Bentley Continental 1957

I have now (February 2004) had the new Merc � �00 E430 estate, 27K miles - for ten days and covered about 500 miles. So time for my initial impressions, I think.

Yes, I like it!

Comparisons are inevitable, the most obvious ones being with the one which preceded it � �95 E280 estate W124, bought in 1999 with 57K miles on the clock, sold with 117K, so run for almost exactly 60K miles / five years; and with the BMW � �99 528i saloon � which we have now had for just over a year.
Compared to its predecessor, it is in very many ways a better car, as indeed it should be � faster, sharper handling, better gearbox (with one more speed), even smoother and more refined (which is saying a lot, because the last one was exceptionally good in this area), with lots more labour-saving / convenience / safety devices.

In a few (admittedly minor) ways, it is not so good. The main of these (and this does concern me) is the cabin finish / fittings. Compared to the vast majority of cars on the road, the interior of this car is a sumptuous and beautifully appointed place to sit. Some of the fittings, however, do not give me quite the same feeling of quality as the W124 and fall short of BMW standards, too. It just isn�t quite as �special� as it ought to be.

Then there are the little details. Gone is the third sun-visor above the interior mirror, long a Merc trade-mark and a wonderful demonstration of good sense (the engineer) triumphing over economy (the accountant); ditto the asymmetric door mirrors, an equally excellent example of Teutonic logic (the engineer again) triumphing over fashion (the stylist) in design. Finally the slim, wand-like gear lever, with the plain but elegant knob, has given way to a stubby affair, with an unnecessary �Avantgarde� badge on it. OK, so I am nit-picking, but all of these things add up to a change of attitude in Stuttgart, that coincided with a change of identity (as Daimler-Benz became Daimler Chrysler, RIP Karl Benz, one of the founders of the motor car industry, move over and let Walter take your place).

And while I am being negative, the seats. The old ones were covered in a variety of very hard-wearing cloth (not a sign of wear after almost 120K miles speaks volumes) and the new ones are upholstered in leather. Both are extremely comfortable, but the former really held you in your place, where the latter leave you feeling that you are about to slip off.

So, having given my new car a good slating, what can I say that justifies the not inconsiderable expense of �trading up�?

For starters, there�s that engine. The 280 is a hard act to follow, with an extremely refined straight-six twin overhead cam engine (one of my all-time favourite configurations) of great quality that is well up to the job of moving a large estate car around with remarkable speed. The 430, however, is in a different league, making the 280 seem as rough and underpowered as the average diesel, with a creamy-smooth 4.3 lire V8, which turns out 275 bhp and 295 ft lbs of torque and propels this large, heavy car to 100 mph in a shade over 15 seconds. Now, that may not bear comparison with my 911, but it is faster than my other E-type (Jaguar) and as fast as my Bentley Turbo R. And, indeed, that is a good comparison � they are both large, heavy cars, that do a damn good job of impersonating the best of sports cars, while offering the accommodation of a large, comfortable drawing-room (the Merc furnished in contemporary fashion, the Bentley with fine antiques).

At no time do you feel that you are being hurled forward with indecent haste � the engine is too quiet and effortless for that � but you do find yourself arriving at bends rather faster than you had anticipated, so it is comforting to discover that the brakes and the handling are well up to the job of knocking off the speed and hauling you round the corner, respectively.

Once again, I was a very satisfied customer when it came to the 280�s autobox, but that in the 430 is oodles better. The changes really are almost imperceptible and, while the older car repaid some intelligent stirring of the lever, the 430�s box does the thinking for you. For the record, it is a five-speeder, with well spaced ratios and a high top gear which makes for very relaxed cruising (the ton comes up at a smidgeon over 3,000 rpm), and may also account for the fact of almost identical fuel consumption to the 280. The gearbox is of the �adaptive� type and it does indeed interpret your requirements very well. Although it has a �tip-function�, it is not a tiptronic gearbox in the manner of a Porsche or BMW � it controls the range of gears available for automatic shifting, rather than selecting individual gears in the fashion of a clutchless manual. Nor does it have a �sport� mode (relying, quite satisfactorily in my view, on the �adaptive� bit for that), but it does have a �winter� mode, suited to use on slippery surfaces. So, it makes no pretensions to having a dual identity. It is an automatic gearbox only, albeit a highly sophisticated one - and a darned good one, too.

The handling is a great improvement on the 280. Much sharper, much sportier, but without any loss of ride quality - it still soaks up bumps as though they just didn�t exist. This is in part due to the fact that, being the �avantgarde� version (what a silly name � why is this nonsense necessary?), it has sportier settings & a lower ride height; and in part due to the tyres � Dunlop SP Sport 2000 235/45 on 8J x 17 alloys (in a nice, easy to clean 5-spoke �cup� style, unlike the BMW�s, which are a car cleaner�s nightmare).

The steering is excellent � light at low speeds, but well-weighted at higher speeds, it gives just the right amount of feel and allows you to place the car exactly where you want it to be at all times.
And in this general department, as well as ABS (which came with the old car) and Brake Assist (which didn�t), it has a full Electronic Stability Programme � a sophisticated form of traction control. And it works. Instead of feeling as though it is inflicting a sudden loss of power half way through a corner � which our BMW is inclined to do and a Bentley Arnage which I tried recently did too � it merely moderates the power delivery to each wheel progressively and you just stay on the road instead of ending up in the ditch.

So, on the primary safety front, it is a considerable improvement over the old car. Same goes for secondary safety, as we get a whole heap more airbags (in doors and above windows), though still none in the A pillars, like the BMW has.

Unlike some Japanese, Korean and even British cars, which �come with everything as standard�, the basic price of a Merc is only the starting point. A properly specced car will cost at least 25% to 30% more than the base price. Which is one reason why those of a parsimonious disposition don�t buy Mercs. And the more fool them, for, as the late Sir Henry Royce was prone to say, the quality will be remembered long after the price has been forgotten (well, he would, wouldn�t he!). A flashy Daeotabushi or MG-Rover with all the goodies may look like a good deal, but own a well-specced Merc for a year or two and you will know what a good deal is.

It is also a reason why there is a lot of under-equipped Mercs on the second-hand market. A 430, however, is a pretty rare bird (so many Merc buyers opt to follow the example of the Stuttgart Taxi fleet and buy a car that runs on the same stuff farmers put in their tractors, or buy an underpowered cheapie, so that they can say �I�ve got a Mercedes� over a half of lager & lime down at the Ferret & Radiator). Apart from the fact that many of the items which were options for cars lower down the range came as standard on the 430, the sort of chap who was prepared to pay out for one in the first place, was less inclined to stint on the extras. Certainly the first owner of mine seems to have been fairly liberal with the options list.

Among the more useful of the toys are:

Rain-sensing wipers that work, so you really can just �set & forget�.

Seats which adjust every which way by a host of electric motors and can store up to three different settings for both driver and passenger, together with the positions of the door mirrors and the steering column (which adjusts electrically for both rake and reach), make finding and subsequently recalling the ideal seating position an easy task.

Door mirrors that fold back at the touch of a button are very handy in narrow lanes and multi-storey car parks.

A passenger door mirror that adjusts downwards to give a good view of the kerb when reverse gear is engaged, is also a useful gizmo.

Radar front and rear to help with parking at close quarters is a boon to one-eyed monsters like me (no stereo vision to help me judge distances).

Self-dipping interior and driver�s door mirrors also get my vote.

The two rear-facing seats that live under the boot floor to make this a seven-seater without any loss of boot space when it's a five-seater (unlike the average SUV � Silly wUzzock�s Vehicle), are a favourite with my seven year old daughter, who loves riding in them, pulling faces at the driver of the car behind. We had these in the last Merc, but they now come with their very own cupholders (making a total of 6, including the 2 that pop out of the drop-down armrest in the centre of the middle row of seats)!

And on the subject of seats, the two built-in booster seats in the middle row seat cushions which pop up when required, are a very neat idea.

And the multi-function steering wheel that controls among other things an excellent radio / cassette / six-stack CD system, is not only convenient, but a major contributor to safer driving.

Finally, let�s end on a low note � the looks! Not only is the W124 a much better looking Merc*, but the super-elegant 5-series BMW that sits next to it in our drive really does make the E430 look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Which makes it all the more extraordinary that BMW have now chosen to reverse the situation by replacing the most beautiful car in its class with the ugliest car in the world.

*One year on, the W210 looks better than the W124, but my views on the BMWs are unchanged!

And two years (and 35,000 miles) after buying this car, I am convinced that, as an all-round proposition for everyday use, it is the best car in the world: well-equipped, fast, refined, comfortable, spacious, safe, reliable and versatile, it is equally at home doing the school run as the grand tour - what more can I ask for?