Mercedes E200 Top Speed Run Shows Not All Base Models Are Slow

The E63 is nice and all, but how many can actually afford it?

Depending on where you live, the entry point into the Mercedes E-Class family can vary. In the United States, the base model is the E300 with a turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline engine developing 241 horsepower. At home in Germany, the midsize luxury sedan starts off with the E200 model, which has to make do with only 181 horsepower or about as much as my humble Skoda Octavia. Does that make the base E-Class underpowered? Not at all.

The folks behind the YouTube channel AutoTopNL take all sorts of cars for top speed runs, and recently they hopped onto the driver’s seat of an entry-level E-Class to do the same. For a big sedan that weighs almost 1.6 tons (3,200 pounds), the performance it delivers is not half bad. Sure, it’s no E63, but let’s keep in mind the massive price difference between the two: €64,712. That’s right, you could get two €45,696 E200 sedans and you’d still have about €19,000 to spend on options to reach the €110,408 starting price of the standard E63.

Using a smartphone app serving as a data logger, the sedan was clocked in at 8.73 seconds for the 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) sprint or about one second more than what it says in the official specs sheet. It eventually reached 233 kph (145 mph) or 7 kph (4 mph) shy of the 240-kph (149-mph) quoted top speed. While the E200 won’t be taking down anytime soon the Nürburgring record for the fastest sedan, for the majority of normal drivers it should deliver more than adequate performance.

As you’ve probably seen already, spy shots have revealed Mercedes is testing a mid-cycle refresh for the E-Class lineup. The sedan was spotted the other day with camouflage on the front and rear fascias indicating a new look for the headlights and taillights, along with a slightly reworked front grille and some subtle changes to the bumpers. Expect the refreshed sedan to hit the market in 2020.

Video: AutoTopNL / YouTube

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