The 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class will be featured in the upcoming Detroit Motor Show in January next year before it debuts in its home market in Germany on January 18.
It is expected to make it to the showrooms in the US and in other parts of the world in the second half of next year. With the way images of the luxury sedan have been making the rounds on the internet, it seems that the 2017 E-Class is indeed ready to roll out of the Mercedes-Benz assembly line very soon.
The 2017 E-Class also accentuates the pursuit of Mercedes-Benz for greater efficiency across its vehicle lineup, particularly on what is under the hood, notes Car Scoops.
The luxury sedan will come with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and diesel engine variants. A V6 engine variant will likewise make way for direct injected gasoline and common-rail diesel inline sixes, sending power to the rears via a 9-speed automatic transmission.
In addition, there will also be a high-performance E63 variant from Mercedes-AMG, which will feature a powerful twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine and shall have a maximum power of close to 600 horsepower, a figure that represents a 25-pony increase over the current model, notes Digital Trends.
The luxury sedan will also come with a straight-six engine variant, which will be a modular design that would allow it to share components and production lines with smaller four- and three-cylinder units, which are also reportedly in the works.
Perched in the middle
In terms of design, the E-Class will sit right in the middle of the C-Class and the S-Class sedans. Some critics, however, observed that the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class looks strikingly similar to the carmaker’s flagship sedan, the S-Class, based on its exteriors.
However, there are a number of innovative additions to the E-Class that the S-Class does not have which makes the former stand out in its own attributes.
One feature that is first of its kind in the Mercedes-Benz luxury car lineup but will make its way to the E-Class is the remote parking system. The feature is actually an offshoot of the autonomous driving technology derived from Mercedes’ modular MRA platform.
The MRA platform, which was used by the C-Class as well, has made the E-Class lighter, more rigid, and more efficient than its current model.
Using the same platform, the carmaker used lightweight materials in the development of its latest sedan both in its chassis and its engine.
Redeeming the model
The current Mercedes-Benz E-Class was released in 2010 but was given a major update in 2014. While the update has the elements and trademark of a luxury car of Mercedes-Benz, critics describe the variant as an undersized sedan and greatly overpriced.
The German automaker plans to redeem the misgivings of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class with the planned rollout of the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class a few months from now.
The 2017 E-Class will come with a coupe and cabriolet models but shall feature encompassing upgrades that it greatly needs following the criticisms on its predecessor models.
In addition to a fresh line-up of straight-six engines, the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is expected to receive all-new hardware, borrowing from its saloon big brother, the S-Class. It shall also exude a technologically savvy interior blending well with luxury that Mercedes-Benz sedans are known for.
The upcoming 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class shall be developed on the modular MRA platform which the German luxury carmaker used in the production of the C-Class and its latest GLC small SUV.
As the MRA platform makes use of lightweight materials, it is expected that the latest E-Class sedan will be lighter, more rigid, and more efficient than the current model.
It is also expected to accept alternative powertrains other than the present engine lineup of the current E-Class.