MANILA, Philippines - It’s an automotive story that goes back six decades – a story that centers on one car company’s seemingly obsessive pursuit to, again and again, set the standard in automotive design, luxury and safety.
It’s the story of the Mercedes-Benz E-class. And CATS Motors, the local importer and retailer of Mercedes-Benz automobiles, has unveiled the radically new version of the legendary E-class.
With the launch of the new E-Class (codenamed W212) at a glittering event at the NBC Tent last week, Mercedes-Benz is continuing a success story which is without parallel in the luxury-class car segment: since 1947, when the Model 170 V was introduced as the direct forerunner of the E-Class, the Stuttgart-based automaker has produced more than ten million sedans in this vehicle category.
In 2002 alone, some 1.3 million drivers bought an E-Class, whose market share of up to 40 percent makes it the top seller in this market segment in Germany and many other countries in Western Europe.
But as well as being by far the best-established and most successful business saloon, the E-Class is the “heart” of the Mercedes-Benz brand – it is the quintessential Mercedes-Benz. No other model reflects the core values of the brand as precisely as the E-Class: safety, comfort, environmental compatibility, design, quality and individuality.
“The E-Class is of special importance to Mercedes-Benz: it is and will remain the heart of the Mercedes-Benz brand and expresses its core values in an exemplary manner,” said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.
In fact, Mercedes-Benz is positioning the E-Class as nothing less than “the world’s best business saloon.” It delivers on this promise with a dynamic, new design language featuring a new reinterpreted twin headlamp face, a dramatic character line that’s a fascinating blend of classic and modern Mercedes-Benzes, a sweeping rear fender reminiscent of the current S-class’, and numerous customization options, along with outstanding riding comfort, leading standards of safety, plus the greatest possible reliability.
The new E-Class, which measures 4868 mm in overall length and has a 2874-mm wheelbase, represents another major advance by Mercedes-Benz in all these fields as the new model marks the debut of a series of innovative technical features which cannot be found in any other car in this vehicle category – from the drowsiness detection system to automatic emergency braking when an accident is imminent, from Adaptive Highbeam Assist to the Active Bonnet with its reversible actuation mechanism and the air suspension with electronically controlled damping.
The entire new E-class range comprises ten engines, two drive concepts and three suspension variants. Further scope for individual configuration exists in the choice of two design and equipment lines, twelve wheel/tire combinations in 16, 17, 18 or 19-inch size, twelve exterior paint finishes and six different seat upholstery materials in up to five color combinations.
Locally, three variants will be offered: the E 300 Elegance, which retails for P4.98 million; the E 300 Avantgarde, which has a sticker price of P5.28 million; and the E 300 Avantgarde AMG Sports, which goes for a breathtaking P5.68 million.
The Avantgarde line shows the E-Class in a decidedly modern and innovative light, thanks to standard features such as bi-xenon headlamps with the Intelligent Light System and LED daytime driving lights, LED technology for all the rear lights, 17-inch alloy wheels (up from 16 inches in the Elegance) in a five twin-spoke design, a special, lowered suspension setup, ambient lighting and the instrument cluster in a sporty tubular design. Avantgarde models are also distinguishable by its different bumper design and a chrome-plated radiator grille with three glossy, black louvres.
The AMG sports package adds 18-inch five-twin-spoke alloy wheels, 245/40R-18 front and 265/35R-18 rear tires, larger cross-drilled brake discs, Nappa leather three-spoke sports steering wheel with shift paddles, floor mats with AMG logo, black fabric roof lining, 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission with M program (V6 and V8 models), lowered sports suspension, brushed stainless steel sports pedals with black rubber studs, front sports seats in Dinamica microfibre and Artico man-made leather, and AMG front and rear aprons and side skirts.
The E 300 range is powered by a 231-hp/300-Nm 24-valve 3.0-liter V6 engine mated to the world’s first and only 7G-Tronic 7-speed automatic transmission (with steering wheel paddle shifters). It has a claimed 0-to-100-kph acceleration capability of 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 247 kph, thanks partly to an ultra-low drag coefficient of 0.26. It has a European rating of 13.1 liters per 100 kms in city driving and an impressive 6.7 liters/100 kms in highway driving.
For over 60 years now, the E-class and its progenitors have been instrumental in the development of the executive mid-range sedan. It has always been synonymous with anticipatory safety, superb comfort and groundbreaking design: examples of which include the passenger safety cell and crumple zone in the W110 model series (1961-1968), the power windows and electric climate control in the W114/115 model series (1968-1976), as well as the elegant styling language of the W210 model series (1995-2002), which was enhanced further still by the W211 model series.
Standard safety and electronic equipment includes adaptive airbags for driver and front passenger; adaptive brake lights; Distronic Plus, a radar-based proximity control system that automatically maintains the E-Class at a set distance from the vehicle in front, braking it to a standstill if necessary and accelerating when the gap ahead is sufficiently large (if the distance to the vehicle ahead decreases too quickly, the system gives the driver visual and audible warnings); Active Bonnet that helps protect pedestrians in a car-pedestrian impact; ABS; 20-CD audio system with twin tuner, CD player and 8 speakers; Brake Assist; Adaptive Brake system with Hold function and Hill Start Assist; Direct-Steer system (V6 and V8 models); Electronic Stability Program (ESP) with acceleration skid control (ASR); Direct Control suspension with adaptive damping control; belt tensioners and belt-force limiters; remote boot lid unlocking; LED rear lights; ISOFIX child-seat attachment points; Thermatic automatic climate control with combined activated charcoal filter; sidebags for the driver and front passenger; kneebag for driver; windowbags for all occupants; Neck-Pro crash-responsive head restraints; Airmatic air suspension (E 500 and E 500 4MATIC); Attention Assist drowsiness detection system; multifunction steering wheel in nappa leather with chrome inserts; Pre-Safe anticipatory occupant protection; power-adjustable seats, Bluetooth hands-free system for mobile phones; cruise control; and a tire pressure loss warning system.