The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a vehicle that is properly built and is one of the most "sexy and stylish" four-door saloons available on the market, according to Richard Hammond.

Writing in his column for the Daily Mirror, the Top Gear presenter stated that "if it was the last car you could own you’d be well-chuffed to live with it until you fell off your twig".

The car tested by Hammond was a black Mercedes-Benz E250 with a sports trim and came with a new 2.2-litre diesel engine with four cylinders and two turbochargers.

This engine allows the car to accelerate to 62 miles per hour from still in 7.2 seconds, although Hammond commented that the feeling within the car is that the speed is being achieved much faster.

Meanwhile, drivers can benefit from being able to achieve 47.1 miles per gallon of fuel, while the E-Class also comes equipped with a large amount of technology.

Hammond specifically pointed out the active bonnet system, with the car’s bonnet being raised automatically by 50 millimetres if an impending impact is detected.

Other safety technologies include Attention Assist, which warns a driver if it appears they are falling asleep behind the wheel.

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