New Mercedes E-Class Puts Emphasis on New Safety Tech

MercedesMercedes-BenzGermany, 1924 > present197 models
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has revealed the refreshed 2013 E-ClassMercedes-Benz E-Class Gen.5Germany, 2009 > present345 versions
755 photos
, and the first thing that everyone is going to notice is that for the first time in two-and-a-half generations the headlights are unified into a single unit. Mercedes has also added new engines and assistance technology to the refresh. The refreshed sedan and estate versions will be released simultaneously.

The E-Class will be offered with six petrol engines, four with 4Matic all-wheel drive, and three diesel engines, two with 4Matic. All engines come with start/stop.

The new engines include two tunes of Mercedes turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with either 184hp or 211hp. The 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 is also new with 252hp.

The new E-Class is available with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic.

The new design emphasizes the front of the car. It still appears that there are two lighting units separated by LED running lights. Mercedes is also offering the E-Class with two different grills. On the basic trim and Elegance trim, the car has a 3-louvre grill with the Mercedes star on the hood. The Avantegarde trim gets the star in the middle of the grill like on Mercedes more sporty models. Moving the all of the lights to the headlights means a new, minimalist front bumper. At the rear, a new trim strip runs along the cars’ side to the taillights, which Mercedes says makes the car look longer. The taillights have been turned to be more horizontal with LED elements to make the car look wider.

Inside, Mercedes updated the material quality and took the opportunity to give the car a slight redesign. The dashboard gets a new, two-part trim that is available in wood or aluminum. The instrument panel has a new three-pod layout; it also reworked the center stack with moved air vents and an analog clock.

Mercedes is pushing the boundaries of safety technology in the refreshed E-Class.  It gets a front-mounted, two-camera system that scans the road up to 500 meters ahead. The image from these cameras is sent to the safety systems for processing, and the information is used by the Collision Prevention Assist system, adaptive braking, active lane keeping, adaptive headlights, parking assist, traffic sign detection and other safety systems.

Options on the refreshed E-Class include automatically opening doors and trunk, COMAND Online infotainment system with a 17.8cm screen and Internet access and more.

"With the new E-Class we are setting down clear markers in the areas of safety, design and efficiency. It brings lots of technical innovations to the road and is without doubt the best E-Class ever. This is also reflected in its design and lovingly revised interior. As a result it brings a breath of fresh air to the luxury class,” said to Dr Joachim Schmidt, head of safety at Mercedes-Benz.