Environmental Responsibility Recognised in New E-Class BlueEFFICIENCY Models as the Diesel Offensive Starts Downunder
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – September 4, 2009: The all-new Mercedes-Benz E-Class BlueEFFICIENCY models have arrived in Australia and customer deliveries have commenced.
Released locally in July with V6 and V8 power, the award-winning E-Class now offers Australian customers turbocharged petrol and diesel four-cylinder engines as well as turbo-diesel V6 power. These ultra-efficient vehicles have been recognised by the TÜV Rheinland group with the highly prestigious Design for Environment certificate.
The TÜV Rheinland Group is a leading provider of technical services worldwide. The Group’s mission and guiding principle is to achieve sustained development of safety and quality in order to meet the challenges arising from the interaction between humans, technology and the environment.
For Mercedes-Benz to achieve this certificate they needed to examine and optimise the entire lifecycle of their cars, from design to development, production, use and disposal. BlueEFFICIENCY technologies also help to counter the harmful emissions involved in the manufacturing and recycling of their vehicles.
BlueEFFICIENCY is a package of fuel saving technologies where innovative changes have been made throughout the design and engineering of the E-Class. From the engine to the wheels, everything is optimised for lower emissions and reduced fuel consumption. Advancements include improved aerodynamics (demonstrated by the world’s lowest drag co-efficient for a production car of 0.24 for the E-Class Coupé and a class-leading drag co-efficent of 0.25 for the E-Class Sedan) and weight reduction and optimized lower-displacement engines.
Intelligent exterior design dramatically increases the aerodynamics of BlueEFFICIENCY models, resulting in reduced fuel costs. Some features address small details, such as the underbody paneling or a partially covered grille. Others incorporate innovations from the initial conceptualisation of the car.
Enhancements include reduced windscreen thickness, removal of acoustic damping materials and lighter alloy wheels. Along with specially designed tyres, the BlueEFFICIENCY E-Class’ now offer less rolling resistance and friction on the road.
Lower displacement engines maintain the same or increased power and torque output, but have been refined for less internal friction. Direct injection petrol engines and powerful diesel engines deliver low CO2 emissions and highly competitive fuel economy.
The 125kW/400Nm E 220 CDI priced from $80,900 is rated at 5.9L/100km and boasts a higher torque figure than the BMW 520d, the Audi A4 2.0 TDI and the AUDI A6 2.7 TDI.
The 150kW/500Nm E 250 CDI priced from $96,900 is also rated at 5.9L/100km and boasts the highest torque four-cylinder diesel in a passenger car. The E 250 CDI’s 500Nm rating matches the AUDI A6 3.0 V6 TDI and is just behind the BMW 530d (520Nm) despite being almost a litre smaller in capacity and two cylinders less.
The 170kW/540Nm E 350 CDI priced from $131,900 clearly out-torques the competition as well.
For those with a petrol bent the 150kW/310Nm E 250 CGI is priced from $93,900 and is rated at 7.6L/100km. It offers 35 percent more torque than the BMW 523i and almost matches the torque of the BMW 530i (315Nm) despite giving away two cylinders and being more than 1.2-litres smaller.
For more than 50 years, the saloons in the E-Class and their predecessors have been acknowledged as trendsetters in the field of safety. The new E-Class sedan continues this tradition with an unrivalled combination of the very latest assistance and protection system whose concept and development is based on what actually happens during accidents.
These technologies make the E-Class a clear leader. Of course, one core value of Mercedes-Benz is safety and the new E-Class ensures that the vehicle remains the driver’s "intelligent partner" able to see, feel, react reflexively in critical situations and, if necessary, act independently to prevent accidents or mitigate their consequences. With this concept, the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class not only protects its own occupants, but also contributes decisively to the greater safety of other road users.
Important note to editors: Pricing
The prices detailed in this
document are current Manufacturer’s List Price (MLP) for the
Mercedes-Benz E 220 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY sedan, the Mercedes-Benz E 250 CGI
BlueEFFICIENCY sedan, the Mercedes-Benz E 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY sedan, and
the Mercedes-Benz E 350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY sedan.
As you may be aware, the MLP includes GST and any LCT applicable to the base / standard specification model but EXCLUDES DEALER DELIVERY AND ALL ON ROAD COSTS such as, for example, registration fees, stamp duty, CTP and the like.
Accordingly, please ensure that when you publish the details contained in this document, your publication makes it clear to its readers that:
Whilst we are unable to provide you with drive away pricing due to the wide variation in on-road costs between states and territories, and the different ranges of dealer delivery imposed by dealers, we encourage you to contact one of our authorised Mercedes-Benz passenger car dealers in order to obtain relevant and accurate drive away information for your specific audience.