New Car: 2010 Mercedes E-Class

Mercedes-Benz has released official photos of the E-class in advance of the car’s official debut at March’s Geneva auto show, confirming the car’s new styling direction previewed by photos leaked last month. The four-oval face of old is out and the future is apparently rectangular, a look first seen on the ConceptFASCINATION at the 2008 Paris show. Aside from the unique face of the new E-class, the rest of the car is very much in the style of the big S-class and small C-class sedans. We’ll reserve final judgment until we’re able to see the car in person, but—like those of the latest C-class—the new looks will take some getting used to.

The interior design borrows heavily from the GLK crossover SUV and is a festival of 90-degree angles. A few S-class characteristics make it to the interior; the shifter has moved off the floor and onto the steering column, there’s adjustable ambient lighting, and the COMAND controller is standard. An array of buttons covers most of the available center-console real-estate, with some advanced seat controls sandwiched between the front seats and center tunnel.
In typical Mercedes-Benz fashion, the new E is awash in safety equipment. The E-class looks as if it will be nearly able to drive itself, but a new safety system makes sure that it doesn’t have to. The gizmo, dubbed Attention Assist, is standard and monitors the steering angle to detect drowsy drivers. An audible alarm and coffee-cup icon remind drivers to take a break.
Within the Mercedes lineup, the new E-class will be the only model with an optional lane-departure warning system and adaptive high-beam headlights. Crash-detecting radar cruise control, blind-spot assistance, and infrared night vision that can pick out pedestrians are features shared with the S-class and will be extra-cost options.

We’ve never complained much about the current E-class’s engine choices and we’re pleased to report that the 268-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 and the 382-hp, 5.5-liter V-8 will both be available when the new E-class goes on sale this summer. In a recent comparison test, the V-8 E550 in its current guise finished in third place behind a BMW 550i and an Infiniti M45. We loved the powerful V-8 but wished for better body control and handling. Until we drive the new E-class, we won’t know if the handling has improved. Later in the year, the E63 AMG and the all-wheel-drive 4Matic variants will debut. Diesel fans will have to wait until early 2010 for the fuel-sipping E320 BlueTec. The E-class line will also absorb the current CLK coupes and convertibles—which will be renamed E-class coupe and E-class convertible—and are expected to bow sometime after the sedan, likely for the 2011 model year.