Mercedes-Benz E-Class (Germany, 2009-present)

At the 2013 NAIAS Mercedes presented the facelifted E-Class. Besides the new sedan and estate versions, the make unveiled the E-Class Coupe and E-Class Cabriolet. The coupe and cabriolet will replace the CLK Coupe and Convertible in the Mercedes lineup.

The E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet wear the new nose from the rest of the E-Class range with integrated headlights with LED running lights.  

The cars also get more aggressive front bumpers with a more pronounced V-shape and larger air intakes. The rear fenders are slightly pushed out to give the car a sportier look. Neither of the new cars has a B-pillar, which makes the car a little more like CL-Class.

The E-Class Cabriolet gets a specially insulated soft top that Mercedes claims gives the car the lowest interior noise in its class. It also has an optional Aircap and Airscarf system to make passengers more comfortable while driving. The Aircap is a wind deflector that deploys automatically above 40km/h, and Airscarf warms passengers’ necks while driving.

Mechanically, these two cars are identical to the new sedan with the same six petrol and three diesel engines and availability of 4matic all-wheel drive. Power ranges between 170hp and 408hp.

The new cars also get the same new safety features as the sedan and estate.  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.


E63 AMG

The latest AMG model in the lineup is the new E63 AMG that is available in three trims - base, 4Matic and S. All of the cars are powered by Mercedes' 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 557hp and 531lb-ft (720Nm) and a seven-speed transmission. The S model is only available on the 4Matic car, and power gets boosted to 585hp and 590lb-ft (800Nm).

The car gets a unique front end with a twin blade radiator and new front air dam. The interior gets standard AMG door entry sills, AMG sport pedals and LED headlights.

Even the standard cars get a boost of 32hp and 14.75lb-ft (20Nm) over the unrefreshed E63 AMG.

The standard E63 AMG takes 4.2 seconds to get to 100km/h with a 250km/h limited top speed. It uses 9.8l/100km (24mpg) and emits 230g/km of CO2.

The 4Matic car has the same amount of power as the standard car, but acceleration to 100km/h takes 3.7 seconds for the sedan and 3.8 seconds for the estate. It uses 10.3l/100km (23mpg) for the sedan and 10.5l/100km (22mpg) for the estate. The sedan emits 242g/km of CO2 and 246g/km of CO2 for the estate.

The 4Matic cars send power with a 33:67 front-rear split.

The E63 and CLS 63 are the first non-SUV AMG models to get 4Matic all-wheel drive as an option, but it plans to offer all-wheel drive on the upcoming A45 AMG and the CLA 45 AMG.

As with any Mercedes, the list of options is as long as your arm. Performance options include larger, ceramic brakes. There are also two carbon fiber packages, a black trim package, carbon fiber engine cover and upgraded Bang & Olufsen radio.

AMG S Models

The S Models represent an even more powerful evolution of AMG models, and the new specification is debuting on the CLS63 AMG 4Matic and E63 AMG 4Matic in sedan and estate form for both cars. Both cars use Mercedes' 5.5-liter twin-turbocharged V8 tuned to 585hp and 590lb-ft of torque (800Nm). That is a 28hp and 59lb-ft (80Nm). Fuel consumption is exactly the same as the 4Matic models at 10.4l/100km (23mgp) for the CLS or 10.6l/100km (22mpg) for the CLS Shooting Brake and 10.3l/100km (23mpg) for the E-Class or 10.5l/100km (22mpg) for the E63 AMG Estate. Both cars take 3.6 seconds to get to 100km/h for the sedan versions and 3.7 seconds for the estate versions and have an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h.

The extra power comes from increasing the turbos' boost pressure from 0.9 bar to 1.0 bar.

The cars also get AMG sport seats, silver seat belts, partially Alcantara steering wheel and a speedometer that goes to 320km/h.

The w212 generation of the E-Class was launched in 2009. Overall, all cars are more fuel efficient and come with more safety and comfort technology.

The sedan was the first to be announced in January and launched in the market in March. It was followed by the Coupé presented in February and launched in May. The Estate was announced in August and launched in November and the Convertible was presented in December and launched in March the following year.

According to Mercedes-Benz, the W212 E-Class Saloon is the world’s most aerodynamically efficient luxury saloon, since they managed to reduce the drag coefficient to 0.25. This is reflected also in the consumptions that are down up to 23%.

The Estate was market as being the “Intelligent (E)state-of-the-art”. The convertible was described as the “4-seater for all 4 seasons”.

Sedan and Coupé

Some of the new features w212 E-Class cars have are:

• more efficient cars, consumption has dropped up to 23%
• optional Adaptive High Beam Assist and automatic emergency braking, which is activated when there is acute danger of a collision.
• intelligent bodyshell technology with up to 30 per cent greater rigidity,
• improved seats
• newly developed suspension whose shock absorbers automatically adjust to the current driving situation.
• optional airmatic suspension works together with an electronic damping system.
• standard ATTENTION ASSIST system, which monitors more than 70 parameters to determine a driver’s level of concentration and warn the motorist in time if he or she is suffering from fatigue.
• light & sight package that includes bi-xenon headlamps, the Intelligent Light System and LED daytime driving lights.

Estate

• top marks for load capacity and ease of operation
• nine airbags as standard, plus innovative driver assistance systems
• adaptive damping and self-levelling rear suspension
• choice of ten engines with more output and lower consumption

Convertible

• The AIRCAP® automatic draught-stop: always on board and easily controllable at the push of a button, it reduces turbulence substantially for all four seat occupants
• The modified AIRSCARF® neck-level heating system
• The acoustic soft top fitted as standard

Sedan

• Diesel

The diesel engines of the W212 feature common-rail direct injection, fast piezo-
electric injectors, improved exhaust gas recirculation and a
twin turbocharger.

The E 250 CDI with 204 hp and 500 Nm sees an improvement of 60 Nm of torque over the previous E 280 CDI V6 diesel engine, but uses around 23 per cent less fuel returning 53.3 mpg (combined NEDC consumption). This corresponds to 139 grams of CO2 per kilometre.

The new four-cylinder diesel engine also powers the E 220 CDI with 170 hp and the E 200 CDI with 136 hp which also have combined fuel consumption figures of 53.3 mpg (available late summer 2009).

The top model in the new E-Class diesel range is the six-cylinder E 350 CDI with an output of 231 hp, which returns 40.9 mpg on the combined cycle, a 2 mpg improvement over the previous E 320 CDI.

• Petrol

The Petrol engines, E 200 CGI and E 250 CGI, are equipped with the four-cylinder direct-injection engine with a displacement of 1.8 litres, turbocharging and variable intake and exhaust camshafts. The E 200 CGI (184 hp) is equipped with a six-speed manual transmission and the ECO start/stop function as standard, and returns 41.5 mpg of petrol (combined NEDC consumption, provisional figure). This equates to 159 grams of CO2 per kilometre.

In the E 250 CGI (204 hp), which has a five-speed automatic transmission as standard, maximum torque is now 310 Nm, which represents an increase of more than 26 per cent over the previous V6-engine.

At the same time the NEDC fuel consumption is reduced by over 20 per cent to 38.1 mpg, equating to 175 grams of CO2 per kilometre (provisional figures).

As before, the E 350 CGI with direct petrol injection (292 hp) and the top-of-the-line E 500 (388 hp) are included in the range of engine variants in the new E-Class. Developments have improved the fuel economy on these V6/V8 models by up to 1 mpg.  As a product from Mercedes-AMG, the new high-performance E 63 AMG develops 525 hp.

The V6 and V8-models are equipped with the seven-speed 7G-TRONIC automatic transmission and steering wheel Direct Select lever as standard.

All E-Class models feature Direct Control suspension with Avantgarde and Sport models featuring 15mm lowered suspension as standard.

Coupé

• Diesel

The diesel in the E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupé is the top-of-the-range unit in the new generation of Mercedes-Benz four-cylinder engines, which are notable for features such as two-stage turbocharging, precise piezo injectors and the latest common-rail technology. The engine has an output of 150 kW/204 hp and develops a maximum torque of 500 newtonmetres which is available from just 1600 rpm. This means that it is some 36 percent more powerful than the four-cylinder diesel in the preceding model yet consumes 17 percent less fuel: 5.1 litres per 100 kilometres (combined NEDC consumption, provisional figure). This corresponds to a carbon dioxide emission level of 135 grams per kilometre.

The turbocharged V6 diesel engine with common-rail direct injection remains in the line-up. Fitted in the E 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupé, it develops 170 kW/231 hp (previously: 165 kW/224 hp) and consumes 6.8 litres per 100 kilometres (combined) in the NEDC cycle. Its carbon-dioxide emissions are 179 grams per kilometre.

• Petrol

Mercedes-Benz has also chosen to move over to direct-injection technology for its petrol engines. The E 250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupé is a newly developed four-cylinder direct-injection unit with 150 kW/204 hp and a five-speed automatic transmission as standard. This engine makes do with 7.2 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres (combined NEDC consumption, provisional figure). CO2 emissions are 167 grams per kilometre. This is some 13 percent less than the figure for the previous four-cylinder engine (135 kW/184 hp) with conventional fuel injection.

Mercedes-Benz has replaced the previous V6 petrol engine with the world's first six-cylinder unit featuring spray-guided direct petrol injection in the new E 350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Coupé. This engine develops 215 kW/292 hp – an extra 15 kW/20 hp – and consumes about 14 percent less fuel than the previous V6 engine: its combined NEDC consumption per 100 kilometres is just 8.5 litres. This corresponds to 199 grams of CO2 per kilometre.

In the top-of-the-range model, the E 500 Coupé, the muscular V8 engine with 285 kW/388 hp and 530 newtonmetres of torque offers the performance characteristics of a sports car. Mercedes engineers have enhanced details of the eight-cylinder unit, reducing the fuel consumption (compared to the preceding model) by 0.5 litres to 10.9 litres per 100 kilometres (combined NEDC consumption). All the engines in the new E-Class Coupés meet the EU5 exhaust emission standard.

Estate

Diesel:

• E 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY: 4-cylinder in-line, 2143 cc, 125 kW/170 hp, 5.7-5.8 l per 100 km, CO2 150-153 g/km, 6-speed manual transmission
• E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY: 4-cylinder in-line, 2143 cc, 150 kW/204 hp, 5.7-5.8 l/100 km, CO2 150-153 g/km, 6-speed manual transmission
• E 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY: V6, 2987 cc, 170 kW/231 hp, 7.0-7.3 l/100 km, CO2 185-192 g/km, 7-speed automatic transmission

Petrol

• E 350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY: V6, 3498 cc, 215 kW/292 hp, 8.6–8.9 l/100 km, CO2 200-208 g/km, 7-speed automatic transmission
• E 500: V8, 5461 cc, 285 kW/388 hp, 11.1–11.2 l/100 km, CO2 258-260 g/km, 7-speed automatic transmission

The following additional models are available from the first quarter of 2010 onwards:

Diesel

• E 200 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY: 4-cylinder in-line, 2143 cc, 100 kW/136 hp, 5.7 l/100 km, CO2 150 g/km, 6-speed manual transmission
• E 350 CDI 4MATIC BlueEFFICIENCY: V6, 2987 cc, 170 kW/231 hp, 7.6–7.7 l/100 km, CO2 200-203 g/km, 7-speed automatic transmission

Petrol

• E 200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY: 4-cylinder in-line, 1796 cc, 135 kW/183 hp, 7.7 l/100 km, CO2 179 g/km, 6-speed manual transmission
• E 250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY: 4-cylinder in-line, 1796 cc, 150 kW/204 hp, 8.0-8.2 l/100 km, CO2 185-191 g/km, 5-speed automatic transmission
• E 350 4MATIC: V6, 3498 cc, 200 kW/272 hp, 10.2-10.3 l/100 km, CO2 238-241 g/km, 7-speed automatic transmission

Convertible

• E 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Cabriolet: 125 kW (170 hp)
• E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Cabriolet: 150 kW (204 hp)
• E 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Cabriolet: 170 kW (231 hp)
• E 200 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Cabriolet: 135 kW (184 hp)
• E 250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Cabriolet: 150 kW (204 hp)
• E 350 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY Cabriolet: 215 kW (292 hp)
• E 500 Cabriolet: 285 kW (388 hp)

In 1995 the E-Class was the first Mercedes model to appear with the highly acclaimed twin-headlamp face – a highly symbolic design feature that still characterises the identity of the E-Class. The designers have now reinterpreted these four "eyes" as rectangles.

The radiator grille has a three-dimensional chromed surround, dynamic arrow-shape and a more upright position.

Sedan

The sedan comes in two design and equipment lines. The ELEGANCE line lives up to its name with a decidedly elegant, classic appearance. This is in part due to additional features such as a chrome-plated radiator grille with four silver-painted louvres, 16-inch light-alloy wheels in a ten twin-spoke design, burr walnut trim and stylish ambient lighting with fibre optics that frame the dashboard and door panels.
In contrast the AVANTGARDE line shows the E-Class in a decidedly modern and innovative light. This is ensured by additional standard features such as bi-xenon headlamps with the Intelligent Light System and LED daytime driving lights, LED technology for all the rear lights, 17-inch light-alloy wheels in a five twin-spoke design, a special, lowered suspension setup, ambient lighting and the instrument cluster in a sporty tubular design. This model variant is also distinguishable by its different bumper design and a chrome-plated radiator grille with three glossy, black louvres.

• AMG Sedan

In the AMG sports packagethey include bumpers and side skirts in an AMGdesign, sport seats with enhanced lateral support, contrasting decorative seams in the seats and armrests, a three-spoke sports steering wheel with shift paddles, a black roof lining, a lowered sports suspension , perforated disc brakes with the Mercedes logo and 18-inch light-alloy wheels in an AMGdesign.

The Exclusive package includes a wood/leather steering wheel, the roof lining, pillar claddings and sun visors in Alcantara, the seat upholstery, armrest and door panels in nappa leather, an attractively lined dashboard with decorative seams and velours floor mats.

Coupé

The new E-Class Coupé offers an initial line-up of five engines, three suspension variants, a wide choice of colours and six different wheel/tyre combinations. The basis for configuring the look and feel of the Coupé is provided by the ELEGANCE and AVANTGARDE interior concepts.

• AMG Coupé

AMG bodystyling includes the contours of the AMG front apron with large air intakes, AMG side skirts and the expressive AMG rear apron with a black insert. High-sheen 18-inch AMG light-alloy wheels in a 6 twin-spoke design with wide-base tyres in size 235/40 R 18 at the front and 255/35 R 18 at the rear provide further highlights. The AGILITY CONTROL sports suspension with a stiffer spring, shock absorber and stabiliser setup is combined with large, perforated brake discs at the front, plus brake callipers with Mercedes-Benz lettering. Perfect road contact is ensured by the sports speed-sensitive steering with a more direct ratio.

The interior features include upholstery in black ARTICO man-made leather. Leather or the particularly exclusive nappa leather is also available in a wide range of colours. Multicontour seats for the driver and front passenger provide the best possible adjustment to personal comfort preferences.