Source:Autonews
This new model’s arrival sees the introduction of a variety of innovative technologies to this important Australian new car segment, offering customers the latest in safety, comfort, and driving performance.
It also sees an extension to the German car maker’s First Choice strategy, which commenced with the local release of the current-model C-Class range in July 2007. This strategy offers buyers immense value from each new model range’s repositioned pricing and feature-rich standard equipment lists, and its application to the all-new E-Class range is expected to be received with the same popularity that has seen the C-Class hold a one-third market share in its segment even two years after its Australian release (according to VFACTS, June 2009).
The new E-Class sedan will be in authorised Mercedes-Benz passenger car showrooms from July 29. The first models available will be the V6-powered E 350 sedan and the E 500 sedan, boasting the marque’s powerful yet efficient 5.5-litre 285kW V8 engine.
Essential facts about the new E-Class sedan.
All-New Model
The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class is an all new model (code W 212) and replaces the outgoing W 211 version (released in Australia in August 2002).
Development
Development work on the new E-Class involved 1,400 development prototype and pre-production vehicles. Only after years of factory-based simulation and testing, these vehicles departed the Sindelfingen works in Germany in 2005 and then covered 34 million kilometres in testing and development over four years, an astounding feat never before achieved by any other Mercedes-Benz model. This development distance is akin to circumnavigating the equator 850 times or making 88 trips between the Earth and the Moon.
Safety
The new E-Class is designed according to an extensive safety concept, making it arguably the safest car in its class. It underwent 150 in-house crash tests and 17,000 crash simulations before entering series production. Its passive safety arsenal is vast. Examples include a 30 percent increase in the rigidity of the body shell, aluminium and steel alloy structures specifically designed to channel loads in an accident impact, the PRE-SAFE® anticipatory occupant protection system, nine airbags, and four seatbelt pre-tensioners as standard. Active safety is extensive and sees innovative technologies appearing for the first time. These include:
ATTENTION ASSIST driver fatigue detection system;
Intelligent Light System with five different headlight functions;
Adaptive Highbeam Assist;
Lane Keeping Assist;
Blind Spot Assist;
DISTRONIC PLUS radar-guided cruise control (optional);
PRE-SAFE® Brake (autonomous emergency braking if there is an acute risk of an accident; Part of DISTRONIC PLUS);
Speed Limit Assist which can ‘read’ road-side speed zone signs (not yet available in Australia)
Engines and transmissions
The engines in the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class combine power, economy and environmental compatibility. Optimised torque output, reduced fuel consumption and lower exhaust emissions were the guiding principles in their development. The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class is available with three turbo-diesel engines and three petrol engines. The E 350 sedan, E 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY sedan and E 500 sedan come equipped with further optimised versions of the powerplant from the previous model series. Newly developed engines have been fitted to the E 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY sedan, E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY sedan and E 250 CGI BlueEFFICIENCY sedan. The engines and gearboxes available in the all-new E-Class are summarised below:
Exterior design
The unmistakable muscular design of the new E-Class has been created by skilfully redeveloping traditional Mercedes-Benz styling elements. The sedan’s image is striking and dynamic with more pronounced contours. The front end reinterprets the model’s famous twin headlamp face by shaping the headlights with bold contours. This characteristic was introduced in the W 210 model-series E-Class (1995-2002). The large upright radiator grille showcases the car’s arrow-shaped styling. The rear of the car continues this theme, with contoured rear guards and a muscular stance to emphasise an athletic impression. This year, readers of AUTO BILD magazine voted the E-Class sedan as the best looking car in the world.
Interior design
The interior of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class emphasises horizontal lines which mirror the exterior’s up-to-date, clear-cut design idiom. The use of finest grade materials and workmanship convey an impression of high quality, both in terms of look and feel. The new ambient lighting feature helps illustrate the spacious, high-quality interior of the E-Class. Individual rear seats can be specified from the factory.
Suspension and handling
The new E-Class comes fitted with DIRECT CONTROL suspension. The car’s dampers are amplitude-dependent, meaning their damping characteristics will vary between softer comfort- and firmer sports-orientation depending upon road surface and driving behaviour. Therefore, drivers have the best balance of comfort and handling available. AIRMATIC air suspension is fitted to the range-leading V8-powered E 500 which, for the first time, comes with an electronically regulated damping system. DIRECT CONTROL variable ratio power steering is fitted to all models as standard, as is Electronic Stability Programme ESP®.
BlueEFFICIENCY
Numerous specific features have been added to the new E-Class to further reduce energy consumption and maximise efficiency. These include:
Improved aerodynamics (the E-Class sedan has a drag coefficient of only 0.25, making it the world’s most aerodynamically efficient series production luxury sedan; as a comparison, the BMW 520d has a drag coefficient of 0.27, the Audi A6 2.0 TDI is 0.29, and the new Toyota Prius is 0.25);
Alternator management to minimise constant engine load;
Direct fuel injection;
Turbocharging;
Smaller engine displacements;
Radiator grille louvres to optimise aerodynamics
On-demand power steering pump to minimise constant engine load;
On-demand regulated fuel pump;
Tyres with optimised rolling resistance;
Air-conditioning compressor optimisation
Environmental certification
The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class has been awarded an environmental certificate by the German TÜV SÜD organisation. This environmental certification is according to ISO standard 14062 and involved analysing more than 40,000 individual environment-related processes. The ‘Design for Environment’ (DfE) process applied to the development of the new E-Class takes into account the time from the car’s development to eventual disposal and recycling.
Other Mercedes-Benz cars that hold this sought-after certification are the A-, B-, C-, and S-Class models. This year, the new GLK-Class was the first Mercedes-Benz SUV to be awarded this prestigious certificate.
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