Reports have emerged that Mercedes-Benz is hoping to give its 2013 E-Class some additional sheen with a considerable facelift and a host of technological innovations, including a 9-speed automatic transmission.
An article from German motoring publication AutoBild suggests that the Stuttgart-based luxury carmaker appears to have lost its way somewhat in terms of design– a state of affairs that it hopes to rectify with its 2013 E-Class. Normally, a mid-cycle facelift entails little more than tweaks to such exterior items as the front and rear valances, lights and perhaps a spot of trim, but AutoBild’s report suggests that a much more extensive set of changes are on the cards.
Among these are single-piece LED headlamps that adhere more closely to the firm’s traditional design ethos, a new bonnet, new fenders, new doors and cleaner flanks with fewer busy character lines. The only elements that won’t get too much of a redesign will be the roof and the brakelamp clusters. Good stuff, but there is a caveat; the expenditure on such sweeping exterior changes will mean that the 2013 car’s cabin will only undergo very minor tweaks.
The engine line-up will reportedly see some units getting a shot in the arm output-wise; the most noticeable of which will be the range-topping E500, which sees the 5,5-litre V8’s outputs climb from 285 kW/530 N.m to 316 kW/720 N.m – a move that will keep the likes of the Audi S6, with its 313 kW/550 N.m 4,0-litre twin-turbo V8 at bay. There is also talk of an all-new 3,0-litre straight-six powerplant in the pipeline with the internal code OM 656 due in 2016.
But the most significant powertrain development will be a 9-speed automatic transmission based upon the unit earmarked for the upcoming S-Class. This transmission will reportedly feature a coasting function that will help improve fuel consumption and CO2 figures.
On the technological front, the 2013 E-Class could play host to such features as a Distronic safety system with automated lane-changing and overtaking and an adaptive damping dubbed “Magic Ride”, which uses a camera to scan the road surface and adjusts the dampers to suit prevailing surface conditions.
Source: AutoBild.de
