Mercedes-Benz E280 AMG – Good Looks, Power and Agility
For those who seek a little more excitement in life, but still need a car that ‘befits’ their status, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia have made available the E 280 with an AMG package that gives the E-Class saloon, which in Malaysia is synonymous with success, additional good looks, power and agility.
Whilst the entry level E 200 is equipped with a 1.8 litre supercharged engine, and drives decently enough for most people, it really does not appeal to the true blue ‘petrol head’. The E 280 series provides substantially more ‘oomph’ and is designed to cater to the higher echelon customer who demands more power and is willing to pay for it. With a V6, 3.0 litre, 4-valve per cylinder engine pulling 231 horses and producing 300 Nm of torque, the E 280 goes from zero to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds, and hits a top speed of 248 km/h with drive going to the rear wheels through its 7GTRONIC, 7-speed automatic gearbox.
With an AMG Sports Package as an option, it makes for a more attractive and sporty image. The basic build remains the same, and the mainstay of the package is a body kit, larger wheels and tyres, and an up-rated suspension.
The AMG body kit consists of a re-styled front and rear apron, 18-inchalloy wheels, 8.5 inches wide at the front with 245/40 R 18 tyres, and 9.0 inches wide at the rear with 265/35 R 18 tyres. Under the body lurks an AMG exhaust system, tuned to give the engine better response and a deep-throated exhaust note designed to thrill. In the cabin, there is an AMG Sports steering, and sports pedals and foot rest in brushed stainless steel with rubber studs. The steering wheel comes with F1 style paddles shifters to give the E 280 AMG a sporty feel.
The E 280 AMG also features the anticipatory ‘PRE-SAFE’ system that predicts an impending collision and tightens up the belts and ‘primes’ the airbags for faster deployment. The ‘PRE-SAFE’ system first went into production in the Mercedes S Class in 2002, and has received numerous international safety awards. Also featured as standard is the ‘NECK-PRO’ head restraints, which has sensors that will move the headrests forward within milliseconds during a rear impact to minimize whiplash injuries.
The AMG Sports handling package includes up-rated coil springs and dampers, plus newly developed spring link bearings that provide for more neutral handling around corners. Also included is an adaptive braking system adapted from the S Class. In wet conditions, the system automatically ‘applies’ minimal braking to keep the discs and pads dry, and it also ‘pre-engages’ the brake pads when it senses a sudden ‘lift-off’ on the accelerator to minimize the time it takes for the pads to ‘bite’. The other standard issues such as ABS, Brake Assist and ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) are included.
On the road, the E 280 AMG Sports is a totally different animal from the standard E Class. The additional ‘get-up-and-go’ certainly puts to rest any misplaced conception of the E-Class as ‘an old man’s car’. Even if you didn’t see it go past, the throaty and sweet roar of the V6 will make your head turn. With its close ratio seven speed transmission, it can out accelerate most cars on the road, and TED (Time Exposed to Danger, a term coined by my veteran rally friend) is really shortened when overtaking.
Accompanying my media friends on a drive to Tanjung Jara, I had the opportunity to take the E 280 AMG on the old Bentong road, something I always look forward to, and the behaviour of the car was exemplary. You tend to forget that this is a two-ton, large sedan when you get such sporty and neutral handling. Be it on the straights of the new Eastern Expressway or around the twisties, the E 280 AMG feels ‘planted’ all the time. Body roll is minimal, and the dampers soak up all the undulations without any problem. I expected the sports suspension to be harsh, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it was quite comfortable.
At the end of a 480 kilometre drive, most people would be exhausted, but although i drove alone without any relief except for a lunch stopover of an hour in Pekan and a twenty minute break at Kemaman to savour the delights of the Hai Peng kopitiam, I arrived relatively fresh at Tanjung Jara, and this is what the E Class is all about.
Fuel consumption is rated at 9.4 -9.7 litres per 100 kilometres, according to the VDS measuring method, (a standardized measuring method to compare apple to apple amongst car makers). In real world conditions, you may get slightly worse numbers than this, but it really depends on how heavy-footed you are. Personally, I got 440 kilometres from RM148.00 of fuel, (fuel tank capacity of 65 litres with 8 litres reserve), and that was with much pedal-to-metal. I suppose this last section on the fuel consumption wouldn’t mean much to the guy who can afford to pay the RM438+ thousand to get his or her hands on one, or who is important enough on the corporate food chain that the company deems it okay to buy one for his or her use.
I am just glad that my vocation allows me, every once in a while, to lay my hands on one of these elegant babies, and get to drive it without having to cut off one of my arms or legs to pay for it.
