Benz announces better-value E-Class specs

MERCEDES-BENZ will increase standard equipment levels and maintain the $79,900 (plus on-road costs) entry price of its facelifted E-Class range when it hits Australian showrooms in June.

The German luxury brand has also lowered the price of several E-Class variants by up to $2400, although the E250 sedan is up $2900 and the flagship E63 AMG costs $9415 more.

New standard features on the entry level E200 sedan comprise self-parking, auto-dimming and folding door mirrors, blind spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking and partial LED headlights.

Benz has also added a sporty Avantgarde styling package to go with the now standard Sports Package that includes 18-inch alloy wheels.

The E200’s new 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine produces an extra 30Nm of torque over the old 1.8 but produces the same power, bringing total output to 135kW and 300Nm while now meeting Euro 6 emissions standards.

Identical equipment and styling upgrades have been applied to the E220 CDI turbo-diesel, which becomes $2400 less expensive at $82,400 – which Mercedes claims adds up to about $10,000 of value.

In return for the $2900 price hike of the now $97,400 E250 petrol, Mercedes says it has increased value by $15,000 with extra equipment over and above that added to the E200 and E220 CDI.

Headlining the extras is a driver assistance package including adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance and autonomous emergency braking that can cope with pedestrians and cross-traffic at intersections.

Other additions include synthetic leather dashboard trim, full LED headlights, keyless start, memory function for the front seats and 19-inch alloy wheels.

The E250’s new 155kW/350Nm 2.0-litre engine is 5kW and 40Nm more potent than the outgoing model.

Meanwhile, the diesel-powered E250 CDI gains the same equipment upgrades and comes in at $99,900 due to a $1105 price cut claimed to increase value by $18,000.

At $109,900 the diesel-electric E300 Hybrid is is $26,585 less expensive than the six-cylinder E350 CDI it replaces, comes with the same level of technology as the E250 twins and sets a segment fuel use benchmark at 4.3 litres per 100 kilometres.

The twin-turbo V6-powered E400 replaces the V6 E350 and V8 E500 at $129,900, $2235 less than the outgoing E350 (over which Benz claims a $20,000 value advantage) and $53,285 less than the E500.

In addition to the E250 and E300 Hybrid’s specification, the E400 comes with a 360-degree surround view parking cameras, digital radio, keyless entry and start, a Harman Kardon premium surround sound system a sunroof.

The $249,900 (up $9415) bahn-storming E63 AMG comes standard in more potent S guise (430kW and 800Nm) for 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds.

Standard equipment upgrades (over the E400) include illuminated AMG door sills and an AMG locking differential.

Pitched as an alternative to the SUV-like R-Class people-mover that has ceased production, the seven-seat E-Class Estate comes with a quick-release split-folding central bench and folding rear row with three-point seatbelts.

The new entry-level E200 Estate opens the wagon line-up at $86,900 and matches the sedan for equipment while adding adaptive damping and self-levelling rear suspension, an electric tailgate, roof rails, rear door sun blinds, a cargo net and luggage compartment cover.

Upping to the oil-burning E250 CDI and new E400 Estates brings similar equipment levels to the sedans except for the addition of an AMG sport package with 19-inch AMG alloy wheels.

The diesel-engined E250 CDI Estate is $450 less expensive than before at $107,700 and the E400 Estate costs $1735 less than the E350 it replaces.

At this stage Mercedes is not importing the E63 AMG Estate to Australia, offering the E400 as its high-performance seven-seat option.

Pricing and specifications of the E-Class coupe and cabriolet will be announced at a later date.

2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class pricing

Model	Price
E200	$79,900	No change
E220 CDI	$82,400	-$2400
E200 wagon	$86,900	new
E250	$97,400	+$2900
E250 CDI	$99,900	-$1105
E250 CDI wagon	$107,700	-$450
E300 Hybrid	$109,900	new
E400	$129,900	-$2235 (v E350)
E400 wagon	$137,700	-$1735 (v E350)
E63 AMG	$249,900	+$9415