The current lineup of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class consists of only 4-cylinder engines, a move introduced by the company in 2013 to keep customers interested in the brand as costs soared. The current generation fo the E-Class was launched in India in 2009 and at the time it was exclusively offered with both petrol and diesel V6 engines, but the economic downturn and rising fuel costs dampened the mood and the company had to discontinue the variants when it launched the mid-life facelift in 2013. According to a report by Autocar India, the Mercedes-Benz E 350 sedan variants may make a comeback soon, the information coming straight from Mercedes-Benz India’s Managing Director and CEO, Eberhard Kern. Only the diesel V6 variant will be launched apparently.
Price
The Mercedes-Benz E 350 range of sedan is expected to cost from about Rs. 58 Lakh, ex-showroom
The variant is expected to hit showrooms around the festive season, sometime around October.
What’s New?
In terms of styling, the E 350 range will not look any different from the existing variants. At the front the variant will feature the standard grille (not the Avant-Garde one) and the only thing that could tell this car apart from the range will be the badge at the rear and the speed it pulls away from you.
The biggest change, of course, will be the engine. The E 350 CDI will be powered by a 3.0-litre as before but the power and torque outputs will increase. The new engine develops 261 BHP of power and 620 Nm of torque, a massive increase over the pre-facelift car. Amazingly the company claims that the power increase does not affect the efficiency of the engine delivering around 10 KMPL. The engine is mated to Mercedes’s 7G-Tonic Plus automatic transmission.
When launched, the E 350 CDI is expected to be assembled at Chakan, Pune just like the other variants of the car.
News Source: Autocar India
