Remember the funky-looking Mercedes-Benz E-Class W213 mule we showed you last week? Of course you do, especially since some of you needed further proof that the longer and wider C-Class W205 body was actually hiding a future E-Class underneath.
Well, as it turns out, the prototype was caught again later on, this time while being trashed on the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
Despite the mule using a a camouflaged AMG bodykit, it is clearly not a full-on AMG model by looking at the ground clearance and its cornering stability on the Green Hell.
Along with the presence of a much longer hood, this detail makes us believe that not only the suspension comes from the upcoming E-Class W213, but the powertrain as well.
Since there have been some rumors about a new family of inline six and four-cylinder engines in development at Mercedes-Benz – especially for the next generation of their E-Class model – we have a feeling that one of the new straight-six gasoline engines is actually being tested in this exact model.
The most recent reports suggest that the lowest-powered variant will have somewhere north of 360 hp, while the top-spec should deliver at least 435 hp – all from a displacement of three liters and with the help of two identical twin-scroll turbochargers and direct injection.
Until Mercedes-Benz unleashes the first pre-production prototypes of the 2016 E-Class W213 with heavy camouflage, you should probably get used to seeing this odd-looking C-Class W205 mule and other similar models, especially since both the W205 and the upcoming E-Class W213 are based on the MRA (Modular Rear-wheel drive Architecture) platform.
Despite the mule using a a camouflaged AMG bodykit, it is clearly not a full-on AMG model by looking at the ground clearance and its cornering stability on the Green Hell.
Along with the presence of a much longer hood, this detail makes us believe that not only the suspension comes from the upcoming E-Class W213, but the powertrain as well.
Since there have been some rumors about a new family of inline six and four-cylinder engines in development at Mercedes-Benz – especially for the next generation of their E-Class model – we have a feeling that one of the new straight-six gasoline engines is actually being tested in this exact model.
The most recent reports suggest that the lowest-powered variant will have somewhere north of 360 hp, while the top-spec should deliver at least 435 hp – all from a displacement of three liters and with the help of two identical twin-scroll turbochargers and direct injection.
Until Mercedes-Benz unleashes the first pre-production prototypes of the 2016 E-Class W213 with heavy camouflage, you should probably get used to seeing this odd-looking C-Class W205 mule and other similar models, especially since both the W205 and the upcoming E-Class W213 are based on the MRA (Modular Rear-wheel drive Architecture) platform.