Mercedes E-Class news - Revised E-Class revealed - 2006

The New York Auto Show gives us the first proper glimpse of the facelifted Mercedes E-Class.

The E-Class accounts for a fifth of Merc's sales worldwide, so going radical on the looks was not an option.

Instead, the revised E-Class has a mildly more pronounced V-shape to the front grille and bumper, while the headlights get a makeover to give them a similar look to the R-Class'. These now adapt to speed and conditions to give the best possible spread of light.

New side skirts and rear bumper complete the subtle exterior revisions.

On the inside, it's again a gentle buffing of the old model's virtues, so the steering wheel now has a new four-spoke design and Thermatic climate control becomes standard on all models.

All E-Class models will now come with Merc's Pre-Safe system, which anticipates an accident and pulls the front seats into the best position to protect occupants.

Safety on the outside has not been forgotten and the new E has brake lights that flash during emergency braking to better warn drivers behind.

Under the bonnet, there have been some more deep-seated changes and the E220 CDi has new engine internals to make it smoother and help boost power to 170bhp.

The E220 CDi's engine now produces 295lb ft of torque, while the E320 CDi's six-cylinder engine has its torque upped to 398lb ft.

The petrol engines have not been left out of the power increases and even the entry-level E200 model gains 12.5 per cent more grunt, swelling to 184bhp.

At the other end of the scale, the E-Class gains the latest 5.5-litre V8 engine from the S-Class that kicks out 388bhp.

Then there's the daddy of the range, the E63 AMG that uses the new naturally aspirated V8 for a whopping 514bhp and 465lb ft of torque.

There are few changes to the way the E-Class drives, but Merc has countered BMW's Active Steering with its own Direct Control. This system speeds up steering response during hard cornering by around 10 per cent.

UK buyers will get their hands on the revised E-Class in July, with prices expected to be around one per cent higher than the outgoing models'.

Mercedes E-Class road tests
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG - June 15, 2006
Mercedes-Benz E270 CDI Estate - December 4, 2003
Mercedes-Benz E500 Elegance - August 1, 2003
Mercedes-Benz E320 CDI Estate - February 27, 2003
Mercedes-Benz E240 Avantgarde - February 21, 2003