The aerodynamic development of the new Mercedes E-Class began in the aquatic environment, where the nature of the streamlining of the body could be especially clearly seen. With an aerodynamic drag coefficient Cx = 0.27, the Mercedes E-200 and Mercedes E-220 D cars are recognized as the best in the world in this characteristic.
The new E-class models consume an average of 6-10% less fuel than their predecessors, and, accordingly, the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere is also less. The aforementioned improvement in aerodynamics gave the greatest effect to achieve this result (Cx, depending on the car model and tire brand, is 0.27–0.29) and weight reduction.
The influence of mass on the energy consumption of the car cannot be ignored. For example, when driving in urban conditions, the energy consumption is 23%. Of these, 17% is accounted for by the acceleration of the car, the remaining 6% - by rolling resistance. Energy consumption also depends on the mass of the car. It is known that when it is reduced by 100 kg, fuel consumption when driving in urban conditions, depending on the brand of the car and the nature of the movement, decreases by 0.3–0.6 l/100 km.
«Reducing the weight of the car is necessary, but not at any cost» - this is the basic principle of the development of the E-class car. Weight reduction is only a step towards solving the problem. Aspects of safety, comfort, reliability and economy are also important. From these considerations, Mercedes has developed a lightweight design concept that meets all of the above requirements.
Steel plays a central role in this concept. With optimum weight-to-weight ratio and high strength, steel is the ideal compromise between safety and weight for passenger car load-bearing structures. To address the safety issue, heavily stressed body parts are reinforced and stiffened. For other parts, less durable steel is used. Such a body has both optimal weight and proper strength. Recently, Mercedes has been using more and more durable steel grades, which allow maintaining the required strength with a minimum metal thickness. In the new E-Class, about a third of the body is made of such high-strength steel.
Thanks to the innovations applied in the production of the metal body of the Mercedes E-class (more than 30 technical innovations), driving became safer and more comfortable. The peculiar body structure and security systems of the new Mercedes E-class made this car the most reliable in its class.
Use of steel with titanium additive
One of the new samples of high-strength steel is microalloyed isotope steel. It is a steel alloyed in a special way, containing a titanium additive and having a structure of a high degree of uniformity. The titanium additive makes it much easier to work on bending and stamping sheet metal, which, first of all, concerns large parts of the body. In E-class machines, in addition to the main parts of the supporting structure, the rear doors, the rear wall and the rear part of the floor are made of metal with a titanium additive. The reduction in weight, depending on the design unit, ranges from 4 to 7%.