Mercedes-Benz E-Class

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E-Class redirects here. For Chrysler's rebadged version of the Dodge 600 sold from 1983-1984, see Chrysler E-Class.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Manufacturer	Mercedes-Benz Magna Steyr (4MATIC only)
Parent company	Daimler AG
Production	1994–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 for "E-Class", W124 introduced in 1985 (1986 USA)
Assembly	Sindelfingen, Germany Bremen, Germany Sindelfingen, 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 I6 4.2L 275 hp V8 5.0L 315 hp V8
Transmission(s)	4-speed automatic
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	Sindelfingen, Germany Bremen, Germany Sindelfingen, Germany Zuffenhausen, Germany Graz, Austria 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 I6 3.2L 217 hp V6 4.3L 275 hp V8 3.2L 221 hp V6
Transmission(s)	5-speed automatic
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 Zuffenhausen, Germany Graz, Austria Beijing, China Pekan, Malaysia
Body style(s)	4-door sedan 5-door station wagon
Platform	Mercedes-Benz W211
Engine(s)	3.2L 201 hp I6 3.5L 268 hp V6 5.0L 302 hp V8 5.4L 469 hp V8 6.2L 507 hp V8 3.2L 221 hp V6
Transmission(s)	5-speed automatic 7-speed automatic
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 mid-size luxury car / executive car sold by the Mercedes-Benz. The model line is available with various four, six and eight-cylinder petroleum gasoline and diesel engines. The E stood for Einspritzung, which is German for fuel injection, which was a very new feature at the time the "E" first appeared in the 1950s. The E-Class is the bestselling Mercedes-Benz model worldwide. It is famous both as luxury or executive transport, and as taxis in countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Portugal, Paraguay and Singapore.

1 General information
2 History
3 Awards
4 The Brabus E V12
5 References
6 External links

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.

The 300/E-Classes were built in:

RWD: Sindelfingen, Germany

1986-1995 Wagons: Bremen & Sindelfingen, Germany

500E/E500/E55 AMG: Zuffenhausen, Germany

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

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

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

2003-present: Pune, India (for the Indian market)

1990-????: Malaysia

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

1993: Mexico

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

1993: Philippines

1996: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam [1]

See Mercedes-Benz W120 for details

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.

See Mercedes-Benz W110 for details

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.

See Mercedes-Benz W114 for details

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.

See Mercedes-Benz W123 for details

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 as a purveyor of rugged and reliable cars. Over 2.3 million examples were produced through 1985.

See Mercedes-Benz W124 for details

The "E-Class" name first appeared in the USA with the face-lifted W124 in 1994. The earlier gasoline models of the W123 bore the "E" designator, it stood for Einspritzer (injection, petrol), and Mercedes-Benz continued with this nomenclature with the launch of the W124 in 1985 (1986 USA); in 1994 (USA) a cosmetic face-lift was given to the W124 series along with a new nomenclature of "E-Class" for the entire W124 line. The 300D continued to be the high-mileage option, but V8 engines (available after 1992) brought new-found power to the line. The V8 powered sedans 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. Mercedes also included a limited production sport version of the W124, created in close cooperation with Porsche. This was called the 500E, and set the standard for modern sports sedans. The W124 is argued by many to have been the last 'proper' Mercedes-Benz. Daimler Benz bought Chrysler in the 1998 "Merger of Equals". Many have said that the quality was lacking for several years following the merger, but quality is now much improved and at a high standard.

See Mercedes-Benz W210 for details

The W210 E-Class, launched in 1996, brought the mid-size Mercedes firmly into the upper end of the luxury market. Though six-cylinder models were still offered for a time, the four-light front end and high prices moved the car upmarket. In September 1999 the W210 E-class was facelifted. This included visual, mechanical and quality improvements over the earlier versions.

See Mercedes-Benz W211 for details

Launched in 2002, the W211 E-Class was a huge improvement over the previous model and was rated as a substantially better vehicle than its long time rival BMW 5 series (which had previously been rated as better in all areas). The W211-based W219 CLS-Class 4-door coupe was introduced in 2005 to attract younger customers. In many Northern-European countries the E-Class is used as a taxi and so the image is not viewed as being exclusive enough along with its traditionally 'old-man's car' image. The W211 E-Class was facelifted in 2006 to freshen up its appearance and primarily to improve quality and technical aspects of the car. The largest 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.

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 only be introduced in 2009 model year.

The W211 model of the E-Class became somewhat infamous for its poor reliability. Consumer Reports classified the W211 model's reliability as "poor," its lowest rating, and declared it one of the "least reliable luxury cars" ^[1], but the newer 2007 models have rebound on quality, with JD Power giving the E class, the best in the mid size luxury segment award.

See Mercedes-Benz W212 for details

The W212 will replace the W211 in 2009 as a 2010 model.

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

German automotive tuner Brabus makes a modified E-Class sedan 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, ahead of the E60 BMW M5, which is the world's fastest four-door production sedan, having a top speed in excess of 205 mph. The 640 hp E V12 has a top speed of 211 mph and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 4.1 seconds.