Updated Mercedes E-class previewed.

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Mercedes’ current E-class (W212) is now four years old. Launched in 2009, both internationally and in India, it is soon set to receive a mid-life update. Mercedes normally gives its models a fairly substantial facelift halfway through their life cycle, and all-new engines are also introduced by the German company at the same time.  

One of the major styling updates will be the return to two headlights instead of the current four. There will also be a new front bumper, grille and bonnet, which will mean the new E will look quite different from the current car. Other substantial changes include rear door skins, wings and tail-lamps. 

The new E-class retains the basic interior architecture of the current car, while efforts have been made to improve quality. Even higher-grade materials, more supportive seats, new instrument graphics and switchgear, and an improved multimedia system have all been adopted.

New engines to be added to the line-up internationally include the M274 (essentially the same as the transversely-mounted M270 units in the B-class, but re-engineered for longitudinal mounting and rear-wheel drive).The turbo-petrol engines will include a 156bhp 1.6 for the base E 180 and a 2.0-litre motor that makes 181bhp, 208bhp and 248bhp in the E 200, E 250 and the new E 350 respectively. In India, we could get the E 250 and the E 350. A new twin-turbo 335bhp 3.0 V6 will feature in the new E 400 – it makes 34bhp more than the normally aspirated E 350’s earlier unit. The 2.1-litre turbodiesel will continue with 134bhp, 168bhp and 201bhp in the E 200 CDI, E 220 CDI and E 250 CDI respectively - the 220 and 250 diesels are slated for India. A 3.0-litre V6 diesel that makes 227bhp and 261bhp will power the E 300 and E 350 CDI.
 
There are new hybrid options as well, based on the diesel-electric E 300’s unit, which could use a nine-speed automatic gearbox, and a petrol-electric E 400 hybrid. But none of these will make their way here.
 
Chassis tweaks could include Mercedes’ advanced new Magic Ride adaptive damping, which uses a camera to scan road conditions ahead, but again, the cars for India are expected to continue to use coil springs as opposed to air springs. 

New safety features are likely to include revised Distronic cruise control and Brake Assist, both with anti-collision systems.

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