The sixth instalment of anything is usually the point where things get a bit too much. That's where Fast and Furious 6 started having a 'Marvel sequel or car movie?' identity meltdown, and I'll belanja you if you remember what the heck went on in Terminator: Dark Fate.

Quite simply, this largely happens because they've lost track of what they should do. As it is though, you'll find similar happenings in other industries, and even in our beloved sphere of automobiles, parallels can be drawn to a few models. We'll use the Mercedes-Benz E-Class today as an example.

The E's roots go a long way, so naturally there's been quite a spotty history. What started as, if we may, an S-Class Lite, still strayed from its track every now and then. The W212 of two generations ago was spectacular, before it went slightly sporty and as such, awry, with the pre-facelift W213.

Today, it's the dawn of an all-new sixth generation, the W214, and we're to find out if it's the killer sequel this saga deserves.

Design: Balanced proportions never goes out of style

Listen, if you're going to spend about half a million on a car, it better look good. Par for the course of recent Mercedes, a good-looking car is what you'll get with the E350e.

The AMG Line kit this E350e wears – see the specific bumpers, bling 21-inch wheels, and the studded grille that's made up of 214 stars – lend it a confident image. Some may find the three-pointed star motif within the tail lights to be a bit gaudy, but to these eyes, it's characterful.

Interior: Tech-fest, but weird seats

In that unique Mercedes way, it is quite flashy in there. The lines between the E- and S-Class has never been blurred in such fashion before – there's three screens in here now, and functions that are still not yet available on the glitzier sibling.

Mercedes has made quite the fuss about the W214's ability to keep you and your passengers in perpetual awe between A and B, and they should because it is absolutely dripping in tech. Your partner can watch YouTube while you drive (and connect a Bluetooth headset to their own screen), while you can order people around on Zoom, via the camera atop the dash.

Hell, it is smart enough to learn your habits and shape your experience accordingly. Its AI assistant, Routines, is keen enough that it's able to pick up and replicate your daily patterns as you live with the car.

Facial recognition selects your driver profile and moves the seat, audio settings, and everything else the second you sit. It's almost magical, especially if you're new to these sort of things.

The overall experience within is fantastic too, characterised by a classy material mix, immense Burmester 4D audio (basically means there's a couple of kickers that'll pulsate your seats with the music), and sparkly ambient lighting to really set the mood.

Small niggles get in the way though. Sometimes its the sheer amount of things going on and screens you have to flick through, but most of the time its the haptic touch buttons on the steering wheel. It's been ages, Mercedes, put back real buttons please...

To add to the in-car tech, it all carries over to your smartphone as well. The car's integration with the Mercedes Me app is brilliantly smooth. You can do quite a bit with it, like starting it up, turning on the air-conditioning, monitor charge status, and even find charging spots, so it's a handy bit of kit to have on hand.

Settling into the Mercedes E-Class is effortless, with the electronically adjustable driver’s seat and steering wheel offering a wide range of positions to suit your comfort. Speaking of which, the seats feel luxuriously plush, but we noticed its a hit and miss depending on who you ask.

It can't be denied that the seats feel luxuriously plush, and it cradles you with soft cushioning, but there's something about the oversized bolsters that didn't quite gel with me. It eats into elbow space, and the resulting shape of the seats meant that after driving on it for a quite a while, there's a mild discomfort.

The generous space in the front doesn’t compromise rear-seat comfort, as there’s an abundance of legroom for backseat passengers. Even tall individuals can sit comfortably without their knees brushing against the seat in front, regardless of how much room the driver needs.

This spaciousness also makes installing bulky baby seats a breeze. The easily accessible ISOFIX mounting points add to the convenience.

Note however that the chink in the E350e's armour is its cargo room. Yes you have your standard cubbies and cupholders here and there, but the biggest concern would be its shallow boot – just 370 litres, over the petrol-only E200's.

Driving: Smooth sailing, insane fuel efficiency

Lovely. It's clear the goal was to shun any form of lap battles, instead focusing on the one thing it is best at: keeping you comfortable. At that one task, the W214 E-Class is extremely good. It'll waft through long distances with ease and, by virtue of being a plug-in hybrid, return borderline-unbelievable fuel economy in the process.

The plug-in hybrid engine takes the driving experience up a notch, especially when running purely on electric power. It’s remarkably quiet, and you can accelerate briskly without engaging the petrol engine until the very last moment, offering a feel similar to driving a battery electric car.

Efficiency? Top notch. After our intracity 104.5 km – traffic jams, smooth roads, the works – it only needed 2.96 litres to top it up. Which translates to a stunning 2.83 l/100 km, or 35.3 km/l. Of course this is massively aided by the 25.4 kWh battery, which gave us about 90 km of range; accurate to claimed figures.

The other half of that story is how does it fare with a flat battery? On pure engine power alone (and intermittent coasting, to regain battery range) we embarked on another 153 km trip, and the average fuel consumption came up to 9.8 l/100 km, or 10.2 km/l.

Still pretty good, and it managed to do our total 600+ km roundtrip on a single full tank, with a quarter left to spare.

On to the driving experience itself, part of the sublimity comes from its excellent sound insulation. Wind and road noise are kept to a minimum, and even when the engine kicks in, it remains so quiet that it blends into the background as a barely noticeable hum.

Doing the legwork is a steel-sprung Agility Control setup with passive frequency selective dampers, though the E350e does sit 15 mm taller than the slightly more basic E200.

This fairly uncomplicated setup is very, very good, easing over ruts and bumps you'll find on our roads. On highways and on gentle sweeping turns, it's sublime. Its talents are only challenged by a consecutive set of bends – like going up Frasers' Hill – where the car's circa 2.2 tonne weight is slow to settle after such turns.

Another point to note is that the E350e's brakes are on the softer side, which can make achieving a smooth stop a bit of a challenge, at least at first.

For such a large car though, parking is effortless, thanks to the outstanding surround-view cameras. The system provides a bird’s-eye view to help you position the car precisely and a crisp, high-resolution rear camera for added clarity.

The rest of the Merc's advanced driver assist functions work as well as they should, save for one minor gripe with the adaptive high beam system's relatively slow response. In our night drive up the roads to Frasers, we found it to be quicker (and safer) to manually toggle the highbeams; which takes away from the overall impression of its tech-savantness a bit.

Verdict

Six generations in the ever-popular E-Class franchise, and today's W214 really looks to be a watershed moment. It's a masterwork in how to make a well-rounded executive sedan, and part of how its winning formula is the way it blends modern technologies with age-old refinement.

Sure, it's by no means wholly perfect – those new to such in-car fancies will have quite the learning curve – and at times it does get all a bit overstimulating.

Aside from that though? This plug-in hybrid variant sets a new standard for range, tech integration, and general usability. But it doesn't ever forget the script of being a comfort cruiser, and whether you're behind the wheel or sitting behind the person driving, it's a deeply satisfying experience.