Mercedes-Benz E-class Unveiled with Power and Panache

 Mercedes-Benz unveiled its new E-class cars Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit with all the panache you might expect of the luxury automaker. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler, said the E stood for emotion, efficiency and extra intelligence. He touted the line's looks and digital features, which are "paving the way to autonomous driving." On Sunday night, the automaker unveiled a concept with hints of its anticipated CLA-class sedan at the Westin Book Cadillac.

Mercedes' E-class luxury sedan and station wagon are getting substantial updates to compete with the Audi A6, BMW 5-series and Lexus GS. A new, 2.5-liter four-cylinder diesel engine replaces the previous 3.5-liter V6 to deliver high fuel economy, 190 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. V6, hybrid and V8 models will also be available. Visual changes include optional LED headlights, broad LED taillights that emphasize the cars' width and two grille designs, one of which incorporates Mercedes' three-pointed star. A new character line along the sides echoes the profile of the SL roadster and SLS super car. Available features include a binocular camera mounted behind the rear view mirror that generates a 3D image for safety systems to identify vehicles and pedestrians.

The E-class sedan and wagon also get a stop-start system that shuts the engine off when idling to save fuel. A seven-speed automatic transmission is standard.

Mercedes' smaller E-class coupe and convertible share a number of the improvements, including the binocular vision, LED lights and stop-start. The coupe and convertible are available with either a 302-horsepower V6 or 402-horsepower twin-turbo V8. In addition, the automaker also showed off the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG, a high-performance midsize sedan that goes on sale this summer.

Mercedes' E 63 AMG super sedan and wagon add an S-model featuring all-wheel drive and an outrageously powerful 5.5-liter bi-turbo V8 that produces 577 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque.

Courtesy of Detroit Free Press