New Mercedes-Benz E-Class - exclusive pictures and video

The new Mercedes-Benz E-Class will go on sale this summer, with prices starting at £35,935.

The model made its debut at the Detroit motor show earlier this year, and you can see exclusive pictures of the new car in the gallery above, or watch the video below to learn more.

Design

The new, fifth-generation E-Class has been thoroughly redesigned, taking on a far more dynamic form than its predecessor in a bid to appeal to younger buyers.  

It has a clear resemblance to the smaller Mercedes-Benz C-Class and larger Mercedes-Benz S-Class in its exterior design, featuring a swooping roofline and heavily structured surfacing treatment. The visual similarities are part of a broader plan aimed at providing Mercedes’ saloon line-up with a more cohesive appearance than before.

Read our review on the previous generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class saloon

The new model has grown by 43mm in overall length to 4923mm. The wheelbase also extends by 65mm in standard form to 2939mm, resulting in shorter overhangs. This E-Class is also 2mm narrower and 6mm lower than the car it replaces.

As with other recent new Mercedes, the new E-Class sets a record for aerodynamic efficiency in its class with a drag coefficient of 0.23.

Key among the engineering developments is a new platform structure with higher percentages of hot-formed high-strength steel and aluminium. Similar to the structures used by the C-Class and S-Class, it is claimed to bring weight savings of up to 100kg on a model-for-model basis. The front wings, bonnet and bootlid are all made of sheet or cast aluminium.

Engine and transmission

The new E-Class will eventually come with the choice of up to eight engines, although only two units are available at launch. These are the 254bhp 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel in the E350d and an all-new 2.0-litre diesel with 192bhp and 295lb ft in the E220d.

We have driven the entry-level E 220 d, see what we make of it

The latter engine, codenamed OM654 and set to be introduced to other Mercedes-Benz models this year, replaces the reliability-plagued OM651. In the E220d, the new unit is said to provide combined fuel consumption of 72.4mpg and average CO2 emissions of just 102g/km.

Find out what the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class feels like with a 3.5-litre V6 diesel engine

Further petrol engines to follow include a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine with 181bhp and 221lb ft in the E200, a more powerful version of the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit with 242bhp in the E250, a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 with 328bhp in the E400 4Matic and, towards the end of this year, AMG’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 with up to 580bhp in a successor to the E63 AMG.