Due to be released at the Detroit Motor Show in January (and I would imagine in RHD at the Bangkok International Motor Show at the end of March) will be the face-lifted Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
According to M-B, as well as the revised styling, there are up-dated engines and a host of other features. The most obvious, however, is at the front of the car with the corporate grille included in this restyling.
The up-dated engines include a new turbocharged 2.0 liter unit in two states of tune: 135 kW in the entry level E200 and 155 kW in the E250. Performance figures are 0-100 km/h time of 7.9 seconds, combined cycle consumption of 5.8 L/100 km for the E200 with the E250 returning zero to 100 km/h at 7.4 seconds and the same 5.8 L/100 km.
E-Class Mercedes-Benz.
Moving up-market even further is a 245 kW twin-turbocharged 3.0 liter V6 petrol engine in the E400 model with 0-100 km/h in 5.9 seconds. There is also the carry over twin-turbocharged 4.7 liter V8 in the E500 returning 0-100 km/h in 5.2 seconds.
Top of the performance E-Class models will be the E63 AMG, with its twin-turbocharged 5.5 liter V8 engine. Performance figures are not available yet, but expect sub-5 second times for the zero to 100 km/h sprint.
There will also be diesel options with the E220 CDI returning 4.7 L/100 km through a seven-speed automatic and a theoretical range of up to 1278 km on the E-Class’ 60 liter fuel tank.
Among the new safety systems incorporated on the new mid-range Mercedes-Benz is collision prevention assist, a radar-based collision warning system with the ability to brake the car to reduce the severity of an impact. Also on board is a revised version of attention assist, which is now able to warn of drowsiness across a wider speed range.
A range of new and/or improved optional systems includes Distronic plus with steering assist that helps to keep the car centered in a chosen lane and tracks traffic jams. That should keep the electronics busy in Bangkok and Pattaya these days.
There is also a brake assist plus system with junction assist that is able to detect cross traffic and pedestrians and boost the braking power if insufficiently applied by the driver to avoid an impact.
The two systems are made possible by the adoption of a stereo camera positioned behind the windscreen with the mounting for the rear-view mirror. It records two sets of images at an angle of 45 degrees that produce a three-dimensional view of the area up to around 50 meters in front of the vehicle, allowing the various systems to react faster than with the previous camera arrangement.
How many of these new features will be incorporated in the E-Class models due to be released here, I do not know, but since the local cars will most likely be built at Sindelfingen initially, you might be in luck.
