Three words that explain this car: white, wired, wonderful.

WHITE. The paint is a clean, luminous pearl white that glows against the black glass, black grille and dark alloys like a tuxedo shirt under evening lights. The face of the facelifted E Class is all intent: a field of chrome diamonds around the three pointed star, slim LED headlights with a sharp amber signature, black gloss inserts in the AMG Line bumper and a lower lip that sits low and purposeful. The multi spoke AMG alloys fill the arches with real presence, and above it all sits a panoramic sunroof framed in black, so the roofline has a sleek, two tone finish. In a parking lot full of silver and grey, this one looks like it dressed for the occasion.

WIRED. Open the door and the E200 turns into a technology lounge. Black leather seats with fine pale stitching hold you in properly, the front ones are electrically adjustable with memory style switches on the door, and the cabin lines flow in one continuous sweep from door to dashboard. The steering wheel is the new generation Mercedes design, flat at the bottom, wrapped in perforated leather and carrying touch sensitive controls on both spokes for cruise control, speed limiter, audio, calls and the digital displays. Behind it, a vast widescreen dashboard shows a crisp digital driver display and a second large screen beside it, with the EQ power flow gauge telling you in real time when you are driving on electric assist. Brushed metal vents ring the cabin like jewellery, the centre console carries a textured touch surface, and a camera and sensor package keeps an eye on your surroundings, including a bird’s eye view of the car on the display. This is a cabin that looks like the future and feels like a private club.

WONDERFUL. The engine is the surprise. Under the bonnet sits a 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine with EQ Boost, which is Mercedes’ mild hybrid system. A small electric motor adds a quiet push when you pull away and recovers energy when you slow down, so the car feels smoother, quicker off the line and more efficient than the number 1.5 would suggest. Paired with a refined nine speed style automatic gearbox, it glides away from the lights with calm authority and settles into a highway cruise so quiet that conversation is effortless. The E Class has always been the saloon for people who like their luxury discreet, and this one carries that tradition into the modern era with a smaller, smarter engine.

AND WORTH SAYING OUT LOUD. A 2021 model means the facelift, the new steering wheel, the widescreen cockpit and the latest safety and driver assistance technology, all in a car that is already past its steepest depreciation. This is a Mercedes E Class at a point where the first owner has paid the hardest part of the price and the next owner gets the best part of the car.

Who is it for? The executive who wants a saloon that arrives before they do. The entrepreneur who knows a three pointed star opens doors. The family that wants a refined, spacious and safe long distance car. And the careful buyer who has been looking for a white E Class with black leather and a panoramic sunroof.

White, wired, wonderful, and waiting. Book a viewing, sit behind that new steering wheel, open the sunroof and take it for a drive. Fair warning, the first time you hear how quiet it is, you will start planning excuses to drive further.