The new Mercedes E-Class saloon has been designed to cater for business executives and families with exacting standards.

It has been five years in the making, and Mercedes is clearly proud of the huge effort which has gone into its lengthy gestation.

Has Germany’s oldest car maker come up with a winner? Andy Goodwin drove it at its UK launch to find out.

While many manufacturers boast how they get cars from the drawing board to the showroom faster than ever before, Mercedes are keen to stress the time and care taken in the development of the E-Class.

Here’s how they emphasise the point. During development of the model Mercedes has used 400 test vehicles which have covered 21 million miles – the equivalent of 88 trips to the moon and back.

Door hinges and rear seats destined for the E-Class interior were fitted into Berlin taxis, operated 24/7, and removed for examination after being handled by 200,000 passengers.

And the E-Class underwent 17,000 computer-simulated crash tests, before Mercedes carried them out with real cars.

Refinement rules supreme

Even in ‘Sport’ trim, with big AMG alloy wheels and low profile tyres present and correct, the E-Class creates a serene driving environment.

After close to 100 miles behind the wheel I felt like I could cruise past the end of the test route and keep going until I reached Land’s End.

The sleek low-drag shape not only benefits economy, it also reduces wind noise. Coupled with quiet engines and lots of clever sound-deadening around the cabin, the E-Class is soothing to drive.

The effect is carried over to driver controls too. The steering is particularly light at low speeds, only weighting up when the pace increases, and the five and seven-speed automatic gearboxes both change gears seamlessly.

However all this comfort comes at the cost of driver involvement. The E-Class handles well, but its air suspension and countless electronic driver aids ensure it does its job well, without feeling as involving as the firmer BMW 5-Series.

Diesel engines

Four diesel engines are available: E 200 CDI, E 220 CDI, E 250 CDI and E 350 CDI and all are four-cylinder turbocharged units, except for the V6 350 CDI.

They produce 136, 170 and 204 to 231bhp respectively, while combined fuel consumption ranges from 54.3mpg in the E 200 CDI to 40.9mpg in the E 350 CDI.

Emissions for all four-cylinder diesels are commendably low, falling under 140g/km – impressive for a big saloon.

The E 350 CDI in particular offers sporting levels of performance, with 0-62mph possible in just 6.9 seconds and incredible overtaking urge.

While not as powerful, it’s one of the most impressive new diesel engines we’ve sampled since the Jaguar XF 3.0 Diesel S.

All diesels are badged BlueEfficiency, and feature systems (including the power steering pump and alternator) which only consume power when in use, wind-tunnel honed aerodynamics and low rolling resistance tyres on all non-’Sport’ trim E-Class models.

Petrol engines

Two petrol engines will be available at launch, the 350 CGI and 500, and they will be joined by the 200 CGI, 250 CGI and powerful 63 AMG in September.

The 350 CGI is 3.5-litre V6 with 292bhp, and the range-topping (for now) 500 is a 5.5-litre V8 with 387bhp, propelling the saloon from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds.

Emissions for the V6 and V8 are low for engines of this type, at 201g/km and 256g/km respectively, while achieving 32.8 and 25.9mpg.

Sharp new suit

A strong new design makes this E-Class much more purposeful than its predecessor. The grille is more upright, and the lines are sharp, not curvaceous.

There is a swelling of bodywork over the rear wheelarches to show of its rear-wheel drive stance, and the headlights and LED tail lights are more jewel-like than before.

Thanks to its smooth nature, better looks and efficiency the E-Class makes a strong case for itself. It also offers buyers something quite different in character to its close rivals, the BMW 5 Series, Jaguar XF and Audi A6.

A single test can never be enough to tell if Mercedes have brought back their late 80s/early 90s reputation for bomb-proof reliability. But having seen the torture tests the E-Class was put through, it looks up to the challenge.

Key facts

Model tested: Mercedes E 350 CDI BlueEfficiency Sport Saloon
On the road price: £35,970
Date tested: June 2009
Road tester: Andy Goodwin