Review: 2014 Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTEC 4MATIC

The last time we took a good look at the oil-burning Mercedes-Benz E-Class, it was sporting a couple of extra cylinders along with some extra weight. Well, what a difference a year can make. Following a reshuffling of the deck, the brand is back with a new and compelling four-cylinder diesel engine to motivate Mercedes’ stalwart midsize sedan.

Read along as we have a go-round with the updated version of one of M-B’s most intriguing offerings.

What is it?

The most efficient member of an E-Class lineup that includes numerous varieties of coupes, convertibles, estate wagons and sedans, the E250 BlueTEC is powered by a 2.1-liter inline four-cylinder turbodiesel engine with 195 horsepower at 3,800 rpm and 369 lb-ft of torque at 1,600 to 1,800 rpm. Quite torquey in its own right, the mill is mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddle shift levers. Power from this small-but-mighty engine gets to the ground through rear-wheel-drive, or as in the case of our test model, Mercedes’ well-received 4Matic permanent all-wheel-drive system.

The E250 BlueTEC rides on M-B’s agility control system of stroke-dependent damping, which is made up of a three-link setup with McPherson struts in front, and a five-link independent kit in the rear. Both ends are tied together with enclosed stabilizer bars. In the case of the E250 BlueTEC, it is calibrated closer to a sport, rather than luxury, setting. Speaking of sport, our tester included the E-class sport styling package with 17-inch sport wheels and 15mm lowered sports suspension and sport body styling. For added emphasis, it also included a rear decklid spoiler.

In addition to the sport package, our tester also included M-B’s Driver Assistant Package, which features eleven assists that have also made their way onto the top of the heap S-Class. The Intelligent Drive protocol now includes DISTRONIC PLUS with steering assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Active Lane Keeping Assist and PRE-SAFE Brake with Pedestrian Recognition. The brand’s Parking Assist Package with surround-view camera was also along for the ride.

From an entertainment standpoint, it included the Premium 1 Package, with navigation, a Harman/Kardon LOGIC7 surround-sound system, and SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Weather and Nav Traffic. Finally, the Lighting Package included Adaptive Highbeam Assist and full LED front lighting with active curve and corner illumination.

Let’s imagine for a second, that you are not of the diesel persuasion. That’s not a worry in the Mercedes-Benz playbook. In the sedan lineup alone, buyers who are not interested in diesel may select from the petrol-burning E350 4Matic six- and E550 4Matic eight-cylinder sedans, the E400 Hybrid, and the two glimmer twins, the E63 AMG Sedan and E63 AMG Wagon, both with 4Matic permanent all-wheel-drive. And that doesn’t even begin to cover the coupe and convertible models.

What’s it up against?

As a diesel-powered midsize luxury sedan, the E250 BlueTEC is up against the slightly more expensive BMW 535d and Audi A6 TDI. Both rivals feature six-cylinder motors that are more powerful but less efficient than the Benz’ four.

How does it look?

Looking more sleek and elongated due to a recent facelift, E-Class designers have dispensed with the shoulder like flairs that were part of the old model and added an extra sense of bulk to the rear quarters of that car. In its place is a more hunkered-down appearance, that when outfitted with the sport styling package side skirts, as our example was, takes on a new, more expressive appearance. The package also features a twin lamella with tri-pointed star in the center of the grill, in place of the standard hood ornament.

Since our BlueTEC Diesel was equipped with the value added lighting package, it was complete with full LED lighting and adaptive highbeam assist functionality. With this package it extended visibility considerably further, and managed to switch back to low beams when it encountered oncoming headlights. It’s sort of like a modern-day version of the electric eye-equipped Cadillac sedans of the early 1960s.

Still, if we had to sum up E250′s appearance in a word, it would be conservative. An AMG-flavored styling package would be a welcome offering for those seeking a more aggressive look.

And on the inside?

That conservatism continues inside as well. Although very comfortable, our gray leather upholstered front seats offered subtle bolstering which did manage to keep us in place during spirited driving. We enjoyed taking control of the nearly flat-bottomed steering wheel with its combination of wood and leather finery, which became the theme throughout the rest of the interior. A duo-toned black and gray dashboard carried that onward throughout the cabin for an added touch of elegance.

The beautiful black ash wood trim set up a nice contrast to the sports oriented white-faced gauge dials. The Mercedes COMAND system controller is the central focal point on the center console, while more than 44 buttons on the center stack also vie for the driver’s attention. Grown up pieces like aluminum trim and a square face analog clock exist to reinforce that feeling.

The rear seat offered plenty of legroom for those over six feet tall. The E250 offers 16.4 cubic feet of trunk space, and more, when the 60:40 rear seating is in the lowered position.

But does it go?

It most certainly does. With almost 400 lb-ft of torque from this little 2.1-liter four-cylinder turbo Diesel, it represents a much better return on investment than that found with the previous generation six-cylinder oil burner. Although not a rocket off the line with the 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, we were still nearly able to match the Mercedes-Benz 0 to 60 mph estimate of 8.1-seconds. And for those who are counting, we managed to exceed the EPA ratings by one mile-per-gallon respectively, hitting 28 city/ 39 highway mpg. The included ECO start/stop function probably had something to do with that.

And to a person, not one of our passengers realized that they were driving in a diesel-powered vehicle. That’s because the new BlueTEC engines from Mercedes-Benz no longer produce the telltale diesel clatter nor the sometimes pungent, yet curiously fragrant fumes of the same. It’s further proof that with the Ad-Blue urea additive to scrub the emissions, today’s modern diesels burn cleaner than ever.

The electromechanical speed-sensitive rack and pinion steering offered direction like some of the best in the business and transmitted good amounts of road surface feedback to the driver. Active lane keeping assist kept us within the lanes with almost no input from our hands on the wheel, bouncing from paint stripe to paint stripe to keep us going in our intended direction. That was until the system flashed a notice on the TFT screen within the gauges to tell us to put our hands back on the wheel.

At speed the interior offered a sense of quiet that again disguised there was an oil-burner under hood. Still, we were jazzed when we heard a subtle roar from the petite-but-powerful four-banger that let us know it was hard at work.

Leftlane’s bottom line:

Mercedes-Benz once again proves that a high-mileage car does not have to exist in a totally funky body shape. So good is its new E250 BlueTEC 4Matic sedan, that the only way some people would really believe it was a diesel was if they followed you to your local filling station to see which pump you fueled from.

2014 Mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTEC 4MATIC base price, $53,900. As tested, $68,005.

Sport Styling Package, no charge. Lunar Blue Paint, $720; Gray Leather, $1,620; Split folding rear seat, $440; Wood/Leather steering wheel, $590; Rear deck spoiler, $350; Premium 1 Package, $3,870; Lighting Package, $1,500; Parking Assist Package, $1,290; Driver Assist Package, $2,800; Destination Fee, $925.

Photos by Mark Elias.