Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Manufacturer	Mercedes-Benz Magna Steyr (4MATIC only)
Parent company	Daimler AG
Production	1984–present
Predecessor	Mercedes-Benz W123
Class	Mid-size luxury car Executive car
Layout	Front engine, rear-wheel drive/Four-wheel drive

W124

Production	1984–1995
Assembly	Sindelfingen, Germany Bremen, Germany
Body style(s)	4-door sedan 5-door station wagon 2-door coupe 2-door convertible
Platform	Mercedes-Benz W124
Engine(s)	3.2L 217 hp (162 kW) I6 4.2L 275 hp (205 kW) V8 5.0L 315 hp (235 kW) (USA) 326 hp (243 kW) (Europe) V8
Transmission(s)	4-speed automatic 5-speed manual
Wheelbase	Sedan & Wagon: 110.2 in (2799 mm) Coupe: 106.9 in (2715 mm)
Length	Wagon: 188.2 in (4780 mm) Sedan: 187.2 in (4755 mm) Coupe: 183.9 in (4671 mm)
Width	68.5 in (1740 mm) E500 Sedan: 70.7 in (1796 mm)
Height	Wagon: 59.8 in (1519 mm) Sedan: 56.3 in (1430 mm) Coupe: 55.5 in (1410 mm) Convertible: 54.8 in (1392 mm) E500 Sedan: 55.4 in (1407 mm)
Curb weight	3927 lb (500E) 3826 lb (400E)

W210

Production	1995–2002
Assembly	Graz, Austria Sindelfingen, Germany Bremen, Germany Sindelfingen, Germany Zuffenhausen, Germany Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Body style(s)	4-door sedan 5-door station wagon
Platform	Mercedes-Benz W210
Engine(s)	3.0L 174 hp (130 kW) I6 3.2L 217 hp (162 kW) V6 4.3L 275 hp (205 kW) V8 3.2L 221 hp (165 kW) V6 [V8] 5.4L
Transmission(s)	5-speed automatic 6-speed manual
Wheelbase	111.5 in (2832 mm)
Length	Sedan: 189.4 in (4811 mm) Wagon: 190.0 in (4826 mm)
Width	70.8 in (1798 mm)
Height	Sedan: 56.7 in (1440 mm) Wagon: 59.3 in (1506 mm) AMG Sedan: 56.9 in (1445 mm)

W211

Production	2003–present
Assembly	Sindelfingen, Germany Bremen, Germany Sindelfingen, Germany, Stuttgart, Germany Zuffenhausen, Germany Graz, Austria Beijing, China Cairo, Egypt Pekan, Malaysia Tehran, Iran
Body style(s)	4-door sedan 5-door station wagon
Platform	Mercedes-Benz W211
Engine(s)	2.6L 168 hp (125 kW) V6 3.2L 201 hp (150 kW) I6 3.5L 268 hp (200 kW) V6 5.0L 302 hp (225 kW) V8 5.4L 469 hp (350 kW) V8 6.2L 507 hp (378 kW) V8 3.2L 221 hp (165 kW) V6
Transmission(s)	5-speed automatic 7-speed automatic 6-speed manual
Wheelbase	112.4 in (2855 mm)
Length	2003-04 Sedan: 190.3 in (4834 mm) 2005-06 Sedan: 189.7 in (4818 mm) 2007-Present Sedan: 191.0 in (4851 mm) 2004-06 Wagon: 191.7 in (4869 mm) 2007-Present Wagon: 192.3 in (4884 mm)
Width	2003-04: 71.3 in (1811 mm) 2005-present: 71.7 in (1821 mm)
Height	2003-06 Sedan: 57.0 in (1448 mm) 2007-Present Sedan: 58.4 in (1483 mm) 2007-Present Wagon: 59.3 in (1506 mm) 2004-Present Wagon: 58.9 in (1496 mm) AMG: 57.2 in (1453 mm)
Related	Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a range of executive-size cars manufactured by Mercedes-Benz in various engine and body configurations. The E initially stood for Einspritzung, (German for fuel injection); a new feature in volume production vehicles at the time that the E-Class first appeared, with the E as a suffix to the engine nomenclature (e.g. 220E) in the 1950s. It was not until the launch of the facelifted W124 that the E was used as a prefix (i.e. E220) and the model referred to officially as the E-Class (or E-Klasse). Due to the E-Class' size and durability, the cars also frequently serve as taxis in European countries, and Mercedes-Benz offers "taxi specification," as well as other special-purpose vehicles (e.g. police or ambulance) from the factory.

General information

The 400E and 500E went into production on August 6, 1991, as 1992 models.

The 1994 E500 production ended on June 24, 1994.

Production of the 1995 E-Class W124 ended on May 23, 1995.

Production of the 1996 E-Class began on July 17, 1995.

Production of the 2002 E-Class ended on February 20, 2002.

Production of the 2003 E-Class began on May 13, 2002.

Through time the E-Class has been built in:

RWD: Sindelfingen, Germany

1986-1995 Wagons: Bremen & Sindelfingen, Germany

500E/E500/E55 AMG: Zuffenhausen, Germany & Stuttgart, Germany

1990-????: Malaysia

1993-????, 2005-present: Thailand (by Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant Co., Ltd.)

1993: Philippines

1995-present: Pune, India (for the Indian market) Joint-venture signed in 1994 with TELCO, India for manufacture of Mercedes Cars in India. First Indian made E220 bowed in 1995.

1996: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

1998-present 4MATIC: Graz, Austria (by Magna Steyr)

2006-present: Pekan, Malaysia (by Malaysia Truck and Bus Sdn Bhd (MTB) of DRB-HICOM)

2006-present: Iran (by Top Khodro, a joint venture with Iran Khodro Diesel, for the Iranian market)

2006-present: Beijing, China (by Beijing-Benz DaimlerChrysler Automotive for the Chinese market)

History

W120 "Ponton"

The first modern midsize Mercedes was the W120 "Ponton" 180 of 1953. Sharing its engineering with the R121 190SL of 1955, the Ponton was a stylish sedan with four-cylinder power. A larger-engined W121 190 appeared in 1958.

W110 "Fintail"

Mercedes added tailfins to both the big S-Class and the new W110 "Fintail" 190 of 1962. Straight-6 power appeared for the first time in the 1965 230 model, and the fours grew in displacement that year as well.

W114/W115 "Stroke-8"

The midsize Mercedes was redesigned in 1968 as the W114/W115 "Stroke-8". This time, the 6-cylinder models (The W114s) were most prevalent, with the W115 line making up the bottom of the company's offerings with four- and five-cylinder power. Diesel engines joined the lineup, as did a coupe body.

W123

The popular W123 quickly became a best-seller on its launch in 1977. Especially in Diesel 240D (and later 300D) guises, the cars enhanced the company's reputation for product quality. Over 2.3 million examples were produced through to cessation of production in 1985.

Saloon/Sedan, Coupe and Estate body configurations were offered.

W124

The "E-Class" name first appeared in the USA with the face-lifted W124 in 1984. The 300D continued to be the fuel economy option over the 4 and 6 cylinder gasoline engines, and the gasoline V8 engines (available after 1992) increased gasoline power outputs further. The V8 powered sedans/salloons were named 400E/500E from 1992-1993, and E420/E500 after 1993. Likewise, the 3-liter cars (e.g., "300E") where also re-badged to "E320" with the new 3.2 litre engines and naming rationalization of 1994. For a short period Mercedes offered a limited production sport version of the W124, created with and assembled by Porsche. This was called the 500E.

Saloon/Sedan, Coupe, Convertible and Estate body configurations were offered.

W210

The W210 E-Class, was launched in 1996. Four and six-cylinder models in gasoline and diesel were offered in a range of capacities. Saloon/Sedan and Estate body configurations were offered.In engineering of 1995,W210 E-class and Oldsmobile Aurora are stiffest cars in the world.

In September 1999 the W210 E-class was facelifted. This included visual, mechanical and quality improvements addressing issues raised by earlier versions.

W211

Launched in 2002, the W211 E-Class was another evolution of the previous model and was considered by the motoring media as a more valid comparator to the long term rival BMW 5-Series (which previously was the default choice of the motoring media). The E-Class, as well as several other Mercedes Models for the 02-03 years are known to have radiator contamination leaks which could lead to transmission failure. This problem is known by Mercedes-Benz, whom account around 5% of these vehicles have the problem, although they will not offer any assistance and have not been recalled.

The W211-based W219 CLS-Class 4-door coupe was introduced as a niche model in 2005, primarily to attract a younger demographic.

The W211 E-Class was facelifted in 2006 to address quality and technical issues raised by earlier models. The largest factory built engine in the E-class range is the E500 (badged E550 in the U.S.) which had its engine size increased from 5 litres to 5.5 litres in 2006 along with the facelift. There is also an AMG model badged E63 AMG and other tuning house installations.

Mercedes-Benz introduced their BlueTec Diesel system to the E-Class at the 2006 North American International Auto Show as the E320 CDI BlueTec. BlueTec is a two-phase system for cleaning diesel emissions. The first phase makes the E320 CDI legal in 45 of the 50 United States (plus the District of Columbia). The second phase uses urea for further reductions to meet the more stringent standards of California, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont. Sales of E320 CDI BlueTec began in autumn 2006 as a 2007 model, but 50-state legal models with urea injection will not be introduced until the 2009 model year.

Facelift E63 AMG W211 Wagon

Facelift E-Class W211

W212

The W212 will replace the W211 in 2009.

Awards

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class was Motor Trend's Import Car of the Year for 1996.

The Brabus E V12

German automotive tuner Brabus makes a modified E class with a modified version of the S600's V12 engine powering it. Sold as the Brabus E V12, it is the fastest four-door sedan in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records, until the introduction of the Brabus Rocket based on the CLS which is now the fastest four-door coupe in the world. The 640 hp (480 kW) E V12 has a top speed of 211 mph (340 km/h) and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 4.1 seconds.