The full reveal of the updated Mercedes E-Class isn't happening yet. But the luxury automaker has put together an interesting preview event with prototypes in Nevada. It's there that we got our first taste of the new interior.
Now, the German brand has released about several official photos of these lightly camouflaged prototypes. But we actually got a lot more information from the preview video of Autogefuhl, especially since Mercedes didn't provide a single interior shot.
The W213 E-Class family came out about four years ago and already had cutting-edge interior features that weren't yet available on the S-Class. However, they've changed a lot of the important stuff once again. For example, our attention was immediately drawn to the design of the new sports steering wheel, one of five which will be available. This is important because the next-gen W206 C-Class and W223 S-Class should share these parts.
It's a sharp design with much thinner spokes and a narrower center. Everything is done in black, including the spokes and the buttons controlling the two infotainment screens. Speaking of which, all E-Class models will now get dual 10.25-inch displays whereas the old model could have a crappy analog system on the left for cheaper configurations.
Mercedes also saw fit to reveal some of the engines which will be offered. The headline-grabber is that seven PHEV models will be part of the E-Class family. Some see this as a big deal, but it's just one or two per body style.
The test prototypes are fitted with a new 2-liter turbo mild-hybrid making 272 PS (268 hp). While most E-Class models will have some kind of fuel-saving technology, the applications will be market-dependent. For example, in Europe, the EQ Boost 22 horsepower (15kw) electric motor will be integrated between the engine and gearbox for better boost and coasting while America will have it externally, belt-driven.
The E-Class will receive a lot of safety systems, including Active Traffic Jam Assist, Active Steering Assist, Active Brake Assist with cross-traffic function, Active Blind Spot Assist, and the Parking Package with a 360-degree camera. Similar to Tesla's Sentry Mode, an Urban Guard feature will offer all-around monitoring when the vehicle is parked.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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