be hints of vibration coming through the steering wheel, which I initially thought was road feedback but then realised it was also giving nuggets of vibration over relatively smooth roads. And all lane keeping and steering assistance system were disabled, so it was quite peculiar.

Another peculiarity is the 0-100 km/h sprint time of 7.5 seconds, more than a second slower than claimed. Though power delivery does feel strong throughout the rev range.

The 9-speed automatic still loses out to BMW’s 8-speed ZF automatic transmission is terms of shift logic and seamlessness in execution. It can occasionally be caught out as it hunts for gears and judders slightly. For the majority of the time though, it’s adept.

In comparison to the G30 BMW 5 Series, the bimmer still has a more accomplished chassis, an all-rounder that manages to be both comfortable and competent to drive. Though the gap between the E-Class and 5 Series isn’t quite as large as before. 

Ride Comfort - Worthy of its reputation

The facelifted E-Class has managed to contain the excessive body movements without sacrificing comfort. In fact, without those wallows at highway speeds, ride comfort has improved as the passengers would not be swaying about in their seats.

Rough surfaces are generally well-isolated, though unusually large or sharp bumps can send a jolt to the cabin with the occasional jiggles. The low-profile run-flat tyres may have played a part in this. For the most part however, it’s composed enough to be worthy of an executive sedan.

As for the front seats, my back still finds the seat back disagreeable after extended periods, no matter the recline or lumbar adjustment. Thigh support is excellent from the range of adjustments for the seat base angle and length.

The rear seats feel nicely sculptured and supportive for long journeys, but some may prefer it to be more reclined.

In terms of noise insulation, exterior noises are impressively muffled, which gives the sense of being isolated from the outside world. Engine noise remain muted unless driven enthusiastically, while tyre noise can be noticeable at higher speeds.

Fuel consumption

After a journey of 109.3 km broken down to about 50% highway and 50% city driving, it required 10.83 litres of fuel to brim the tank. This translates to a calculated fuel consumption of 9.9-litre/100 km.

The onboard computer reading displayed an average fuel consumption of 10.2-litre/100 km, which is reasonably accurate.

Conclusion

The W213 2021 Mercedes-Benz E300 facelift turned out to be a flavour that I liked in the box of Mercedes-Benzes. More than just being a looker and a nice place to be in, it’s a good steer as well.

Its biggest flaw, personally, is the crooked driving position. That itself is reason enough for me to look at its competitors. I did bring this up to a few friends and family members who sat in the driver seat, some didn’t find it noticeable or wasn’t too fussed by it.

So do try it for yourself, and if you find it a non-issue then there aren’t much else to dissuade you from the E-Class. Sure, it’s not the most competent or involving in terms of handling, but were you really expecting the E-Class to be the ultimate steer? We all know which car that belongs to.

That being said, the facelifted E-Class isn’t sloppy either and with its badge, looks, and interior, I believe Mercedes-Benz has a hit on their hands.

Also read: 

Closer Look: 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class facelift - E300 worth the RM 49k premium?

2021 BMW 5 Series vs 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class in Malaysia, which is best?