Our men with long spy lenses were able to keep up with this interesting looking Mercedes-Benz prototype that was undergoing high-speed testing at the Nurburgring track. At a glance, this looks like just another next-gen C 63 AMG, but if you look closely at its lines you'll discover that it has flared wheel arches.
That's because this isn't an AMG C-Class, but the next generation of the mid-size E-Class executive car, due out in 2016. It will ride on a winder and longer version of the MRA platform that underpins the W205 and will come with new powertrains and tech features.
MRA is short for Modular Rear-wheel drive Architecture, but that's just a cool name to give some of Mercedes-Benz's models a sense of commonality. The next E-Class will actually be much larger than the C-Class and will feature even more advanced technologies. It could also be the first Benz in many years to use an inline-six engine that's part of a larger family of modular mills.
Reports suggest there will be at least two versions of the 3-liter inline-six, producing 367 PS and 435 PS respectively. A diesel with slightly less displacement, 2.9 liters, will be offered as a twin-turbo making 315 PS and 405 PS. Plug-in hybrid versions and a couple of AMGs will be part of the rage as well.
Since the E-Class received a major reboot in 2013, costing the company a billion euros to develop, the all-new sedan won't be ready until 2016 or later. Many other MRA-based models could be launched until that time, including the second-generation GLK and potentially even a coupe version of that.
MRA is short for Modular Rear-wheel drive Architecture, but that's just a cool name to give some of Mercedes-Benz's models a sense of commonality. The next E-Class will actually be much larger than the C-Class and will feature even more advanced technologies. It could also be the first Benz in many years to use an inline-six engine that's part of a larger family of modular mills.
Reports suggest there will be at least two versions of the 3-liter inline-six, producing 367 PS and 435 PS respectively. A diesel with slightly less displacement, 2.9 liters, will be offered as a twin-turbo making 315 PS and 405 PS. Plug-in hybrid versions and a couple of AMGs will be part of the rage as well.
Since the E-Class received a major reboot in 2013, costing the company a billion euros to develop, the all-new sedan won't be ready until 2016 or later. Many other MRA-based models could be launched until that time, including the second-generation GLK and potentially even a coupe version of that.