10 Things You Need To Know About The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class has been given a refresh after being on the market for only a short time, which is a benefit for luxury shoppers interested in this perennial mid-size favorite.  The new look and features are largely restricted to the four-door versions of the car (the sedan and the wagon), but the coupe and convertible are still compelling choices in their respective premium segments, and will most likely follow their brethren further down the upgrade path in the very near future.

Let’s take a look at 10 things you need to know about the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

01. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Offers New Exterior Styling

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan and wagon have slimmed down for the current model year, as each version of the mid-size car now wears sleeker sheet metal and a more aggressive front end.  More sporty and with better flow than the previous version of the car, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class remains appealing to traditional buyers of the German brand but doesn’t look nearly as conservative when parked beside competitors like the Audi A6 and the BMW 5 Series.  Inside, the car has also seen its gauge display, steering wheel, and gear selector (across the board) revised, while a new analog clock is now positioned prominently at the center of the car’s dashboard.

02. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Can Be Had In Four Distinct Body Styles

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan and E-Class wagon have received the lion’s share of updates for the current model year, but it’s also worth test driving the tweaked coupe and convertible editions of the E-Class as well.  The E-Class sedan offers good passenger room front and rear, as well as a comfort-oriented suspension system, while the E-Class wagon adds copious cargo capacity (to the tune of just under 58 cubic feet in total).  The coupe and the convertible actually sit on a different platform – borrowed from the smaller C-Class – and while their exterior designs might not have changed much they deliver many of the cabin styling cues found in the four-door versions of the E-Class.

03. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Features A New Turbodiesel Engine Option

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class shelves the six-cylinder turbodiesel engine that was available under the hood of the E350 BlueTEC and replaces it with a new, 2.1-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel mill in the E250 that is almost as powerful and significantly more frugal.  The four-cylinder unit generates 195 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque, but the real story behind this revised engine offering is its fuel mileage, which checks in at 28-mpg in city driving and 45-mpg on the highway.  That is an astounding 13-mpg better than the old V-6.  The E250 is shifted via a seven-speed automatic transmission.

04. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Delivers Two Additional Power Plants

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class maintains its two popular gasoline engines to go along with the new turbodiesel edition of the car.  The entry-level E350 features a 3.5-liter V-6 that provides 302 horsepower and 278 lb-ft of torque, output that is managed by a seven-speed automatic transmission.  Fuel mileage for this engine – which is pegged to be replaced as early as next year by a somewhat weaker direct-injected V-6 – is listed at 21-mpg in city driving and 30-mpg on the highway.  Fans of excessive acceleration will want to sample the twin-turbo, 4.7-liter V-8 found under the hood of the E550, which churns out 402 horses and 443 lb-ft of torque.  The same seven-speed autobox comes with the E550, and fuel efficiency figures for this model are listed at 17-mpg around town and 26-mpg during highway cruising.

05. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Provides Available All-Wheel Drive

Like most mid-size luxury cars, the 2014 Mercedes-Ben E-Class offers the option of all-wheel drive.  Currently, it’s possible to order a fair number of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class models with the brand’s 4MATIC system, and a few even come with it as standard equipment.  All-wheel drive is optional for customers who select the E250 or E350 sedans, while all versions of the wagon – plus the E550 in sedan form – feature all-wheel drive free of charge.  The E550 coupe is left out of the all-wheel drive party, as are both the V-6 and V-8 editions of the E-Class convertible.

06. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Is Offered As A Hybrid

Just when you thought we’d run out of flavors, the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class comes up with yet another drivetrain to choose from: the E400 Hybrid.  The Mercedes-Benz E400 matches the 3.5-liter V-6 from the E350 with a battery-powered electric motor that kicks in an additional 184 lb-ft of torque and just under 30 extra horses.  All told, the system generates 302 ponies and offers the same automatic engine start/stop feature that can be found in most other versions of the E-Class, allowing it to return fuel mileage of 24-mpg city and 30-mpg highway.  That’s not that big of an improvement compared to the E350, but the car does feature the novelty of electric-only travel for distances of up to half a mile.

07. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Can Be Ordered In An AMG Performance Edition

Last but certainly not least when rounding up the available versions of the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is the E63 AMG.  The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG is a monster, boasting a 550 horsepower, 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine that also produces 531 lb-ft of torque.  Not enough for you?  This year the E63 AMG introduces a special S-Model package of engine upgrades that boosts output to 577 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque.  Available exclusively in sedan or wagon form, the AMG edition of the E-Class also features a unique seven-speed automated manual transmission, a sport suspension system, and for the first time, standard all-wheel drive (with a rear bias to preserve the car’s handling characteristics).

08. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Is Available In Several Different Trims

As if selecting which engine you want between the front fenders of your 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class isn’t confusing enough, you also have to decide which trim level to order, too.  Wagons and sedans can be had in Luxury and Sport trims: Luxury makes 17-inch rims standard and includes more traditional styling inside and out, while Sport adds larger rims and an aggressive front fascia to the E-Class equation while also installing performance-style whiteface gauges, a different steering wheel and a stiffer suspension system.  Standard on both are items such as a sunroof, LED headlights, dual automatic climate control, power front seats, wood trim, an active suspension system, the COMAND interface, Bluetooth connectivity, and imitation leather upholstery.  Coupe and convertible versions of the car take after the Sport trim level in terms of their look and feel, and so does the Hybrid.  There are a number of subtle differences in terms of equipment that come into play depending on which drivetrain is installed where, adding a bit of individuality to each respective E-Class model.

09. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Can Be Loaded With Options

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class allows for further personalization at ordering time via the availability of a wide range of options packages.  The Premium 1 package adds a navigation system, a rearview camera, heated seats, and a louder stereo system, while the Parking Assist package installs parking sensors, an automated parking feature, and an ‘Around View’ camera that provides a video image of the area immediately surrounding the car.  The Lighting package adds adaptive LED headlights that automatically dim or brighten in response to traffic, and the Keyless Go package introduces – you guessed it – keyless entry and a push-button start.  It also provides a power trunk that can be opened with the wave of an appendage under the back bumper.

10. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Introduces New Safety Gear

The 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class brings a host of updated and new safety features to the table.  Some of the most prominent include a collision mitigation system that combines cameras and radar to detect objects front and rear and automatically slow the vehicle to avoid an impact.  The car can also keep up with the flow of stop-and-go traffic via its adaptive cruise control system, and its lane-keeping feature will robotically steer the automobile so that it stays between the lines.  This is all in addition to electronic stability control and traction control, dual forward airbags, side impact airbags up front, side curtain airbags for both front and rear passengers, a driver’s knee airbag, and the option of rear side impact airbags.