2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

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Exterior - What the Auto Press Says

Reviewers repeatedly say something about the new E-Class design that we don’t often hear: it doesn’t photograph well. Most reviewers like what the brand has done with the sheetmetal of the new E-Class. It blends traditional styling cues with modern character lines. But they don’t seem to come across well in photographs. The car has a presence in person that is hard to explain -- you may need to spot one on the road, or circle one on a dealership lot, to see how it affects you. Shoppers should note that Mercedes also builds an E-Class Coupe. Those who rarely need the full utility of a sedan may find the coupe model’s sexier look a draw.

• "The new E-class makes no bones about being a classic, conservative sedan. To that end, it wears husky, squared-off sheet metal, an upright roof, and creased ‘pontoon’ fenders. Ironically, these details have been so widely imitated by other automakers - we're talking to you, Lexus and Hyundai - that even on a real Mercedes they come off a bit generic.” -- Automobile Magazine
• "The first model to reach my driveway was a sparkling white E550 sedan, which fairly jumped out when parked alongside a neighbor's previous-generation E-Class. A newly angular body, a pronounced crouch and arched fenders have abruptly halted the creeping stodginess of older E-Classes." -- New York Times
• “The design sits somewhere between crisp and boxy, with a bluff front end desperate (almost too desperate) to imply status. The flank design is pleasing, with good sculpture and, in the fairing behind the rear wheelhouse, a sly reference to its ancestor the 1953 "pontoon" Mercedes. The look is a bit busy, but there's lots of surface detail and it's hardly boring.” -- Motor Trend
• “To our eyes, the redesign joins the queue of vehicle forms that aren't accurately translated in photos. Unless caught at just the right angle, the car appears shorter in press shots, rendering its conspicuous design features into a somewhat stubby mass that dramatically ascends from front to rear. In person, however, the car gets properly lengthened: the shoulder line and lower door filet rise gradually, the tail doesn't come off as truncated and the E consumes the proper space of a mid-range sedan." -- Autoblog