Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2010 News

A number of potentially hazardous faults have been identified in vehicles sold in Australia, prompting a wide range of recalls.

The new generation E63 is still at least two years away but the German car maker is in the middle of development.In the US, the E63 is sold exclusively with all-wheel-drive and in Germany, where both rear-drive and all-wheel-drive are available, more than 90 per cent of customers opt for all-wheel-drive.“Where we have both (rear-drive and all-wheel-drive) on sale, the demand is so tremendous that we have 94 to 96 per cent all-wheel-drive,” said the boss of Mercedes-Benz AMG Tobias Moers, speaking at the European media preview of the new C63 AMG.“In the US we just have the (all-wheel-drive) system and it was a story of success, and if we see what happened in Germany, where we had both variants in the market, then you have to move business-wise into one variant.”He said this meant “there is no argument to have both variants any more”.There is no argument to have both variants any more.But he said fans should not worry that the next E63 will lose its character.“If we have a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system in the car which provides a nice drifting behaviour then it’s ok,” he said. “All-wheel-drive systems are getting better and better … we have a lot ideas for the future.”Previously, all-wheel-drive versions of the E63 were not available in Australia as it was developed for left-hand-drive only.“The future architecture is feasible for right-hand-drive all-wheel-drive,” said Moers.

Benz has sent the performance community into a spin with news this morning that it will bring its top of the line 430kW E63 AMG sedan to Australia, despite the fact it can't offer the car with four-wheel drive.The high performance, 5.5-litre Bi-Turbo V8 engined car will not be quite as quick off the line as the four-wheel drive, 4MATIC version in Germany, but in all other respects it will be the same - Aussie buyers won't miss out.Just like the compact GLK off-roader, which has never been offered here, the 4MATIC model is not engineered for right-hand drive countries - a decision that has probably cost Benz millions in lost sales over the past few years. You'd think they would have learned from their mistakes?Although it offers larger, four-wheel drive off-roaders like the M and GL-Class, four-wheel drive versions of its passenger cars are still a couple of years away. That's unfortunate, because in the case of the E63 AMG 4MATIC S model, four-wheel drive is required to get all that power to the ground.With a whopping 430kW of power and 800Nm of torque, it is capable of blasting from 0-100km/h in a Ferrari-like 3.6 seconds. While the rear-wheel drive version of the car that we have been promised will struggle, Benz claims it will still be good for 3.8-3.9 seconds - it hasn't been tested yet.This compares with the standard, 410kW/720Nm rear-wheel drive E63 AMG that will also be sold in Australia which does the dash in 4.2 seconds. Benz describes the new and improved version of its engine as the most efficient series production V8 engine in the world.Along with other design and technological changes to the E-Class range, it should cement the car's place as a leader in the market. A spokesman for Benz Australia says the E63 AMG is an important car to Australia, which has one of the highest up-takes of high performance AMG models in the world - at 7.6 per cent of sales.But they are not for everyone, not at a starting price of $240,000. There's no word on prices for the new model at this stage, except to say the figures will be “assertive.” This also applies the rest of the E Class range which arrives in August.Benz also confirmed this morning that the lineup will include the E300 hybrid diesel, which offers fuel consumption of an incredible 4.1 litres/100km - with no sacrifice in performance. The hybrid with diesel and electric motors produces a combined 170kW of power and 750Nm of torque and is expected to replace the both the E350 and E500 petrol models.The small volume wagon will also continue to be offered, in E250CDI and E400 petrol form, as well as an AMG. No word yet on the coupe and cabriolet which are due later in the year.The spokesman told Carsguide this morning the company was convinced the large car market was far from dead in Australia. He said people were attracted by the size of cars like the E-Class, but wanted smaller, more efficient engines - provided of course they did not have to sacrifice anything in terms of performance.He said they were also popular as they benefited from an effective $6000 discount,  because all of the four cylinder models consume less than 7.0 litres of fuel per 100km. Surprisingly, 80 per cent of E Class sales last year were four cylinder models, either petrol or diesel engines. “It's almost a case of build it and they will come,” he said.This reporter is on Twitter: @IamChrisRiley 

The performance sedan was shown in a group photo of the whole E-Class range, shot on Merc’s test track in Stuttgart. The few details released with the image confirm earlier reports that the E63 AMG will offer the brand’s 4Matic all-wheel drivetrain, however it’s too early to determine if this will make it to Australia. The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG will arrive here around the third quarter, powered by the current 5.5-litre twin-turbo engine developing 386kW of power and 700Nm of torque – upped to 410kW and 800Nm if you option the Performance Pack – mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. There’s no indication of whether there will be a considerable price rise over the current starting tag of $240,985, but even at the performance end of the range Mercedes will be keen to stay competitive against their German rivals.  

The Toyota Prius is up against the Volkswagen Polo and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class in final voting for the world's most prestigious car prize. The three finalists are named today at the Geneva Motor Show in the second-last stage of WCOTY voting.The winner will be announced in New York on April 1.The WCOTY contest is decided by 59 jurors from 25 countries through two secret ballots. Apart from the main prize, there are awards for performance cars, green cars, and automotive design.The three final contenders for the 2010 World Performance Car award are the Audi R8 V10, Ferrari California and Porsche 911 GT3.The three finalists for the World Green Car award are the Honda Insight, Toyota Prius and the Volkswagen BlueMotion (Golf, Passat, Polo).

Lindsay Fox has lots of special stuff in Australia, and Jay 'Jamiroquai' Kay and Rowan 'Mr Bean' Atkinson collect fast cars in Britain, but Leno is special.  The NBC talk-show legend in the USA has been a car buff all his life and has cashed a lot of his success on television into the most amazing collection of cars. His personal fleet is just plain awesome, and that's without counting the one-off specials built for him by GM.Every evening he collects something from his garage - actually a series of aircraft hangers - and takes it on the run home before an early-morning commute to Burbank in Los Angeles for taping of his television show. It's a daily ritual that includes all sorts of cars, right up to an aircraft-engined racer that once ran on the Bonneville salt flats.Right now there is a battle at NBC over Leno's future, after his move from the high-rating Tonight Show into his own program backfired and left a conflict with his replacement Conan O'Brien that could eventually see Leno back where he started.But that is just background fuzz when I sit down to watch a taping of the Leno Show after a thumping good run up the 405 freeway in the latest Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. It's the sort of muscular sedan that fits right in Los Angeles, with plenty of luxury and the sort of explosive V8 power you need for on-ramps and narrow gaps in traffic.The Leno set is heavily car themed, right down to a band backdrop at one end with a giant mural of a 1950s American dashboard. I'm not sure on the car and even one of Leno's assistants, Justin — son of multiple Le Mans winner Derek — Bell cannot provide the answer, but it looks great.As taping begins on show number 81 it takes Leno less than two minutes to work a car reference into the show. Something about the Toyota Prius ... The 60-minute show passes in a blur and I'm soon back in the E63, but I cannot stop myself from wondering what Leno is taking home. A McLaren F1? An all-American Corvette? Perhaps a classic Duesenberg?Next time I'm in LA I'm determined to find the answer. And to discover just how deep Leno's passion runs.Follow Paul Gover on Twitter!

Back in 1999, the only diesel-powered vehicles on the Australian market were sports utility vehicles, light commercials and trucks.

Since cars all deliver on the same basic promise of personal mobility, and many vehicles do it with incredible value and panache, good design can often make the difference between buying and losing.Ian Callum knows it and, after more than four decades of top-class design work on everything from HSV Holdens to Volvos, Aston Martins and now Jaguars, he is the right man to be talking. "This is a time of car design. It's not just styling any more. You really have to understand design, and the elements that make up a good design," Callum says. "We're also seeing a lot of change in the automotive world. The make-up of cars is changing. Designers are going to have an incredible influence."Callum has revolutionised Jaguar design over the past 10 years and just visited Australia to showcase his all-new XJ flagship, which steps right away from anything which has previously worn the brand's leaper mascot. "I didn't want to be a slave to heritage," he says simply.Callum believes good design is simple but incredibly difficult, elegant and timeless, but also challenging and filled with tiny little details. He is rare among designers because he backs his promises with commitment and talent, and is also happy to give an opinion.So, then, how does he judge the work from some of his rivals? Surprisingly, Callum is happy to go on the record with a simple tick-or-cross verdict on the latest designs in showrooms.Here are his ratings: Aston Martin Rapide - tickAudi A5 - tickBMW GT - two crossesBMW X6 - crossFerrari F458 Italia - tickHSV EII Commodore - tickLexus LFA - tickMercedes E-Class - crossMercedes SLS Gullwing - crossNissan GT-R - crossPorsche Panamera - crossRolls-Royce Ghost - tickToyota Prius - tickVolkswagen Golf - tick 

The four-door E-Class is already out and about, even as the hammer- time E63 AMG, and so too is the station wagon.  Now we have proof on the direction for the upcoming E-Class cabrio.The droptop, like the coupe, takes on a much bigger role in the new generation following Mercedes-Benz's decision to axe the CLK from its lineup. The CL is gone too, although there will still be an S-Class coupe.The upcoming droptop was caught by Carparazzi in Europe and the pictures point to a softtop folding roof, not a hard clamshell, that retracts completely into the tail.The new car should be roomier than the model it replaces, if only because the CLK was built from the basics of the smaller C-Class. It is also expected to be much more refined. The Cabrio should be in showrooms early in 2010, which means Australian deliveries from the middle of next year.

The new standard for mid-sized and mid-priced luxury, even if the bottom end is out of reach for most Australians, is a must-have contender for COTY. It's not as fast as Godzilla or as economical as the Prius, but the E is the car which will set the bar for luxury and comfort and overall refinement.Price: from $96,900Output: 150kW/4200revs, 500Nm/1600-1800revs, 5.3L/100km, 139g/kmMercedes-Benz E-Class: reviewMercedes-Benz E350 E500: reviewMercedes-Benz E63 AMG: reviewMercedes-Benz E-Class coupe: first driveMercedes-Benz E-Class 2009 price and specsACT dealer locationsNSW dealer locationsNT dealer locationsQLD dealer locationsSA dealer locationsTAS dealer locationsVIC dealer locationsWA dealer locations