Mercedes E-Class facelift
Passenger ride in updated executive favourite
MORE than one million examples of the E-Class have been sold since 2016, so there’s a lot riding on this facelifted version from a commercial perspective. It’s a comprehensive update, too; Mercedes has revised the car’s engines, safety kit and cabin, taking a risk rather than playing it safe.
Ahead of the car’s official debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, Auto Express joined the development team in a late prototype to find out what’s new.
The big changes are under the bonnet. Mercedes will use the E-Class facelift to introduce a pair of new 48-volt mild-hybrid petrol engines. The lower-powered system comprises a turbocharged 2.0-litre fourcylinder engine as well as a compact integrated starter/generator, developing a combined output of 288bhp.
A more powerful mild-hybrid petrol set-up will also be available, comprising a 362bhp turbocharged 3.0-litre straightsix petrol engine and an identical 20bhp 48-volt starter/generator. Performance and economy figures for the pair of engines have yet to be confirmed for the E-Class, although they both feel smooth enough from the passenger seat.
Elsewhere, the shift to Mercedes’ latest MBUX infotainment system adds a host of welcome connectivity features. The MBUX set-up’s menus are more logically laid out than they were in the old E-Class, and it offers a range of input methods, including touch, gesture, trackpad and voice control.
The sat-nav system is also leaps and bounds ahead of the outgoing car’s. It features augmented-reality graphics, which project an image from the car’s forward-facing camera onto the screen in real time, making it easier for the driver to find the correct junction without taking their eyes off the road.
The updated E-Class has also adopted a raft of new safety kit. Highlights include Mercedes’ latest active cruise control and blind-spot monitoring systems that now warn the driver when nearby vulnerable road users, such as cyclists or bikers, are at risk from an opening door.
“The new mild-hybrid petrol engines feel smooth enough from the passenger seat”