Meet the most powerful E-Class that Mercedes-Benz makes and it is an elegant beast of sorts since it has a huge 3.0-litre 6 cylinder petrol engine with 380hp and 500Nm. Yes, the E450 is the fastest E-Class with a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds while importantly it also has AWD. Yet on the outside it looks like a normal new E-Class LWB although a closer look reveals the (fake) dual exhaust tips, AMG wheels and a new front-bumper.
Yet it is not as aggressive as an E53 or E63 AMG since it is a standard E-Class and comes in a long wheelbase. The standard E200 is not slow at all but the E450 is indeed much faster and immediately feels like a different car. There is plenty of power and when you put your foot down, it moves like a bullet train with loads of torque. It is effortless power and with AWD you can actually make full use of those horses.
As a result, it feels like a much smaller car and feels more athletic. The engine also has a nice soundtrack when driven hard although it is still restrained since it is an E-Class after all. The way it moves is surprising but equally so is the ride quality which has not been affected. It is still smooth and rides brilliantly with Mercedes-Benz resisting the temptation to give lower profile tyres as instead it sticks to 18 inchers. As a result, it is smooth and a perfect luxury car but has loads of power when you want it.
Even the fuel efficiency at 8kmpl isn't bad at all. The rest of the car is standard E-Class with the new tech focussed cabin with even a selfie camera for zoom meetings while it has a superb 4D audio system too amongst others. The rear seat experience is top-class with extendable thigh support, chauffeur package and even automatic sun blinds although ventilated seats or massage is missed. BMW doesn't offer a six cylinder 5 Series in petrol yet and Mercedes-Benz is the only one offering it which means if you want performance along with luxury, the Rs 92.5 lakh that they are asking for the E450 is pretty good value.