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Mercedes E-Class Facelift Spied Undergoing Cold Weather Testing

The stylish Mercedes E-Class is nearing the middle of its life. Thus, a facelift is under development, and testing is currently taking place in Arctic conditions.
Mercedes E-Class Facelift Spied Undergoing Cold Weather Testing 3 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot/autoevolution
Mercedes E-Class Facelift Filmed Testing in the ColdMercedes E-Class Facelift Filmed Testing in the Cold
German automakers like to refresh their cars every three or four years. So while we might still see the W213 as classy and elegant, Mercedes wants to update its looks. Indeed, the whole E-Class range will be updated, even the mighty E63, which we saw for the first time only a day ago.

Development of any new Daimler car takes about two years, and work on the E-Class only began late last summer. So these are the first winter test, but not the last, as prototypes will be worked on into 2020. Even the slow-selling All-Terrain has been spotted, though not in Scandinavia.

Two sedans were filmed, both with their camo concentrated around the ends. The front features some inspiration from the CLS-Class, with narrower headlights and a protruding grille. Meanwhile, the back now has longer taillights, which is something also seen on the next-gen S-Class.

With the recent reveal of the GLC facelift, it's become obvious that Mercedes is doing change for the sake of change. You could say that Audi and BMW are doing a better job in this regard. Even though the oversized grilles are controversial, at least they get you noticed.

The nip and tuck will set this apart from the slightly older W213 model just in time for the German businessmen update their fleets. Of course, competition is also imposing progress on BMW, with rivals like the Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series appearing quite competent at the moment.

Mercedes is developing new tech for sure, but we just don't know what it is right now. One possibility is for Level 3 autonomy to be introduced as an (expensive) option.

The engine range is pretty nicely built up already, with numerous IQ Boost hybrids and a variety of powerful, efficient and smooth inline-6 units. Mercedes is currently working both on more powerful e-motors and batteries with about 100km range for PHEVs.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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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.
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