Following its online unveil on the eve of Detroit Motor Show, the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class finally made its public debut.
Its design is not a surprise anymore as it shares most of the lines with the C-Class and S-Class, while the interior brings a lot of goodies that include a 12.3-inch navigation display screen combined, in the US, with the traditional gauge cluster. However, the full-digital instrument panel is believed to be offered as well.
The touch-sensitive control buttons found on the steering wheel seem to be a latest thing these days as Audi mentioned them on another Detroit debut, the H-Tron Quattro study. Mercedes talked about the LED ambient lighting too, the Car-to-X communication system that exchanges info via mobile phones with other vehicles on the road, and the Remote Parking Pilot, making use of a smartphone app to move the car into and out of garages and parking spaces… remotely.
The platform used on the BMW 5-Series competitor underpins the C-Class and S-Class as well, but in terms of size, the W213 (codename) is 1.7in (43mm) longer compared to the car it replaces, but it’s also lighter as well.
As far as the engine lineup goes, there will only be a single powertrain for North America at launch, a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder gasoline unit producing 241hp (245PS) and 273lb-ft (370Nm) of torque, on the E300. However, expect the three-pointed star to offer more engines on the new E-Class by the end of the year.
It’s a little too soon to talk about its price, but in the weeks to come, Mercedes will probably shed some light into this chapter too.
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