COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF ENHANCEMENTS ALSO FOR E-CLASS COUPÉ AND CABRIOLET

The 48-volt technology with ISG is also a feature of the in-line six-cylinder petrol engine (M 256), now available for the first time in the E-Class. As with the Saloon, Estate and All-Terrain models, this unit has now been added to the engine line-up for the two-door models. A unit that is already familiar from the CLS, S-Class and GLE, its electrical boost of up to 16 kW and as much as 250 Nm reinforces the sporty character of both the Coupé and the Cabriolet. The standard combination with the all-wheel drive system 4MATIC further accentuates the dynamism of these two models. The systematic electrification of the engine is a major factor in the exceptional efficiency of the powertrain and evidence of the company’s forward-looking drive system strategy.

New technical features for the OM 654: on the way to becoming the most powerful four-cylinder diesel
Fundamental further technical development is envisaged for the OM 654 four-cylinder diesel engine introduced in 2016. Leading the way among the measures aimed at further improving efficiency is the new OM 654 M with integrated starter-alternator. Along with electrification, which also includes the use of an electric refrigerant compressor for the air-conditioning system, the following are the most important modifications that allow an output of up to 195 kW plus an additional 15 kW from the EQ Boost system:

• A new crankshaft increases the stroke to 94 mm and the displacement to 1993 cc (previously: 92.3 and 1950)
• The injection pressure is increased to 2700 bar (previously: 2500)
• Particularly fast response times and steady power delivery thanks to two water-cooled turbochargers, both featuring variable turbine geometry
• A sodium-filled cooling duct in each of the steel pistons. This helps to dissipate temperature peaks in the piston recess.
• Electric refrigerant compressor

In terms of exhaust gas aftertreatment, this most powerful of the four-cylinder diesel engines also takes things a step further. Its components include

• a close-coupled NOx storage catalytic converter for reducing the nitrogen oxides
• a DPF (diesel particulate filter with special coating for reducing the amount of nitrogen oxides)
• an SCR catalyst (selective catalytic reduction; with metered injected quantity of AdBlue) as well as
• an additional SCR catalyst in the underbody of the vehicle with separately metered injected quantity of AdBlue

The 9G-TRONIC transmission has also been further developed to accommodate the second-generation ISG and is being used, in a first step, with the four-cylinder ISG engine. The electric motor, the power electronics and the transmission cooler have now moved into or onto the transmission. Previously required cables can be eliminated, which offers advantages with regard to installation space and weight. This makes it easy to combine the transmission with the different combustion engines. In addition, the efficiency of the transmission has been increased. Amongst other things, the optimised interplay with the electric auxiliary oil pump reduces the delivery rate of the mechanical pump by 30 percent. A new generation of the fully integrated transmission control with multi-core processor and new construction and joining technology is also used here. In addition to the increased computing power, the number of electric interfaces has been drastically reduced, and the weight of the transmission control has been cut by 30 percent.

The line-up of diesel engines is completed by the in-line six-cylinder unit (OM 656), which is also available for the two-door models in conjunction with the all-wheel drive system 4MATIC.

The E-Class Coupé models at market launch at a glance:

The E-Class Cabriolet models at market launch at a glance:

The success story of the two-door E-Class models
The tradition of saloon models in the segment now occupied by the E-Class is a long one, and extends back to the very origins of the Mercedes (and Benz) brands. The Stroke/8 Coupé (model series 114) of 1968 marked the introduction of a second body variant. Further coupé models in this vehicle segment followed – for a while also under the name CLK. Each generation combined elegant design with agile sportiness and contemporary luxury at a high level.

The Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA) of September 1991 marked the premiere of an elegant cabriolet model: this four-seater vehicle with fabric top formed part of the 124 model series, renamed the E-Class in 1993, and was available from the spring of 1992, initially as the 300 CE-24. This cabriolet revived the long tradition of four-door open-top vehicles in the brand history of Mercedes-Benz after a hiatus of some twenty years: production of its predecessors in this body style in the S-Class, the 280 SE Cabriolet and 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet (W 111), having ceased in 1971. In the intervening period Mercedes-Benz had continued to maintain the culture of open-top driving with the two-door SL sports cars. The success of the A 124, of which 33,592 examples had been produced by 1997, was followed seamlessly by the CLK Cabriolets of the model series A 208 (1998 to 2003) and A 209 (2003 to 2010) as well as by the E-Class Cabriolets of the model series A 207 (2010 to 2017) and A 238 (since 2017).