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The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.

04/05/2009 | By: Colum Wood

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Mercedes will price the all-new 2010 E-Class significantly less than the outgoing model. In fact, the 2010 E350 will retail for just under $50,000 – $49,475 to be exact. That price is $4,600 less than the ’09 E-Class.

“We are continuing the strategy we started with the new C class two years ago by pricing close to actual transaction prices,” Mercedes USA CEO Ernst Lieb told the Automotive News.

The 2010 E-Class includes a long list of sate-of-the-art safety features, some of which are not yet offered in the flagship S-Class. These include Blind Sport Assist, Attention Assist, Brake Assist Plus and Lane Keeping Assist, which will notify the driver through vibrations in the steering wheel if the vehicle detects it is drifting off the road.

Higher level versions of the E-Class will also see MSRP reductions, with the E550 priced at $57,175, and the AWD 4MATIC model starting at 57,675.

As for the upcoming E-Class Coupe, it will be priced very close to the current CLK, with a base MSRP of $48,925 – $50 less than the current CLK. The E550 Coupe will come in at $55,525.

The 2010 E-Class goes on sale in June, with 4MATIC versions offered in the fall and the E63 coming in early winter. As for the upcoming E350 Bluetec diesel, it will arrive in March of 2010. An E-Class Convertible will follow after that.

[Source: Automotive News]

28/04/2009 | By: Colum Wood

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Mercedes tuner Carlsson will use the Tuning World Bodensee show in Friedrichshafen, Germany to display, for the first time, its new program for the E-Class. Much of the modifications are the usual fare, but we have to hand it to the Carlsson designers who really put together a stunning looking package.

The new aero kit looks very much like a high-performance OEM design and features an all new front bumper with LED lights. Also new are the front fendes, side skirts, the rear bumper (with a race-inspired diffuser) and a subtle trunklid spoiler. The whole kit is made of OEM-quality polyurethane for a perfect factory fit.

In a serious departure from its usual designs, Carlsson has also used the 2010 E-Class to debut a new wheel design. Called the 1/5 REVO, the new wheels measure 21-inches on this model and have a definite American flare with a two-tone matte black and silver surface. 

The car also rides low on Carlsson’s C-Tronic suspension, which has been updated. The new setup not only lowered the car by 43mm, but it also now constantly adjusts the stiffness according to road conditions.

Carlsson will offer several performance packages for the new E-Class with packages for the E250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY and E350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY diesel already available. A supercharger system will be offered for the E550, however, with a power increase of just 55hp it doesn’t quite seem worth it.

We’ll take that aero kit though!

GALLERY: Carlsson 2010 E-Class

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Official release after the jump:

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Brabus Tunes The 2010 E-Class

462 horsepower and 62 mph in just 4.7 seconds

27/03/2009 | By: Colum Wood

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Quick on the heels of the release of the new 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Brabus has a new line of products for those seeking a more extreme E.

For starters the new Brabus program includes a significant performance increase thanks to a displacement bump to 6.1-liters for the V8 engine – up from 5.5-liters for the E550 model. This is done through the use of a new crankshaft and larger pistons, as well as high flow cylinder heads with more aggressive camshafts. A new exhaust system with high flow catalysts are also a part  of the package.

Output of the larger engine is rated at 462hp at 6200 rpm and 453 ft-lbs of torque at just 3100 rpm. The package also includes a Brabus limited slip differential, which helps get the power to the ground and delivers an impressive 4.7 second 0-62 mph time. Brabus rates the top seed of its new E-Class at 191 mph.

In typical Brabus fashion, the modified E-Class includes a subtle aero kit, which includes side skirts, a new rear bumper, a trunk-lid spoiler and a new front bumper with LED daytime running lights and additional headlights. Also available are the new Brabus front fenders, which add a sporty flare to the sedate sedan with their carbon fiber inserts. The vents are also functional and help to keep the brakes at an ideal operating temperature.

And on the topic of brakes, the Braus setup for the new E-Clas is outrageous with 12-piston front calipers and 14.8-inch rotors up front and 6-piston calipers with 14-inch rotors in the rear.

Brabus offers several different wheel designs and sizes for the new E-Class, but if that big brake upgrade is on your list then a 20-inch set of rollers is required. Shown here are a set of the new Monoblock Q wheels in a 20×9-inch front fitment with 245/30/20 tires and a 20×10.5-inch rear fitment with 285/25/20 tires.

Other upgrades for the new E-Class include an electronic control module for the Mercedes Airmatic suspension, as well as a sport steering wheel, stainless-steel door sill plates with illuminated Brabus logos, a full line of interior accessories and made-to-order custom interiors.

GALLERY: Brabus E-Class

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More on the Brabus tuning options for the 2010 E-Class after the jump:

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23/01/2009 | By: Colum Wood

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According to Autoblog.nl, these few photos are of the upcoming E-Class Coupe. Rumors of the vehicle have been circulating for a long time now and it seems as though Mercedes will actually go through with this two-door version of the E-Class. And why not, the CL is really just an S-Class Coupe.

Once thought to be somewhat of a long-shot, the model does seem like a reality now after viewing the recently released photos of the 2010 E-Class sedan.

We expect several models of the coupe to be available, including a 382hp E550 and several AMG varients – including a gunuine possibility of a Black Series.

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[Source: AutoBlog.nl]

2010 E-Class Preview

Possibly the safest car on the road

11/01/2009 | By: Colum Wood

img_3746Ahead of the vehicle’s official launch at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz invited a select group of press to view the new 2010 E-Class.

Presented to the media were three different E-Class models – none of which will be available in the U.S. For the record, however, they were the E250 CDI, the E350 CGI and the E350 blueTEC.

Mercedes claims that its four and six-cylinder engines will consume 23 percent less fuel than before – due mostly to the use of direct injection across the model range. Fuel consumption is also aided by an incredibly low drag coefficient of just 0.25.

The 250 CDI, which uses a twin-turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine makes 204hp and 369 ft-lbs of torque – an increase of 25 percent over the previous V-6 diesel engine. It also uses 23 percent less fuel for an incredible rating of 44 mpg.

As for the rest of the new E-Class, the chassis is 30 percent more rigid than the previous model. Also new for 2010 will be dynamic shock absorbers that can adjust to road conditions. These shocks will also work with the Mercedes air-ride suspension.

The big point that Mercedes wanted to get across, however, is how safe the new E-Class is thanks to a host of safety features including Adaptive Main Beam Assist. This new system uses a camera to view the road ahead and adjust the headlights accordingly, ensuring the lights reach as far as possible, but not as far as the car in front of you. It also monitors oncoming traffic and if the road is clear transitions to hi-beams.

Blind Spot Assist is also available as is Lane Keeping Assist, which will notify the driver through vibrations in the steering wheel if the vehicle detects it is drifting off the road.

Mercedes’ Brake Assist Plus system, uses the car’s radar to view the road ahead. If the car sees that a driver is about to hit something then he will be given a visual and acoustic warning to act. If no action is taken then partial braking is first applied by the car’s computer, followed by emergency braking if the driver continues not to respond. This is similar to a system Volvo recently developed.

Another, although not the final, safety device in the new E-Class is the Attention Assist system that detects when a driver isn’t paying attention and will notify him with an acoustic and visual warning. This warning on the dash is symbolized by a coffee cup. “It’s the next best thing to handing the driver a cup of espresso,” said Mercedes-Benz Chairman Dr. Dieter Zeich.img_3789img_3793img_3786

More on the new E-Class and all its many safety features after the jump

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