Mercedes-Benz E220 News

The side profile is unchanged but there will be major changes to the nose to line it up with everything from the latest baby C to the SL roadster.Major efficiency improvements are also expected.

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 almost unbelievable move of prestige cars carrying small-car engines is being sparked by punishing global fuel and emission regulations. As performance is becoming replaced with economy, Mercedes-Benz is even admitting high-efficient four-cylinder engines may be seen in its S-Class flagship range. For now, the German won't timetable an S-Class four, but has confirmed its new E-Class will hit Australia this year with its entry-level E220 sporting a turbo-diesel four. It is the first time Mercedes has announced a diesel as the base model. The 125kW E220 CDI is expected to arrive in September, three months after the first wave of E-Class sedans led by the petrol-engined E350 and E500, priced at a bit more than the $75,000 green luxury threshold. Regardless, the E220 will save buyers about $5000 compared with the old luxury car threshold that didn't favour low-emission cars. The E220 will not be the only turbo-diesel four on offer in the E-Class range. It will be accompanied by the 150kW/500Nm E250 that has a 2.1-litre turbo-diesel engine. This engine, rated at a hybrid-busting 5.1 litres/100km yet capable of a 0-100km/h sprint of 7.4 seconds, is also being picked up by the E-Class Coupe which from October this year replaces the long-standing CLK range. The use of this engine in the performance-styled Coupe says it all about the change in thinking of European car makers. It comes as the January 2012 deadline draws closer for the European Union-mandated 120 grams per kilometre of carbon-dioxide emissions. Mercedes smartly believes that collecting a band of low emission models will allow it to continue developing and making its big-bore AMG models. With its family of cars including the 90g/km CO2 Smart MHD and a sub-90g/km CO2 Smart diesel, Mercedes may be on its way to fulfiling the EU demand. The E250 is the engine that is being talked up by Mercedes. Quietly, it is plausible that the engine could be the first four-cylinder to be slotted into the S-Class —- though that won't happen for the Mercedes-Benz 2010 S-Class range being unveiled now. Rather, it could be on the cards within five years.

The car industry uses a web of alliances to survive.Lust, affairs, one-night stands, engagements, marriages and divorces — it can be hard sharing your love. It can also be expensive, especially if the human analogy is applied to the car business.DaimlerChrysler's recent divorce cost the now-solo Daimler AG a cool $33 billion.Daimler and its former partner, now known by her maiden name of Chrysler Group, still share the kids.These include shared components and manufacturing, including the Chrysler Crossfire (based on the previous Mercedes-Benz SLK) and Jeep Grand Cherokee, which uses Mercedes' V6 diesel engine and transmission.Daimler-Benz and Chrysler courted in the late 1990s, sealing their association in 1998 with a new name, DaimlerChrysler.The marriage was mutually beneficial. Daimler gained economies of scale and a new customer for engines, transmissions and an outlet for its old platforms. The previous Mercedes E-Class shares the same platform as the Chrysler 300C.Chrysler gained unprecedented, cost-effective access to the drivetrains used to power its distinctively styled cars.Of the divorce, shareholders of Daimler- Chrysler spitefully said “I knew it wouldn't work”.Marriages may be difficult, but alliances are what keep many car companies afloat.All these inter-relationships are spurred by one goal — profit. So competitive is the car industry that every dollar counts.Making cars cheaper improves profits, even if that means relocating factories to countries with low labour costs, non-existent unions and tax-free government incentives.Few would know that 10 models on the Australian market are made in Thailand. South Africa makes five, there's one from the Czech Republic, three from Slovakia, one from Poland, four from Malaysia and one from Indonesia.Build quality in most cases is as good as you'd expect from a country-of-origin factory.The biggest difference is manufacturing costs. Building a Volkswagen Golf in Germany, for example, costs substantially more than building the same car in South Africa. Sharing components such as engines, transmissions, platforms and bodies with a rival company — or at least one perceived as being a rival — is big business.The platform of the Mazda3 is similar to the Volvo S40 and Ford Focus. Ford has a big chunk of Mazda's shares and owns Volvo outright.The Toyota Aygo, a one-litre hatch soon to be sold in Australia, is built in the Czech Republic with the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107. The only differences are interior trim, grilles, head and tail lights. Everything else, except the badge, is identical.General Motors has a giant web of ownership, component sharing and minor shareholdings. It owns Saab and Hummer, and rebadges cars including the Daewoo Matiz as Chevrolets.GM owned 20 per cent of Fiat until it dissolved the relationship in 2005. But retains component sharing deals and owns 50 per cent of Fiat's JTD diesel engine technology.GM also has 3 per cent of Suzuki (it had 20 per cent until selling down in March 2006) and 7.9 per cent of Isuzu.This relationship crosses with Fiat. Suzuki buys Fiat diesel engines for its European cars but also buys diesels from the PSA group (owner of Peugeot and Citroen) and Renault. Fiat this year will also supply diesel engine's to Saab.The Suzuki Splash, to be launched in Europe later this year is based on the Swift/SX4 platform, but will be rebadged the Opel/Vauxhall Agila for European sales.Fiat sells the Suzuki SX4 as the Sedici in Europe.Suzuki also owns 11 per cent of GM-DAT, the Korean-based company that makes the Holden Epica, Captiva, Viva and Barina.GM sold its 20 per cent of Subaru parent, Fuji Heavy Industries, in 2005. Fuji bought back most of the shares, though Toyota bought in and now owns 8.7 per cent of the company.Toyota also owns Daihatsu and has a big stake in Yamaha. Yamaha has an engineering alliance with Toyota — twin-cam engine and multi-valve heads included — and recently created the V8 engine for Ford-owned Volvo.GM also gets its Saab plant in Sweden to make the Cadillac BLS mid-size car, alongside its Saab 9-3 and 9-5.The Hyundai Sonata's 2.4-litre engine is shared with the Jeep Compass, Dodge Caliber, Chrysler Sebring and Mitsubishi Outlander.Renault has an alliance with Nissan and owns Samsung (Korea) and has a joint venture with Mahindra (India).Porsche's Cayenne SUV is built in Volkswagen's factory in Slovakia alongside the Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. Porsche's Cayman is built in Finland. That's just the tip of iceberg.Peyton Place has nothing on these guys. 

That's when you find the changes run way deeper than bumpers and lamps, drilling deep into the body and including engines, transmissions and suspension ...Luxury buyers looking at the latest mid-sized E-Class Mercedes should like what they see, but still deserve some answers.Let's not forget how owners of the previous E-Class cars — without the substantial upgrading, which was done in September — will feel about their cars, particularly when it comes to trade-in time.The update is so substantial, and was so essential, that some carmakers would probably have moved to identify the model shift. To be fair to Benz, the update this year came at a time when the company was ready with new running gear to give the mid-sizer a performance boost on several fronts.It also brought out the E280 and the sledgehammer E63 AMG.The latest E-Class picks up everything from cosmetic changes at both ends and in the cabin to revised steering, improved suspension, power boosts in several engines, and more safety, including the Pre-Safe system — which detects a coming impact and primes the car's safety systems — and Neck-Pro head restraints.Tiny changes include repositioning the GPS antenna and redesigned mirrors. There is much more than can be listed here or that Benz could provide in the press pack, but Mercedes says engine output in the basic E200 is up by 15kW and 10Nm while the E500 is better by 60kW and 70Nm.And the flagship E63 AMG? It has 378kW, up by 28kW over the previous E55, although the torque has dropped slightly but still remains strong at 630Nm.The Mercedes-Benz model update also includes the arrival of the latest E280 CDi.Prices have risen a little. The E200K is now priced from $84,500, a $2000 rise. The E350 starts at $126,500 (also up by $2000) and runs to the E63 AMG at $227,600.Putting a wagon tail on an E-Class car is still a $6000 job.The first impression of the updated E-Class was good. Very good. It felt more substantial, the quality seemed better and it was more inviting in the cabin.The test car was an E280 wagon that came with a sports package, which made it the sort of car we would like to drive — for a long time.The combination of the mid-sized body with the sweet V6 motor made the car enjoyable to drive, all the way from puddling speeds to a cornering thrash. It even did well at the pump — average consumption 8.9 litres for 100km. The V6 E-Class is a sweet and well-balanced package. The engine gives more than enough thrust, even with a load.We have liked the 280 in other Benzes, including the SLK drop-top, and it is best suited to the E wagon, giving more flexibility than a four and avoiding both the price and petrol hikes of a V8.The latest E actually felt more like the lovely CLS to drive, with better feel through the steering, more response from the suspension and more of the luxury stuff to match a price which comes in at a fair bit more than $100,000.Benz won't like us saying it, but the cabin quality is now more like the latest Audis.Those cars were developed very specifically to make a good showroom impression. Lots of people buy on their emotional response to the cabin. Now Mercedes has the right idea with its trim and dashboard combinations.The gearshift paddle change is good, too, and triggers a seven-speed automatic that is probably the best in the business right now.The latest E rides extremely well, even on the sports springs and low-profile tyres, and the braking is great. There is more than enough safety equipment: development included 330 crash tests.The wagon is very flexible and that's great for the families who should be looking at a car instead of a four-wheel drive, but all the basics are the same in the wagon.We enjoyed the previous E-Class but could see and feel its shortcomings, a lot like the previous generation S-Class.These are good cars, but not as good as they could or should have been. Line the latest E up against its rivals and it is back to best in the class, which is all anyone needs to know.