2019 Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTec Shows How Far Diesel Has Come

2019 Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTec Shows How Far Diesel Has Come

Not long ago, the idea of a small four-cylinder engine -- and a diesel at that -- in an expensive luxury car would have been a non-starter. It simply wasn't done. Luxury cars were expected to have powerful V12, V8 or, at a minimum, V6 engines, not an economy oriented four banger. 55,000 range -- way more once you stack on the options. Mercedes is a pioneer in diesel technology. Its oil burning passenger cars date back to 1936, and as recently as 1982 eight out of ten of its cars sold in the United States were powered by diesels, mostly with five or six cylinders. But they have never been much more than a blip on the U.S. Many buyers in this country still think of diesels as slow, noisy, smelly, dirty and hard to start in cold weather, which was true in the past. Some people still remember the Mercedes 65-horsepower 240D four-cylinder of the 1970s, of which it was said that you could walk faster than it got away from a stoplight. It was popular in Europe as a taxi.

But now the technology has advanced to the point where diesels are clean and quiet, start and run easily in all weather and, in many applications, are nearly indistinguishable from gasoline engines. They also deliver, on average, 25 percent to 30 percent better fuel economy than gasoline engines of about the same size. Acceptance has been slow in this country, partly because diesel fuel costs more than regular gasoline. Yet as consumers become educated about modern diesels, that should change. The Mercedes with the 2.1-liter is in the vanguard. The company introduced the engine earlier this year in its GLK compact crossover utility vehicle. Now it is available in the E250 mid-size sedan, where it delivers 27/42 mpg on the EPA's city/highway fuel consumption ratings. Yet it's doubtful anyone would choose the E250 based on fuel economy alone. The E-Class is the backbone of Mercedes-Benz, which counts on it to deliver one-quarter of its sales. Customers can choose from 13 models of sedans, coupes, convertibles and station wagons powered by gasoline, diesel and gasoline/electric hybrid engines of various performance levels.

On the road, the tested turbo diesel E250 performed admirably. Like most diesels, which deliver stronger torque (low rpm twisting force) than gasoline engines, it accelerates rapidly from a stop but is leisurely in passing on two-lane roads. There's little sound or fury; it's as composed and quiet as a gasser. 54,825 price, the E250 is not a car for the masses. Moreover, it can be optioned up to the point where it carries almost all of the luxury and safety equipment found on the company's new full size flagship, the S-Class. Standard equipment includes comprehensive safety gear, including stability control and brake assist; a seven-speed automatic transmission with a manual shift mode, automatic dual-zone climate control and a motorized sunroof. 2,800, is the remarkable new Mercedes "intelligent drive," a suite of safety systems that, among other things, can detect a pedestrian and stop the car automatically. It also includes adaptive cruise control that maintains a distance from the car ahead, as well as steering assist to keep the car in its proper lane. The test car also had packages that included active parking assistance, navigation, satellite radio, heated front seats and a rear view camera. 64,554 did not include leather upholstery. The seats were covered in MB Tex vinyl, high quality but still artificial and sticky in hot weather.

After spending several days and driving hundreds of miles in the new Mercedes-Benz E250 Sedan, I found the latest iteration of the German brand's midsize luxury sedan to be a beautiful contradiction. It made me rethink what an executive car could be, what it could do, and how it might just be an example for others to follow. The reason for the hubbub? That would be the E250's heart, a little 4-cylinder diesel engine. That right there might have given you pause. A small -- in this case 2.1-liter -- engine, and a diesel one at that, powering an E-Class? The notion might seem out of place when considering the sedan's history of hauling company VPs and its 2-ton-plus weight. Yet this is the little engine that can. Thanks to a stump-pulling 369 lb-ft of torque, this turbodiesel has enough oomph to hustle the E250 from 0-60 mph in about 8 seconds.

That's not terribly quick, but it's enough to merge onto freeways without drama, especially when you switch the car to Sport mode. The real headline, however, isn't this engine's ferociousness but its frugality. How does 42 mpg sound to you? That's the EPA's highway rating of this executive sedan, and it's no stretch. In fact, on a trip down the California coast to the San Diego area, I averaged better than our car's particular stated rating. My test model was the all-wheel drive version (Mercedes dubs that 4Matic, and BlueTEC is the brand's wording for "diesel"), rated at 27 mpg city/38 highway. But in our trip we averaged 42 mpg on the highway, the same EPA number as a rear-drive model. And yet for this 5-passenger luxury sedan's frugality, we never felt like the car was cutting corners. In every other facet, this E-Class had the comfort, quietness and overall refinement expected in Mercedes' executive sedan.