2001 Mercedes-Benz E-Class E240 Elegance review from UK and Ireland

There is only really one niggling fault with the car. Sometimes when you are driving along, three warning messages come up in rapid succession. They are:

ABS

BAS

ESP

Following the computer's advice, I took my car to the dealership where they found that the sensors were loose. The dealer promptly fixed this.

However, these messages still come up from time to time, and since I'm not going to bother with these persistent niggling faults any more, I just ignore them.

On the bright side, though, the car is very quiet, smooth and comfortable.

Long journeys aren't a problem - the seats give excellent support, so you don't get tired driving the car.

There is a surprising lack of road, wind and engine noise which makes for a pleasant journey.

Reading other reviews, I noticed that a lot of people have a problem with worn or hard leather seats. Not a problem for me, since my car has cloth seats.

The car's performance is satisfying taking into account the size and weight of the vehicle. Although the manufacturer claims a 0-60 time of 10.0 seconds, under full acceleration, the E240 feels much quicker than that.

Handling is great and although the car is no BMW 5 Series, It's still more than adequate for my needs.

Build quality is very good, although not quite up to Benzes of old.

There is a huge amount of space for passengers, front and rear. The car is wide, has plenty of head and legroom, and the boot is also a very usable size.