By Jonny Lieberman
June 18, 2008 -
All good things come to those who wait for Geneva. Hot on the heels of the redesigned (thankfully) S- and C-Class Mercedes comes MB's new bread und butter. (The E-Class is still Western Europe's taxicab of choice). Set to debut in 2009 as a 2010 model, the new E-Class should continue Mercedes' trend of quality uber-alles, especially when it comes to interiors (reliability is in the eye of the warranty holder). Like all Benzes, the big news is the choice of engines. Starting with a turbocharged four-pot good for a measly 184hp (though not in the States), motor options continue upwards in both displacement and power. Expect our base engine to be a direct-injected V6. We may also get a 354hp torque-monster diesel and of course the tire-detonating 6.3-liter V8 in the AMG version, good for at least 550 hp (if not more). One year after launch, MB will offer a hybrid E-Class. A wagon, too. Prices should remain in the "four years at a private liberal arts school" bracket.
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June 18th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Set to debut in 2009 as a 2010 model, the new E-Class should continue Mercedes’ trend of quality uber-alles, especially when it comes to interiors (reliability is in the eye of the warranty holder).
They’d better…The interior quality/materials of the current E is not great, the previous S and C weren’t either. I’m not completely convinced yet by the new C interior (also depending on trim), although it’s definitely a big step up and it seems Audi and BMW are now going the other way, strangely enough, so it’s about on par with those I think, which is good.
We may also get a 354hp torque-monster diesel
That would be a V8 then (BMW’s I6 Biturbo diesel in my opinion is pretty much at it’s production engine performance limit at 286HP, so I doubt Merc will find another extra 70 HP for a six, also; Merc’s current V8 diesel has 314 HP) but then again that would be strange because I read they (Merc AND BMW) were going to discontinue V8 diesels (which would be a good thing too).
June 18th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I see more C-Classes than Es as taxis in Western Europe. It’s also interesting that Western Europe’s equivalent of Manhattan’s ubiquitous “black cars” (Lincoln Town Car limos) is the S-Class with the smallest possible engine, whatever that is in Europe.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:12 am
Taxicab of choice? In Berlin, fair enough, here (Newcastle, UK) my ride home from work tends to be a Skoda Octavia/Superb or a Peugeot 407..
June 18th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
beeb375:
Newcastle’s Europe like burgers are fancy.
Wilkinson — In my experience taxis are Es while car services are Cs.
And if you’re ever sick of, you know — breathing, hail a cab in Lisbon.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
I work for a car service part time in France and we’ve got a 2007 E-Class with the 2.8 CDI in Avantgarde trim. (Sorry Jonny, we don’t own any C Classes)
Let me just say: Greatly disappointed.
I’ve never really been a Merc fan, but admired them for what they were, but this E Class is just a big waste of 50K € (in France at least). Nothing’s really “wrong” with it (actually the autobox is pretty shitty…no car should take a half-second to think about accelerating), but the car just a multitude of mediocrity, the leather’s fine, the plastics are fine, everything’s just fine but for that coin it should significantly better than fine.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Jonny, not sure what your experience is, but since my first trip in 1957, I’ve been to Europe alone probably 300 times…and I’ve certainly never seen a C-Class car-service vehicle. And I still think there are way more C-Class taxis than Es.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
JJ: That would be a V8 then
No; both MB and BMW are dropping their V8 diesels for twin-turbo diesel I6’s. They make all the power they need, are lighter, and more efficient.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Sweeet.
So, I gather it’s new then, eh? Totally new, new?
June 18th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
No; both MB and BMW are dropping their V8 diesels for twin-turbo diesel I6’s. They make all the power they need, are lighter, and more efficient.
Yah…I kind of stated that after my that would be a V8 then comment…
That’s why I was surprised about the 354HP figure…BMWs I6 Biturbo diesel manages 286HP. I doubt Merc all of the sudden can find 70 more.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Stephan Wilkinson: Only a dozen or so times across the pond. And I’m… younger than you are. But I’ve seen more E-Class taxis than any other.
Could be I don’t notice the C-Class…
That said — the two times I’ve taken a car service in Europe they were both C-Classes.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Here in Finland the E-class was the most common at some point. Now i see BMWs, Audis Volvos, Skodas, Toyotas(inc. prius), Peugeots, pretty much everything.
And i would have to agree with whoever said the E-class interior is nothing special. Creaking door handles anyone? The new C is not great either. And at least the standard seats in MBs are rock hard and uncomfortable.
June 18th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Jonny….that tire detonator “6.3″ is actually only 6.2 liters…MB marketing at its finest.
June 18th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
I’m excited for when this baby comes out because all of the current E-classes will depreciate ever MORE! Right now, 2003’s are around 20k. I’m waiting for a 15k E320, then I’m trading in my ‘09 Camry.
June 19th, 2008 at 3:36 am
Wait I’m confused… four years at a private liberal arts school is like a solid 170-80K. Is that how much this new E-Class is gonna cost?