The Mercedes E220D Auto Saloon AMG Line is a giant of a car and I’ve just had the pleasure of taking it on an extended road trip with my wife Gaynor.

I’ve never driven Mercedes-Benz before and was keen to experience the legendary performance and comfort It’s renowned for and I have to say, I wasn’t disappointed, from the dealership experience to the on road performance, I’m delighted to say I was wowed all the way!

The E220D is a big car, four doors, 5 seats, huge boot and all driven by a 1950cc diesel engine producing 195bhp, which effortlessly eats up the miles on a long journey, and I did three. The first leg, 120 miles on motorway, then 220 miles on and off motorway and finally 180 miles mainly motorway and on the final leg the on-board computer told me we’d achieved 64mpg, which I thought was awesome considering the size of the car.

As well as its unquestionable comfort, the drive was effortless, with 9 gears in the automatic box, acceleration was smooth and swift and the road holding on twisty country lanes was remarkable and the in car noise levels were so impressive that I didn’t appreciate it until I took a phone call via hands free on the motorway and the sound quality and ability to hear made it sound as though the person at the other end of the line was actually sitting in the car!

Now I’m no motoring journalist and I’ve already said I haven’t driven Mercedes before but I know quality, comfort and performance when I see it and this weekend we certainly saw and experienced all three, both me as driver and Gaynor as passenger couldn’t help but be impressed.

The car is packed with gadgets and toys and in such a short space of time it wasn’t possible to try everything and it’s fair to say that there were one or two things that took a bit of getting used to, like the drive selection stalk on the steering column and the cruise control and speed limiter control, also on the column but by day two I was fluent and enjoying effortless driving across country and along motorway and couldn’t help but be impressed that the fuel gauge didn’t seem to be falling at all, as the ample tank, which I’d expected to have to top up at least once was coping enviably. In actual fact we averaged 54mpg across the whole trip.

As it was summer, I never did actually drive the car in the dark, which was a shame, as I wasn’t able to fully witness and enjoy the in car ambient lighting, which boasts a choice of 64 different colours, subtly filling the cab with gentle shades of light to suit your mood!

In conclusion, the car was a dream to drive, as witnessed by the number of times I’ve used the word ‘effortless’ above and along with the impressive performance, the price tag at well under £40k, with great deals for business users makes it a sure contender for any business owner or executive looking for something more than just a car!

Thanks again to Tommy Hall and Mercedes-Benz & Smart of Bolton who loaned us the vehicle and who will be very happy to discuss your vehicle requirements and can be contacted by phone on 01204 545555 or e-mail: thomas.hall@marshallweb.co.uk.