2017 Mercedes-Benz E-class: All In the Family
Every brand has its darling. For BMW, it’s the 3-series. At Honda, it’s the Accord. And for Mercedes-Benz, it is the E-class, the popular and prolific mid-size luxury car that’s been buttering the bread in Stuttgart for nine vehicle generations, soon to be Ten. But despite its crucial position in the product range, the E-class was last in line among Benz sedans to get refashioned in Mercedes’ fresh “Sensual Purity” design language that did wonders for the S-class in two thousand fourteen before the C-class adopted it one year later. The outgoing E-class did receive a major restyling for two thousand fourteen to hold it over before replacement, but now the long wait for the fresh car is over. The all-new, “sensually purified” two thousand seventeen E-class has made its official debut at the two thousand sixteen Detroit auto display.
With the arrival of the two thousand seventeen E-class, we find that the signature look for this generation of Mercedes-Benz cars is no less beautiful in size medium. While its predecessor appeared rather stiff, even after the mid-cycle update, the fresh car’s cab-rearward profile, fluted bod sides, and gently sloping tail convey a relaxed elegance. Lovely tho’ it may be, little about the E-class’s design actually cracks much fresh ground. All of the signature identifying marks—grille, headlamps, taillamps, and windows—are translated more or less verbatim from the other Benz sedans. The E-class shows up to have moved the needle inwards the lights, however, with futuristic LED matrix headlamps (unlikely for the U.S.) and fresh “stardust effect” taillamp illumination, but it may take an eagle’s eye to tell the E-class apart from its siblings until you’re close enough to read the badge.
Unsurprisingly, today’s size-medium Mercedes is larger than before, with a considerable Two.6 inches added inbetween the axles and 1.7 inches of length added overall. Height and width are each down by fractions of an inch, while the wheel sizes are up to nineteen and twenty inches in diameter. The E-class will be suggested once again in Luxury and Sport flavors, the latter getting a two-bar grille and no rubber hood ornament instead of the traditional chrome grille and stand-up three-pointed starlet, as well as more aggressive fascias.
Naturally, the E-class has stepped up its game inwards, as well. The heightened sense of occasion is conveyed by the intricate upholstery patterns, metallic accents galore, and LED ambient lighting in sixty four available colors. The sweeping upper dashboard mirrors the design of the S-class, which horizontally joins two displays under a single glass panel. All E-class models will get at least one 12.3-inch high-resolution screen for use by the COMAND infotainment system; higher-spec models utilize a 2nd large screen for the instruments, while base models get conventional round gauges tucked behind a sleek glass pane. Dramatic, full-width wood veneers span the dash and proceed onto the door panels, while below the four circular air vents is a curvy center console à la C-class.
Mercedes did not provide a comprehensive list of standard and optional features, but it’s safe to say that the two thousand seventeen E-class will suggest no shortage of optional spoils beyond the 23-speaker Burmester sound system, heated armrests, and dramatic color schemes we already know about. One interesting standard feature is a freshly designed steering wheel that uses puny, touch-sensitive control pads on the upper spokes with horizontal and vertical swipe functionality, like thumb-sized smartphones. (We attempted it. Read more here.)
Tech-E
The two thousand seventeen E-class shows up to break the most ground in suggesting a bewildering amount of technology features, some of which are not even suggested on the S-class—yet. To shortly recap, the list includes semi-autonomous driving, autonomous lane switches, a system that uses your cell phone as the car key, and, in certain markets (likely not here originally), driver-supervised autonomous parking. Mercedes’ auto-braking system has been enhanced to operate under more screenplays, including pedestrian avoidance, while a fresh evasive steering-assistance system can add a calculated amount of steering torque during emergency maneuvers. In the event that the car is about to be broadsided, the front side bolsters can inflate to budge the occupant more than two inches away from the influence zone. And perhaps most significantly, the E-class is the very first car to market with a car-to-X communication system that will be able to report accidents and road hazards to a central computer system, which in turn can warn fellow motorists with compatible systems.
The two thousand seventeen E-class is set to arrive here this summer in E300 form only, powered by Mercedes-Benz’s ubiquitous Two.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing two hundred forty one horsepower and two hundred seventy three lb-ft of torque. Power is sent to the rear or all four wheels via a nine-speed automatic transmission. Overall weight is said to have dropped by about one hundred fifty pounds, thanks to extensive use of aluminum and high-strength steel via the bod, including the fenders, rubber hood, and trunklid. The E-class will suggest a choice of sport or convenience suspensions with selectable dampers, with an active air suspension optional. The E-class also gets the Dynamic Select system that permits the driver to tailor the vehicle’s dynamics and powertrain behavior to his or her liking.
The E-class family will grow considerably in the coming months and years, albeit Mercedes did not formally confirm timing. Beyond the unavoidable Mercedes-AMG E63 model, a sportier E450 AMG is also likely, as are plug-in-hybrid and diesel versions. The redesigned wagon (to be suggested in AMG form once again!) could arrive by year’s end, and all-new E-class coupe and convertible models are expected during the two thousand seventeen calendar year.
We have yet to drive a production-spec model, but based on our time railing in an E-class prototype, we’re optimistic that the 10th-generation E-class will prove worth the wait.
