Mercedes Benz E320 Saloon

Mercedes-Benz E-Class 320 Saloon
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Mercedes-Benz E-Class



The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a range of executive cars manufactured by German automaker Mercedes-Benz in various engine and body configurations. Produced since 1953, the E-Class falls midrange in the Mercedes line-up, and has been marketed worldwide across five generations.
Before 1993, the E in Mercedes-Benz nomenclature was a suffix following a vehicle's model number which stood for Einspritzmotor (German for fuel injection engine). It began to appear in the early 1960s, when that feature began to be utilised broadly in the maker's product line, not just in its upper tier luxury and sporting models. By the launch of the facelifted W124 in 1993 fuel-injection was ubiquitous in Mercedes engines, and the E was adopted as a prefix (i.e., E 220) and the model line referred to officially as the E-Class (or E-Klasse). All generations of the E-Class have offered either rear-wheel drive or Mercedes' 4Matic four-wheel drive system.
Historically, the E-Class is Mercedes-Benz' best-selling model, with more than 13 million sold by 2015. The first E-Class series was originally available as a four-door sedan, five-door station wagon, 2 door coupe and 2 door convertible. From 1997 to 2009, the equivalent coupe and convertible were sold under the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class nameplate; which was actually based on the mechanical underpinnings of the smaller C-Class while borrowing the styling and some powertrains from the E-Class, a trend continued with the C207 E-Class coupe/convertible which was sold parallel to the W212 E-Class sedan/wagon. With the latest incarnation of the E-Class released for the 2017 model year, all body styles share the same W213 platform.
Due to the E-Class's size and durability, it has filled many market segments, from personal cars to frequently serving as taxis in European countries, as well special-purpose vehicles (e.g., police or ambulance modifications) from the factory. In November 2020, the W213 E-Class was awarded the 2021 Motor Trend Car of the Year award, a first for Mercedes-Benz.



Model Description

This is a 1:18 Scale die-cast with some plastic parts. This model from Sun Star continues this manufacturer's highly detailed models it produces. A model that is detailed in every section. Compared to other more glamorous models, there's less. This is a model that examines one of Mercedes Benz vehicles that was a big seller in what would be described as basic. Its detail shows the vehicle that you as a purchaser would see as if you were out buying the real thing.

The Body
The first thing that you will notice when you pick this model up is that it's a heavy model. This is due to the fact that its die-cast body is quite large. It's a 4-door saloon with only the front doors opening. Both the bonnet and boot open. One detail that one notices straight away is that the bonnet does not open properly to allow you to inspect the engine. The other opening parts, like the opening 2-door, open quite wide, and the Conclusions allow you good access to the interior. The boot also lifts up but like the bonnet could open wider. The paintwork is flawless, with no cracks , bubbling or any cracks anywhere on the body. Just a note of warning, you must be careful in respect of that Mercedes Benz emblem on the hood. Being finely made to its scale, it is fragile and can break easily. All other parts like the front and rear lights, window wipers have a good fit with no problems, with additional parts such as the radiator grill, external mirrors and the antennae on the roof firmly attached. Again the need for care as not to break them. The wheels with their tires and in this case normal rims with wheel covers, these vehicles in the Mercedes Benz class are built for the volume market.

The Interior
The interior is true in every detail as the real vehicles. The use of a soft felt type feel to the front seats to the floor mats add to the authenticity of this model. As we are unable to view the tear of the interior we cannot see if this continues in the bact. One of the rare faults in this model's interior is the lack of seatbelts which I would have expected. The door panels are one would expect, but again a small fault in that details such as door handles are hard to see as they are plastic moulded. The centre console between the front seats shows wood grain finish with the gear lever and also shows the switches.The dashboard continues up to the dashboard with incredible detail that shows the air-condition controls with the radio and CD player. An extra feature is the inclusion of a mobile phone remarkable retail considering its size. The instrument module shows all of the instruments in great detail. Steering wheel turns the front wheels and is very detailed like the indicator lights.

The Engine
With the bonnet not being able to open properly, details of the engine are very hard to see. But what detail you can see is an engine that shows off its potential. It has only 2 engine parts in a different colour than the actual black colour of the engine. It however has a Mercedes Benz logo in silver on the engine head You can clearly see it has been made in one piece with the 2 smaller parts added separately. I would have thought more attention should have been spent on this section of the model.

The Trunk/Boot & Undercarriage
The boot floor has the soft felt type plastic, but shows little else. The spare tire is located under this floor mat so there is nothing that makes it more interesting than other models. Underneath is a little better with the bottom of the gearbox shown. The exhaust has been done in great detail that includes the catalytic converter which shows the remainder of the exhaust continuous to the exhaust pipes. The suspension on the rear of the car is a lot more detailed than the front. Never having seen the underside of this vehicle, exactly how it should look I cannot comment. But one of the things that impressed me was that it did not use that chrome colour that so many others use. This was a more subtle colour that is way more natural.

The Conclusion
This is a well constructed model. And just like a real Mercedes Benz well made. But it has its faults. It's built to a price rather than for the serious collector. What would I have done differently? For a start this is a 4-door vehicle, and I would have made it that and not a 2-door. I would have made both the bonnet and boot/trunk lids open a lot wider. The interior apart from not accessing the rear seats everything is okay. The engine could be more detailed with minor components such as other plastic white parts you would see on the real vehicle. I would make the actual engine the same colour as used on the exhaust system. It is in my opinion not the best model to display. Only 2 out of 4 doors opening as well as both the bonnet and boot not opening properly, it cannot reveal that good interior which is its saving grace. This is a vehicle built for the mass market but it still is a Mercedes Benz which is a vehicle made to quality rather than quantity. So I feel that this model fails to give that impression. I will give it a 4.0 / 5.0. Robin Finlay 05/04/2023.