Photo: SB-Medien
After only a few years on the market, Mercedes is giving the E-Class family a refresh, and the first model has been spied undergoing winter testing. It's the spearhead of the series, a normal sedan, and it has both its extremities covered up.
Mercedes takes winter testing seriously. Even though conditions aren't that harsh yet, putting its cars to the test like this sets the German brand apart from the likes of Tesla. No frozen door handles or windows that don't work here.
So far, most of the changes seem to be concentrated around the front end of the W213 sedan. There, changes revolve around a new set of headlights, which seem inspired by the recently launched CLS-Class four-door coupe. Mercedes seems to be pulling back the grille and adding less fussy elements.
Of course, this is just an early prototype. Most Mercedes models test for at least a year before the launch, plenty of time for more elements to be revised. The Arctic mission also reveals designers are working on brand new taillights because the ones the car has right now are provisional.
The sedan and its sisters already have a bunch of good powertrains which will be carried over, including the base turbo four-cylinders, the AMG twin-turbo inline-6, and the V8 as well. In America, the V6 is very likely to be dropped for a straight-six like the one in the CLS 450. Also, it's possible that Mercedes could be developing more hybrids since this is what the market seems to want.
Also, since the E-Class facelift will arrive roughly at the same time as the all-new S-Class, the tech will be shared between the two, the autonomous stuff. Inside, the most significant upgrade is expected to be the MBUX system. Mercedes needs to do everything it can to compete with the brand new Audi A6, and the interior is a hotly contested battleground.
So far, most of the changes seem to be concentrated around the front end of the W213 sedan. There, changes revolve around a new set of headlights, which seem inspired by the recently launched CLS-Class four-door coupe. Mercedes seems to be pulling back the grille and adding less fussy elements.
Of course, this is just an early prototype. Most Mercedes models test for at least a year before the launch, plenty of time for more elements to be revised. The Arctic mission also reveals designers are working on brand new taillights because the ones the car has right now are provisional.
The sedan and its sisters already have a bunch of good powertrains which will be carried over, including the base turbo four-cylinders, the AMG twin-turbo inline-6, and the V8 as well. In America, the V6 is very likely to be dropped for a straight-six like the one in the CLS 450. Also, it's possible that Mercedes could be developing more hybrids since this is what the market seems to want.
Also, since the E-Class facelift will arrive roughly at the same time as the all-new S-Class, the tech will be shared between the two, the autonomous stuff. Inside, the most significant upgrade is expected to be the MBUX system. Mercedes needs to do everything it can to compete with the brand new Audi A6, and the interior is a hotly contested battleground.
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